Since his days with
Genesis
,
Steve Hackett
had showcased his classical guitar skills on solo pieces like
"Horizons."
He had a strong affinity for such material and usually included one solo guitar piece on his own albums. By 1980-1981,
Hackett
had amassed enough material to release an entire album of his classical work and pitched the idea to his label
Charisma
. The record company felt such a release wouldn't prove commercially viable -- they saw
as a "rock" artist -- but the guitarist believed strongly in the project. To this end, he began recording tracks for it on his own time and with his own money. Even after the success of
's 1982 album
Highly Strung
and its hit single,
"Cell 151,"
still vetoed the idea. So
left the label and took his project to a smaller one called
Lamborghini
, who released the album under the title
Bay of Kings
in 1983. It turned out to be one of the guitarist's strongest efforts ever, truly a labor of love, and sold in respectable quantities.
had taken great care recording his guitar, and his efforts shine throughout this gorgeous-sounding album. The beautiful guitar work was complemented in places by strings and flute (the latter played by
Steve
's brother
John
). There are remakes of two of
's earlier pieces,
"Horizons"
(from the
album
Foxtrot
) and
"Kim"
(from
's
Please Don't Touch
LP), both of which improved on the originals. ~ Robin Platts