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Heat of the Moment

Anyone who is a Genesis fan may be familiar with the name Steve Hackett, who was their guitarist from 1971 to 1977, before Mike Rutherford took the reins after his departure in 1977.  Hackett's live album that came out in April of '''' '98’ just two decades shy of his departure from Genesis which, was then titled "The Tokoyo Tapes.” The album was released as a document of two live concerts done by a supergroup line-up of Hackett, John Wetton, Chester Thompson, Ian McDonald, and Julian Colbeck, in December 96’ and is what inspired me to write this particular post. Hackett performed an acoustic cover of a song originally done by the English prog rock band Asia, featured on the album “The Tokyo Tapes.”Asia of course was co-founded by John Wetton former member of another progressive rock band known as, “King Crimson” in 1981, and was the original writer behind the song “Heat of the Moment” that ended up becoming a hit for Asia and was almost left off of their self-titled debut album that was released the following year. Not only was "Heat of the Moment"  a massive success, but it made their self-titled debut album the best selling album of that year in the US.

The lyrics were written as an apology to John Wetton's then girlfriend Jill who he ended up marrying but, later divorcing after being married for a decade and was also a song inspired by John Wetton's idol Joni Mitchell. The video for the song ended up being directed by the team of Godley & Creme, who had their own band which is known as, 10cc. Their clips did very well on MTV, since they offered high production value and striking images. The video for "Heat of the Moment" featured a grid look, with the boxes constantly changing. It was a great way to show fleeting, memorable images (like the flaming cymbal) and also get in plenty of footage of the band. Godley & Creme also directed the "Only Time Will Tell" video. 

This song is one of those that I've heard quite a few times but, only actually clicked when I heard the version that Steve Hackett did. Again as a Genesis fan and as someone who loves anything having to do with music I decided to further research the meaning and history behind the song “Heat of the Moment”, which is what led me to the version John Wetton did. I can't say enough how I'm one of those who believes that nothing can touch an original but, there are a few cases where I do think a cover comes close and this is one. Being that it as a version that features the original writer I must say I do believe this one is just as good as the original. Hackett knocked it out of the water with this one and has definitely made me a fan of his solo work, which I believe doesn't get quite the credit it deserves. When it comes to underrated musicians he makes the list especially, being that his talents go beyond just the guitar. Back when he was a part of Genesis, he was also starting a pretty successful solo career. In the October of 75’, he released “Voyage of the Acolyte” while still a member of Genesis and features a couple of his fellow Genesis bandmates. Phil Collins was featured on drums and vocals while Mike Rutherford was featured on bass. It's title and lyrics were based loosely on tarot cards which, reached no. 26 in the UK and no. 191 in the US. He began releasing a series of other albums in 78’. 

More songs by both John Wetton and Steve Hackett along with the solo work of other members from Asia along with Genesis will be further discussed in later posts. This is just one of many to come. 

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