Chris Squire su Radio Capital il 03/11/2009

[Duke of Mar]

Lo ha annunciato ieri pomeriggio il buon Mixo (suo fan sfegatato [:0]). L'appuntamento è alle 14.00 di martedì 3 novembre [:p][;)]

[Barking Slug]

Ho seguito l'intervista... sentito che fijura emme' quando è saltato il cd del brano mandato in onda? O quando il presentatore in preda al delirio del fan parla dei suoi viaggi mentali all'ascolto della musica degli Yes, con Squire che gli dice che erano gli stupefacenti a causargli questo?

Mezza topica, ma intervista simpatica. Recuperano in simpatia.

[Duke of Mar]

Squire mi sembrava un po' rincoglionito... [:D]

[twilightalehouse]

Me la sono persa[:.-(][:.-(][:.-(] Ho letto che ci sarebbe stato il suo intervento alle 3, quando era troppo tardi... Però ho fatto in tempo a sentire uno dei due presentatori che era convinto che il concerto a Roma fosse stasera... Per fortuna che erano appassionati!!![V][V] Sapete se si è parlato del nuovo disco che Squire ha annunciato x l'anno prossimo?

[theknife]

non fa parte dell'intervista in questione ma leggete qua le reali notizie circa il progetto Hackett/Squire...il disco è pronto al 90% e dovrebbero fare pure il tour(???)..

Collaboration with Steve Hackett
Squire guests on guitarist Steve Hackett's (ex-Genesis, ex-GTR) new solo album, Out of the Tunnel's Mouth, and the pair are working on a collaborative rock album. Following Hackett's appearence on Chris Squire's Swiss Choir, Squire did some work on a planned solo project by Hackett and this developed into a collaboration. In an early Nov 2008 interview, Squire explained, "Following on from [Swiss Choir], I went round to his studio and played on some things for him that he had been working on I think from a view to making a solo album. [...] he had been working on a new project and asked me to join in on it. Once I became involved in it, we started writing new material together and now it's developing into another project, which I think, is collaboration and I think it's going to be called Squackett." Hackett, in a Feb 2009 interview, said "The Hackett/Squire project doesn't yet have a name, although people are already calling us the Squacketts, which was an idea Chris' wife Scotty came up with!"


In a Sep 2008 post on Yesfans.com, Squire said that some of the songs he had been working on for his next solo album (see below) "have been diverted to the project" with Hackett. This includes "Aliens are Only Us from the Future", which in another form was also played live on the In the Present tour by Steve Howe, Chris Squire and Alan White of Yes (see main page). In an Oct article, Squire said:


We're nearly 75 percent done. [...] Hackett is [...] a very good singer. We're doing a lot of harmonizing, and some of it is almost in the Crosby, Stills & Nash vein.


In the Nov 2008 interview, Squire went on:


It’s about 70% done on my part. Before I left England for the States, I tried to do as much work on it as possible and left Steve with it to add guitar parts, etc. Fortunately in this modern day of the Internet I get the tracks sent to me and I can hear what he’s doing back there. That project is going to be finished by next spring anyway.


In a Jan 2009 interview, Hackett said, "[Squire]'s a busy man [...] but the internet's a wonderful thing [...] we can just ping MP3s across the pond." In the Feb 2009 interview, he says, "Chris has been touring the U.S., as I am with Europe, but it doesn't stop us with our recording, plus time improves the quality of production ideas and songs. [...] At this moment in time, Chris and I are involved with the world of live gigs... but we are still in touch and passing stems backwards and forwards with a view to picking up the batton [sic] once there is a break from gigging." In a May 2009 interview, Hackett said of the project, "I'll be visiting the States soon to work with him and meet some guys who should be on the album." In another May 2009 interview, Hackett said, "I should be visiting Chris Squire sometime in August and we intend to write more material for our joint project." (In late Jun, Squire confirmed plans to meet in Aug.) In a Jul 2009 interview (possibly conducted several months earlier), Squire said: "I have nearly finished an album that I have written and recorded with Steve Hackett". In a Jul 2009 interview, Hackett said, "[Squire] and I have a number of things that we've been working on. I hope I'm going to be working with him in August, when he's over in England."

Who else has been or will be involved in this project appears to have yet to be determined. In an early 2008 interview in German magazine Eclipsed, Hackett described the line-up as also being with his brother John and that he would like to get Simon Phillips (ex-Toto, ex-Mike Oldfield, ex-Mike Rutherford) on drums. Phillips appeared to have subsequently been confirmed and one Jan 2008 interview with him suggested he had already laid down tracks. In the Feb 2009 interview, Hackett said, "It's difficult to fully describe an unfinished project as more musos come on board, but I can confirm that it's really exciting [...] We're sending stems to a famous drummer at the moment, so the ball's in his court whilst we wait for its return." In Aug 2009, it was reported that Squire had said that Taylor Hawkins (Foo Fighters) will be playing some drums on the album. In a 1 Sep 2009 interview, Hackett said:


Chris and I are indeed working this very day on a long term project that has been a labour of love for both of us. Who knows how it will be presented finally? It’ll just have to take its course [...] I’m pleasantly surprised that we gel so naturally. We both love detail and appreciate each other’s styles. I like to think it will go down well with fans of all the bands we’ve been associated with, in my case Genesis and GTR, and in Chris’ case Yes and SYN.


Asked about reports of Taylor Hawkins' involvement and about other musicians on the project, Hackett continued:


There are various possible surprises. All well known musicians have commitments that have to be honoured. [...] not even Chris and I know yet who the team will finally be! Meanwhile we continue to write and record together and the demos are already sounding really fantastic.


In an Oct 2009 radio interview, Squire said: "We nearly are pretty getting close to 90% finished. I'm actually over here at the moment working on that with Steve. And we're getting pretty close to the end of that album." He also talked about how they are working with Hackett's regular keyboardist and recording engineer, Roger King.

Hackett's new solo rock album, Out of the Tunnel's Mouth, on which Squire guests, was released 31 Oct on Hackett's own Wolfworks Records. It is only available from his website. Produced by Hackett/King; tracks:

"Fire on the Moon" [written by Hackett]
"Nomads" [Hackett/Lehmann]

"Emerald and Ash" [Hackett/King]
"Tubehead" [Hackett/King]
"Sleepers" [Hackett/King/Lehmann/Cladburn]
"Ghost in the Glass" [Hackett/King]
"Still Waters" [Hackett/Lehmann]
"Last Train to Istanbul" [Hackett/King/Lehmann]
Performing on the album are Hackett (guitar, vocals (all tracks)), Squire (bass (1, 2)), King (keys, drum and other programming, engineer (all tracks)), Nick Beggs (Kajagoogoo, ex-Steve Howe, ex-Iona; bass, stick (2, 3, 5-7)), Anthony Phillips (ex-Genesis, worked with Camel and Mother Gong; 12-string guitar (3, 5)), John Hackett (Steve's brother; flute (5, ), Rob Townsend (soprano sax (3, ), Amanda Lehmann (vocals (3, 5, 7)), Jo Lehmann (backing vocals (7)), Lauren King (backing vocals (7)), Dick Driver (double bass (5)), Christine Townsend (worked with Cliff Richard; violin, viola (5, 6, ), Ferenc Kovács (violin (8)). A special edition of the album with live bonus tracks is also planned.

In a Sep 2008 interview for Bass Player (US; Jan 2009 issue), Squire said: "we're planning to go out and do a tour together [...] we might do some Fish Out of Water songs." In the Eclipsed interview, asked about touring, Hackett had replied that he hoped Squire and Phillips would have the time, and a Jun 2008 rumour suggested that a line-up with Hackett, Squire and Phillips were seeking to arrange live dates for that year. Those plans then shifted, with the Sep and Oct articles saying Spring 2009 (European) dates are planned, but that didn't come to pass either.

Hackett played another piece from the collaboration, "Storm Chaser", on his Mar 2009 Italian tour (I think this is it in this YouTube clip).