The Tokyo Tapes

The Tokyo Tapes
Live album by
Released27 April 1998
Recorded16 and 17 December 1996
VenueKoseinenkin Hall, Tokyo, Japan
GenreProgressive rock
LabelCamino Records
ProducerSteve Hackett
Steve Hackett chronology
A Midsummer Night's Dream
(1997)
The Tokyo Tapes
(1998)
Dark Town
(1999)
Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic[1]

The Tokyo Tapes is a live and studio album by English guitarist Steve Hackett, released in April 1998 by Camino Records. It documents two concerts performed by a supergroup line-up of Hackett, John Wetton, Chester Thompson, Ian McDonald and Julian Colbeck, in Tokyo, Japan in December 1996. The album includes two studio tracks recorded by Hackett. In 2001, a DVD of the concerts was released, with the same title.

Background[edit]

The DVD contains 18 minutes of bonus rehearsal footage and band biographies.

Both the CD and the DVD were promoted with the tagline: "What would it sound like if occasional members of GENESIS, KING CRIMSON, ASIA, YES, ZAPPA & WEATHER REPORT all got together to form a unique team just for one night?"[2]

A Triple-LP package pressed on White Vinyl was released for Record Store Day on June 18, 2022

Track listing[edit]

Original artists for live songs are listed in brackets.

Disc 1

  1. "Watcher of the Skies" (Banks, Rutherford, Hackett, Gabriel, Collins) – 8:59 [Genesis]
  2. "Riding the Colossus" (Hackett) – 3:32 [Solo Steve Hackett]
  3. "Firth of Fifth" (Banks, Collins, Hackett, Rutherford, Gabriel) – 9:32 [Genesis]
  4. "Battlelines" (Wetton, Marlette, Mitchell) – 6:43 [Solo John Wetton]
  5. "Camino Royale" (Hackett, Magnus) – 9:06 [Solo Steve Hackett]
  6. "The Court of the Crimson King" (McDonald, Sinfield) – 7:39 [King Crimson]
  7. "Horizons" (Hackett) – 1:53 [Genesis/Solo Steve Hackett]
  8. "Walking Away from Rainbows" (Hackett) – 3:47 [Solo Steve Hackett]
  9. "Heat of the Moment" (Wetton, Downes) – 4:06 [Asia]

Disc 2

  1. "...In That Quiet Earth'" (Hackett, Rutherford, Banks, Collins) – 4:02 [Genesis]
  2. "Vampyre With a Healthy Appetite" (Hackett) – 7:23 [Solo Steve Hackett]
  3. "I Talk to the Wind" (McDonald, Sinfield) – 5:37 [King Crimson]
  4. "Shadow of the Hierophant" (Hackett, Rutherford) – 7:14 [Solo Steve Hackett]
  5. "Los Endos" (Banks, Collins, Rutherford, Hackett) – 6:54 [Genesis]
  6. "Black Light" (Hackett) – 2:30 [Solo Steve Hackett]
  7. "The Steppes" (Hackett) – 6:48 [Solo Steve Hackett]
  8. "I Know What I Like" (Hackett, Banks, Rutherford, Collins, Gabriel) – 5:51 [Genesis]
  9. "Firewall" (Hackett) [Studio Track] – 4:41
  10. "The Dealer" (Hackett) [Studio track] – 4:23
  11. "Los Endos" (Hackett) ['Revisited' Studio Version] 8:52

RSD 2022 Track listing[edit]

Original artists for live songs are listed in brackets.

LP 1, Side 1

  1. "Watcher of the Skies" (Banks, Rutherford, Hackett, Gabriel, Collins) – 8:59 [Genesis]
  2. "Riding the Colossus" (Hackett) – 3:32 [Solo Steve Hackett]
  3. "Firth of Fifth" (Banks, Collins, Hackett, Rutherford, Gabriel) – 9:32 [Genesis]

LP 1, Side 2

  1. "Battlelines" (Wetton, Marlette, Mitchell) – 6:43 [Solo John Wetton]
  2. "Camino Royale" (Hackett, Magnus) – 9:06 [Solo Steve Hackett]
  3. "The Court of the Crimson King" (McDonald, Sinfield) – 7:39 [King Crimson]

LP 2, Side 3

  1. "Horizons" (Hackett) – 1:53 [Genesis/Solo Steve Hackett]
  2. "Walking Away from Rainbows" (Hackett) – 3:47 [Solo Steve Hackett]
  3. "Heat of the Moment" (Wetton, Downes) – 4:06 [Asia]
  4. "...In That Quiet Earth'" (Hackett, Rutherford, Banks, Collins) – 4:02 [Genesis]
  5. "Vampyre With a Healthy Appetite" (Hackett) – 7:23 [Solo Steve Hackett]

LP 2, Side 4

  1. "I Talk to the Wind" (McDonald, Sinfield) – 5:37 [King Crimson]
  2. "Shadow of the Hierophant" (Hackett, Rutherford) – 7:14 [Solo Steve Hackett]
  3. "Los Endos" (Banks, Collins, Rutherford, Hackett) – 6:54 [Genesis]

LP 3, Side 5

  1. "Black Light" (Hackett) – 2:30 [Solo Steve Hackett]
  2. "The Steppes" (Hackett) – 6:48 [Solo Steve Hackett]
  3. "I Know What I Like" (Hackett, Banks, Rutherford, Collins, Gabriel) – 5:51 [Genesis]

LP 3, Side 6

  1. "Firewall" (Hackett) [Studio Track] – 4:41
  2. "The Dealer" (Hackett) [Studio Track] – 4:23
  3. "All Along The Watchtower" (Dylan) [Studio Track: Hackett, Wetton] 8:52

Credits (live tracks)[edit]

Credits (studio tracks)[edit]

  • Steve Hackett – guitar, percussion
  • Aron Friedman – keyboards, programming

Charts[edit]

Chart (1998) Peak
position
UK Independent Albums (OCC)[3] 18
Chart (2022) Peak
position
UK Independent Albums (OCC)[4] 42
UK Rock & Metal Albums (OCC)[5] 19

References[edit]

  1. ^ "AllMusic: Steve Hackett – The Tokyo Tapes (1996) album review by Steve McMullen, releases & credits)". www.AllMusic.com. Retrieved 22 August 2010.
  2. ^ "Discogs: Steve Hackett – The Tokyo Tapes (1996) album releases & credits". www.Discogs.com. Retrieved 22 August 2010.
  3. ^ "Official Independent Albums Chart Top 50". Official Charts Company. Retrieved February 20, 2024.
  4. ^ "Official Independent Albums Chart Top 50". Official Charts Company. Retrieved February 20, 2024.
  5. ^ "Official Rock & Metal Albums Chart Top 40". Official Charts Company. Retrieved February 20, 2024.