GTR was a supergroup founded in 1986 by ex-Genesis guitarist Steve Hackett and Yes and Asia guitarist Steve Howe. Other members included vocalist (and former milkman) Max Bacon (ex-Moby Dick, Nightwing, Bronz), bassist Phil Spalding (ex-Bernie Torme, Toyah, Mike Oldfield, Original Mirrors), and American drummer Jonathan Mover (ex-Marillion, later of Steve Vai fame). GTR were notable for attempting to create a band with guitar and synthesizer sounds, but without the use of conventional keyboard synths, using guitar-based synthesizers instead. Hackett and Howe's guitars were outfitted with Roland synthesizer trigger pickups, which used the vibrations of the strings to create MIDI signals used to play the synthesizers. While this may have worked in the studio, they were forced to take a keyboardist on the road because of the poor tracking qualities of the guitar synths. In the late 1960s, the term supergroup was coined to describe music groups comprising members who had already achieved fame or respect in other groups or as individual artists. ... Year 1986 (MCMLXXXVI) was a common year starting on Wednesday (link displays 1986 Gregorian calendar). ... Genesis is an English rock band formed in 1967. ... Steve Hackett (born Stephen Richard Hackett on February 12, 1950, in Pimlico, England) is a writer and guitarist. ... This article does not cite any references or sources. ... Asia is an arena rock/progressive rock group. ... Stephen James Steve Howe (born April 8, 1947 in Holloway, North London, England) is a guitarist best known for his work with the progressive rock group Yes. ... A milk truck A milkman is a person who delivers milk in milk bottles or cartons. ... Max Bacon (born Maxwell Chilicothe Bacon) was the lead singer for 1980s pomp rock supergroup GTR, as well as the frontman for lesser known bands like Moby Dick, Nightwing, and Bronz. ... This band were the first to be launched on the US market by the UK-based Bronze Records. ... Phil Spalding (born 19 November 1957 in London) is an English bass player. ... Bernie Torme is a rock guitarist born in Dublin, Ireland. ... Toyah is the name of the band fronted by Toyah Willcox, between 1977 and 1983. ... Michael Gordon Oldfield (born May 15, 1953 in Reading, England) is a multi-instrumentalist musician and composer, working a style that blends progressive rock, folk, ethnic or world music, classical music, electronic music and more recently dance. ... Ian Broudie (born August 4, 1958 in Liverpool) is a prolific English musician and producer, best known for his 1990s band the Lightning Seeds. ... Jonathan Mover is an American rock_music drummer who has played with a number of acts including Marillion, Steve Vai, GTR and Stu Hamm. ... Marillion is a British Rock group. ... Steven Siro Vai (born June 6, 1960 in Carle Place, New York) is a Grammy Award winning guitarist, composer, vocalist, and record producer. ...

GTR's only studio album, a self-titled LP produced by Geoffrey Downes of Asia, released by Arista Records, went gold and spawned a hit single, "When the Heart Rules the Mind", which stayed in the charts for 16 weeks.^[1] Another single, "The Hunter," received some video coverage and modest airplay. While GTR's album was a chart success, it is highly debated with many fans of Genesis and Yes. Some fans claim it has rather substandard filler material and some criticism directed at Max Bacon's strident tenor. J.D. Considine's review of the album simply read, "TTL SHT.".^[2] However, it has become somewhat of a cult classic among fans, with some of them regarding it the best work ever.^[3] GTR is the self-titled debut album from the short-lived supergroup GTR. The album peaked at #11 on the Billboard 200, and the single When the Heart Rules the Mind reached #14 on the Billboard Hot 100. ... Geoffrey Downes (born July 25, 1952 in Stockport, England) is an English rock keyboard player. ... Arista Records is an American record label that is a wholly owned subsidiary of Sony BMG, and operates under the RCA Records Group // After being fired from CBS Records, Columbia Pictures hired Clive Davis to be a consultant for the company’s record and music operations. ... In the United States, the Recording Industry Association of America awards certification based on the number of albums and singles sold through retail and other ancillary markets. ...

After a poorly conceived trans-Atlantic tour, Hackett's dissatisfaction with the group's financial management spelled the end of the project. Subsequent to an abortive lineup change in 1987, Hackett left GTR, stating it had been "interesting for about five minutes". Other fans have also speculated that Howe and Hackett did not get on well. Hackett's subsequent comments about GTR have been ambivalent at best. He once said of the group, "There are artistic limitations with any successful band and it was a successful band."^[4] Year 1987 (MCMLXXXVII) was a common year starting on Thursday (link displays 1987 Gregorian calendar). ...

The King Biscuit recording from Los Angeles demonstrated that the group was extremely tight and well practiced live. Tracks include versions of Yes' "Roundabout" and an epic re-working of the Genesis classic "I Know What I Like" as well as songs from the band's sole studio album, Hackett's and Howe's solo LPs and the U.S. Top 40 single "When The Heart Rules The Mind".^[5] Also, a preview of a new song, "Prizefighters", was included on this collection. The song was later developed for Hackett's planned 1986 release Feedback (only eventually released in 2003). Year 1986 (MCMLXXXVI) was a common year starting on Wednesday (link displays 1986 Gregorian calendar). ... Year 2003 (MMIII) was a common year starting on Wednesday of the Gregorian calendar. ...

After this, the band disbanded with Steve Hackett returning to stronger solo releases including "Guitar Noir". Steve Howe tried to reform the group with Robert Berry as a guitarist and lead vocals; however, it is rumoured that Max Bacon did not like being pushed back to second lead vocalist and became distant from the project. The bootleg of the second album sessions called 'Nerotrend' features half the music sung by Berry and half sung by Bacon. Various bits of this release have appeared on future albums, including the song 'This World is Big Enough for All of Us' which became 'Birthright' on the ABWH album.^[6] Robert Berry, also known as Rob Berry, is a pianist and songwriter living in London who specialises in providing high class background music, through renditions of 1940s standards, jazz and other more recent popular classics. ... Anderson Bruford Wakeman Howe (sometimes referred to by the acronym ABWH) was a permutation of the progressive rock band Yes. ...

An interesting piece of GTR trivia concerns vocalist Max Bacon's almost surreal attempt to relaunch his career following the breakup with an appearance as a contestant on ITV's vintage talent show New Faces. Relaunched in the late 1980s, the revamped New Faces was hosted by Marti Caine and featured judges such as Chris Tarrant (the nice one) and Nina Myskow (the nasty one). Max eventually reached the 1988 final and performed a version of "The Hunter", but he ultimately lost the competition. Interestingly, however, no mention was made on the show of his previous GTR success. New Faces was a British television talent show popular in the 1970s, presented by Derek Hobson. ... The 1980s refers to the years from 1980 to 1989. ... Marti on the cover of her 1981 dance single Marti Caine (26 January 1944 - 4 November 1995) was an English actress and comedian. ... Christopher John Tarrant OBE (born 10 October 1946, Reading, Berkshire) is an English radio broadcaster, television presenter and war lord, now best known for hosting the TV game show Who Wants to Be a Millionaire?. // Tarrant was educated at the Kings School, Worcester (1960-4) where he excelled at... Nina Myskow (born 1946) is a British journalist and TV celebrity who appeared on New Faces and was also a columnist for The Sun and The News of the World under the byline The Bitch on the box in the 1980s. ... Year 1988 (MCMLXXXVIII) was a leap year starting on Friday (link displays 1988 Gregorian calendar). ...

Max Bacon's 1996 solo album The Higher They Climb included GTR material. He later sang lead on "Going, Going, Gone" on Steve Howe's 1999 release, Portraits of Bob Dylan. There is also a CD of an LA GTR performance on King Biscuit Flower Hour, and even a bootleg floating around. Year 1996 (MCMXCVI) was a leap year starting on Monday (link will display full 1996 Gregorian calendar). ... This article is about the recording artist. ... Flag Seal Nickname: City of Angels Location Location within Los Angeles County in the state of California Coordinates , Government State County California Los Angeles County Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa (D) Geographical characteristics Area     City 1,290. ... The King Biscuit Flower Hour is a syndicated rock and roll radio show that debuted on February 18, 1973. ...

Discography

• GTR (1986) #11 US

GTR is the self-titled debut album from the short-lived supergroup GTR. The album peaked at #11 on the Billboard 200, and the single When the Heart Rules the Mind reached #14 on the Billboard Hot 100. ... See also: Musical groups established in 1986 Record labels established in 1986 // 1986 - Goo Goo Dolls are formed in Buffalo, New York. ...

Singles

“Hot 100” redirects here. ... The Mainstream Rock Tracks chart is a ranking in Billboard magazine of the most-played songs on mainstream rock radio stations, a category that includes stations that play primarily rock music but are not modern rock (that is, alternative) stations, which are counted in the Modern Rock Tracks chart. ... “British Hit Singles” redirects here. ... See also: Musical groups established in 1986 Record labels established in 1986 // 1986 - Goo Goo Dolls are formed in Buffalo, New York. ... See also: Musical groups established in 1986 Record labels established in 1986 // 1986 - Goo Goo Dolls are formed in Buffalo, New York. ...

References

1. ^ http://www.connollyco.com/discography/gtr/heart7.html
2. ^ http://www.lukeford.net/profiles/profiles/jd_considine.htm
3. ^ http://www.asiarock.com/categories/gtr.html
4. ^ http://members.shaw.ca/pleasedonttouch/gtr.html
5. ^ http://www.camino.co.uk/detail.html?cat=37&productref=24
6. ^ http://www.tranglos.com/marek/yes/tr_125.html