At the first glance, collections of short demos and sketches – as well as personal landscape photos – aren’t something able to engage not-so-hardcore aficionados. But that’s not the case in the case of Steve Howe, a master guitarist, mostly known for his exquisite work with YES and riffing with ASIA, but also cherished for his dueling with another Steve H, Hackett, in GTR. It’s these bands’ pieces, in their raw – and quite often much more compelling – form that, since 1996, has formed the base of Howe’s “Homebrew” series that is continued now with its fifth installment.
While the initial disc concerned ABWH and GTR, its follow-up connected Steve’s ’70s solo work with YES’ “Union” and “Keys To Ascension,” “Homebrew 3” got all modern with “The Ladder” and “Magnification” stuff as well as the veteran’s ’90s albums, and the fourth part concentrated on even later material, “Homebrew 5” takes it all up date with tunes which ended up on YES’ “Fly From Here,” ASIA’s “XXX” and “Omega” and Steve’s own “Spectrum.” Given the quality of those, the prospect of hearing it rough (whatever it means when it comes to the guitarist’s polished style) makes one salivate. Yet the CD’s available already.
1. Bumpy Ride
2. Yang
3. Solitaire Excerpt
4. Hairpin Bend
5. Recollection
6. Silver
7. The Other Sphere
8. Hiding From The Sun
9. Every Boundary
10. Seven On Seven
11. Tiger’s Den
12. Labyrinth
13. Ultra Definition
14. Raga of Our Times
15. Ebb And Flo
16. Realm Thirteen
17. Highly Strung
18. Fool’s Gold
19. Where Words Fail
20. Addicted to You
21. Family Tree
