STEVE HOWE - Beginnings (1975-1994) RM / FLAC (image+.cue), lossless

Steve Howe's first solo album was a failure next to rival solo releases by Jon Anderson and Chris Squire, both of whom yielded work that was more majestic and memorable. The playing is strong throughout, but towards what end is the mystery -- none of the songs are particularly memorable, nor is the production (even a guest appearance by members of the folk-rock group Gryphon doesn't help), and Howe is such a weak singer that he'd have been better off following the lead of his Yes predecessor Peter Banks and sticking to instrumentals. by Bruce Eder
Tracklist:
1 Doors Of Sleep 4:05
Drums – Alan White
2 Australia 4:14
Drums – Alan White
3 The Nature Of The Sea 3:54
Bass – Malcolm Bennett
Drums – David Oberle 
Guitar – Graeme Taylor
4 Lost Symphony 4:38
Baritone Saxophone, Alto Saxophone [Solo] – Bud Beadle
Bass – Colin Gibson
Drums – Alan White
Piano – Patrick Moraz
Tenor Saxophone – Mick Eve
5 Beginnings 7:29
Bass – Chris Laurence
Bassoon – Gwyd Brooke
Cello – Peter Halling
Drums – Alan White
Harpsichord, Piano, Synthesizer [Moog] – Patrick Moraz
Oboe – Sidney Sutcliffe
Piccolo Flute – James Gregory  
Viola – John Meek
Violin – Patrick Halling, William Reid
6 Will O'the Wisp 5:59
Drums – Alan White
Grand Piano, Mellotron – Patrick Moraz
7 Ram 1:52
8 Pleasure Stole The Night 2:53
Drums – Bill Bruford
Flute – Malcolm Bennett
Strings [Double String] – Chris Laurence
9 Break Away From It All 4:20
Drums, Percussion – Bill Bruford

STEVE HOWE - The Steve Howe Album (1979-2011) RM / SHM-CD / FLAC (tracks+.cue), lossless

Steve Howe's second solo effort is his most essential recording. The Steve Howe Album contains many of Howe's strongest and most original compositions. Whereas some of his albums can be associated with the sound of the bands in which he's played, this release is unique. Howe places himself in a country/bluegrass setting on most of the compositions, and that is what makes this project so appealing -- he's a rock veteran venturing outside of his field. And with Graham Preskett playing violin on "The Continental," Howe turns in what sounds like a real hoedown. The first track, "Pennants," is a gem for the more rock-oriented fan. The cut opens with the sweet, resonant, rocking sounds of Howe's Fender Telecaster; he then adds mandolin and a pervasive twin-neck steel, while drummer Alan White keeps it all rhythmic. Half of the tracks are played by Howe alone, most notably "Surface Tension," his composition for solo Spanish guitar. Other cuts feature former Yes-mates White, Bill Bruford, and Patrick Moraz (all of whom participated on Howe's first solo album), and Claire Hamill, who sings beautifully on "Look Over Your Shoulder." Only one other cut includes vocals: "All's a Chord," on which Howe's singing is awkward but appealing. The song, comprised of several movements and musical styles (including classical), features Howe on eight different stringed instruments, including bass, pedal steel, sitar, banjo, mandolin, and his trademark deep-bodied electric-acoustic Gibson ES 175 D. The final two pieces are set apart from the rest of the recordings. On both compositions, equipped only with his Gibson Les Paul, Howe is accompanied by a string ensemble on his interpretation of Vivaldi's Concerto in D, Second Movement, and by a 59-piece orchestra on "Double Rondo." Andrew Jackman (who served as orchestrator and conductor on Chris Squire's Fish Out of Water several years earlier) conducts. The Steve Howe Album is a culmination of everything Howe represents, every genre of music he loves so dearly, exquisitely played and arranged. The inside cover colorfully depicts all the stringed instruments Howe used on the recordings, and Roger Dean's cover painting makes the package complete. The sound quality of the Japanese import compact disc is unsurpassed, incredibly sharp and vibrant. by David Ross Smith  
Tracklist:
1 Pennants 4:30
Drums – Alan White
Guitar, Bass, Written-By – Steve Howe
Synthesizer – Ronnie Leahy
2 Cactus Boogie 2:02
Guitar, Bass, Synthesizer [Moog], Vocals, Written-By – Steve Howe
Percussion – Clive Bunker
3 All's A Chord 4:56
Drums – Bill Bruford
Guitar, Bass, Synthesizer [Moog], Vocals, Written-By – Steve Howe
Piano – Patrick Moraz
4 Diary Of A Man Who Vanished 2:34
Electric Guitar, Written-By – Steve Howe
5 Look Over Your Shoulder 5:02
Drums – Alan White
Guitar, Bass, Written-By – Steve Howe
Organ [Hammond] – Ronnie Leahy
Vocals – Clair Hammill
6 Meadow Rag 2:41
Guitar, Written-By – Steve Howe
7 The Continental 2:51
Guitar, Bass – Steve Howe
Violin – Graham Presket
Written-By – Con Conrad, Herbert Magidson
8 Surface Tension 3:29
Guitar, Written-By – Steve Howe
9 Double Rondo 8:12
Conductor [59 Piece Orchestra], Orchestrated By – Andrew Jackman
Electric Guitar, Written-By – Steve Howe
10 Concerto In D (2nd Movement) 4:51
Arranged By, Electric Guitar – Steve Howe
Written-By – Vivaldi

STEVE HOWE - Turbulence (1991) FLAC (image+.cue), lossless

Steve Howe's third solo venture, "Turbulence," is packed with strong, flawless playing; however, most of the compositions lack the excitement, eclecticism, and adventurousness that made his earlier solo projects so interesting and appealing. The album's main weaknesses include the facts that many of the pieces (mostly three- and four-minute tracks) are much too similar in sound and structure, and a lot of this material, though completely instrumental, brings to mind the music of Asia ("Novalis"), GTR ("Turbulence"), and 1980s Yes. Howe's earlier solo releases were less affected by his extracurricular band collaborations. Howe plays electric and acoustic guitars and bass on all tracks on Turbulence, with occasional mandolin, dobro, koto, steel, percussion, and keys. Bill Bruford drums on nearly all of the cuts, most of which are rock-based with no forays into country or bluegrass territory. Two of the most solid recordings are classically oriented: "Corkscrew" and "From a Place Where Time Runs Slow." Other strong cuts are "Running the Human Race" (featuring Fender steel), "Fine Line," and "Sensitive Chaos." An alternate version of "Running the Human Race," with lyrics, appears on Howe's 1996 release, Homebrew. Steve Howe is one of the most recognizable guitarists in rock music, his sound and style easily identifiable in any music on which he collaborates. His playing is at its zenith, though, when he plays alone, as on many tracks of The Steve Howe Album and all of Not Necessarily Acoustic. Turbulence is solid and highly recommended but does not contain his most creative material. by David Ross Smith  
Tracklist:
1 Turbulence
Organ – Andrew Lucas
2 Hint Hint
3 Running The Human Race
4 The Inner Battle
5 Novalis
6 Fine Line
7 Sensitive Chaos
8 Corkscrew
9 While Rome's Burning
10 From A Place Where Time Runs Slow
Credits:
Drums – Bill Bruford, Nigel Glockner (tracks: 3, 6)
Guitar, Producer, Arranged By, Written-By – Steve Howe
Keyboards, Viola – Billy Currie
Mixed By – Renny Hill

STEVE HOWE - The Grand Scheme of Things (1993) FLAC (tracks+.cue), lossless

This is more like it -- a lithe, lively collection of material, sung in good voice (Howe is joined by his 1960s Tomorrow bandmate Keith West) and played with the kind of robust, cheerful verve that characterized the best moments of Yes's classic sound. There are also guitar breaks that recall the best moments of Yes's work, only they're a little quieter, which gives one the chance to appreciate Howe's virtuoso dexterity. What's more, the melodies range from the beautiful to the memorable, and the songs are clever ("Blinded By Science"), passionate ("Beautiful Ideas"), and generally enjoyable. Howe plays lots of electric and acoustic guitars ("The Valley of Rocks" is a delightful sequel to The Yes Album's "The Clap"), plus mandolin, koto, and numerous other stringed instruments, backed by a violin and keyboards, and drums and bass. One of the better recent offshoots of 1970s progressive rock. by Bruce Eder
Tracklist:
1 The Grand Scheme Of Things 5:09
2 Desire Comes First 3:36
3 Blinded By Science 3:28
4 Beautiful Ideas 3:58
5 The Valley Of Rocks 3:07
6 At The Gates Of The New World 3:57
7 Wayward Course 4:13
8 Reaching The Point 3:52
9 Common Ground 2:15
10 Luck Of The Draw 1:40
11 The Fall Of Civilization 4:06
12 Passing Phase 3:28
13 Georgia's Theme 2:44
14 Too Much Is Taken And Not Enough Given 5:32
15 Maiden Voyage 4:20
16 Road To One's Self 2:38
Credits:
Guitar, Organ, Keyboards, Flute, Mandolin, Bass, Vocals, Arranged By, Producer – Steve Howe
Harmonica, Vocals – Keith West
Percussion, Drums – Dylan Howe
Piano – Virgil Howe
Violin, Vocals – Anna Palm

STEVE HOWE - Not Necessarily Acoustic (1993) Mp3

Recorded in intimate club performances in late 1993, this live and nearly unplugged collection ably spans three decades of Howe's releases. Lead vocals are always a weak spot for him, and so he wisely constrains most of this album to solo instrumentals. The result is a headphone treat, as if you're sitting right in front of his amp and his famed collection of guitars. Of special interest is his one vocal and guitar piece, a seamless medley of each movement from Tales from Topographic Oceans; it's as close to a Tales demo session as fans will ever get. Because Howe's albums are a pastiche of already ripened styles -- a "Meadow Rag" here, a steel guitar twang in "Cactus Boogie" there, and a flamenco-tinged "Mood for a Day" to top it off -- the material on Not Necessarily Acoustic has hardly dated, and it sounds less like a retrospective than a unified new album. The one unfortunate omission is that while the concerts had a nod to his psychedelic days with Tomorrow's "My White Bicycle," there's nothing from that era on this disc. by Paul Collins