Steve Howe The Grand Scheme of Things Review by Gary Hill
This is one of Steve Howe’s more consistent solo albums. The music here for the most part is probably closer to Yes music than many of his other solo discs. That will make this more of a popular set with Yes fans. I’d have to say that for my money there’s a bit too much of a tendency towards similar music here – and not enough uniqueness throughout. Still, it’s quite a strong album and well worth owning and listening to frequently.
Track by Track Review
Grand Scheme of Things
Desire Comes First There’s a keyboard sound that starts this, then Howe’s lays down some seriously bluesy guitar. The track begins to expand out from there with Howe soloing. Then it shifts out to a different sort of rocking texture. This is somewhere between the opening cut and the bluesy elements that started us off here. It’s shorter, though, and purely instrumental.
Blinded by Science No, this is not a cover of the Thomas Dolby song. It’s a fairly straightforward rocker. Howe’s vocals aren’t quite as strong here as on the title track. There are some proggy sections, but overall this is much more straight rock.
Beautiful Ideas Although this isn’t as much a rocker as the title track, it is another that’s definitely very much in keeping with the type of music you might hear from Yes. It has a lot of dynamic range and is a highlight of the set.
Valley of Rocks Here we have an energetic acoustic guitar solo.
At the Gates of the New World Here’s another standout. It’s another track that’s quite Yes-like, but there’s a more symphonic texture to this one – including a string section.
Wayward Course This instrumental (there are some non-lyrical vocals) is another that has some definite leanings toward Howe’s main claim to fame. It’s a song that has a lot of different flavors, giving us mellower and more rock oriented music along its run. It gets quite powerful at times.
Reaching the Point Here’s another Yesish rocker. This is a good song, but perhaps not a standout. That said, the chorus is catchy.
Common Ground A pretty track, this is a fairly sedate instrumental. While it might not be one of the more obvious standouts, it is a nice change of pace.
Luck of the Draw Here we get another change up – a bluesy little instrumental romp.
Fall of Civilization The vocals on this somehow remind me of Steve Nardelli from the Syn. At times the music makes me think of that band, too. The harder rocking segment, though, does not and is extremely powerful. There are some symphonic elements on the mellower sections of this cut.
Passing Phase This instrumental isn’t a huge stretch, but it has some great guitar work.
Georgia's Theme
Another instrumental, this is pretty and gentle and leans towards new age territory.
Too Much Is Taken and Not Enough Given Here’s another song that has a bit of a jazzy element at times. It’s another good composition, but this point there’s getting to be a bit of a “samey” nature.
Maiden Voyage While Howe hasn’t broken the mold with this cut it’s got some exceptional soloing that makes it stand out and the dramatic mellower section is a nice touch, too.
Road to One's Self Howe closes the set with an Asian-tinged instrumental. It’s nice, but perhaps not the most effective way to end things.
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