Now here's something nifty -- as well as long overdue -- Introducing Steve Hillage, an overview of the psychedelic space guitarist's years with Virgin, from 1975 to 1978, during which he released not one or two but five stellar albums in a row -- Fish Rising, Live Herald, Motivation Radio, L, and his undisputed reigning moment, Green.
Hillage went on to form the
ambient techno outfit
777 with
Derrick May in the 1990s. There are 11 tracks here that include most of, if not arguably all, his most choice tracks from the aforementioned albums -- it would have been nice to include the studio version of his cover of
Donovan's "Hurdy Gurdy Man" from L as opposed to its live, up-tempo one from a medley with "Castle in the Clouds" off the Live Herald set, but it's a small quibble. Big points are given for the amazing sequencing job; none of this is done according to chronology, but according to aesthetic choice, making for a gorgeous and provocative listening experience. While all of
Hillage's Virgin records have been available on CD at one time or another from Caroline's Blue Plate line, having their most important moments distilled on a compilation like this offers a more precise and enduring view of his development and contribution, which is not often mentioned but is nonetheless present in so many recordings not only from the era but well into the 1980s (
Bill Nelson's solo records owe a great debt to
Hillage) and even later with
Ozric Tentacles. Give one listen to "Either Ships" or "Palm Trees (Love Guitar)" and this becomes painfully obvious. In all, Introducing Steve Hillage is a glorious listening experience: poetic, emotionally sound, musically uncanny, and spiritually moving. Great notes offer a solid bio and a brief but spot-on analysis of the material included here as well as an appreciation for this period in
Hillage's career. ~ Thom Jurek, All Music Guide
