One of progressive rock’s most innovative and lyrical guitarists, Steve Hackett helped define the classic sound of Genesis before launching a vast and restlessly eclectic solo career. A quiet pioneer whose techniques would shape a generation of rock guitarists, he has spent five decades ranging across symphonic prog, classical and acoustic guitar, blues and world music. Here is our fellow fan’s ranking of a core selection of his solo albums.

The short version

For the heart of Steve Hackett, start with Spectral Mornings, Voyage of the Acolyte, Defector, Please Don’t Touch! and To Watch the Storms. Between them they hold his acknowledged solo masterpiece, his classic debut and the best of both his early peak and his modern revival. The full ranking is below.

The guitarist’s guitarist

Before he was a solo artist, Hackett was the guitarist who helped shape the classic-era Genesis sound, playing on their most revered albums before leaving in 1977. Among the first to use two-handed tapping and sweep picking, he quietly influenced countless players who followed — yet where many virtuosos chase flash, Hackett’s playing is melodic, expressive and emotionally direct. His solo work is enormous and wonderfully varied, and the eleven albums here are a core selection from a catalogue of more than twenty-five. He remains hugely active, both with new music and as a custodian of the classic Genesis material on stage.

How we ranked them

This is one fan’s order, weighing songwriting, playing and ambition across a long and eclectic career. The facts are accurate; the order is a starting point for the debate — and with a catalogue this deep and varied, your favourites may well sit elsewhere.

The essential five

At the top sits Spectral Mornings (1979), widely regarded as his solo masterpiece — warm, melodic and crowned by its luminous title track. Voyage of the Acolyte (1975), recorded while he was still in Genesis and featuring two of his bandmates, is the classic debut, home to the magnificent “Shadow of the Hierophant”. Defector (1980) is a beautifully crafted fan favourite, while Please Don’t Touch! (1978) is the eclectic, guest-filled adventure that opened his solo path. To Watch the Storms (2003) rounds out the five, the finest of his ambitious modern-era prog.

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Reliably great

The next tier is rewarding. Till We Have Faces (1984) is a bold, percussion-driven record coloured by Brazilian musicians, unlike anything else in his catalogue; Wolflight (2015) is a strong, sweeping later album. The Night Siren (2017) leans into his love of world music to fine, globe-spanning effect.

The interesting middle

Here the catalogue is a little more uneven. Guitar Noir (1993) is a solid, atmospheric album from a quieter stretch of his career; and Highly Strung (1983) has its moments but bears the marks of its early-1980s production.

For completists

At the foot of the list sits Cured (1981), his most overtly commercial album, with Hackett handling most of the vocals over a drum-machine-driven sound. It has its charms and its defenders, but most listeners place it well below his richer work — one for the dedicated.

The core selection, in order

A core selection from a vast catalogue, 1975–2017, in chronological order — with much more beyond it. Click through to the full write-up on any record.

Where to start

Begin with Spectral Mornings — melodic, atmospheric and quintessentially Hackett, it is both his finest album and the ideal way in. From there, Voyage of the Acolyte is the essential early classic, and Defector offers more of that same late-1970s magic.

The artist

Steve Hackett is, above all, a guitarist of rare imagination — technically pioneering yet always in service of feeling. After his foundational years in Genesis, he built a solo world of his own, frequently joined by his brother, the flautist John Hackett, and a rotating cast of collaborators; in 1986 he also teamed with Yes guitarist Steve Howe in the band GTR. In recent years his acclaimed concerts revisiting classic Genesis material have introduced his playing to new generations, even as his own albums keep arriving.

Why they still matter

Steve Hackett expanded the vocabulary of the electric guitar and brought a uniquely lyrical voice to progressive rock, proving that innovation and emotion could go hand in hand. As a key architect of the classic Genesis sound and the author of a deep, adventurous solo catalogue, he stands as both a foundational figure and a still-active force — a guitarist whose influence is felt far more widely than his quiet reputation suggests.

Go deeper

Keep exploring: read about the best Steve Hackett songs, see every Steve Hackett album in order, find your way in with our where-to-start-with-Steve-Hackett guide, or dig up the most underrated Steve Hackett albums. You can also place him in the bigger picture with our list of the best progressive rock albums of all time.

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