Album Review: Steve Hillage – The Glastonbury Experience: Live 1979
Steve Hillage is a beloved musician, and with good reason. His work with Khan, Arzachel, Uriel, Gong and System 7 has all been innovative, compelling and tuneful, with just the right degree of wigged-out hippie vibe. And that’s all true of his solo work as well, a catalog that features all sorts of lovely works, from 1976’s L (with Todd Rundgren and Utopia supporting him), Motivation, Green and Open among other notable highlights. While Hillage remains vital and productive to this day (be sure to check out my conversation with him in which he discusses ten albums that influenced him), his commercial peak as a solo artist came between the middle 1970s and the early ‘80s.
And it was squarely in the middle of that era when Hillage appeared at the famed Glastonbury Festival. (Well, he’s been several times, but a recording of this one is being released.) The Glastonbury Experience: Live 1979 captures most of that performance – 11 ½ songs – in good fidelity. Hillage and his band (featuring partner Miquette Giraudy on keys plus drummer Andy Anderson, Paul Francis on bass and Dave Stewart on guitar) are in fine form as they work through a set list that balances original material (“Octave Doctors,” “Unzipping the Zype”) and his own readings of songs he loves (Jimi Hendrix Experience’s “Are You Experienced,” Donovan’s “Hurdy Gurdy Man”).
Longtime Hillage aficionados may be surprised to note that George Harrison’s Beatles-era psych classic “It’s All Too Much” is not in the set. But the program flows nicely even without it, and the front-of-house mix (captured on cassette master) is surprisingly clear and crisp for a recording of its vintage.
If you enjoy Gong or Hillage (or, as I never fail to point out to younger music fans, if you appreciate the Hillage-inspired Ozric Tentacles), The Glastonbury Experience is highly recommended. It differs from (and is thus arguably preferential to) an actual Glastonbury experience in that Wellingtons are not required. The album’s book-style package is lovely as well. By the way, for those readers who’re in the UK, Hillage is on tour. Go see!
About the Author
Bill Kopp
With a background in marketing and advertising, Bill Kopp got his professional start writing for Trouser Press. After a stint as Editor-in-chief for a national music magazine, Bill launched Musoscribe in 2009, and has published new content every business day since then (and every single day since 2018). The 4500-plus interviews, essays, and reviews on Musoscribe reflect Bill's keen interest in American musical forms, most notably rock, jazz, and soul. His work features a special emphasis on reissues and vinyl. Bill's work also appears in many other outlets both online and in print. He regularly hosts lecture/discussions on artists and albums of historical importance (including monthly events Music to Your Ears and Music Movie Mondays), and is a frequent guest on music-focused radio programs and podcasts. In Spring 2023 he taught a history of Rock 'n' Roll at UNC Asheville's College for Seniors. He also researches and authors liner notes for album reissues -- more than 30 to date -- and co-produced a reissue of jazz legend Julian "Cannonball" Adderley's final album. His first book, Reinventing Pink Floyd: From Syd Barrett to The Dark Side of the Moon was published by Rowman & Littlefield in 2018, and in paperback in 2019. His second book, Disturbing the Peace: 415 Records and the Rise of New Wave, was published in 2021 by HoZac Books. His third book, What's the Big Idea: Great Concept Albums will be published in 2024. Read even more about him here.