When The Heart Rules The Mind
by GTR

Album: GTR (1986)
Charted: 14
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Songfacts®:

  • "GTR" is studio shorthand for "guitar." As the name implies, this was a guitar-driven supergroup founded by acclaimed progressive rock guitarists Steve Howe (Yes, Asia) and Steve Hackett (Genesis, and as a solo artist). The other members were relatively obscure: bassist Phil Spalding, drummer Jonathan Mover and lead vocalist Max Bacon. Their first, and only, album was produced by Howe's Yes and Asia bandmate Geoff Downes, a former member of the Buggles (of "Video Killed The Radio Star" fame).
  • This song was Hackett's only US Top 40 hit in any capacity, including his six-year stint with Genesis and his prolific solo career. The album went gold, and produced one other minor hit with "The Hunter." However, the response to GTR from prog rock aficionados was mixed, with Bacon's alto-tenor vocals a particularly common target of criticism.

    A follow-up album was tentatively planned, but never came off, as the group disbanded after a series of misfortunes and disagreements. Hackett used some of the material intended for the second GTR album for his own planned solo album Feedback, but that album was also shelved until 2000, when it was released as Feedback 86.
  • In 1988, Bacon was a contestant on the British TV series New Faces, best described as the American Idol of its day. Although the show was meant to showcase previously unknown artists, for some reason Bacon's stint with GTR was never an issue, as he made it all the way to that year's finals before losing. >>
    Suggestion credit:
    Joshua - La Crosse, WI, for all above

Comments: 3

  • Barry from Sauquoit, NyOn August 9, 1986, British rock band GTR performed "When The Heart Rules The Mind" on the Dick Clark ABC-TV Saturday-afternoon program 'American Bandstand...
    At the time the song was at #50 on Billboard's Hot Top 100 chart; four weeks earlier it had peaked at #14 {for 2 weeks} and it spent 16 weeks on the Top 100...
    It reached #3 on Billboard's Mainstream Rock Tracks chart...
    And on the same 'Bandstand' show the quintet also performed their only other Top 100 record, "The Hunter", it peaked at #85 on the chart.
  • David from Hazlet, NjI saw the old VH special on GTR and it seemed like Steve Hackett was so miserable in the video. I think that,he joined this band as he saw the success of Genesis{and this was before Invisible Touch} (a band he used to be with) and I am sure it ate at him. He later said that "GTR was a good, or fun thing for five minutes and then it wasn't fun anymore." Besides Hackett's apathy, Steve Howe, just like in Yes and Asia, was awesome on the album and the vocals of Max Bacon are very good.
  • Sam from Cairo, Egyptbest of the 80's on the teen disco age ever.
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