Album: The Higher You Climb
Artist: Max Bacon
1995 Now And Then
CD: NTHEN23

Band members:
Max Bacon: vocals
Matt Clifford: keyboards
Geoff Downes: keyboards
Nigel Glockner: drums (3-10)
Scott Gorham: guitar
Steve Hackett: guitar
Steve Howe: guitar
Jonathan Mover: drums (11, 12)
Phil Spalding: bass
Mike Sturgis: drums (1, 2)
John Young: keyboards
 

Tracks:
1. The Higher You Climb (3:32)
2. Boys from Diamond City (5:34)
3. Walk Away (4:04)
4. All Grown Up (4:56)
5. When I was Young (3:53)
6. Hold Him Closer (4:20)
7. Desperate Times (4:06)
8. Love Comes Down (4:05)
9. Hungry Warrior (4:04)
10. No One Else to Blame (4:43)
11. I Know What I Like (4:14)
12. Roundabout (8:41)
 

Notes: (***) Bacon's debut solo album is actually a compilation of demos (1-10) and live tracks (11, 12) featuring Max Bacon, best known as the lead vocalist in GTR. All the rest of the GTR members are on this album as well, and it sounds very much like GTR. In fact, the last two tracks, covers of Yes' "Roundabout" and Genesis' "I Know What I Like", are live recordings from the GTR tour. Two of the tracks (9, 10) were demos for Howe's proposed follow-up album to GTR (sans Hackett). The first two tracks were demos for Asia, subsequently re-recorded with John Payne on vocals (available on Archiva 1 and ... 2). The rest of the tracks sound like Michael Bolton reject tunes, but there are some bright spots.

The liner notes do not give composing credits, nor specify who plays on what tracks (except for Mover and Sturgis), but I presume Downes is only on (1, 2), Howe only on (9-12), Hackett and Clifford only on (11, 12)

The album is now out-of-print. There was some form of dispute over the legitimacy of the album release, so a re-release seems unlikely. (MP/HP, 6 Jul 03)