GTR were an English rock supergroup founded in 1985 by former Yes and Asia guitarist Steve Howe and former Genesis guitarist Steve Hackett. Though the band's leaders were known as progressive rock musicians, GTR appealed to AOR radio stations. The band lasted for two years and one album. Hackett subsequently criticized the project, though not necessarily the other musicians involved in it.
The band's name came from an abbreviation of "guitar" used by recording studios for labelling guitar tracks.
History
After Steve Howe left Asia in 1984, he and former Yes manager Brian Lane discussed forming a new group, and Lane approached former Genesis guitarist Steve Hackett. Hackett's last few solo albums had sold disappointingly, and he hoped GTR would sustain his prominence as a guitarist and finance future solo work. They recruited American drummer Jonathan Mover (ex-Marillion), bass guitarist Phil Spalding, and singer Max Bacon.
GTR sought to create a contemporary band sound without using keyboards, which Howe felt had become too dominant in Asia. Instead, Hackett and Howe's guitars were outfitted with Roland guitar synthesizer pickups, which operated rack synthesizers.
While Brian Lane pursued record deals (initially, without much success), the band set about recording songs with Howe’s former Asia and Yes colleague Geoff Downes as producer. Howe and Hackett disagreed on method: whereas Howe favored investment in high-quality studio time, Hackett preferred a relatively low-budget recording approach but greater investment in instruments and technology. Howe's approach prevailed and proved expensive, leaving the group uncomfortably in debt. Another single, "The Hunter", received some video coverage and modest airplay, peaking at . While the album was a chart success, it was (and has remained) a work with a mixed and highly debated reputation among rock fans, especially supporters of Genesis and Yes. Some said the album contained substandard filler material beyond the two singles, and there was some criticism directed at Max Bacon's strident tenor. J. D. Considine's infamous review of the album (in Musician magazine) consisted of only one word: "SHT". (Considine later said it was the most famous thing he'd ever written in his three decades as a critic, while Hackett stated the review actually helped sales of the album.)