GTR (band) GTR (band) GTR were a British rock band 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 album-oriented rock 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. After Steve Howe left Asia in 1985, he and former Yes manager Brian Lane discussed forming a new
Steve Howe (musician) a period of solo work. They were joined by singer Max Bacon, drummer Jonathan Mover, and bassist Phil Spalding. They recorded one studio album, "GTR", produced by Downes. Howe noted Hackett and himself made the conscious effort to produce a pop album without "flashy guitar solos" as it was something listeners may not wish to hear and may be classified as self-indulgent. He added: "Musically, we stayed out of each other's way and gave each other space. If egos get in the way, nobody wins." "GTR" was released in July 1986 on Arista Records, reached No. 11 in the US