Editing Steve Howe (section)

=== 1981–1995: Asia, GTR, ABWH, and second Yes run ===
In 1981, Howe teamed with Downes, singer and bassist [[John Wetton]], and drummer [[Carl Palmer]] to form the supergroup [[Asia (band)|Asia]].<ref name= "Bio1980s" /> Their debut album, ''[[Asia (Asia album)|Asia]]'' (1982), was the highest selling album of 1982 in the US, with 4 million copies sold there. Howe is credited as composer on five of its nine tracks. When it came to writing their second album ''[[Alpha (Asia album)|Alpha]]'' (1982), Howe noticed a sense of staleness and that the songs were too direct and concise which disrupted the group's creativity and musical direction. In 1983, after the album's release, Howe left the group, citing irreconcilable differences with Wetton;<ref name= latimes1993/><ref name= "Bio1980s" /> he said later that Wetton, upon his return to the band after leaving it during the tour when the other members confronted him about his increasing mistakes on stage (to be briefly replaced by [[Greg Lake]]), told him he was uncomfortable continuing if Howe remained in the band, and Downes and Palmer took Wetton's side.{{sfn|Howe|2021|p=163}} Subsequently, Howe performed an acoustic guitar solo on "[[Welcome to the Pleasuredome (song)|Welcome to the Pleasuredome]]" on the [[Welcome to the Pleasuredome|1984 same titled album]] by the pop group [[Frankie Goes to Hollywood]] that Horn produced.<ref>{{cite web |url= https://www.bbc.co.uk/music/reviews/c2vh/|title=BBC – Music – Review of Frankie Goes to Hollywood – Welcome to the Pleasuredome |publisher= BBC|date=2010|first=Daryl|last=Easlea|access-date=5 January 2017|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211106160553/https://www.bbc.co.uk/music/reviews/c2vh/|archive-date=6 November 2021}}</ref> He also played on ''[[Industry Standard]]'' (1982) by [[Dixie Dregs|the Dregs]].

In 1985, Howe formed another supergroup, [[GTR (band)|GTR]] — named after an abbreviation of the word ''guitar'' — with guitarist [[Steve Hackett]]. The idea came from Howe's manager and former Yes and Asia manager [[Brian Lane (manager)|Brian Lane]], who brought the two together as both wished to perform in a band after a period of solo work. They were joined by singer [[Max Bacon]], drummer [[Jonathan Mover]], and bassist [[Phil Spalding]].<ref name=latimes1986/> They recorded one studio album, ''[[GTR (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."<ref name= latimes1986>{{cite web|url=https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1986-06-29-ca-339-story.html|title=Steve Howe Settles In A Pop Groove With GTR|work=Los Angeles Times|first=Dennis|last=Hunt|access-date=5 January 2017|date=29 June 1986|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220915095545/https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1986-06-29-ca-339-story.html|archive-date=15 September 2022}}</ref> ''GTR'' was released in July 1986 on [[Arista Records]]. It reached No. 11 in the US and was certified gold, and it peaked at No. 41 in the UK. The lead single, "[[When the Heart Rules the Mind]]", went to No. 14 on the ''Billboard'' Hot 100 chart. GTR supported the album with a concert tour in 1986.<ref name= latimes1986/> At its conclusion, Hackett's interest in pursuing solo projects led to his departure. In 1987, Howe commissioned [[Robert Berry]] as Hackett's replacement, and ideas of a new band name included Steve Howe and Friends and Nero and the Trend. After several demos were recorded, the group disbanded<ref name="Bio1980s" /> after Berry accepted an offer to join Lake and [[Keith Emerson]] in [[3 (1980s band)|3]]; without him, [[Arista Records]] dropped GTR.{{sfn|Howe|2021|p=170}}

In 1988, the guitar compilation album ''Guitar Speak'' on [[I.R.S. Records]] was released which features Howe's track "Sharp on Attack". The label organised a UK tour named Night of the Guitars with Howe in the line-up, performing "Clap", "Wurm", and the all-cast encore. Howe also contributed to ''Transportation'' (1988), the first solo album by [[Billy Currie]].

[[File:Yes concert 2010-07-04 (4769421870).jpg|thumb|right|Howe playing with Yes in 2010]]
Later that year, [[Jon Anderson]] invited Howe to take part in a new album he wished to perform with [[Rick Wakeman]] and [[Bill Bruford]] as a new group, [[Anderson Bruford Wakeman Howe]].<ref name= "Bio1980s"/> In 1990, the four joined forces with the 1983–88 line-up of Yes ([[Chris Squire]], [[Alan White (Yes drummer)|Alan White]], [[Trevor Rabin]], and [[Tony Kaye (musician)|Tony Kaye]]) to contribute songs for the Yes album ''[[Union (Yes album)|Union]]'' (1991). In 1991, he is featured on ''[[Polar Shift (album)|Polar Shift: A Benefit for Antarctica]]'', a benefit jazz and ambient album to the [[Cousteau Society]].<ref name= vegetarian1992>{{cite magazine|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=OggAAAAAMBAJ&q=steve%20howe%20interview%201991%20turbulence&pg=PA63|title=Close to the Cutting Edge |first= Andis| last= Robeznieks| magazine= Vegetarian Times| date= January 1992| pages= 63–64| issue= 173 |issn= 0164-8497}}</ref> At the end of Yes's supporting tour for ''Union'' in 1992, Howe played the guitar and co-produced ''[[Symphonic Music of Yes]]'' (1993), an album of orchestral arrangements of Yes tracks. Howe, Bruford, and Wakeman were not invited to participate in the next Yes album, ''[[Talk (Yes album)|Talk]]'' (1994).

During the ''Union'' tour Howe released his third solo album, ''[[Turbulence (Steve Howe album)|Turbulence]]'', in 1991 on [[Relativity Records]].<ref name= advance1991>{{cite news |title= Guitarist Steve Howe Makes Use of Versatility |date= 8 September 1991 |newspaper= [[Staten Island Advance]]}}</ref> In a departure from his earlier two albums, Howe focused on rock instrumentals that feature Currie, Bruford, and drummer [[Nigel Glockler]]. The tracks were recorded some time before, but Howe had some difficulty in finding a record label who would release the album as the majority wanted it to include a hit single.<ref name= advance1991/> Howe recorded a cover of "[[Classical Gas]]" with Bruford, but the track was dropped as Howe thought it did not attain the same standard as the rest of the album, which he described as "very real and original, as opposed to commercial".<ref name= advance1991/> Howe also contributed a flamenco guitar solo to the 1991 UK number one single "[[Innuendo (song)|Innuendo]]" by [[Queen (band)|Queen]], something he felt proud to have played on.<ref>{{cite news | url= http://www.chroniclelive.co.uk/whats-on/music-nightlife-news/mick-burgess-chats-steve-howe-7032017 | title= Yes! We're ready for the challenge: We chat to Steve Howe | work=[[Evening Chronicle]] | first=Mick | last=Burgess | date=25 April 2014 | access-date=14 September 2015|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211113224413/https://www.chroniclelive.co.uk/whats-on/music-nightlife-news/mick-burgess-chats-steve-howe-7032017|archive-date=13 November 2021}}</ref> In 1992, Downes reformed Asia which marked the return of Howe on their album ''[[Aqua (Asia album)|Aqua]]'' (1992) playing on six of the album's 13 tracks, as well as playing on the subsequent tour as a special guest.

Howe's fourth solo album, ''[[The Grand Scheme of Things]]'', was released in August 1993 on Relativity. Howe described the album as "quite colourful but quite personal ... There's a lot of floaty sort of ideas—spiritual". It is his first album to feature his sons [[Dylan Howe|Dylan]] and [[Virgil Howe|Virgil]] on drums and keyboards and piano, respectively. Dylan was planned to only play on a few tracks, but Howe decided to play on the entire album.<ref name=latimes1993>{{cite web |url= https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1993-11-24-ca-60382-story.html|title=A Former Yes Man Gravitates Toward the Spiritual |work= The Los Angeles Times|date=24 November 1993|first=Buddy|last=Seigal|access-date=4 January 2017|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220915100503/https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1993-11-24-ca-60382-story.html|archive-date=15 September 2022}}</ref> Upon release, it reached No. 15 on the ''Billboard'' Top New Age Albums chart. Following the album's release, Howe began his first solo tour in 1993 which included dates in the UK and the US, and spawned his first live album, ''[[Not Necessarily Acoustic]]'' (1994).<ref name= ibtimes2015>{{cite web |url= http://www.ibtimes.com/yes-guitarist-steve-howe-discusses-solo-anthology-prog-rock-legacy-yes-summer-tour-1945831 |title= Yes Guitarist Steve Howe Discusses Solo 'Anthology' And Prog-Rock Legacy, As Yes Summer Tour With Toto Approaches |website= International Business Times| first= Jeff| last= Perlah |date=1 June 2016|access-date=3 January 2017|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220602221732/https://www.ibtimes.com/yes-guitarist-steve-howe-discusses-solo-anthology-prog-rock-legacy-yes-summer-tour-1945831|archive-date=2 June 2022}}</ref> A second tour took place in late 1994 which was documented on his second live release, ''[[Pulling Strings (album)|Pulling Strings]]'' (1998).