THE SILENT CORNER AND THE EMPTY STAGE

This album is essential for all VDGG/PH fans and a masterpiece of progressive music. Peter Hammill has a very dynamic and unique voice that can be polarizing, so I would stop short of saying that this is essential for every prog collection. It is, however, a masterpiece that deserves 5 stars. Hammill displays some of his best and most diverse vocals on this album, and it is a lot like a Van Der Graaf Generator album, but where Hammill gets a big chance to shine. I find his vocals on many of the tracks on this album to be better than anything he has done with VDGG. All of Hammilll's best vocal styles are on display, from dark and tormented, to calm and beautiful. The highlight of the album has to be A Louse is not a Home, which you can listen to on this site. All the musicians from VDGG play on this album, so it is almost a VDGG and fans of the band are sure to enjoy it. For people who are not fans of them, unless you really dislike Hammill's voice, this could be the album that really makes to realize how great he is. I know that personally I though Hammill was just different but not great and it took me a while to really come to love his vocals. There are some who have given Hammill a chance and strongly dislike him, so for those people this album is not essential to your collection. For everyone else, The Silent Corner and the Empty Stage is a masterpiece of progressive music, essential for any Hammill fan and a great place to start for someone who has never heard of him.