VAN DER GRAAF GENERATOR

Art. That's what this album is all about. I didn't have any idea of what to expect when i listened to this album the very first time. Of course, it was at first a weird experience. I hadn't heard before a band with this ideas, ideas that push boundaries in a wonderful way. I think also that this album certainly isn't for everyone, but i suggest that all people should at least give it one shot, cause it's an amazing experience. Now onto the album. The first song "Lemmings" starts with calm guitar, and slowly the organs and effects help to build a tension atmosphere, then an amazing sax riff takes control of the song, and with that also comes the first vocals from Hammill. I know many people certainly don't like his vocals, but i think they fit wonderfully, it gives the album a unique pace. The song varies so much with noises, dissonant parts, and some dark vocals, it all helps to enhance an almost hypnotic mood. The second song "Man-Erg" starts with some beautiful piano lines. I really love that melody. Here Hammill starts singing in a mellowish style, it creates a floating like effect, very nice. Then comes a very dissonant part with sax and guitar(from guest Fripp) and disturbing vocals by Hammill. I find this section extremely effective. Then the song changes into a slow pace again to finish reprising the first verses (Hammill singing the dissonant part into this section it's a wonderful touch). It closes with a unison. Nice And now we enter into the last song, a huge epic " A plague of Lighthouse Keepers." I won't describe this song part to part because I feel it's a complete unique experience on it's own. All I can say it's that this song changed dramatically my view on music. Emotional parts, dissonant parts, experimentation are the key here. One of the most progressive works I have ever listened. Highly Recommended (not for the faint of heart).

Electric guitars are for pansies. Imagine a band with a saxophone player, a ranting madman, and an organ so distorted, so dissonant and vile, that it sounds like hell's very own keyboardist has decided to join a prog rock band just for kicks. So, electric guitars are for pansies. Check out "Lemmings" after the Cogs section. You know, the part when Hugh Banton succesfully mimics a squeeling pig on his demonic organ. It's just a little scary, and completely awesome for those who like their rock music sprinkled liberally with weird noises.

Eventually after so many twists and tortions of music "Lemmings" winds down. Now, one thing often in discussion when it comes to Generator are Peter Hammill's vocals. They're a little... Uh, Dramatic is the word. I've grown used to them, but I readily admit they aren't for the novice listener. "Man-Erg" Shows off Mr. Hammill's talents in this regard, it's kind of a cheesy song, something that could have only came about in the early 1970's after ingesting about a truckload of illegal substances. But it's a fun song, and not nearly as bad as some of the other classic prog rock excesses. It's actually a rather "stable" song, compared to the weirdness that comes before and after.

If "Man-Erg" is the relatively stable song of Pawn Hearts, then "A Plague of Lighthouse Keepers" amounts to what is a long, deranged, rant into the blackest heart of the night sea. It's pretty out there. Things begin on a note of doom: a few verses where Peter sings around a few octaves, ambient sounds, Mr. Hammill's dark pronouncements of insanity, and then back to the song proper (though a little changed). This is the last remnant of sanity. After this part it's all bipolar.Highs and lows, screams and sorrows. "Unreal" indeed.

Van der Graaf Generator - Pawn Hearts

The masterpiece that wasn't very likable...

This is a record that deserved it's place in my island selection (the essential of the essentials). For most of us it extremely hard to get into; I liked it after my fifth spin, though my brother loved it instantly. This album is very progressive, but even more that that - it's psychedelic! It's dark, it's without concessions, it's fatalistic. It's Peter Hammil going to the extreme.

The compositions are influenced by dissonant psychedelica, but also some freejazz influences can be spotted. Under the layer of darkness some beautiful melodies do appear; the songbasis of Man-Erg is very subtle and a lot of melodies on the long epic A Plague of Lighthouse Keepers are very emotionally driven. Eventually even these sublte moments are confronted with the heavy approach on this album. In the warm pianomelodie Man-Erg the first lyrics are "The Killer lives inside me"... The great majestic refrein in the end is being destorted completely with dissonant wind and key notes. All in order to make one of the most honest confessions sound real, the second couplet starts with "Angels live inside me", Peter Hammil is referring to his two sides, being more honest on this record that most people would be when sitting in the chair at the shrink.

The epical Lighthouse Keepers is a sum of different melodies that never come back, in a way this makes it a different epic from all the other. Most of the time part come back at the end with epics. VdGG gave every part of the song it's own themes and melodies, but I wouldn't be able to know wich subtitle refers to which part. It's just one very big song with atmospheric parts, vocal parts, psychomusic parts and majestic parts. It's a journey to through top-notch psychedelic music that is to progressive for most of us.

Conclusion. One of my favourite albums, extremely inspired, extremely well played and recorded and very 'real'. I know a lot of symphyproggers rather would commit suicide then listen to this album, but for the Progressive music listeners with the big P this is an pioneer album. This is how far prog came in fourthy years on this field. The fact that people can still like this dark album is almost as nice as how good it actually is, though quite unlikable.

Five stars, but it would have been six if possible.

Van der Graaf Generator - The Least we can do is wave to each other (1970)

Van der Graaf released two full studioalbums in this important year for progressive rock, Wave being the first of the two. It is a lonely album in their impressive discography for quite a number of reasons. It's naive, it's recorded very direct and it has some of Graaf's best songs. Just songs. It's less progressive then followup H to He and far from the level of progressiveness of Pawn Hearts. Recently, even my progbuddy progrules got into this album, he used to dislike Van der Gaaf very much.

Though it's less progressive, this one of most likable albums of their career. Peter Hammil's voice is maybe best recorded on this album and he sings better then on Godbluff. The organs of Hugh Banton sound very warm, this gives this album a sort of cultfeel. It was recorded in 1969 and the best sounds of the late sixties are combined with the total new way of playing progressive music in the seventies. This overlap might be a keyelement, for me and for those who like the early progressive period (1969).

Opening track Darkness is indead angry and dark, the saxes are furious and Peter is honestly mad (as it seems..). Everytime the song starts I get blown away by the amazing warm sound of this album. Refugees might be THE gentle track of the Generator. An amazingly nice wind intro, gentle chord progressions and lovely vocals of mister Hammil. In the middle section the organs sound is again very good. A great track recorded masterfull. White Hammer has a hard rock-influenced sound and it soots VdGG very well. The wind section is great in the refreins and the refrein has a sort of plot in it's melody that makes it very interesting. The dark ending section is a bit too extreme and psychedelic, but the sounds are againg very interesting.

On side two Whatever Would Robert Have Said? and Out Of My Book are some more great songs with nice solosections. The melodies are fine and inspired, the vocals are great. After the Flood is the most epical song on the album. Mosts parts of it are very good, some are less good. The epical compositions and form of the song isn't that evolved, but the lyrical context is inspiring. The song could be seen as a good prediction of what's to come on their later albums.

Conclusion. This is a VdGG that just works very well. Great songs, great sound. I somehow got very attached to this particulair album. Four stars.

This second release by VDGG was actually my first purchase of this band. I played it a couple of times a few years ago when I bought it, thought not too much of it and put it aside. When I got more and more involved with PA I found out this band is extremely popular with many proggers so I had to dig into their discography a bit more I figured. I bought Pawn Hearts, Godbluff and Still Life in a relatively short period and reviewed them all; the reviews weren't really positiv as VDGG will never be one of my favorite bands. I closed the VDGG book for a while until my progfriend Friso (kingfriso on PA) asked me about it since he happened to know this album was in my collection. Ashamedly I had to admit I didn't have a clue and I had to give it another go to be able to tell the outcome.

I played the disc a couple of times and because I by now could compare the music to three other VDGG albums I looked at it from a different perspective and I can tell you that helped big time. After these few spins I got more and more enthusiastic about this early effort I have to admit. I'll go through it song by song to give the respective opinions.

Darkness (11/11) is an energetic song with great and fierce sax by David Jackson and also impressive vocals by Hammill who appeared to sing much better on this album than on those later on. Superb climax at the end of the song as well. 3,75*.

Next up is my favorite track on this album and probably my most favorite VDGG song ever, Refugees. Not really fair by me because this is by no means a typical VDGG song because of it's beauty and great melody, features that are far from distinctive VDGG features. But I can't help it, I can only tell my truth, can't I ? I wish they played their music like this throughout their entire career but alas they decided differently and I will have to live with that i guess ... 4,5*.

White Hammer starts in a calm way but this lasts for a minute or so before Banton's organ accompanies and the song gets more powerful, I like the distant trumpet close to the three minute mark. This appears already the third song in a row that is a lot better than I could detect on any of their three so called masterpieces. Don't worry, it's just the opinion of a non fan so what do I know ? Raging ending of the song by the way. 3,5 stars for this.

Whatever would Robert have said ? is the intriguing title of the first song of the B-side (I reckon) but I fear it's the most intriguing aspect to me as I have a hard time to interpret this one. Second half of the track is ok with a great instrumental passage. 3,5*.

Out of the Book is the second gentle song on this album (along with Refugees) and also the shortest. Again I'm a bit mesmerized by it. The flute (Jackson) works nicely for me. 4*.

After the Flood is a short epic of over 11 minutes to close the album with a prominent Hammill once again proving he's a major factor on this album, to me his best vocal performance in the bands discography and then I'm talking about throughout the entire album. The second half of this song is the precursor of the next few albums by the band with distorted sax and organ going completely nuts just like they do on several occasions on Pawn Hearts. It would be inconsistent of me if I suddenly appreciated it here so I will have to subtract something in the score here: 2,5*.

But in the end it can't spoil the fun for me anymore for this album. I was harsh with my rating for Pawn Hearts but I still vindicate it. On the other hand I think it's only fair to compensate it slightly by rounding up the score here to four stars. I never thought this band could ever pull off something like this and also because of that I can justify the high score.

4.5 stars. It had been close to 30 years since Banton,Hammill,Evans and Jackson made a studio record together.And what's so amazing about "Present" is that you would never know they had ever been apart.I have to admit i got a little giddy the first time i heard this double album all the way though.They did not compromise in any way,in fact with the second disc they made me extremely proud because they went in a direction that very few bands go these days.The second disc is over 65 minutes of improvs.No lyrics or structure, just a flavour of Free Jazz jamming with that Krautrock spirit i love so much.When i heard that second disc for the first time these guys became my heroes.So proud.Having said all that, the first disc is really classic VDGG and my favourite one to play.After all, Hammill's writing and singing for me are beyond reproach. "Every Bloody Emperor" opens with keyboards,drums and sax and no real melody until the vocals come in.Flute and piano join in this mellow beginning.Check out the organ after 2 1/2 minutes.Sax is back before 4 minutes.This is so intense.It settles after 5 minutes as the vocals become the focus again.Great lyrics as usual from Peter. "Boleas Panic" is a Jackson composition.This instrumental is dominated by the sax and drums early.The tempo picks up after 1 1/2 minutes.Powerful stuff. It settles before 5 1/2 minutes as flute and organ take over. "Nutter Alert" opens with some nasty organ as sax and a full sound join in quickly.Vocals follow and are passionate.The sax is incredible on this amazing tune. "Abandon Ship!" opens with some distorted organ.Wicked stuff right here from Banton.Vocals a minute in.This is quite Avant and dissonant.Nasty. I love when Hammill yells "Abandon ship!" over and over around 4 minutes. "In Babalsberg" opens with more fuzz as drums come in and vocals follow.Nice bass.Great sound 3 1/2 minutes in as sax is blasting away. "On The Beach" is where i was today.Ok it's not beach weather,i just like being down there. Anyway the song opens with people talking until we get vocals with keys before a minute.Sax then light drums join in as well.It gets fuller.Cool track.Love the sound of the waves to end it. Ok so they pulled no punches on the first disc,well on disc two they hit even harder. Check out the intensity before 3 minutes on "Vulcan Meld".Raw and nasty organ follows. "Double Bass" features these ground shaking fuzzed out bass lines as sax plays over top and drums pound.Not worthy! "Slo Moves" is kind of spacey until the dissonance and drums take over. The remaining tracks continue with experimental sounds,distortion,dissonance and even melody.They jam and improvise in ways that leave me speechless and overjoyed. So close to 5 stars.Maybe one day i'll bump it up.The next one "Trisector" left me shrugging my shoulders,it was just ok. "Present" left me in awe.

Ah. Van Der Graaf Generator. The ultimate hit-and-miss band for me. Generally a bit more adventurous, especially so on Pawn Hearts, where they gladly attack you with a brash, provocative style of crashing and collapsing waves of atonal and screeching musical neurosis in some way or another. Side by side with this you can expect weirdly non-directional wanderings into a land of noisy, or for that matter, minimal keyboard and percussion obscurity. And as an added bonus, a minute or two with a staunchly, strange but often basic melody, packing as much punch as heavy prog, or even better, a wondrously contrasting nimble interlude.

Evidently, the records strength is found in the contrast...the conflict...the gut-wrenching drama and intensity of these dramatic effects. All of this with no respect for what style and which instrumentation (much of its identity is found in David Jackson's impressive saxophone playing) to use when and how, yet still retaining the focus to apply it properly.

Despite this confusing, sometimes even alarming, schizophrenia there is a profound statement to be found. Because somewhere in this strange brew you find the heart and soul of the music in the complex inner workings of thought and emotion expressed better nowhere else; fragility tumbling around with confusion, anger toppled with deep, inconsolable sadness, hope tarnished by uncertainty. Unfortunately, I don't acknowledge this as a direct strength for the band in most cases, and especially not on Pawn Hearts, where it is at its most abundant and most glaringly obvious. VdGG, simply put, has a balance problem for me. As I once read, and agree with, they sort of collapse into their own intense emotion. I feel like Hammill (being a unique and massive emotional force) is ramming these thoughts and feelings down my throat, leaving no room for reflection and a personal emotional interpretation and experience.

So in conclusion you have got to admire the mind-boggling ambition on Pawn Hearts, but it just does not hold together well. There are too many sections without clear purpose, while lacking the capability to keep my interest level high to make up for it. The omnipresent meta-emotionality quickly degrades into a caricature of itself since it is, put simply, nauseatingly abundant. The feeling of strengths turned to weaknesses permeates the listening experience. That is not to say that there are no grand, well-executed parts to be found here, but they tend to be a little too few and a little too overshadowed by the wallowing qualities of the music.

Some of the best as well as some of the worst material of Van Der Graaf Generator is found on Pawn Hearts, and the appreciation of the album shifts in focus between the two depending on what mood you are in when listening to it.

So on average...a fair album.

3 stars.

//LinusW

I'm a farily big Van Der Graaf Generator fan, thanks to my step-dad loving them. This is the second album that I have bought from them, and its definatly one of my favorites. Its much better than the first two albums because of its complexity, and much richer sounding songs, to me at least. Peter Hammill (one of the best vocalists ever in Prog Rock history) sings very well on this album, he gives some pretty dark lyrics to this album too. This is pretty jazzy sounding to me too, which I definatly like. Most VDGG albums are pretty jazzy for most of the time, if not all of the album being jazz-influenced.

"Killer" is my second favorite track. The lyrics are kind of silly, but its kind of funny. I think its talking about a killer shark in the bottom of the sea, and its killing people. The music is very good. Its pretty dark, and lurky, dark-jazz sounding to me. The vocals are definatly a soundout, and the acoustic guitar in the song is definatly soothing to me. Its a true progressive rock classic in anyones eyes. "House with no Door" is pretty intersting, very pretty, though not very interesting. The piano on this song throughout is very amazing. The vocals are soft on this song, smooth. The bass sounds really wierd on this track, very mid-rangy and odd sounding, it reminds me of Rush's "Caress of Steel" album for some reason, the bass tone at least. The lyrics are very nice, very sad, the way Peter sings it. "The Emperor in his War Room" is my favorite song of the album definatly. Its the heaviest of all the tracks on the album. The lyrics are dark and pretty scary, but this song is pretty much perfect from my standpoint. Its the perfect length too for that type of song. "Lost" is very good too, though not the best song, its pretty uplifting to me and its so energetic. The vocals and the keyboards are a true standout for this song, the drums are fresh sounding too. "Pioneers over C." is the only song that is too boring to me. It drags a little, though its a fresh idea definatly.

This is a great prog album, a classic, though maybe not as good as the next album. It deserves a good place in my heart for being the second album from VDGG that I have ever bought, and its a good one too.

Third VdGG album is better than their fourth, "Pawn Hearts", for sure. Even if not perfect, but you can find some melodies, some structurised songs and much more music, then in their next work.

Again, music is better mixed and recorded, but sound is far from perfect. But at least I can hear really strong drumming, many sax solos and quite nice ( in moments) keyboards. Hammil voice again is main accent, but at least all other sounds are better balanced.

Still using more usual album structure ( 5 songs instead of "Pawn Hearts" 3 long amorphous compositions), in combination with much better drums it build much more musical atmosphere all around.

Here you can find almost all VdGG is known - Hammil voice, sax solos , some moody melodies, some rhythm breaks. I think in fact that album represents VdGG music of that period as the best example.

Again, I think it is far from masterpiece and sounds very dated now. But at least it's enough listenable with many interesting moments.

Most popular VdGG album with long list of 5* reviews. I own this album for quite long time, and I really tried to find,what is good in it. Pity, but I didn't succeed too much in it.

Just three long compositions, very unfocused and chaotic. Unhappily, I have old, not remixed version, and the sound quality is only very average. It doesn't helps, for sure.

First song - "lemmings"is real nightmare. Hammil voice is main accent of all album, and sound cacophony on the background isn't so important. But it became annoying in some moments. I like some small instrumental pieces taken from long composition, but in total they are not too much connected between each other. Keyboard sound is dated, as all music in total. It sounds for me as unsuccessful example of early avant symphonic prog.

Second song is a bit better. At least, there are some structure and melody, not just mix of sounds and noises. Thiird extra -long ( all LP B-side) compositions is a bit better as well, and at least has it structurised parts.

Don't think I am not prepared for listening of that kind of music. I like bigger part of Zappa's most experimental recordings, as well as John Zorn/Naked City music. I like King Crimson music very much. I like VdGG new albums as well!

But that one is baggy mix of sounds,some melodical pieces, some unsuccessful experiments on structures and sound mixing, driven by Hammil voice.