VAN DER GRAAF GENERATOR

3.8 Stars, rounded to 4!

Another genuine prog album in the 00's?? Unfortunately I struggle with progs after somewhere around the 2000's, I've come to think of a massive bulk of it as cold 'tribute prog'. This is a real prog album, not a tribute to golden days that once were, while proving VDGG's 3rd period has as much a valid existence as those before!

My primary concern coming into this album was the amount of guitar there could be, a main thing for me in the Graaf is the exclusion of guitars, thankfully it's somewhat sparingly used and infrequently dominant the mix. I do find occasionally something is missing, obviously it's Jackson, but they've not filled the void he left with much (I'd take this over more guitar!) and I'm guessing so they can perform the material faithfully with just the three of them? Anyway's, the material is brilliant with the album picking up nicely after the middle track Drop Dead, I think is a low point on the album along with opener, The Hurlyburly, both track's feature guitar and both remind me of mid-quality Atomic Rooster. The last half and main chunk of the album is pure class VDGG!

The production quality is ok, if not a bit little disappointing for 2008, a step back from Present's very live uncompressed sound, I think mix suffers when things start getting rather heavy and hectic, especially the drums and bass get gobbled up in the multitude of keyboardlike things. A proper quality re-mix and master on this album would do a world of good.

If Drop Dead wasn't sat in the middle of an amazing flow of tracks, this might be 4 stars.

4.3 Stars, rounded down to 4!

I held off getting this album for many years because of it's ultra high rating, and Pawn Hearts is my favourite prog album so I kind of wanted to save the best for last. I saw the recent Charisma release as a sign it was time to get my face smashed off by the ultimate VDGG album!

I feel like this album is a step backwards from the hyper monster Pawn Hearts, though I have no idea where they could have possibly gone after? Godbluff is kind of a reset album, where they move back to a sure footing after reaching the absolute edge with Pawn Hearts, it feels like they reset a fair way back with the opening track, then make up massive ground through the album

It's taken a bunch of listening and thinking to give this album some of the love it deserves, as I was expecting a further progression of what they were building all the way to 'Pawn Hearts' (more [%*!#]ed up jagged darkness) so on hearing the rather straight forward opener 'Undercover Man' I was off to a sour start, and found the rest of the album initially disappointingly tame and a bit normal (By VDGG standards), but now I've reeled my expectations back, and thought about how this album sits in relation to Pawn Hearts and Peters solo releases in-between, I think it does what it was supposed to do very well, and I think I can see clearer why some would take this over Pawn Hearts.

A boxed set encapsulating Van Der Graaf Generator's reunion years; though it doesn't quite incorporate all the live releases the reunited band have put out, it's got Real Time (including the Japanese bonus disc), plus Merlin Atmos, plus Live At the Paradiso, giving you a generous helping of live releases, and it's got the complete run of studio albums from Present to Do Not Disturb (including Alt) that the reformed band put out.

Whilst I don't think the revived band are quite up to the standards they set in their original run, at the same time this set is perhaps the best way to experience their latter-day incarnation, giving suitable prominence to live material whilst also presenting the studio albums favourably. It's a rare listener who'll get behind everything in here - and Alt is perhaps better treated as a bonus disc than an album in its own right - but equally, there's a deep bench of material to explore in this box and this is a cost-effective and attractive package which will give adventurous listeners many hours of interesting material to delve into.

Do Not Disturb finds the trio lineup of Van Der Graaf Generator (Hammill, Banton, and Evans) in a sombre, reflective mood. Whilst "gentler, mellower VdGG" has been the focus of the band's post-reunion studio albums ever since Present, this takes the idea further than ever before, with a jazzy, melancholic approach which suggests sunsets, reflection, and perhaps an end to the band altogether.

Certainly, as of the time of writing we've hit the longest gap between studio albums since the gap from The Quiet Zone/The Pleasure Dome to Present, even if you set Alt aside, and whilst the gang still are active from time to time for gigging purposes, Peter Hammill seems to be more engaged with solo projects and other collaborations than with VdGG these days. If this is their swansong, it's far from embarrassing - it's perhaps the best studio release of the reunion age - but it's no classic, and as with all the reunion albums it lacks the fire of the group's 1970s prime.

Recorded in 2013 and featuring the slimmed-down trio lineup of Hammill, Banton, and Evans, this is primarily a delivery mechanism for full live run-throughs of Flight (from Hammill's solo catalogoue) and A Plague of Lighthouse Keepers; indeed, the vinyl edition of this release restricts itself to those two side-long epics. There's a brace of other live songs too, but the bulk of these we've heard performed before on other VdGG live releases - indeed, the Live At the Paradiso release includes a clutch of these songs played by this same lineup.

As it stands, I actually think the shorter songs pan out better here than the epics - both of which were staged here largely so that VdGG could say they'd done it, rather than because they necessarily show the best of the three-member lineup. Go for the full 2CD version for the full epic sprawl.

After Present and Real Time found Van Der Graaf Generator reuniting with their classic lineup in 2005, David Jackson would leave the group again - but Hammill, Evans, and Banton soldiered on, retooling their sound to account for the lack of Jackson's woodwinds and sax. Live At the Paradiso captures a concert from April 2007 - just a few months before the group would go into the studio to record Trisector, their first album as a trio.

Two Trisector songs - Lifetime and All That Before - get early airings here, but for the most part this is old material from the classic line-ups albums (plus In The Black Room and Gog from Hammill's solo albums), significantly adapted to take into account the new lineup. Hammill plays guitar much more than he did back then, and that's largely the trick, using electric guitar to fill the gap where Jackson's wind instruments would have sat.

The end result takes a little getting used to - it certainly doesn't help that Hammill's voice doesn't have the range it did in the early 1970s, and is buried a little in the mix early on. However, the end result is a harsher, rawer-edged, in some respects more aggressive take on the material in the louder songs, but also capable of great subtlety in quieter moments. The outing of Lifetime here is compelling - a song conceived for the new line-up and so delivered without the baggage of listener expectations developed from years of hearing the classic songs with David Jackson on for so long. (Likewise, the choice of In the Black Room and Gog from Hammill's solo repertoire, being songs where Jackson's contributions were much lighter, shows cunning in selecting material that is amenable to the new approach.)

Get past that initial speed bump, and Live At the Paradiso makes a convincing case for VdGG's decision to keep going without Jackson, and is a key missing link between Present and Trisector.

It's a great pity that the classic lineup of Van Der Graaf Generator didn't have more live material captured back in their 1970s heyday, but Real Time find the group fresh off the release of Present doing what they can to correct that, offering up an expansive collection of live treats from their back catalogue plus a few cuts from Present. There's no major surprises here - nothing from after World Record or prior to The Least We Can Do Is Wave To Each Other - which is perhaps to be expected since the album is intended to celebrate this lineup of the group, thos (In the) Black Room from Hammill's Chameleon In the Shadow of the Night is featured.

There's a bonus disc on the Japanese version (also found in the Interference Patterns boxed set, which compiles this and most of the other stuff VdGG have released since 2005) which includes a few more songs and a big chunk of tune-up improvisations aptly entitled Gibberish, but none of these seem that essential (and aren't from the same show as the main body of Real Time anyway).

In any edition, Real Time has its rough edges - we're looking at a group of people who hadn't performed live together for a good long time - but it's good that we got this before lineup changes saw the VdGG story change again.

"Godbluff," is the 5th album by the classic progressive rock outfit, "Van Der Graaf Generator." Following their 1971 masterpiece, "Pawn Hearts," the band took 4 well-spent years to craft their magnum opus, "Godbluff." In my opinion, this is the greatest album the band ever released and I absolutely love it. The band has a way tighter and perfected sound on this album with much less experimentation than their previous works, as this was the first self-produced album by the band. Clocking in at a humble 35 minutes, the album features 4 tracks only, all of which respectively clocking in at close to 10 or over 10 minutes long.

The album opens with the echoing flutes of the track, "The Undercover Man." Peter Hammil's eerie voice soon enters with light high-hat and soft organ before a drum fill shifts the octave higher. Soon a beautiful piano and organ sequence kicks in with Hammil's vocals shining. The instrumentation is absolutely perfect just a mere 3 minutes into the song. As Hammil cries out "These Phantom Figures all around you," the song shifts into an amazing Honher Clavinet jam (which Hammil had started using primarily after the Pawn Hearts album). This is my favorite part of the song, but unfortunately, it shifts back into the main theme quicker than it even starts. The sound of this song is extraordinarily full despite the lack of bass on the album, and this is because of the inventive use of Bass Pedals on the Hammond Organ by Hugh Banton. The best way I could think to describe this song is a tale of someone's subconscious taking over as "the undercover man," as shown in lyrics such as "When the madness comes, let it flood on down and over me sweetly." The next track on the album is my personal favorite, "Scorched Earth." The track opens with a ravenous clavinet riff which is quickly accompanied by snare fills and Hammil's voice which leads the song into its main sequence. This song is easily 10 times more aggressive than the opener, and I absolutely love it. The song enters a very eclectic trippy section around 2:50 with a heavy filter on Hammil's voice. Hammil is a genius lyricist in the sense that he can write great lyrics that leave the audience interpreting what he meant. I think that the song is about free will and not giving in to the man which could be assumed by lines such as "He will not be hostage, he will not be slave," or "In his wake, he leaves scorched earth and work in vain." Towards the end of the track, the song picks up and Hammil recites the lyrics at record pace. At around 7 minutes, the track goes through some clean key switches and countless variations of the theme. The end of the song is extremely grandiose and filled with massive horns, phased drums, and equally eclectic sections reminiscent of the most obscure prog imaginable. The song eventually ends on a heavy note which is a fitting end to this masterpiece.

Side two opens with the 9:30 song "Arrow." The song opens with a random drum beat, that is joined by some interesting bass. For around a minute the song executes a very experimental jam before the clavinet kicks in and the song begins to take shape. The percussive work on this track is tier 1 and amazingly done by Guy Evans. Hammil's voice reigns loudly as if he is singing to a valley of soldiers. The song has extremely minor overtones and is a very dark track in general even in the lyrics. As Hammil bellows, "Arrow!" the drums pick up and the clavinet keeps on powering through. The song repeats its main theme throughout most of it, and Hammil's voice strains mightily. Once again, the lyricism on this track is top-tier, and there are many theories as to what the song entails. I personally believe that it is a song about death and its impending inevitability which is signified by the main line "How swiftly comes the Arrow!" An exemplary track and one of the band's best. The album closes on the 10-minute epic, "The Sleepwalkers." The song opens quickly with a jumpy organ theme and spatial toms that lie under Hammil's vocals. The organ takes the song into a segment where the drums pick up and fanfare can be heard from David Jackson (similar to something by Renaissance except much darker). The song is a bit of a circus interlude around the 3-minute mark, with a high vibrato organ and horns in the background. The fanfare quickly sours, and the key switches into a new theme similar to "The Undercover Man." This song continues the dark and tragic theme of the album's lyrics with another deathly theme which symbolizes sleepwalking through life like a cog in the machine, until simultaneously awoken and put to sleep by death. The song gives an extremely doom-metal theme with prog overtones such as the sounds of Hugh Banton's modified Hammond E112 Organ. Around the 9:00 mark, the song goes through an ethereal passage with light organ arpeggios before fading to black.

On the remaster, there are two bonus tracks: "Forsaken Gardens," and "A Louse Is Not a Home." Both of these tracks could've easily made the cut for the album, and as perfect as I think this album is, I think It could've been even better had these tracks been added. Although the audio quality is worse than bad on these, they somehow possess some of that awesome good bluff feel. The first track, "Forsaken Gardens," is very heavy and has the rare sound of an electric guitar present. Clocking in at 12 minutes, the second track is no joke either. "A Louse Is Not a Home," is an eerie and quiet song that barely picks up until the 7-8 minute mark. I would love to see a fully mastered version of these tracks released or re-recorded in the future.

At the end of the day, this album is a staple of progressive rock that I would obviously recommend to anyone. Whether it be the outstanding voice of Hammil, the creative keyboards of Banton, David Jackson's mystical yet dark flutes, or Guy Evans's impressive drum exhibition, this album is refined (even down to the imaginative lyrics). There isn't a weak point on this album, and so I think It is well deserving of a perfect rating. All four songs are great, and this is (In my humble opinion), one of (if not the) greatest comeback albums in Progressive Rock (if not all music) history. 5 stars, and highly recommend.

Review Nº 686

"Real Time" is the third live album of Van Der Graaf Generator and was released in 2007. It contains the entire recordings of the group's reunion concert at the Royal Festival Hall in London, England, in 2005. By the time where their debut live album "Vital" was released, in the summer of 1978, the band had split for the second time because the same problems that they had already had in the first time, which were, lack of a record company to support them and financial difficulties. So, it was need to wait for almost thirty years to see the band joined and played live again together.

"Real Time" has fourteen tracks. So, and somehow, "Real Time" seems to me a true nostalgic trip all over the career of one of the best, important and most influential progressive rock bands ever. Van Der Graaf Generator across "Real Time", revisits almost all their entire career in the 70's with a few foraways to their latest studio album and into the solo career of Peter Hammill, too. However and curiously, their debut studio album "The Aerosoal Grey Machine" and their last studio album in the 70's "The Quiet Zone/The Pleasure Dome" didn't have any track chosen to be part of "Real Time". From "The Least We Can Do Is Wave To Each Other" we have two tracks "Refugees" and "Darkness". From "H To He, Who Am The Only One" we have only one track "Killer". From "Pawn Hearts" we have two tracks "Lemmings" and "Man-Erg". From "Godbluff" we have three tracks "The Undercover Man", "Scorched Earth" and "The Sleepwalkers". From "Still Life" we have only one track "Childlike Faith In Childhood's End". From "World Record" we have two tracks "Masks" and "Wondering". From their most recent studio album, at the time, "Present" of 2005, we have two tracks "Every Bloody Emperor" and "Nutter Alert". From the second solo studio album of Peter Hammill "Chameleon In The Shadow Of The Night", an album released in 1973 we have also one track, "(In The) Black Room".

It was with huge expectations I sat on my armchair to hear more than two hours of live music from one of my favourite prog bands of all time. There were different reasons for that. There are few live albums of the band and this is only my second live album, beyond "Vital". This is a live album recorded and released after their reunion in 2005, almost thirty years after their dissolution. This is a live album with their golden line up, which was responsible for almost of their masterpieces. My only complaint is the absence of Nick Potter. I always liked him. Still, he was never part of the hard core of the band, really. The selection of the tracks from their extensive catalogue is excellent. By the other hand, "Vital" isn't as good as it should have been. As I wrote when I reviewed "Vital", despite be a very good live album, I was a bit disappointed with it. I expected much more of the first live album of a band like Van Der Graaf Generator. "Vital" hasn't the typical sound of them. "Vital" has a very savage heavy sound, with some punk influences, which was very unusual into their music. So, after listen "Real Time" I was a bit surprised with its sound. I agree with TFTO when he says that it sounds more like a studio album than a live album. I expected an album more energetic and aggressive. Still, I wasn't a bit disappointed with it. It has a more intimate ambient that reminds me an unplugged concert and I like of it. Anyway, the album has more energy on the last track of Disc 1 "Darkness" and on Disc 2. The live show is fantastic and the all repertoire is impeccable, where "Darkness" and "Killer" are probably, the highest points on the album. The decision of playing "Wondering" as the final song was perfect. As Hammill said, that was the most indicated song of their catalogue to close that fantastic night. The surprise of the night was the inclusion of "(In The) Black Room". Despite be actually from Peter Hammill's solo catalogue, initially it was a band's song that should be released on a band's studio album between "Pawn Hearts" and "Godbluff". Due to their first split it was never been released on any band's album but only on a Peter Hammill's solo album. The fans appreciated it because it's one of Van Der Graaf Generator's lost songs. By the other hand, the inclusion of two songs of "Present" doesn't ruin anything on the album.

Conclusion: It was quite a sensation when it became known in early 2005 that Van Der Graaf Generator would appear again after 27 years, especially in the classic four men line up, and that they would also deliver a new studio album "Present". On May 6, 2005, the reunion concert took place in the Royal Festival Hall in London and almost two years later it was available on a double live album, "Real Time". Maybe "Real Time" isn't the final and last concert of Van Der Graaf Generator, but it's anyway an historic concert that can't be held again with all the members of their historical line up. This is even more evident and important since Van Der Graaf Generator will no longer appear with this line up, unfortunately, because Jackson left the band at the end of 2005. So, I want to say that was worth waiting almost thirty years by the live album that lives up the band and that hard fans like me deserved to have already for so many years. This is even truer for me, because as I mentioned, I was somehow a bit disappointed with their debut live album "Vital".

Prog is my Ferrari. Jem Godfrey (Frost*)

AH GODBLUFF

While being my second favorite Van Der Graaf Generator album (behind Still Life) it might be objectively their best. 4 years after Pawn Hearts the band reunites with the theatrical Peter Hamill to deliver some of the darkest prog ever recorded. Track by Track, here we go..

1) The Undercover Man - More of a Ballad, starts with some low flute, great opener.

2) Scorched Earth - a GREAT song, nonetheless the weakest track here in my opinion

3) Arrow - Holy Cow those vocals, someone get this man a glass of water and an award

4) The Sleepwalker - Everything about this song just works. If you're browsing through random of this album 5,10,15 years from now as I have done on this website, deciding what to listen to, maybe you're young and new to this whole prog thing, don't worry, at time of writing I am too! LISTEN TO THIS SONG NOW