THE QUIET ZONE / THE PLEASURE DOME

VAN DER GRAAF GENERATOR was perhaps one of the most ambitious bands of all the 70s having crafted some of the most demanding musical experiences the decade has to offer. Led by the eccentric and idiosyncratic vision of leader / songwriter / keyboardist / guitarist Peter Hammill, the virtual1969 psychedelic solo project turned full fledged prog band and charted new territory with its unique eclectic mix of progressive rock, psychedelia and Hammill's singer / songwriter charisma but seemed to hit a brick wall after a three album run. The first installation that started with 1970's "The Least We Can Do Is Wave to Each Other" and "H to He Who Am the Only One" combo pack reached its logical conclusion with the over-the-top "Pawn Hearts" the following year. It all found the band literally burning out from exhaustive touring, incessant studio sessions and never ending engagements. The four members of the band which included Hammill, Hugh Bannton (organ, bass), Guy Evans (drums) and David Jackson (sax) continued to play together only under the guise of Hammill's solo career without the VDGG pressures.

Finding the proper time off the band regrouped under the VDGG moniker and cranked out another trilogy of high quality original material that kicked off with 1975's "Godbluff" and ended with the double album year of 1976 with "Still Life" and "World Record." Once again fatigue and financial pressures plagued these seemingly indefatigable musicians but this time around only half the band had found their limit to the never ending tours, financial woes and life dominating commitments that the VDGG existence ever demanded. By the end of the "World Record" tour Banton had had enough and took off for greener pastures. However by having several solo albums under his belt by this time as well as the VDGG albums, Peter Hammill seemed to think that instead of breaking the band up for a second time that perhaps a new beginning was in order and decided to simply change things up to create yet another unique and equally eccentric musical journey. First line of business was to find some new band members to make this come together.

First order of business was the rejoining of former band member bassist Nic Potter who departed after "The Least We Can Do" album. While Banton took off early on, Jackson decided to give this new VDGG a try but soon found that his priorities had drifted from the confines of incessant touring as well as finding his sax playing incongruent with the hard adrenaline fueled sounds that Hammill seemed to be streamlining more towards the emerging punk scene as opposed to the psychedelic progressive jazzy meanderings of the past. Due to the desire to get married, leave the fruitless financial ventures of prog and feeling like a misfit, Jackson departed in the middle of the recording of the new VDGG and left Hammill with a quandary. This inconvenience quickly turned into opportunity and instead of finding another sax player, Hammill went the unexpected route and recruited violinist Graham Smith formerly of String Driven Thing and had also played as a session musician on Hammill's solo albums.

With a new lineup and a completely different sound, the Generator part of the moniker was dropped and newly crafted VAN DER GRAAF signified a new beginning. However short the band's name had become, things soon got wild with the first release having a double title. THE QUIET ZONE / THE PLEASURE DOME donned two titles to represent each side of the album which in reality should be thought of as a double EP of sorts since each side stands independent from the other in terms of mood and musical approach. The first side very much sounds exactly like a Hammill solo album of the era whereas the second side shows a much more ambitious band integration that created some of the most electrified sizzling hot rocking tracks that the VDGG continuum had ever laid down to recording. Somehow this strange new twist in the VAN DER GRAAF world seems logical in retrospect. Hammill was never about stagnating or simply revisiting previous chapters of his book. Ever restless and eagerly ambitious, THE QUIET ZONE / THE PLEASURE DOME created the proper outlet to take things to strange new arenas.

"Lizard Play" initiates the new VAN DER GRAAF which finds Hammill in his usual singer / songwriter passion play however at this point the guitar had become his main instrument and keyboards only supplemental. The main noticeable distinction is the sizzling nimble fingered violin playing of Graham Smith whose dexterity actually sounds like the missing saxophone of Jackson at various moments displaying his extraordinary command of his instrument of choice. While melodic as ever and darkly sinister in delivery, Hammill leads his noisemakers into more streamlined and succinct compositions that pack a punch with little down time. Nic Potter and Guy Evans provide a bombast rhythm section while Smith whizzes up and down the scales on the violin which provides the colorful improv section. The other three tracks on side one are much more contemplative and as a result engage in slower tempos and provide decent but perhaps the less memorable tracks of the album. The really good stuff is on side two.

The second side of the album starts with a repetitive violin riff and bombastic guitar that sounds like it's on the verge of becoming a punk rock symphony. The outstanding "Cat's Eye / Yellow Fever (Running)" was released as the first single and a declaration that a new VAN DER GRAAF has arrived. This track was so in your face and in tune with the current trends that even the Sex Pistols' own John Lydon aka Johnny Rotten was a huge fan of the band. The track drifts in and out of many moods and ultimately comes off as a proggy punk anthem with a Paganini violin delivery. Nothing short of amazing. The second side continues the energetic spunk with the twofer split "The Sphinx In The Face" and "The Sphinx Returns" sandwiching "Chemical World." The former which found Jackson contributing sax parts before his departure and generating one of the most memorable off-kilter vocal melodies. The last part makes a reprise to usher out this strange new VDG sound. "Chemical World" is just plain weird with Hammill's eccentricities fully off the leash as the track wildly starts out very quietly and bursts into full rock fury. Perhaps the heaviest Hammill track of his career and shows brings the proggiest moments of the past back into play.

THE QUIET ZONE / THE PLEASURE DOME was a triumphant musical experiment and after a rare break from the grind, the band went on an extensive tour starting in Ibiza. Hammill's ambitious nature struck him once again and decided that everything would sound so much better with a cello. So he hired Charles Dickie and hit the road. It was this tour from which tracks would be selected to appear on VDGG's only live album of their early existence in the form of "Vital" which would display the tracks from this album as well as reworked material from the past. Ultimately the financial pressures were too great for everyone as the touring expenses vastly outweighed any profits gleaned from this experimental approach to music and Hammill finally broke up the band once again in 1978 before the "Vital" live album had even been released. While this is probably the most bizarre of the entire early VDGG albums, it is certainly a great one bogged down only by the latter part of the first side. I personally would've loved to have heard how this rendition of the band under the name VAN DER GRAAF would have developed, however it wasn't meant to be and all we're left with is this one excellent representation of the third truncated phase of this great band.