TIME VAULTS

In 1982, a collection of outtakes and rehearsal recordings, titled Time Vaults, was released. Initially put out only on cassette for their fan club, these tracks were recorded by the band's classic lineup during their 1972-75 hiatus. However, the audio quality is not very good. These were demos, so the mastering is rough. Nonetheless, there is some worthwhile music here.

This collection opens with "The Liquidator". Piano and saxophone echo in its introduction, and Evans's drumming is strong. The melody is rather light and psychedelic. It reminds me of latter-era Beatles or classic ELO, albeit with dashes of Van der Graaf-y weirdness here and there. It's uncharacteristically light and catchy, and it is a strong song overall.

Following is "Rift Valley". I can't speak quite as highly of this cut. Hammill's guitar is the lead instrument here, and it's often of questionable quality. The melody is awkward and feels half-formed. Organist Hugh Banton is either not present, or his organ is far too quiet, leading to this cut sounding quite thin. There is a dark, descending guitar riff that sounds like classic VdGG, however.

"Tarzan" is a weird, funky little instrumental. While fun, it's clear why this never made it onto a studio record. "Coil Night", while less silly, is in the same vein as "Tarzan". It's fine, but it's also clear why this was left on the cutting room floor.

The title track comes next, and it's a collage of several snippets intercut with studio chatter. It's absolutely skippable.

"Drift (I Hope It Won't)" has especially poor audio quality, and it features some warm organ alongside powerful drumming. "Roncevaux" suffers from similar sonic quality issues, but it shows a lot of promise. It's a storming, heavy cut, and I would've loved to have heard a properly-recorded version of this piece.

The next song is listed both as "It All Went Red" and "It All Went Up" on different releases, though the "Red" version appears to be official. It's moody and eerie, like a heavier version of Pink Floyd c. 1969. Sadly, it's also muddy and unclear. "Faint and Forsaken" is a swirling, short instrumental where Banton's organ tones shine, even with the terrible audio quality.

Time Vaults ends on an early version of Peter Hammill's "Black Room". Despite it being a strong underlying composition, this song sounds the worst of any on the album. This one is right down there with the rawest, kvltest, recorded-in-a-basement-on-a-tin-can-est black metal I've heard, with regard to poor audio quality.

If you're a fan of the band, Time Vaults is absolutely worth your time. There are a lot of strong musical ideas here. It's just a pity they couldn't have been recorded with greater fidelity.

Review originally posted here: theeliteextremophile.com/2023/07/10/deep-dive-van-der-graaf-generator/