68-71

Owning most VDGG albums and having first seen the band in the early seventies when their tour-de-force sound was as mesmeric as Tangerine Dream's "cathedral" gigs in the UK around that time, I would recommend this album, "as a taster", to anyone contemplating a first-time experience with the band, who were always greater then the sum of their parts and a legacy of the golden age of British musical inventiveness (64- 79).

As you may get in front of a picture and sometimes see more then a canvas and paint; get in front of your speakers and let the tracks on this album "just wash over you". Let them paint a mental picture for you that will stir your soul and give you an excellent introduction what I consider to be their finest period.

If there is any advice for new listeners that I could give, it would be the following:-

1. Try to have your first VDGG listening experience alone with enough time for a replay. This way you alone can form your impression without external bias or derision from partners or "children". Best of all is in a dark room with headphones on and the volume on the loud side. It can get scary at times!

2. Don't try to "get" the songs at first hearing and don't worry if you don't like a few (no band is perfect for everyone). I found getting into this band to be almost subliminal as I started listening unintentionally around 1970 at a friends home, whilst reading music mags and puffing on a good old ... (well you know what I mean). It was a few months of hearing their stuff before I went out and bought my own copies of the 1st two albums (which is where I suggest you go next).

Regards,

Steve.

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