Top 7 Van der Graaf Generator Albums |
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nick_h_nz
Collaborator Prog Metal / Heavy Prog Team Joined: March 01 2013 Location: Suffolk, UK Status: Offline Points: 6737 |
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I think the problem with Present (regardless of whether or not you include both discs when you are evaluating it), is the lack of consistency of quality. Even if you consider two of the tracks to be “the best VDGG tracks, by far the best tracks Hammill did since the mid 80s”, there are tracks that are not at all as inspiring. When considering ranking albums, the overall quality always trumps individual gems within, for me. There are likely many bands and artists in my collection for whom my favourite songs likely do not appear on my favourite albums. 🤷🏻♂️
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Grubert
Forum Senior Member Joined: January 20 2020 Location: Germany Status: Offline Points: 131 |
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Ok, but I see no problem in viewing Present as a single disc, the one with the songs, the one with the "compositions". Just do it as I do. And Present is an album which still grows on me. It is my most heard VdGG album after Pawn Hearts in the past 10 or 15 years. And it was only recently (really) that I began really to enjoy the though In Babelsberg, a song which I viewed as boring for mayn years. I even begin to like On the Beach, which I considered for along time as the band's weakest up to that point (if I only could mix out the background singing). But with Every Bloody Emperor and Nutter Alert it contains 2 of the best VdGG tracks, by far the best tracks Hammill did since the mid 80s. The album still needs one more strong song at the end. I wish they had recorded Roncevaux for this album as closing track.
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Psychedelic Paul
Forum Senior Member Joined: September 16 2019 Location: Nottingham, U.K Status: Online Points: 39362 |
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Yes, I think you're right. The Present album would have been much better without the 2nd improvisational bonus disc, which really put me off the album as a whole, and the less I say about the ALT album, the better.
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Grubert
Forum Senior Member Joined: January 20 2020 Location: Germany Status: Offline Points: 131 |
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Btw I think it is important to view Present as an 1 disc album, means the 2nd disc is only a bonus disc for me. It contains improvisations of which I never thought that they really belong to the album. But I'm sure different opinions exist for this ... ;) In that regard I'm also not sure if I really view Alt as a part of their studion album disography. Even if this is a good and enjoyable album, while so far I never cared much for the 2nd disc of Present. And I'm a big fan of the sax in VdGG.
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Psychedelic Paul
Forum Senior Member Joined: September 16 2019 Location: Nottingham, U.K Status: Online Points: 39362 |
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Top 7 update with Grubert's votes added:-
1. Pawn Hearts (103 points) 2. Godbluff (91 points) 3. The Least We Can Do is Wave to Each Other (79 points) 4. H to He, Who Am the Only One (63 points) 5. Still Life (50 points) 6. The Quiet Zone/The Pleasure Dome (15 points) 7. A Grounding in Numbers (10 points) |
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nick_h_nz
Collaborator Prog Metal / Heavy Prog Team Joined: March 01 2013 Location: Suffolk, UK Status: Offline Points: 6737 |
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I have to agree about the lost album. Those five tracks are amazing, and Louse is definitely one of my all time favourite PH/VDG songs. If that had been a VDG album, it very definitely would rival Pawn Hearts for the number one position in my list of seven, too. (Also, you raise valid points about Vital. I didn’t include it my list of seven, but now wish I had.) |
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Grubert
Forum Senior Member Joined: January 20 2020 Location: Germany Status: Offline Points: 131 |
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Vital should be included cause it contained several new tracks, not to be found on the previous albums. And for that is a kinda replacement for a 78 studio album, which then was not released due to the break of the band. Actually if you include the wonderful Plague of Sleepwalkers medley, a kinda new song, the double album contained enough material for a new album. And there was the Hammill solo song Nadir's Big Chance. I love Vital. It very much represents the bands sonic assault in concerts, their "no prisoners" attitude towards their songs, that what Hammill once described as "controlled chaos". 1. Pawn Hearts 2. Godbluff 3. The Least We Can Do is Wave to Each Other 4. Still Life 5. Present 6. Vital 7. The Aerosol Grey Machine The last one was very, very difficult, I could have chosen instead H to He or World Record. And there is the lost album from 1972, the one I compiled from the 5 band songs released on Hammill's solo albums in 1973 and 74. 5 excellent tracks, of which 2 would definitely had made a planned album for late 72, and of which 4 were played live by the band in summer 72 and from 1975 to 1977. This not existing album could rival Pawn Hearts for the # 1 position, and Pawn Hearts is my favourite album of all time. Edited by Grubert - December 29 2020 at 08:28 |
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Psychedelic Paul
Forum Senior Member Joined: September 16 2019 Location: Nottingham, U.K Status: Online Points: 39362 |
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Top 7 update with SpaceGod87's votes added:-
1. Pawn Hearts (91 points) 2. Godbluff (83 points) 3. The Least We Can Do is Wave to Each Other (73 points) 4. H to He, Who Am the Only One (63 points) 5. Still Life (46 points) 6. The Quiet Zone/The Pleasure Dome (15 points) 7. A Grounding in Numbers (10 points) |
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Spacegod87
Forum Senior Member Joined: February 16 2019 Location: Australia Status: Offline Points: 1106 |
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1. The least we can do is wave to each other 2. Pawn Hearts 3. H to He Who AM The only one 4. Still life 5. Godbluff 6. The Aerosol grey machine 7. The quiet zone/The pleasure dome |
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Levitating downwards,
atomic feedback scream. |
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Psychedelic Paul
Forum Senior Member Joined: September 16 2019 Location: Nottingham, U.K Status: Online Points: 39362 |
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Top 7 update with Thief's votes added:-
1. Pawn Hearts (83 points) 2. Godbluff (80 points) 3. The Least We Can Do is Wave to Each Other (61 points) 4. H to He, Who Am the Only One (57 points) 5. Still Life (42 points) 6. The Quiet Zone/The Pleasure Dome (14 points) 7. A Grounding in Numbers (10 points) |
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thief
Forum Senior Member Joined: May 21 2015 Location: Poland Status: Offline Points: 1546 |
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1. Godbluff
2. Pawn Hearts 3. The Least 4. H to He 5. Still Life 6. World Record 7. Present 1-2 are interchangeable and mood-driven. Pawn is more mysterious, decadent, byzantine, "Crimsonian". Godbluff is more volcanic, ecstatic, mind-bending and always, ALWAYS right on the spot. Same goes for 3, 4, 5. I feel Still Life is the most "even" quality-wise, but also very safe and bright compared to earlier records. H to He peaks very high with Killer and Emperor, but I'm no fan of Pioneers these days (strange because I liked it very much in high school). The Least has maybe the best sustained atmosphere of the lot. So these 5 are generally 4-5 stars albums and together form one of the best primes in prog. No. 6 is World Record. At its best, it rivals Still Life. At its worst, it drags and meanders way too much. A good album nonetheless. The last spot goes to Present because, well, David Jackson. |
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A Crimson Mellotron
Prog Reviewer Joined: September 10 2020 Location: Bulgaria Status: Offline Points: 3997 |
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Just 'Pawn Hearts' at number 1!
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Psychedelic Paul
Forum Senior Member Joined: September 16 2019 Location: Nottingham, U.K Status: Online Points: 39362 |
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Top 7 update after two more rounds of voting:-
1. Pawn Hearts (75 points) 2. Godbluff (68 points) 3. The Least We Can Do is Wave to Each Other (55 points) 4. H to He, Who Am the Only One (53 points) 5. Still Life (39 points) 6. The Quiet Zone/The Pleasure Dome (14 points) 7. A Grounding in Numbers (10 points) |
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Frenetic Zetetic
Forum Senior Member Joined: December 09 2017 Location: Now Status: Offline Points: 9233 |
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Godbluff
Pawn Hearts H to HE The Least We Can Do That's all I need TBH.
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"I am so prog, I listen to concept albums on shuffle." -KMac2021 |
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richardh
Prog Reviewer Joined: February 18 2004 Location: United Kingdom Status: Offline Points: 27729 |
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1. Godbluff
2. Pawn Hearts 3. Do Not Disturb those are the only ones I care about. Not a great VDGG fan , sorry.
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Psychedelic Paul
Forum Senior Member Joined: September 16 2019 Location: Nottingham, U.K Status: Online Points: 39362 |
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The Top 7 after eight rounds of voting:-
1. Pawn Hearts (59 points) 2. The Least We Can Do is Wave to Each Other (51 points) 3. H to He, Who Am the Only One (47 points) 4. Godbluff (44 points) 5. Still Life (39 points) 6. The Quiet Zone/The Pleasure Dome (14 points) 7. A Grounding in Numbers (10 points) The results of the poll so far appear to bear out what I said about the Pawn Hearts album in the intro.
Edited by Psychedelic Paul - December 28 2020 at 16:14 |
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Lewian
Prog Reviewer Joined: August 09 2015 Location: Italy Status: Offline Points: 14639 |
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1 The Quiet Zone/The Pleasure Domw 2 Still Life 3 Pawn Hearts 4 The Least We Can Do 5 H to He 6 Alt 7 Do Not Disturb
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nick_h_nz
Collaborator Prog Metal / Heavy Prog Team Joined: March 01 2013 Location: Suffolk, UK Status: Offline Points: 6737 |
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1. Pawn Hearts
2. H to He Who Am 3. Least We Can Do 4. Godbluff 5. Still Life 6. Grounding In Numbers 7. Trisector |
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someone_else
Forum Senior Member VIP Member Joined: May 02 2008 Location: Going Bananas Status: Offline Points: 24264 |
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1. Stiill Life 2. Godbluff 3. H to He Who Am the Only One 4. The Least We Can Do Is Wave to Each Other 5. A Grounding in Numbers 6. Pawn Hearts 7. Do Not Disturb
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Cristi
Special Collaborator Crossover / Prog Metal Teams Joined: July 27 2006 Location: wonderland Status: Offline Points: 42970 |
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if you say so...
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