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micky 
Special Collaborator
Honorary Collaborator
Joined: October 02 2005
Location: .
Status: Offline
Points: 46828
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 Posted: November 06 2005 at 22:21 |
 moonlapse wrote:
I just received Pawn Hearts a couple weeks ago, and thought it was
fantastic. So had to order H to He, Godbluff, and Vital...just
got them a few days ago and have only listened to H to He so far...also
great. I think Hamill is a great vocalist and the musicianship is
top-notch. Have The Least We Can Do... on order now too.
Just noticed on the Opeth forum a couple nights ago that Mike
Akerfeldt's playlist for September 2005 included Pawn Hearts.
Mike is not only a great musician and performer, but he also has great
taste in music 
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H to He is my favorite of the two I have. I really need to check
out Hammill's solo albums, have heard much about them, but never have
heard them (that I recall at least)
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The Pedro and Micky Experience - When one no longer requires psychotropics to trip
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RoyalJelly
Forum Senior Member
Joined: September 29 2005
Status: Offline
Points: 582
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Posted: November 07 2005 at 05:40 |
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VDGG is music of absolute integrity, sprung from the breast of a
great poet, Mr. Hammill. I never found them to be great
polished musicians like Yes or, ELP, or Crimson, but their
playing is always appropriate to the music, and that's what
counts. An overly virtuosic and polished playing would be
somehow wrong for Hammill's visions, and that's why he chose
the musicians who could best express it...could you imagine
Alan Holdsworth soloing over a VDGG song? Hammill's piano
playing too is far from perfect, it's sometimes clumsy and
technically raw, but If you've seen him perform live, you know
it's always the perfect accompaniement to what he's singing,
which is always like an exposed nerve. Where VDHH suffers
sometimes is in the mix, for example, I've got a DVD with a live
performance of World Record, and the flute playing is just
walking all over Hammill's gorgeous vocals at the the
beginning of "Undercover Man". I haven't heard the new
remasters, are people finding them vastly superior to the
originals?
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M. B. Zapelini
Forum Senior Member
Joined: June 21 2005
Location: Brazil
Status: Offline
Points: 773
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Posted: November 07 2005 at 05:52 |
Snow Dog wrote:
Proglover wrote:
After all this I still feel that people are not giving VDGG the credit they deserve. Many of you while seeing that the bands writes great music, still insist that the band individually are not very skilled players. They are not as FLASHY as Keith Emerson but that certainly does not mean that they are not well established and accomplished musicians. Perhaps many of you are not aware of just how COMPLEX their music is, and what it takes to play music like that. They play in very very complex time meters, displacing the beat like it was natural. And once again, brilliant composition on top of all that makes for an exciting band!!!
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Very condescending of you Proglover, but that not why I've revived this thread!
After now hearing Godbluff and Pawn hearts, I reckon I'm a fan.......now what's next!
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It's good to know that you have listened to another VDGG albums. Most people actually listen to one album and began to criticize a full body of work. Think this shows you're open minded to music, and this is PROGRESSIVE. Hats off to mr. Snow Dog! 
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"He's a man of the past and one of the present"
PETER HAMMILL
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Snow Dog
Special Collaborator
Honorary Collaborator
Joined: March 23 2005
Location: Caerdydd
Status: Offline
Points: 32995
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Posted: November 07 2005 at 06:01 |
Why thank you Mr Zapelini, you're making me blush... 
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magog
Forum Senior Member
Joined: September 06 2005
Status: Offline
Points: 218
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Posted: November 07 2005 at 06:02 |
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What can I say about VdGG, they're my favourite band, so favourite that
I think I'd prefer their best 5 albums than the first prog-album except
them...I'm so familiar now with their sounds, voice, sax, keyboards,
even nothing expecial drumming (we must be sincere, Guy Evans is not
the top in his family...) but who cares? Van der Graaf live beyond
technical qualities, because they thought and realized the most
incredible, deeply sincere music that has ever been heard.
I know this is not a review, but rather a love-statement!
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Blacksword
Prog Reviewer
Joined: June 22 2004
Location: England
Status: Offline
Points: 16130
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Posted: November 07 2005 at 09:15 |
Great band. Wierd as f**k! Dark as hell. Very unique.
Pawn Hearts has to be their best album, IMO. It's also worth getting the 'Godbluff Live' DVD for the version of 'Plague of Lighthouse Keepers' which is one of the extras, along with a rather chaotic version of 'Theme 1'
'H to he am the only one' and 'The least we can do is wave to each other' are also excellent albums.
Favourite VDGG song overall: 'Sleepwalkers' a masterpiece
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Ultimately bored by endless ecstasy!
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MoodsWings
Forum Senior Member
Joined: September 04 2005
Location: Canada
Status: Offline
Points: 106
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Posted: November 07 2005 at 21:12 |
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I was completely hooked the first time I heard them which admittedly
wasn't that long ago (a year in March). It seems that with most
people they had to give them a listen a few times before they can
appreciate (or not). I feel VDGG's music speaks to me on a very
different level than most other music I love. Plus the fact that they
didn't compromise their creative vision for popularity is admirable IMO.
Yeah, that's my contribution to this lovefest.
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wombat
Forum Newbie
Joined: November 09 2005
Location: Antarctica
Status: Offline
Points: 29
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Posted: November 09 2005 at 08:14 |
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