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CPicard
Forum Senior Member
Joined: October 03 2008
Location: Là, sui monti.
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Points: 10837
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Topic: The Beginning of Van der Graaf Generator Decline? Posted: December 26 2016 at 08:21 |
It's hard to talk about "decline" when discussing a band which released far less albums than their contemporaries: they released 13 albums in a time span of 47 years, with an interruption of 28 years between The Quiet Zone... and Present. It's not exactly like they overdid themselves and repeated the same album for 15 years or started making radio-friendly stuff in the 80's...
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Scorpius
Forum Senior Member
Joined: June 22 2016
Location: United States
Status: Offline
Points: 281
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Posted: December 23 2016 at 18:26 |
What is this "decline" you speak of? The very feeling of that word coming out of my mouth in the same sentence as VDGG makes me want to defecate.
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charles_ryder
Forum Senior Member
Joined: April 15 2014
Location: St.Petersburg
Status: Offline
Points: 171
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Posted: December 21 2016 at 12:53 |
I don't believe in VDGG decline. All they albums are fine - everyone of them has it's own taste.
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Rednight
Forum Senior Member
Joined: January 18 2014
Location: Mar Vista, CA
Status: Offline
Points: 4807
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Posted: December 17 2016 at 11:20 |
That's deep. Get outa' here!
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"It just has none of the qualities of your work that I find interesting. Abandon [?] it." - Eno
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micky
Special Collaborator
Honorary Collaborator
Joined: October 02 2005
Location: .
Status: Offline
Points: 46828
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Posted: December 17 2016 at 08:03 |
after H to He which was their last, well...only 5 star classic album
so it would be....Pawn Hearts... specifically...2nd side.. 2nd half
they never recovered from that... when they discovered 'prog for prog's sake'. Unlistenable sh*t!!!
One of the greatest sins of prog. tsk tsk.... and thus they became the fathers (beating Dull by a few years) of 'Mediocre prog' where the imagery and complexity and all that prog jive cease to augment creative music.. but serve as a replacement for it.
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The Pedro and Micky Experience - When one no longer requires psychotropics to trip
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Upbeat Tango Monday
Forum Senior Member
Joined: April 10 2015
Location: Buenos Aires
Status: Offline
Points: 1189
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Posted: December 16 2016 at 12:01 |
World Record????? Really? That's their best album!
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Two random guys agreed to shake hands. Just Because. They felt like it, you know. It was an agreement of sorts...a random agreement.
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Lewian
Prog Reviewer
Joined: August 09 2015
Location: Italy
Status: Offline
Points: 14110
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Posted: December 16 2016 at 08:30 |
BaldJean wrote:
decline? what decline?
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+1
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Barbu
Forum Senior Member
Joined: October 09 2005
Location: infinity
Status: Offline
Points: 30845
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Posted: December 16 2016 at 07:45 |
This band is a monumental waste of time and an insult to life itself.
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Tom Ozric
Prog Reviewer
Joined: September 03 2005
Location: Olympus Mons
Status: Offline
Points: 15916
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Posted: December 16 2016 at 02:20 |
^ Eloquently said, Jean. No decline. Alt is fine, reminds of the 70's for some reason. Do Not Disturb - indeed, 5 star. Magnificent !!
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BaldJean
Prog Reviewer
Joined: May 28 2005
Location: Germany
Status: Offline
Points: 10377
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Posted: December 15 2016 at 23:35 |
sorry, but I hear no decline.
"Present" is often not liked because of the second disc, but I just love those improvisations. and the first disc should be absolutely on par for every friend of VdGG. they even throw in some humor (oh the self-irony of "Abandon Ship!"), which is quite unusual for them.
of course "ALT" is a very different album by Van der Graaf Generator. VdGG without vocals! but it just shows how experimental the band still is. some people may not like this kind of experiments though, but you can definitely not speak of a decline.
"World Record" is one of my favorite albums by them; the only song I'm not so fond of is "Wondering" (though on the live album "Real Time" it is the perfect closer).
"Trisector" is severely underrated, maybe because of the shorter songs. but these shorter songs are nevertheless very complex (just listen to "Interference Patterns").
their latest album "Do Not Disturb" is a five-star album in my book. everyone should have it. again some humor here; "Alfa Berlina" is perhaps even more self-ironic than "Abandon Ship!".
this so-called "decline" is only in the ears of those who want them to repeat themselves, which they firmly reject. those with open ears will welcome their later oeuvre.
so once again: decline? what decline?
Edited by BaldJean - December 16 2016 at 08:03
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A shot of me as High Priestess of Gaia during our fall festival. Ceterum censeo principiis obsta
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Tom Ozric
Prog Reviewer
Joined: September 03 2005
Location: Olympus Mons
Status: Offline
Points: 15916
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Posted: January 17 2015 at 08:21 |
A Grounding In Numbers is such a great album - full of complex little details and above all, a lot of it is great fun. I don't understand the dislike of the album. 'Alt' is a weird one. Listenable, interesting in parts, some potential there, had they developed and worked on certain pieces.
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Saperlipopette!
Forum Senior Member
Joined: December 20 2010
Location: Tomorrowland
Status: Offline
Points: 10045
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Posted: January 17 2015 at 03:17 |
Hercules wrote:
One of two well known 70s bands I just cannot get into at all (the other is King Crimson). I quite like some of the music but, like Dream Theater, it's the vocals that kill it for me. |
Hercules wrote:
A band that I have heard from their very beginnings and have never liked at all.
The reasons are simple: Hamill's vocals and their dark compositions. |
You feel strongly about not liking them.
Just curious: Is darkness/dark compositions in music something you choose to avoid? - If you do is it because darkness doesn't anything for you or because it has an emotional effect that you don't enjoy (drags you down... changes your mood...)?
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Dayvenkirq
Forum Senior Member
Joined: May 25 2011
Location: Los Angeles, CA
Status: Offline
Points: 10970
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Posted: January 17 2015 at 02:04 |
The Beginning of Van der Graaf Generator Decline?
From which album is Van der Graaf Generator work unacceptable for you?
Two different questions. Plus, to answer the first one: depends on whom you ask.
The beginning of the decline for me: Godbluff. And I find more than one album on the list unacceptable.
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Barbu
Forum Senior Member
Joined: October 09 2005
Location: infinity
Status: Offline
Points: 30845
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Posted: January 16 2015 at 22:58 |
Real Time/Present
The ending of VdGG decline.
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Friday13th
Forum Senior Member
Joined: April 30 2013
Status: Offline
Points: 284
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Posted: January 16 2015 at 19:28 |
Don't really like Still Life...it's okay but compared to the 3 prior masterpieces it's pretty weak.
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ole-the-first
Forum Senior Member
Joined: January 03 2012
Location: Russia
Status: Offline
Points: 1534
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Posted: January 16 2015 at 19:09 |
World Record was much weaker than all the previous pH/VdGG releases from 1970 onwards.
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This night wounds time.
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The.Crimson.King
Forum Senior Member
Joined: March 29 2013
Location: WA
Status: Offline
Points: 4591
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Posted: January 16 2015 at 18:37 |
No decline...love them all
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Hercules
Prog Reviewer
Joined: June 14 2007
Location: Near York UK
Status: Offline
Points: 7024
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Posted: January 16 2015 at 18:05 |
A band that I have heard from their very beginnings and have never liked at all.
The reasons are simple: Hamill's vocals and their dark compositions.
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A TVR is not a car. It's a way of life.
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dr prog
Forum Senior Member
Joined: September 25 2010
Location: Melbourne
Status: Offline
Points: 2446
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Posted: January 16 2015 at 16:20 |
Pleasure dome is great. Their decline was when they got back together in the 90s
Edited by dr prog - January 16 2015 at 16:21
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All I like is prog related bands beginning late 60's/early 70's. Their music from 1968 - 83 has the composition and sound which will never be beaten. Perfect blend of jazz, classical, folk and rock.
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Saperlipopette!
Forum Senior Member
Joined: December 20 2010
Location: Tomorrowland
Status: Offline
Points: 10045
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Posted: January 16 2015 at 13:37 |
What is Time Vaults doing here? Its just a collection of outtakes and stuff recorded 1972-1975 and not a real album. Nothing here is unacceptable of course, but I don't care as much for any of their recordings post The Quiet Zone/Pleasure Dome (which I consider a New-Wave masterpiece) as I do for their nearly flawless 70's discography. No vote I guess.
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