PAWN HEARTS

If we talk about heavy experimental music of early 70's three bands come to my head. Emerson Lake & Palmer, King Crimson and Van Der Graaf Generator. I'm not big fan of King Crimson but I love remaining two. It's good to mention King Crimson here because Robert Fripp was invited to play on this release. Electric guitar wasn't very important in VDGG music, same as in ELP what is pure paradox cos it's pretty heavy without it. Bob just added some strange sounds to make these songs creepy but even without him it would sound enough bizarre and strange. Lemmings isn't something that I'd call masterpiece. It's very Crimson flavoured song. Not saying it's complete disaster but it doesn't move me at all. Man-Erg is much better. The melody is nice and song appears to be surprisingly not very complex... well at least until Eddie Jackson starts improvising. Then it becomes more messy but I really like that kind of mess cos it's something very original (jazz not jazz, avant-grade jazz? I don't know). Plague Of The Lighthouse Keepers in one of the most amazing songs I've ever heard. In fact it's long suite with 10 parts where VDGG show all their skills and all their passion for music. I won't go describing each part because many people on here did it before and saying it's amazing isn't enough. You just have to hear it. But I will mention one part and express my point of view on that. The Clot Thickens is something that sounds like pre-thrash metal. I mean the structure. I can compare this to Voivod's Pre-Ignition of their Nothingface album. It's almost identical structure as in VDGG piece. I simply love this part and remember it was 1971 and most of bands back then didn't know they could play like that (or they simply couldn't cos too hard). VDGG were true visionaries. My favorite musician on this album is Guy Evans but all of them are great. Hammill's voice is more violent than ever before. I'd give 5 stars if the Lemmings was better. But it deserves 4.5 stars easily.