STILL LIFE

I don't understand negative reviews for this album. My personal favorite album by this wonderful group, each member is at the top of their game. This is Hugh Banton's favorite VDGG album, and it's not hard to see why. The album is quite tonally different than 'Godbluff', it's more optimistic (well... for Hammill at least) 5 songs, 5 masterpieces.

Track One: Pilgrims "Sometimes you feel so far away.." An incredibly bright opening track, Hammill is at the top of his game lyrically and vocally. From the organ opening to the riveting final sax solo, the song keeps you on your toes. Sheer brilliance all around. Great track, and pretty catchy as well, if you were to introduce someone to Van Der Graaf Generator, this would be the song I'd point them too. At 7:11, it's the shortest track on this album.

Track Two: Still Life "Citadel reverberates to a thousand voices, now dumb..." While this track may start slow and reflected, it quickly becomes fast paced a couple minutes in. Some distorted organ comes in after the first two verses. after 3 high speed verses with some FANTASTIC playing from Banton and Jackson, and Guy Evans, Evans never gets enough love from VDGG fans, he needs some more love. The final verse is sung slowly, once more reflective, in the same style of the opening

Track Three: La Rossa "Lacking sleep and food and vision, Here I am again, encamped upon your floor..." The darkest track of the album runs near 10 minutes. Once it holds you under, it does not let up until the next track plays, it grabs you right from the start. The tension built in this track is well... tense. The song is about a guy obsessing over a girl, once you realize this, the lyrics click into place. (Though I'm still not quite sure about what an 'Organ-Monkey' is....) The song climaxes right at the end in Hammill's sheer desperation, "GIVE ME LIIIIFE!!"

Track Four: My Room (Waiting for the Wonderland) "Searching for diamonds in the sulfur mine.." This song is absolutely beautiful, very reminiscent of 'House With No Door' from 'H to He, Who am the Only One', it's a very piano driven tune. The song moves, but not to a climax, more an emotional resolution. there are a couple lengthy instrumental passages in here, great track.

Track Five: Childlike Faith in Childhood's End "Existence is a stage on which we pass..." My favorite Van Der Graaf Generator song, it's the longest song on the album by a couple minutes, but those precious minutes are not wasted, nay, they speed towards the most impressive and hopeful climax of Van Der Graaf Generator's career. This IS MUSIC, THIS very well may be the peak of Prog Rock, I mean delve into the lyrics, listen to this song. Words can not describe it's brilliance. The repeating themes, the lyrics, the vocals, the sax, EVERYTHING just works perfectly here. The final verse closes us out on a reflective note...

"And though dark is the highway, and the peak's distance breaks my heart, for I never shall see it, still I play my part, believing that what waits for us is the cosmos compared to the dust of the past... In the death of mere humans life shall start!!"

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