THE QUIET ZONE / THE PLEASURE DOME

"Lizard Play" features an off-kilter rhythm and some folky guitar work. The vocal arrangements are unusual, and Smith's violin squeals and squeaks in ways that complement the folk elements of the song. "The Habit of the Broken Heart" is more laid-back than the opener, and it features some great bass work from Potter. By the song's end, it's evolved into something quite peppy and fun.

Quiet piano opens "The Siren Song". It's a very nice ballad, and Smith's violin is a seamless replacement for Jackson's saxophones and flutes. I also love the rubbery, wobbly effect Potter uses here. Around the midpoint, the mood shifts suddenly into something more upbeat, and Smith's violin begs comparison to Electric Light Orchestra's early, string-centric sound.

"Last Frame" takes its time to get going. It's languid and emotional, and the instrumental elements mesh nicely. There's an art-punk flair to the guitar work as the song progresses, and Potter's bass has a lovely bit of fuzz to it.

Side two starts off with "The Wave". It's another gentle ballad, but the instrumental is strong enough to carry it. I'm normally not big on balladry, but the ones on this album are all well-composed.

"Cat's Eye/Yellow Fever (Running)" is one of the harder-rocking cuts on the record. It's jittery and anxious, and Smith's violin evokes a tense atmosphere. He plays an edgy pattern for much of the song, which calls to mind the iconic string stabs of the film Psycho. Its second half consists largely of many layers of overdubbed violin.

David Jackson provides saxophone on "The Sphinx in the Face". Between the spare, funky instrumental and Hammill's oddball vocal style, it's easy to draw comparisons between this song and early Talking Heads output. This song displays some of the densest composition on the whole album, and those passages bear the most in common with Van der Graaf's classic sound.

The last (proper) song on the album is "Chemical World". It can feel a bit disjointed at moments, but it still has its strong elements. As with much of the record, Smith's violin really stands out as the star. Flowing out of this closer is a brief reprise of "The Sphinx in the Face".

The 2005 remaster features a few bonus tracks. One is just a demo of "The Wave", but the other two are unique songs. "Door", though appearing on a live recording, never saw studio release. It's crunchy, weird, and plodding, but I wouldn't call it essential. The other bonus track, "Ship of Fools" was a France-exclusive B-side of "Cat's Eye". It's a morose, piano-and-violin led instrumental, but it doesn't stand out.

Review originally posted here: theeliteextremophile.com/2023/07/10/deep-dive-van-der-graaf-generator/

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