THE LEAST WE CAN DO IS WAVE TO EACH OTHER

I've deliberately held off reviewing those LP's from my collection where the music has somehow burrowed its way into my sub-conscience, affecting my very psyche, influenced the way I live, how I saw things, what I dreamt and how I thought (well, maybe not that extreme, but the Hammer struck hard.....) for fear of offering a maligned rating. Van Der Graaf Generator's sophomore album 'The Least We Can Do Is Wave To Each Other' is one such album. Absolutely amazing compositions - Hammill's overly dramatic vocal delivery (albeit at an early 'younger' stage here,) Hugh Banton's monstrously gothic Farfisa organ work, David Jackson's grating multiple Sax inventions and a deeply heavy rhythm section consisting of Guy Evans (drums) and then-teenager Nic Potter (bass) provided exactly what I was looking for with my music (as INXS, Kylie, Aussie Crawl etc. just didn't deliver.) First impressions last. Twenty-odd years on I still enjoy this album immensely, adding credibility to its longevity and relevance within Progressive music. Only was it years later I discovered that the album I bought for a measly 4 bucks at the time has a different version of 'Refugees' and a different mix of 'White Hammer' - and they're quite superior to my ears. Hammill's lyrics are mind- blowing - I mean, who, in 1969, sings of the Malleus Maleficarum (Heinrich Kramer's treatise on witches, issued in 1486) ?? This was heavy stuff to my ears. And the music - well, it's probably not everyone's cup of tea, but I strongly suggest to the inquisitive here to grab a copy of this album and open your mind, coz it's simply amazing, so much quality here to praise I can't say it's less than a masterpiece.