H TO HE, WHO AM THE ONLY ONE

This album was my first experience with Van Der Graaf Generator and Peter Hammill. I picked up a used copy of the LP because I saw Robert Fripp was a guest artist. And I'll admit that at the first listen, I didn't like it. Hammill seemed overemotive, sometimes out of control, and the music itself, while interesting enough, seemed almost sloppy.

But after a nuber of spins on the turntable, something clicked. and Hammill's voice, while still occasionally grating, actually started sounding good to me. And while the band often wrote lumbering prog tunes, the intricacies began appearing to me. And while I wouldn't say VDGG is one of my favorite bands, I do like them enough to own quite a few of their albums.

Being the first to me, I still like this one at least as much as any of their albums. And of the five pieces, only House With No Door, the quietest piece on the album, fails to hold interest. The rest are majestic prog, with strong keyboard and drum work, with some simple outrageous sax work by David Jackson.