STILL LIFE

Perhaps it's my own failure, but seeing this album as any kind of let-down, disappointment, or inadequate follow-up to the highly regarded Godbluff, is incomprehensible to me. Within this record, the listener is treated to propulsive jazz-rock riffs, memorable tagline melodies, fantastically atmopheric interplay between Van Der Graaf Generator's signature instruments - saxophone and organ, and also the less characteristic electric guitar and mellotron - and Peter Hammill's epic poetry projected with a delivery as varied as it is inspired. I shoud restrain myself from being too detailed at this point, because the element of surprise is personally one of Prog's most appealing qualities.