THE LEAST WE CAN DO IS WAVE TO EACH OTHER

Dark, scary, gothic and yet oddly hopeful in parts ("Refugees"). This is where their sound started to form. Good Halloween disc (especialy "Darkness 11/11" and "White Hammer" (the ending is the sound of impending doom!)

With this album, we plunge into the fantastic world of VDGG without any hope or resurfacing or even finding an exit. If you got this far and had the urge to investigate this band, why would look for an escape, anyway? So with the first album of the classic era, VdGG with its almost definitive line-up (only bassist Nick Potter will make an early exit) strikes for gold with this album. I will review the remastered album as the difference is enormous compared with the first generation Cd (not necessarily all that positive, because the remasters are horribly EQ'ed), which I never owned as I had friends lending them to me, until recently as I bought the Mini Lp sleeves, which comes very close to capturing the excitement of the big vinyl covers, this being valid for the next two albums also.

Right from the first seconds, can we tell the difference with the wind noises of the opening track Darkness (written on a Nov 11, hence the second part of the title), do we hear Jackson's first growls on his sax sounding like a mist/fog horn (much the same way he will do in the Plague Of The Lighthouse Keeper), something I had simply never heard before even after some fifteen years of listening to the album. Darkness is gaining tremendously from the remixing and is even more awesome (and awe-striking). Refugee is also profiting from the remastering job as the cello is clearly better heard as well as the bass guitar. The album version is more easily recognizable than the single version available as the second bonus track. White Hammer is still the monster track it ever was but the remastering job was not as good as I was expecting it to be: The enormous effect-laden sax-induced screams supposed to represent the torture of the Spanish Inquisition is still atrocious (which it is supposed to be since it is torture) but till way too loud and really ruins the enjoyment of the track. Oh well! "Un coup dans l' eau ».

Side 2 ( I will always have problem not thinking of the VDGG vinyls) then starts with the average Whatever Robert (Fripp?) Would Have Said has some rare electric guitar from Potter and the no-less average Out Of My Book however flute-laden it is. Both tracks gaining little interest IMHO from the remastering job done on the album. Clearly the pinnacle of the album is the 11 min+ After The Flood. The sinister atmospheres and strong dramatics are clearly an acquired taste as is also the effect-laden Hammill screams still way too loud and unsettling, also maybe an odd choice in the remastering choices operated. Nevertheless the whole track is blood-curdling, not just that awkward scream. "Uncanny Masterpiece" would've said Roger Townstart, had someone not stolen his line a year before. The real gift of this releases is the superb B-side of the Refugee single Boat Of A Million Years , which blends really well with the rest of the album tracks. Actually since his track was not accessible to me for decades, it gets always a second and third spin.

The real interest is there to acquire those remastered Cds with worthy bonus tracks, especially if you make the fully justified financial effort for the mini-Lp sleeve. But you may not want to get rid of that first generation CD, because the remastering's EQ'ing will not be to everyone's tastes, namely in audiophile quarters.

Having decided to stay as a proper band after the hazardous recording of their debut album, VdGG managed to make their musical offer progress along the road of stylistic maturity. You can notice without any doubt that the musicians are joining forces in a more cohesive manner: definitely, the entry of saxophonist/flautist extraordinaire David Jackson served as a mechanism to motivate the instrumental ensemble to work creatively on the increase of psychedelic intensity in the harder passages, and on the delicacy of the softer ones (the flute parts in 'Refugees' and 'Out of My Book' are just amazingly beautiful). With Jackson assuming a prominent presence in the band's sound, Hugh Banton feels specially challenged to explore his Gothic and orchestral leanings on his Hammond and Farfisa organs mostly (is that an organ on fire in the closing section of 'White Hammer'?). Meanwhile, the rhythm section of Evans/Potter lays a confident foundation for all this sonic amalgam. And last, but no least. on the front side, Hammill delivers a major level of energy and passion in his singing - influenced by Kinks' Davies and Bowie -, as well as a more interesting and varied poetry in his lyrics (ranging from the existentialist fury of the opening number to the anti-dogmatism proclamation in 'White Hammer', to free association in 'Whatever Would Robert Have Said?', to the scientific reflections of the closure). The opening number 'Darkness 11/11' is an explosive manifesto of angst towards the apparently lack of meaning in human life: though being a slow song, it serves as an energetic entrance. The lyrical beauty of 'Refugees' - one of my all time fave VdGG tracks - is just too captivating to be believed. but it is real, as it is majestic in sweet melancholy. Things get pretty rougher for the next two numbers: 'White Hammer' somewhat recaptures the mood of 'Darkness' taking it to a more frenzy level, while 'Whatever Would Robert.' sounds more ironic (inscrutable lyrics, indeed - not even Hammill himself remembers what they're about), something like a mixture of early KC and late 60s Dylan, including an effective sax solo in the middle. 'Out of My Book' stands out as one of the few really peaceful songs in VdGG history: the main key to its warm beauty resides in the delicious Barocco flute and organ textures. This one momentary rest gives the listener enough strength to face the powerful sonic display of the closing number 'After the Flood': had it been part of any of their two following records, it would have been less restrained and more fiery, but again, as I said in the first lines of this review, this record shows a VdGG headlong to their maturity, but not quite there yet. Anyway, it wouldn't take long before it happens. Not a perfect masterpiece, but a fine prelude to them - I give this album 4 stars.

P.S.: The few guitar parts that appear in this album were split between Banton and Potter.

Addendum: The 2005 remastered release includes two bonus tracks. The first one is 'The Boat of Millions of Years', which shows what VdGG's first album woulda have sounded like had hackson been a member at the time. The other one is the single version of 'Refugees', which is a bit shorter than the original - due to the presence of string arrangements and harpsichord during the second half, this rendition feels more majestic.

"The Least We Can Do Is Wave to Each Other" was VdGG's second album, but the first with the classic lineup. David Jackson was now a member, and the band added Nic Potter (who left by 1971) for bass work. And of course, Peter HAMMILL, Hugh Banton, and Guy Evans. This album often shows VdGG at their more mellow side, like "Refugees", and "Out of my Book". "White Hammer" shows the band at their more aggressive side, and I remember the noiser passage of this song startled my cat. "After the Flood" is without the doubt the album's high point. The lyrics have obvious apocalyptic themes. I like the part where you hear this electronic voice yell: "Annihilation!". It sounds very much like a Dalek you hear on the BBC sci-fi series Doctor Who (I could almost imagine it saying, "Extermination", since the Daleks always had the habit of saying "Exterminate"). I wondered if members of VdGG were watching Doctor Who, because of that Dalek like voice included in the song. To me, I find their following two albums, "He to He..." and "Pawn Hearts" to be better albums, but this is still worth having.

VDGG really found there niche quickly with a mix of goth, art and symphonic, progressive rock all rolled into one. Plus the vocals are absolutely amazing, with so many different temperments from the calm, "out of my book" and "refugees" to the freaky sounding "after the flood" and "white hammer". This is an overall masterpiece and I would reccommend this as a good starting place for anyone who is new to the band. It will give you a good idea of what to expect from VDGG as a whole, with the jazzy elements, dark elements and the occasional light hearted passage with ever changing dynamics on the vocals.

Well I thought it was about time I weighed in on my thoughts about VdGG. This great band could be defined into two distinctly, different eras. The 1st era consisted of The Least We Can Do Is Wave To Each Other, H to He Who Am The Only One and Pawn Hearts. These three albums would have the usual Hammill's distinctive, theatrical, maniacal flair, but instead of the dark shadows of the more mundane discussed in the latter lps, this era would be marked with songs of Sci-Fi and Fantasy and sheer gothic horror. This era would be more dynamic musically speaking and while the lyrical content was definitely inferior and less mature than the 2nd era, this is definitely the stronger and more promising VdGG.

The 1st lp...The Least We Can Do Is Wave To Each Other is probably their most positive as well as their weakest of their eariliest efforts. This lp's inconsistancy drags it down to merely just good statis. At one moment we are treated to sheer brilliance and then must suffer through material that just gets plain silly. Hammill's intensity is there in his voice, but his lyrics are lacking somewhat in this 1st effort. By the by...I am totally aware of The Gray Aerosol Machine, but I regard this one as their 1st true album.

The album opens up well enough with the tune Darkness. One of the better lyrically written tunes on this effort. The eerie, ambient music sets the atmosphere for the rest of the work here. It lets the listener know this is not your typical easy listening pop. This is dark prog and be prepared to take a hellish joy ride. The creepy keyboard, combined with a sinister saxaphone sound will make your skin crawl...but in a good way.

Almost unexpectantly the listener is treated to a lush, beautifully sculpted tune that sounds as if it came from the heavens itself. Hammill sings in such a beautiful, wondrous voice it almost shocks the listener at 1st. Refugees is another song rich with the Hammillian trademark, filled with beautiful landscapes and imagery. The problem with this tune is the lack of dynamics and the music that at 1st captivates the listener with such a pretty, evocative sound eventually starts to bore the listener as we wait impatiently for the song to move into another direction. Very dissapointing by the end of it, but glad the song is through.

White Hammer starts out uninteresting and never seems to move in a direction that is very appealling to the listener. The song just sounds uninspired....not good for a tune that reaches over 8 minutes long. To top it off, the lyrics are rather cheesy. This song would be an utter disaster if it wasn't for one factor....the amazing conclusion! The song seems to end when suddenly this shocking, hair raising bass booms out of nowhere and then the song builds into this cacophony of madness that could frighten away small children leaving them huddling under their beds wondering what horror has possessed their stereo system! All great fun as far as I'm concerned!!

The next song, Whatever Would Have Robert Said is probably the least appreciated and under-rated tune on this lp. I am not altogether sure what these lyrics are about, but it is a highly dynamic, and highly stylistic tune. This tune is almost catchy for a prog tune and I love the soaring chorus...if you can call it such a thing....Hammill was always a man who didn't believe in repeating himself. He and repetitive choruses didn't mix well...like oil and water. This song just simply rocks!

Out of My Book is another well written, pretty tune. What? Two positive songs on a VdGG album...unheard of! This tune probably has the best and easily understood lyrics on this whole lp. While Hammill was one to ever dwell in absolute darkness, this song is proof he could write beautiful, heartfelt lyrics when he so chose to. This song is just a page out of simple lessons in one's life. A stark contrast to what would follow.....

After The Flood....a precursor to the gothic horror of Pawn Hearts! A simply chilling and brilliant tune. Anyone who doesn't get goosebumps listening to this tune must lack emotions to begin with! The music is definitely the most inspired and freaky of the tunes on this lp. A truly classic VdGG tune served with all the hellish side dishes a listener could ever wish for. Just when you think you have heard everything there is to hear on this song it goes into this mad carnivalesk blast of music..a la A Plague of Light House Keepers..only to soften up some, leaving the listener trying to catch his breath when suddenly Hammill's voice reaches utter gothic madness with....TOTAL ANNIHILATION...sending the listener into complete ecstasy!!....better than most horror movies I say!!

In the end an album with some great tunes and some not so great. Still a great effort for their 1st try.

Anybody interested of Van der Graaf Generator might start listening their records from this album, as I believe it contains the main elements of their artistic style found from their other major records. It is not also as difficult as some of their following albums, and not as clumsy as their first one in my opinion. "Darkness (11/11)" opens the record with subtle mysterious sounds, from where the song's musical forms slowly start to appear. A typical and really great composition is revealed, melodies shimmering anxiety, strengthened by Peter's aggressive wailing vocals reciting a long poem, supported with strong presence of bass guitar, keyboards and saxophone. These elements brewed in their first "Aerosol Grey Machine" have now matured to the sound, which dominates their heyday career starting from this record. "Refugees" is possible the most exceptional song here, being a ballad for hippies with chamber orchestrations and power and style, resembling slightly "The Whiter Shade of Pale" after the jazzier opening phases. At least this is my most favorite song of this band, areal anthem of anthems. "White Hammer" starts solemnly with the church organs, turning to more sinister sounds, describing the atrocities of medieval inquisition. The final moments of the long song start to chart the iconoclastic zones of aural terrorism, this characteristics found also from their two following studio albums. "Whatever Would Robert Have Said?" (Maybe "I'll play some guitar on your next album"?) is a more calmer melodic song driven by organ / saxophone / acoustic guitar, having jumpy phases and an calm floating middle part. It was also filmed to the German Beat Club television show, and I recommend to get those Beat Club DVD's for many really fabulous vintage music films captures. "Out Of My Book" is an acoustic ballad for guitar and flute, leading to the closing number "After The Flood". The eleven minutes long track starts again in a pretty way, and then moves to more disturbing areas of feeling. This song has most adventurous solutions of the album on it, and lots of rhythmic and thematic changes. Partly it is great, but I would have personally appreciated little more coherent arrangements, which probably would have killed the avantgarde elements intended. If you like this song here most, I believe you might like their "Pawn Hearts" album quite much. I liked the other tracks more, and as a whole I consider this as a very recommendable album.

VDGG second album was a major step in the right direction. first of all, they espoused the album structure of 4-6 long pieces with no short ones in the middle (except for "out of my book" in this album), a structure which stayed until 1977's "The Quiet Zone / The Pleasure Dome". when I got this one I played it over and over again, especially "darkness" and "after the flood". the latter is a great piece telling of the end of the world which would come in a big flood of water (bible sotry anyone?) and after it there won't be nothing left. it includes a quote from albert einstein "Every step appears to be the unavoidable consequence of the preceding one, and in the end there beckons more and more clearly total annihilation". Hammill's way of serving the lyrics will knock you of your seat. also worth noting is "whatever robert would have said", which I ahve no idea what it's all about, but it's a good piece. some would say that the structures of the long pieces are a bit messy and not organized, but it's a great album still. only after I discovered VDGG's later albums, it became less incredible, but as a stepping stone, it's really a classic.

I just listened again to this album in order to be sure what I am writing. This was my favourite since some 20 years ago when I start listening to this kind of music. The magic is still there and it is even stronger. I still get the same shiver and a feeling of pure horror on the opening menacing sequences of "Darkness" like in those times when I listened it for the first time! "Refugees" is still one the most beautiful crying ballads I ever heard. Here the band was complete with Jackson and Potter, adding the signature sound of saxes/flutes and bass respectively. VdGG were somewhat peculiar band lacking the electric guitarist and bassist in most of their career, concentrating on the sounds of organ and saxophones. On this album, however, Potter (who would soon left the band to rejoin not earlier than 1977 "Quiet Zone") adds both instruments fantastically, giving a feeling of a "pure" rock band. This is evident in "Whatever Would Robert Have Said" and "After the Flood" where he plays additional electric guitar, with distorted feedback effects similar to the unique style of Jorma Kaukonen of JEFFERSON AIRPLANE. Having read other reviews, I carefully listened to the album again trying to find some weaknesses or inconsistencies but I could not. It may be a very personal adventure but I cannot help giving this wonderful piece of art the highest mark! Essential staff!!!

"The Least We Can Do." is a very good offering from the seminal prog rock band, Van der Graaf Generator. This 1970 LP can really be considered the first true VdGG LP, as it is the first with the prominent sax and flute player David Jackson, and the first to embrace a fully progressive sound. It is much less psychedelic than 1968's "Aerosol Gray Machine", which initially began as a Peter Hammill solo album. From the first song (aptly named "Darkness") we immediately can see the path VdGG will take for the rest of the decade, dark atypical saxophones, crawling Hammond organs, and intense vocals from Hammill, all building up to a final chilling emotional climax. The next song is one of the most beloved in the VdGG catalog. "Refugees" is a song which defies description. It is a piece which features some of the most beautiful vocals and lyrics ever sung by Hammill on a VdGG record. This song never fails to evoke intense emotions in me, and most people that listen to it. It is both optimistic and melancholic at the same time, a truly gorgeous track. (Note: this was also VdGG's only chart hit, albeit in Italy, where they were very popular). The next track, "White Hammer", is a bit of a let down after the masterpiece that is "Refugees", and is overly long for its material. Things improve with "Whatever Would Robert Have Said?", which features very good lyrics (typical Hammill), but also typical VdGG music which does become a bit repetitive after repeated listens due to lack of instrumental variety. The next song is the weakest song on the album, which is a bit too gentle for VdGG, which thrives on abrasiveness. This song kind of meanders without purpose before ending, giving way to the album's epic, "After the Flood". This is another album highlight, a track full of social conscious and foresight. It speaks of impending global warming disaster, back in 1970. Quite impressive. Here they are able to construct equally ominous music for their message. Hammill, both lyrically and vocally is at his best here. They manage to inject quite a bit of variety into this 12 minute track, making it gripping through its entirety. It even has acoustic guitar alongside the ever present sax and organ, a nice addition. Of course this album is essential to any fan of VdGG or dark, gothic prog, but the fact is it is uneven and is only good, but it is an omen of great things to come from a very talented band - 3 stars.

(I am tempted to give it five stars simply for "Refugees", but that is not quite fair).

[i]After some review, I am bumping this album up a star. It is a bit better than I let on, but it takes time. A slow-burner. White Hammer in particular is a more powerful (if still stretched track) than I initially let on. Take this as you will...[/i]

A truly polarising group is Van De Graaf Generator. The intensely personal lyrics of Peter Hammill coupled by his fiercely dramatic vocal style (which to the unitiated will sound surprisingly like that of David Bowie) has unnerved more than one potential listener, and one can only imagine how this music would have gone down among the hippie crowds that VDGG first started playing to. Despite Hammill's larger than life presence, it's very wrong to think of VDGG as being a one man show. The group was also powered by the great sax-playing of David Jackson, keyboardist Hugh Banton and Guy Evans' relatively unnoticed drumming (note that guitar rarely came into the picture).

This album was VDGG's second and saw a drastic shift in style from the hurried opener Aerosol Grey Machine. Also featuring the bass playing of Nic Potter, The Least We Can Do Is Wave To Each Other contains my single favourite VDGG song. I can't think of words to describe this sci-fi masterpiece that is Refugees. It's heartbreakingly beautiful, achingly sad, and incredibly dense with sweeping organ, cello, brass and choir parts, and a tale from Hammill who is scornful and mournful in turn. "There we shall spend the final days of our lives, tell the same old stories", he sings of his beautiful lost tribe. And I really don't know what to say. I confesss I rarely listen to this album without putting this song on at least thrice.

The rest of the album is only just very good, which is why, despite containing my favourite VDGG moment, it doesn't rank among my three favourite albums by this group. After The Flood is probably the first great VDGG style dark epic with loads of shifts in dynamics and a general ferentic sax and organ fuelled helplessness to it. Darkness, which enjoys a slow build up before taking life with a psychedelic solo and is concluded by some fat sax from Jackson, and White Hammer (which has a really ominous coda with some real "heavy-metal" distorted saxophone work) are fine in their own right, but would be surpassed by similar styled material on subsequent albums H To He Who Am the Only One and Pawn Hearts.

Whatever Would Robert Have Said, is a strange mixture of Hammill narrative and acid-rock freak outs, bur Out Of My Book, on the other hand, is one of the most light-hearted pieces VDGG put out (well certainly after Aerosol Grey Machine). This acoustic piece with a beautiful underused chorus and some delectable flute from Jackson certainly offers some much-needed respite from the otherwise unrelenting darkness that pervades most of the album.

A fine album, with many imposing moments, and one glorious, glorious sci-fi masterpiece, The Least We Can Do Is Wave To Each Other is the first landmark VDGG recording ... but there would be at least three more to come! ... 82% on the MPV scale

This one really deserves five stars! The first of "The Fantastic Four" VDGG albuns is still a classic of prog-rock. The line-up was Peter Hammill, Hugh Banton, David Jackson, Guy Evans and then 16 years old Nic Potter; in other words, VDGG was really born (don't misinterpret me: "Aerosol Grey Machine" is a good album by all standards, but not as good as other VDGG releases). And what a birth! There are six great songs, and it's hard to pick one. "Darkness (11/11)" sets the tone, carrying listeners to the dark, creepy world of Peter Hammill; a great album opener. "Refugees" and "Out of my Book" are lighter, beautiful ballads; you can even play those songs to your mother or girlfriend. "White Hammer" and "Whatever Would Robert Have Said?" are more adventurous, the second one with electric guitar riffs which makes me remember of Robert Fripp (whatever would Robert Fripp have said?). And "After the Flood" has one of the rare (of course) chorus that makes you want to singalong with Hammill - but it's still a dense, complex tune, wich highlights Jackson's saxes and flute and Potter's fluid bass lines. This album should be in every prog-rock collection.

Aerosol Grey Machine was halfway between folk/psychedelia and prog as we know, and in their second album we find a very mature Van Der Graaf Generator. The line up is settled (and would not be broken, apart from a few years of complete absence), and the music has acquired the general characteristics of VdGG trademark sound: David Jackson's flute/sax and Hugh Banton's keyboard work. Actually I like the flute dominated sound in this album better, the only missing thing is complexity, which will find its way (posibly with the contribution of master Fripp) in the next two albums...

Not a single filler in this one, even the shorter pieces Out of My Book and Whatever Would Robert Have Said (is shortness the reason why they ddidn't make it into The Box!?!?) are excellent. I first heard the other tracks in The Box, about a year before, and thought I had the essence of the album. Nay! After listening to them I both grieved for my loss lasting for a year, and rejoiced for my fortunate find!

Darkness was one of the pieces that introduced VdGG to me, and it remained the most memorable piece for me (for about several months - Bless the baby born today!), until I suddenly discovered the excellence of the remaining tracks/albums. Still, the highlight of the album is the closing piece After the Flood, with Hammill's extraordinary distorted yellling "Annihilation!"

A must for a serious prog listener.

The second work of announcement in 1970 "The Least We Can Do Is Wave To Each Other". The member who acts without seceding by this work through 70's becomes complete. A unique performance style is a work of the feature. The contrast of the baroque music and the Electric sound is wonderful.

Very good album here...

With this album Peter Hammill (what a wonderful singer!) and his partners began to sound really great, developing their so personal way of understanding the music. Sometimes soft and relaxing (Refugees, Out Of My Book...), sometimes dark and chaotic (White Hammer, After the Flood...), this album is full of details and really good music. Only some weak moments don't let this album being a masterpiece in my opinion, because all the tracks have a high quality most of the time.

Best tracks for me: Darkness (11/11), White Hammer and the outstanding After The Flood (very much in the style of later releases...).

Very recommended band and album for dark progressive's lovers.

After their controversial (and immature too!!) debut album - except on the remarkable but not extraordinary song entitled "Necromancer" - the present work shows a more defined style: in fact the gothic mood by P. Hammil begins to emerge, by means of three dark songs such as "After the flood", "Darkness" and the ever-green "Refugees" (this latter still performed nowadays). Of course better things came afterwards, especially if you consider their best albums like "Pawn Hearts" or "H to He" . nevertheless you can taste the dramatic mood of P. Hammil, along with his typical stunning vocalism, which is already worth checking out at least. After all in these early years (especially when Pink Floyd and Soft Machine were the most successful psychedelic/prog bands, during some particular gigs in the UK) He began to develop such an interesting dark prog genre, which soon became his own "trademark", even though his success was not equal to that one acclaimed within the psychedelic circuits (do you remember the Ufo Club in London?!). By means of this "The least We can do." Hammil began to trace his definitive music path and in this manner it seemed He let his dark and dramatic music play without particular resistance from the usual listener.but after all, in spite of some intricate passages being so difficult to take, especially in the following albums (talking about his brainy approach), He was a unique artist, being able to reinvent himself several times in the course of his career. Well the present work it's only his first step, being anyway important from the historical point of view. Otherwise P. Hammil is a great vocalist and a diverse composer as well still today, and for me almost all his albums have got their own peculiarity, in spite of being tiring sometimes.so also "The least We can do." is interesting!

Final score: between 3 stars and 4 stars

This is a very strong album from VDGG and the first album i ever bought from them, Its a masterpice no doubt atleast in my book, All songs are simply fantastic, the opener "Darkness 11/11" is very powerfull the vocals are allmost demonic. Then we have "Refuge" a very powerfull ballad some soft nice spots but a stong melody great song, then comes the first VDGG song i ever heard and still one of my favorites "White Hammer" i yust love the medival sound the song have it yust blows me away i love it and the ending is simply evil, after that comes the strangest song on the album "Wahtever whuld Robert have said" its the only song with electric guitar on it, of al the song on the album this one takes most time too get in to and understand atleast for me it did, but when you get it you will discover yest another great song, a nice litle ballad follows "Out of my Book" and its gorgius, so incredible beautiful its hard to understand. Then we have to closing number and the epic song of the album "The Flood" Its a song with many diffrent time singnatures and tempo shifts as you can gues and its mind blowing! Well all in all this is a fantastic album and very undearated it seems everyone shuld own this its essential. And a great starting album for VDGG noobs :-)

Review of Van Der Graaf Generator - "The Least We Can Do Is Wave To Each Other" Remastered Edition

The debut "Aerosol Grey Machine" was more an Peter Hammill solo album than an real band work, all the songwriting and composing was under his direction. With the second record things changed radically. Any single member brought on creative ideas for the new record and finally this is the "real" VDGG debut. The band started to write longer, epic-styled songs like "Darkness", "White Hammer" and "After The Flood", which were all on the same high level and showed the independence of creativity, that the band explored to this point. In view on this, I feel somehow reminded on the process of Genesis after their debut, and the maturity on their second album. Musically you can't compare these two bands at all, but in historical point of view there are definitely some similaritys.

The remastered cd version by EMI released in 2005 is the definitive edition. It contains an digital mastered, larger sound, by far superior to the old version. The extensive sleevenotes, lyrics and band biography are essential items for the listener, to understand the background and involvements surrounded. The band also talks about compositional freedom inside of the booklet, and the album was recorded in four intensive days, full concentration by the members to deliver a great job, and that's what "The Least We Can Do." finally is, specially this remastered cd. There are also two bonus tracks, which are short, but round up the album perfectly. The first bonus track is "Boat Of Millions Of Years", which is a nice simple song, the second is the single version of "Refugees", with different arrangements and ideal fade- out for the finnish of the record. To that more later.

Track by track:

01 - Darkness: The title of the song is perfectly chosen - It says all about the band and their (new) image and they really started to discover it here. This song is magical, dark and colourful at the same time. An furious start all the way! (Track rating: 9/10 points)

02 - Refugees: This was the first song I've heard by them and brought me to tears as I heard it the first time. If there is one representative ballad for symphonic prog, that would be it. The song is about leaving home and go to another place to live there (a personal written piece by Peter Hammill). One of the most moving songs in prog! (Track rating: 9.5/10 points)

03 - White Hammer: An epic with an scary, harsh ending part, interestening lyrics and dark atmosphere throughout the song. (Track rating: 9/10 points)

04 - Whatever Would Robert Have Said?: A piece with relaxed intro but a wild, proggy middle-part, great guitar-work in the ending part. Variation in a nice way. (Track rating: 8/10 points)

05 - Out Of My Book: The second ballad on the album, with once more personal lyrics by Peter Hammill. The instrumental work is simple, but very effective, especially the acoustic guitar is very good, also the organ. Peter Hammill's voice is very sentimental and shining too. Nice piece! (Track rating: 8.5/10 points)

06 - After The Flood: The closing track of the original record and an fascinating epic. The song is about over eleven minutes long and isn't as aggressive as "White Hammer", but very beautiful, the flute part after three and a half minutes reminds me a bit on Jethro Tull, but that's only a personal opinion. Check it out, I somehow imagine Ian Anderson on flute here! The song is getting faster after more than five minutes and the saxophone of David Jackson takes a big part in duality with Hugh Banton's volcanic organ playing. (Track rating: 9/10 points)

Bonus Tracks:

07 - Boat Of Millions Of Years: The original album is already over, now there comes the first bonus track, which is in a simplier style, but with an anthemic chorus and memorable arrangements. Counts the album up a little bit (if this is possible). (Track rating: 8/10 points)

08 - Refugees (single version): Single version of the beautiful Refugees, seems like a revisition on the end of the record and rounds it up very well, that's how I like to have an album closed. That version is also quite different to the original version, with few different arrangements in instrumentation. This version was also part of a soundtrack, read more in the booklet. (Track rating: 9.5/10 points)

That was my review about this remastered edition of "The Least We Can Do Is Wave To Each Other", I highly recommend it to all prog/VDGG fans, even to those who have the old version of the album. If you want to be up to date, watch out for this superior cd in packaging and sound quality. I look forward to review the other VDGG Remasters in the next few days.

Record rating: 9 + 9.5 + 9 + 8 + 8.5 + 9 + 8 + 9.5 = 70.5 / 8 tracks = 8.8125 = 9

Van Der Graaf Generator - "The Least We Can Do Is Wave To Each Other": 88 % = 9/10 points = 5/5 stars

point-system: 0 - 3 points = 1 star / 3.5 - 5.5 points = 2 stars / 6 - 7 points = 3 stars / 7.5 - 8.5 points = 4 stars / 9 - 10 points = 5 stars

Essential: a masterpiece of progressive music

This was Van der Graaf Generator's first step into the dark and uncompromising terretories, and about half of the material here is almost threatening in nature such as the doom laden "After the Flood" that by my opinion is the scariest track the band ever did, the last half of it representing the world flooding over backed up with even more disturbing music. Similar onslaughts can be found at the end of "White Hammer", a masterful dissonant conclusion that is probably the tensest moment in the british prog scene, a true volcano of organs and saxes.

The rest of the album is really good as well, "Darkness" effectively sets the tone for what to come followed by the beautiful "Refugees" that is easily one of Hammill's most emotional moments with the band. The overal quality of the album though is not as good as it's followers but it's still a solid effort (think "Trespass"-era Genesis mixed with the most chaotic moments of early King Crimson with shadows of Pink Floyd).

Quite a good album this, my first from Vandy. It takes a long time to actually love it like I do, and it has some flaws, but it's good nonetheless. The only semi-bad thing is there is very little lead guitar, but its not that noticable.

Darkness is a very good opener, kind of dark, while kind of upbeat. Good melodies, they may take time to grow on you, but this song is very good I think. Great vocals, great lyrics. Great saxing at the end.

Refugees is a very emotional, pretty little song. Great opening with the flute/cello combo. Love the falsetto vocals, love the part where the organ signals the drums to begin, love the whole thing basically. Takes time to grow on you.

White Hammer is yet another great song, similar to Darkness in that it takes time for the beauty of the melodies and the cleverness of the lyrics to set in. Great cornet playing, good lyrics about the SPanish Inqusition. Also similar to Darkness because it's almost halfway between dark/brooding and light/upbeat. Although the end riff is pure scary heavy dissonance. Oooh. So good.

Whatever would Robert Have Said? is much like the other songs: hard to get into at first. This is pretty much the only lead guitar song on here though, and the melodies are for the most part good, weak in parts, but its all around a good song, if not as good as anything on Side 1.

Out of My Book begins with a DIsney-esque flute lick and it is a little too pretty for my tastes. Once the vocals enter the song gets better, it has some good melodies, all in all a pretty good song. It is however the worst on here.

After the Flood is the epic of the album, and it is very good for the most part. The main riff is good, because it switches on you from dark to light like halfway through. Very unique and clever. Love the lyrics. This song also features some cool scary dissonant parts, and one semi-annoying distorted voice part where Hammil says 'Total ANNIHILATION!' Its pretty good, but the melodies in parts are not uberstrong, so I think all of the songs on Side one are better. It is a good song though.

So this is overall a good album. HARD and I mean HARD to get into, it will take quite a few listens. Also, you need to like the guy's voice, which many do not. I for one LOVE peter Hammil's voice. So anyway good album, not a masterpiece, but Side One is near perfect, and Side Two is not bad by any means. Buy this. I happened to find it used at the CD store. Great Deal. I'm rambling now. Bye.

I'd like to stress the relativity of my rating before proceeding. This is a Van Der Graaf Generator album whatever happens, but it's still their worst (with the possible exception of The Aerosol Grey Machine, but that's more of a solo album and at least it isn't as offensively substandard as this one is). Anyway, The Least..., like the other pre-Godbluff VDGG albums, is mainly a lot of freak-out psychodrama and, as awesome as that works out for Pawn Hearts, it's immature and kind of silly a lot of the time here.

Actually, Darkness is a fantastic track, no question. It's throbbing bass, ascending vocal leads and explosive sax solo make it something of an iconic VDGG moment. It works much better live, though, because it's really damaged by awful production here. Moving on, Refugees is a bombastic, sentimental ballad which is kind of cute but not great enough to enter either the pantheon of heart-wrenching VDGG anthems or that of tear-jerking PH balladry.

When filtered into his songwriting, Hammill's early fascination with the occult usually made for some surprisingly thrilling tracks like, say, Black Room. White Hammer REALLY isn't one of them. It's a simplistic, quiet/loud groove-based piece with embarrassing lyrics and a derranged but gaudy squealing sax coda. (Of course, later the band would work out how to integrate this into the actual tracks...) Anyway, it's only downhill from here; I can't think of a single notable or interesting thing about the trudge that is Whatever Would Robert Have Said, Out Of My Book is another average ballad and After the Flood is a godawful attempt at an 'epic'. I don't particularly want to go into much depth on this one, but basically, repeating 'all is dead and nobody lives' as a kind of weird glam-rock chorus is much cooler in theory than practice. Anyway, H to He is much better than this, Pawn Hearts is much better than H to He, and the 75-76 albums invalidate most of the stuff on these albums anyway.

In conclusion, while I'd love to be much nicer about the whole thing, this album is by the same band that made Godbluff. The same band that made Godbluff! And it has songs about witches! Unbelievable!

VdGG is a really excellent, yet often overlooked, group in the Prog Rock canon. Personally, I am drawn to their very dark sound and subject matter, and to the use of saxophone which is something of a rarity in this style of music.

The first half of this album is just perfect. Darkness 11-11 gets things going with a sinister bang, balancing creepy atmospherics and heavy melodic hooks. Refugees is one of the most beautiful songs I've ever heard. It brings me close to tears every time. Side one concludes with White Hammer, a song about the Spanish Inquisition and their infamous witch hunts. Now here most people complain about the squalling sax, but I have to disagree. I happen to love loud, obnoxious saxophones, so if you're like me, you'll love this track.

Side two is where things begin to go wrong. The band seem to have exhausted all of their best ideas and turns in a set of mediocre tunes. The final epic, After The Flood, is in many ways the most disappointing track. I always expect the 10 minute plus epics to be highlights, but this one is kind of awkward and ends up being passable, but no more.

However, I think the excellence of side one warrants my rating of four stars entirely.

This is the first Vdg album I listened and it remains one of my favourite even if it's not at the same high Tops of "He to who.." and "Pawn Hearts". Here u find the beautiful Classic ballad "Refugees", one of the few songs that gives me shivers through my spine every time i listen, with it's beautiful Cello intro and poetical lyrics, and last but not for least the passionate Peter hammil's singing; and I think that at this time the way Peter sings it varies from melodic to harsh, while often in the next works he often sings very harsh(especially in "Godbluff" and "Still Life"). Darkness 11/11 and "White Hammer" are typical Vdg trademark sound, very dark and gothic; "White hammer" talks about the malleus maleficarum (the witches hammer), I especially love the organ sound and the presence of the horn, the end of the song is one of the most dark and dissonant part from the band. "Out of my book" is another my favourite melodic ballad from this work, with beautiful flute melodies and Peter voice. The final track "After the Flood" is the first long song of the band, it's very dark and apocalyptical, with the dissonances and complexity of the instrumental breaks that they'll be more present in "H to who" and "Pawn Hearts". A classic from the band!!!

"Total Annihilation"

-Historical Information

Tony Stratton-Smith who was at that time a manager for The Nice, the Bonzo Dog Band and Van der graaf generator, formed Charisma records and signed Vdgg as his first act. Keith Ian Elis leaves while two new members, saxophonist and flutist David Jackson and bassist Nic Potter join the band. It's the first time that Guy Evans, Peter Hammill, David Jackson and Hugh Banton form the classic line-up that defined Vdgg. Only Nic Potter is an exception (on later cds High Banton will replace him playing bass guitar on the recordings and bass pedals on live performances). In 1970, Vdgg record their second album named "The least we can do is wave to each other".

-About the cd

The title of the cd was taken from Francis John Minton "We're all awash in a sea of blood, and the least we can do is wave to each other". What we have here is a true masterpice but also the first representative Vdgg album. The big difference from the debut album is that it has more a sense of an album rather than a colection of songs.

Peter Hammill's lyrics are really great on this album. His performance is outstanding and his compositions are much better than Vdgg's debut album. Hugh Banton with David Jackson's wind instruments combine together so well to create this scary, dark, chaotic atmosphere that characterizes Vdgg. Hugh Banton, a classicaly trained organist, creates a dominant sounds with his hammond organ that are enough to drive someone crazy while David Jackson playing both alto and tenor saxophone and flute has an amazingly unique and magical sound that varies from atmospheric to mind blowing sax screams. Nic Potter though less dominant than Elis seems to do a better job with the bass parts. Last but not least, Guy Evans, a unique drummer with a very jazzy sound that shows he is not just a part of the rythmic section but also a part of the music. An amazing line-up that consists of members who are really unique and have a distinctive sound. You can't go wrong with these guys.

The result is weird music that is new to the crowd. As Nic Potter said: "This music was entering territory that hadn't been touched". Even Hammill says : "The end of White Hammer is the scariest piece of music we ever played". David Jackson adds: "White Hammer is actually about the forces of good, but the end's pretty demonic". "I put down a flat 5th, which they call 'the Devil's interval'. C to F sharp -very unfriendly noise" he continues. Needless to say that if something like that was played a few decades before they would burn you for witchery. Mabye all these created an atmosphere rather unfriendly and scary for the young at Nic Potter who left before the next album was recorded.

Dark baroque, full of foreboding, grand gestures and menance this cd managed to reach number 47 and Top 10 in England. If you are new to Vdgg you may try this one. If you like it from the beging you're one of the few lucky people who managed to get hooked insatnly. Mostly, Vdgg need time. A true masterpiece from these amazing musicians, full of emotions. Five stars - everyone should have this cd!

It would seem that the remastering process came just a little to late to save the single version of refugees which sounds a little worse for wear (time) Otherwise the sound is very good at least on a par with the original Pink Label release and superior to all later pressings. This is an awesome set of songs starting with the dark and brooding Darkness we are treated to a sonic delight. Hammil's voice is somewhat sweeter on this recording that on later ones, possible due to vocal nodes forming from his bellowing vocal attack. Refugees is pretty but has not dated as well as the rest of the album, it sounds very like procol Harlem in places. White hammer is a great track, and ends with the sound of the four riders of the apocalypse seeming to jump out of the speakers to join in this party at the end of time. Side two;'s opening number what ever would Robert have said is a brilliant tune and still gets me going after 30+ years of regular play. Out of my book is a wonderful little love song with a twist. The Last Cut hints at what is to come on later recordings and is the most obviously prog number on the album, after the flood is different and features some very heavy riffing as well as pleasant acoustic sections...there is even a dalek quoting Einstein....wonderful. The two extras are the essential Boat of millions of years which tells the tale of Horus and set excellent material a little genesis like only better. The last cut being the aforementioned single version of refugees which sounds a tad strange (the single is better) but is still different enough from the original to be essential, this is a slightly butchered version of the original but is also a different arrangement. All in all a very brilliant record and one which got rave reviews at its release. The Musicianship is very good on this recording and Nic potters bass and guitar are sadly missing from later VDGG albums. Really this recording is essential so it has to get all five stars. Buy it tomorrow if you don't already own it.

Thanks to the new line-up (Jackson is there) there is a significant change in the sound of the band in comparison with their first release. In 1969, their manager was a fed up with big labels, so he deicded to create one of his own. Charisma was born ! In 1970 VDGG (obviously) and Genesis were signed. Nothing less, nothing more. They will record this album in FOUR days (which is the double than for "the Aerosol...). I bought this album somewhere in 1974. It was my third VDGG (I worked backwards : the first one was "Pawn Hearts"). The opener "Darkness 11/11" set the pace to what VDGG will be known for : complex, intriguant, non-commercial music. This is a typical VDDG song (first period). It was written on November eleven (hence the title).

What comes next is, for me, one of the most beautiful song ever written. I bought this album a very long time ago, and still today after I don't know how many listenings, I always feel so deep in love with the track. The lyrics are so dramatic, Peter so intense. This song has passed the proof of time (I have been through quite a lot of musical experiences so far - almost forty years of music addiction, lots of genres involved).

Each time I listen to this song it is truely like an amazement. It is (for me) a shivering moment : I think of those millions of people for whom the West (or maybe the North now) is refugees'home. A song that really kicks your ass : not with the rythm of course but with the lyrics and Pete's interpretation and sincere emotion. WONDERFULL.

FYI, Mike & Susie (a future British actress) who are referred to in the song were old friends from Peter. They had shared a flat for about six months. When they were about to leave, Peter was full of melancholia that he wrote a song about people looking for a home. This nostalgia is magnificently rendered into this jewel.

"White Hammer" is another track in which Jackson's influence is truely noticeable. I usuallly do not like sax and related instruments but, boy ! David is really great. The scary finale is absolutely gorgeous (although difficult to access). Actually, I have never (and still don't) understood how I could love such a band as VDGG : they have everything that would usually make me run away from this : sax, very complex songs, cacophonic at times, tortured singer (great lyricist but not a great singer). I'll never know the answer but the fact is that I am a die-hard VDGG fan.

"Whatever Would Robert Have Said" is a weird track with strange lyrics ("I am the hate you still deny, though the blood is on your hands"). It is not very accessible. Quite experimental but so typical for VDGG. It switches often between very quiet accoustic moments to strong keys / sax.

"Out Of My Book" is a soft, fresh song, a bit like "Refugees". Very emotional and melodious. "After The Flood" is a great track. Heavy at times (keys & sax), jazzy & complex at others. But also melodious thanks to Peter's vocals. Jackson's work is really incredible here. Another highlight.

The directions for the future are all set. On the remastered version, there are two (short) bonus tracks : "The Boat Of Millions Of Years" (not bad) and the single version of "Refugees" which is substantially shortened. A very good album. Four stars.

I'll keep short as I've reviewed 4 other VDGG albums, all with mostly the same conclusion. Same sounding (to my ears) organ playing from one album to the next, with little noticeable variation. I won't comment on the lyrics, as I believe that without good music, the lyrics don't make the difference in making a good song. If you love one of their albgums, from what I can see, you'll love just about all. But if any of the so-called classics don't get you off, none will. Which is my case despite repeated listenings.

While not as experimental or bizarre as the albums following it, The Least We Can Do is still a great VDGG album. The first song builds and builds with a fantastic Hammill vocal and some great organ work from Banton. Jackson is a bit more restrained on this album than he would later be, but a few songs give us a taste of things to come. Whatever Would Robert Have Said? and After The Flood are examples of this, that show us where the band was headed with jagged rhythms, odd time signatures and abrupt mood and tempo changes. I especially love the repeated refrain of "And when the water falls again, all is dead and nobody lives" in After the Flood. These two are obvious highlights, but I find I like the first track and White Hammer nearly as much. WH features some intersting lyrics about the inquisition and white magic. In fact, all the lyrics on this album are quite good, even by Hammill standards. Refugees is something of a mellower ballad type song but does build in intensity as the song progresses. It features lyrics of a personal nature about remembering old friends. Out of my Book is the mellowest song here, and somewhat bland as a result, but does have some nice flute work by Jackson.

Overall, a great album prepairing us for the even better albums to come. I wouldn't consider this a masterpiece due to the fledgling nature of the compositions, which just start to scatch the surface of what this band and Hammill would be capable of in the future. Also, I don't have the remaster of this so the overall sound of my copy is fairly muddy with the drums sounding like cardboard boxes at times. Hopefully the remaster has resolved this particular problem, so I won't detract any stars because of it (after all, it was recorded in Dec. 1969, and being an obscure new band they probably didn't have the best recording resources and did it in something of a rush). For me, a solid 4 star effort for a truely great band.

There are certain songs and albums that are able to bring me so much joy. I should also add to that vocals because when I hear Peter Hammill sing I can't help but smile. Mr.Hammill has said that this record is really their first proper album as it was truly a group effort where they put their hearts and souls into it.

"Darkness (11/11)" is the perfect opening track for this record and also one of my favourites. You can hear the wind blowing hard as bass and cymbals join in. Next up are the vocals, drums and sax as we now have a full sound. Now that's a way to build a song ! This is an amazing tune ! I don't know why but this brings out my emotions it's so freaking good ! "Refugees" features beautiful vocals and lyrics. Heart rending lyrics actually. Flute and cello only add to this atmosphere. Some powerful organ 3 minutes in.

"White Hammer" is about witch hunting in the middle ages. More incredible organ and lots of tempo changes. There is an amazingly heavy and dark passage 6 1/2 minutes in as Jackson plays some ripping sax with dissonant sounds to follow. "Whatever Would Robert Have Said ?" is a crazy, psychedelic flavoured tune about their name sake Robert Van Der Graaf who invented the static electricity generator. Some good electric guitar on this track. "Out Of My Book" is a mellow song with strummed guitar and organ. "After The Flood" is a mind blowing song ! There are mood shifts throughout and a nice flute solo 3 1/2 minutes in. Hammill is at his theatrical best and check out the wall of sound that ends before 7 minutes. Dissonant sounds to end it.

Easily 4.5 stars and a must have for prog fans everywhere. This is classic.

Van Der Graaf Generator. the epitome of darkness in progressive rock, how suiting that the first song on their first notable album be called Darkness. With the lineup of this band in a transitional stage, the material is slightly inconsistent. There are a few strong tracks, like Darkness and White Hammer, but some of the songs are not very well thought out. Darkness its a good sax oriented song (As a lot of VDGG tracks are) with a cool chord progression. Hamill's lyrics are, as he will come to be known for them, thought provoking and incredibly poetic. Theres a very long electric guitar note in the middle, turning into a nice solo from Nic Potter, who would leave following this album. Alternating between light and dark sections, and ending with a great sax solo, this song is classic VDGG. Refugees sounds far too happy-go-lucky to be VDGG. It doesnt seem to go anywhere, and I dont like it much. White Hammer Picks it up again, with a nice organ intro and Hammill introduces us with "In the year 1486, the Malleus first appeared, designed to kill all witchcraft and the papal fears." the rest of it goes on to describe an inquisition against witchcraft and infidels. The WHITE HAMMER is intended to slay only evil things, but killed innocents too. the trumpet in the back ground is perfect, and the music fits the words perfectly. near the end, the song gets very dissonant and scary.

Whatever Would Robert Have Said? is a classic song, with a great hammond intro, adding sax, drums and acoustic strumming to fill out the sound as it builds. Hamill's lyrics are interesting as always, and some distant electric guitar accompanies him. the acoustic guitar now sounds like a lute almost, and the harmonies are great. The middle section slows down and has a great sax solo from Jackson. then it builds into a driving climax, and the softer vocal part is reprised for the ending. Out of My Book sounds like it might turn into another Refugees, with lots of acoustics and flute. It turns out to be better though, but still a song i dont usually listen to. After the Flood has an interesting riff that gets repeated by Organ, sax and acoustic guitar. Then the vocal line comes in, imitating it. then it kicks into 4/4 for a rocky section, but this song isnt nearly as good as the other 2 epics on this album. It seems to use a lot of repeating, to its disadvantage. There is a good flute solo at some point, sounding a little like Ian Anderson, but this cant save the song.

Overall, a very up and down album, with about half of it being mediocre and the other half bringing it up a little, so 3 stars it is.

"The Least We Can Do Is Wave to Each Other" is the 2nd full-length studio album by UK progressive rock act Van der Graaf Generator. The album was released through Charisma Records in February 1970. It´s the successor to "The Aerosol Grey Machine" from September 1969 and features two lineup changes since the predecessor as bassist Keith Ellis has been replaced by Nic Potter, and David Jackson (tenor and alto saxophones, flute, backing vocals) has been added as the fifth member. "The Aerosol Grey Machine (1969)" was released under the Van der Graaf Generator monicker in an agreement with Mercury Records to release singer Peter Hammill from his contract with the label, but it was ultimately more a solo album by Hammill than a band effort.

Although most of the writing credits go to Hammill, the material on "The Least We Can Do Is Wave to Each Other" was rehearsed and arranged as a band, with the other band members also contributing their ideas and compositional input to the basic song structures. While "The Aerosol Grey Machine (1969)" was a pretty raw and unpolished album, "The Least We Can Do Is Wave to Each Other" is a more detailed and elaborate release. Producer John Anthony encouraged studio experiments including double tracking of Jackson´s saxophones, and putting distortion filters on Hammill´s vocals. While the recording sessions were concluded after only 4 days, the result is a massive improvement over the material featured on the debut album.

The material is generally dark, heavy, and organ and vocal driven progressive rock. Hammill is an expressive vocalist with a distinct sounding voice and a commanding delivery, and his lyrics are quite interesting too. "Refugees" being a sort of romantic nostalgic tale of emigrants (I understand Hammill may have had another meaning behind the words, but that´s how I interpret them), "White Hammer" dealing with the Malleus Maleficarum and the subsequent witchhunts, and "After the Flood" telling the tale of an apocalypse caused by a massive flood. Some tracks are dark and heavy ("Darkness (11/11)" and "White Hammer"), while others feature a slightly lighter but still melancholic atmosphere ("Refugees" and "Out of My Book"). The original album release featured 6 tracks, while the 2005 remaster features two bonus tracks, which are the two tracks from the April 1970 "Refugees"/"The Boat of Millions of Years" single. The single version of "Refugees" featured a nine-piece orchestra arrangement and it´s quite different from the original album version.

What strikes me the most when listening to "The Least We Can Do Is Wave to Each Other" is how unique and original Van der Graaf Generator already were this early on in their career. The combination of Hammill´s voice and paatos filled (at times almost theatrical) singing, the dark organic organ and piano playing by Hugh Banton, the many great saxophone and flute parts by Jackson, the busy organic drumming by Guy Evans, and the solid bass patterns played by Potter make up a whole, that is unlike any other artist on the scene. There are some acoustic guitar parts here and there (played by Hammill), and Potter also plays some electric guitar (predominantly on "Whatever Would Robert Have Said?"), but the guitar is not a dominant instrument on the album, although "The Least We Can Do Is Wave to Each Other" is probably the Van der Graaf Generator album featuring most guitar parts.

"The Least We Can Do Is Wave to Each Other" features a detailed, powerful, and organic sounding production job, which suits the material perfectly and upon conclusion it´s not just a giant leap forward from the debut album, it´s also a high quality progressive rock album on its own terms. A highly original release fully deserving a 4 star (80%) rating.

If you exclude "The Aerosol Grey Machine", which was really a Peter Hammill solo album released under the VDGG name for contractual reasons, then "The Least We Can Do.." was the band's first album release.

It is one of three that I will occasionally cite as "my favourite VDGG album", the other two being "H to He Who Am The Only One" and "The Quite Zone/The Pleasure Dome".

The reason for this uncertainty is, as you may understand if you know the band's music, that their style of music making is not the easiest to appreciate. For me, it is "mood music" - I don't mean that in the sense that it is smooch music of the sort you might put on for a romantic evening with a loved one, but rather in the sense that I have to be in a specific frame of mind, that I cannot easily describe, to be able to listen to it and enjoy it. I will go months during which I cannot bear them, yet there will be longer periods when I find all of their music enjoyable. As such, I will always list them as one of my favourite music artists. I also enjoy peter Hammill's solo work, although not as much as VDGG, I think he is even more difficult to appreciate on his own - some albums (I have not heard all of his solo work) are sublime ("Clutch") whilst others I cannot listen to at all ("Black Box"). I occasionally try to listen to "Black Box" to see if I have changed in a way that allows me to enjoy it but that hasn't yet happened.

Anyway, back to VDGG, all of whose albums I do enjoy and to "The Least We Can Do.", which is the subject of this blog!

I would say that it's one of my favourite VDGG albums because it is one of the most accessible ones; there is discernable melody here and plenty of it too. That is always important to me, more so than lyrics (but there may be many VDGG/Peter Hammill fans who fixate on his lyric writing as one of their favourite aspects) and this is one of VDGG'd most melodious albums. Tracks (not sure I can call them songs) such as the opener "Darkness (11/11)", "Refugees" and "After the Flood" are good examples, with the music on "Refugees" being quite beautiful at times.

The songs are complex, long and not in a usual rock format or beat at all but another feature of this album that I find enjoyable is the wonderful rhythm that Nic Potter (bass) and Guy Evans (drums) can set up - quite jazzy in a modernistic sort of way (not in an Ella Fitzgerald way at all!). Hugh Banton on keyboards and David Jackson on saxes and flute add wonderful aural textures and energy, as well as melody. These four create a wonderful musical soundscape for Peter Hammill to deliver his "sung" lyrics - well, if you've ever heard peter Hammill "sing" then you will understand that his is a delivery that will not suit everyone. It suits this music and I like it.

So - melody, drive, invention, energy, wonderful musical soundscapes and a vocalist that demands your attention - this is one of the great VDGG albums from a career that has delivered a strong set of albums - including the recent "Present", released after an interval of some 25 years from what many thought would be their last, "The Quiet Zone/The Pleasure Dome". And there is another studio album in the offing for 2008!! Great - can't wait!

Maybe among the most underrated of the 70's prog rock legends,VAN DER GRAAF GENEARATOR were born in 1967 under the influence of vocalist/composer Peter Hammill.Their first LP ''Aerosol grey machine'' (1969) was just a good psych rock album,however it was the arrival of saxophonist/flutist David Jackson that had a drastic impact to the band's sound.VAN DER GRAAF GENERATOR were the first band to be signed by Charisma Records and in 1970 they released their sophomore effort ''The least we can do is wave to each other''

...an album with a unique sound based mainly on slow-tempo saxes/flutes/keyboards and the intense dramatic vocals of Hamill.Hardly you can identify any electric guitars in this work,but ''The least we can do...'' remains an excellent rock album built on a dark melancholic atmosphere,lyrical themes and amazing instrumental parts like flute-led harmonies,sax improvisations and some Hammon-organ magnificance..if my opinion counts to you, this work can be only compared with KING CRIMSON's originality,VAN DER GRAAF GENERATOR's second album needs to be reached by any serious music/rock lover!

Most people consider The least we can do is wave to each other to be the first Van Der Graaf Generator album, and while it has that characteristic VDGG sound, i tend to see it as a prelude to what was to come.

What to expect from this album if you, like me, aproach it with prior knowledge of the band, is more of the same only not as developed. The only shockers abound are Refugees, which is one of if not the brightest song the band ever recorded, Out of my Book which i will return to later in a paragraph of its own, and the fact that the bass guitar is a much more prominent instrument than it will later become. Opening track Darkness (11/11) is very driven by it, and overall it gives a slightly different feel than much of what expecially latter generation albums does.

Besides being underpinned by a good bass line, Darkness (11/11) is one of the best tracks on the album and the one which best predicts the path the band would take in the (now past) future. The ominous keyboard, Peter Hammills trademark screaming and the tormented sax work of David Jackson, it is all there and recognizable.

One thing which isn't quite what it would later be, however, is the lyrics of Peter Hammill. The only track which hint at the greatness of Still Life and Pawn Hearts is Refugees, the bands most sentimental moment of all, and the one track on the album which moves me beyond the purely musical. Not that White hammer, a song about the inquisition's war on whiches back in the 1400's or, After the Flood, dealing with the end of the world in pure progressive spirit, are bad, but the more personal and emotionally gripping songs hasn't made their appearance yet.

The second to last track, Out of my book, is something as rare as a throwaway VDGG track. Flute-laden, short and with unusually soft vocals by Hammill, it is easy to understand why they decided to abandon this style after this. It's not enturely unpleasant, but it is not remarkable in any way and it's not congruent with their overall style and it's not representative of the band's originality and greatness in any way.

Another one of my gripes with the album is that the album closer After the Flood lacks variation. It has a great impending doom-feeling over it, and a sax freakout resembling the one in Man-Erg, but overall i would have liked it a bit shorter, or with more variation. However slow the build-up is, though, the ending is the usual blown up Van Der Graaf Generator and in the end it is a really good track only not as focused as VDGG when they are at their best.

If Still Life was a harsh album made out of marshmallow, then The Least we can Do is Wave to Eachother is a soft one made out of marble.

Recommended.

--- 3,5 stars really

The Least We Can Do Is Wave To Each Other sees the entering of David Jackson to the band, and his Sax and flute melody's greatly contributed to the sound of VDGG, together with Hugh Banton's organ works the foundation for the VDGG sound was layed. Nic Potter adds some very good bass to the mix and Guy Evans drumming is quit strong (I liked him better on later releases). Naturally Peter Hammill is irreplacable, his dark lyrics and strong emotive singing comes out very strong and beautifull at moments. For me this album marks the beginning of a string of good VDGG albums.

And now concerning the individual songs of this good album: Darkness (11/11)A great opening of the album, the song is very slow, but the intensity of the bass, sax and organ give it a very powerfull sound. Refugees A beautifull dark melancholic song, great melody's and a haunting gloomy atmosphere. Peter's voice shines on this track, and the symphonic background with some nice flutes and great organ works makes this one of my favourite slow VDGG songs. White Hammer An intense dark song about the Spanish Inquisition after setting of the stage and story with dark gloomy lyrics and according music the song turns heavier with throbing bass and increasingly powerfull saxophone and organ music. The final two minutes are really great, and slightly disturbing.

Whatever Would Robert Have Said?, and Out Of My Book are two lighter songs that focus more on the lighter side of music, with more focus on shorter melody's and less dense than the rest of the album. Nice tunes, but not as good as the rest of the album. After The FloodThe highlight of the album I think, with great organ, sax and some flute melody's, Intense and heavy symphonic structure, with nice changes in tempo. Peter's voice is incredible and his phrasing is unsurpassed at moments.

In conclusion I can recommend this album to all who enjoy VDGG and dark music in general. It isn't VDGG's best album, but it's a good one and that should be reason enough to get it. I'll leave the rating at three, but I could've easily opted for a four star rating. Enjoy.

Van der Graaf Generator is one of those bands that can really blow you away or can send nothing at all inspiring your way. I love the band, don't get me wrong, but there is very little in the way of spectacular on this album. All in all, it's pretty good, and solid enough, but not a good place to start, and not as powerful as their later stuff will turn out to be. Refugees is worth the price of the album alone, being a very nice little ditty about, well, refugees. The music is pretty soft, but with a beautifully awkward middle section that makes me smile every time. White Hammer is, for the most part, average, except for the vicious outro. I checked the booklet about five times to make sure that, no, that is not Robert Fripp cranking out that wickedly distorted guitar. A sick riff from well before sick riffs really were all that cool. Top it off with a wild, almost atonal saxophone solo, and you have the highlights of the album. The rest is alright, simply average at best.

All told, it comes to a middling rating, despite some good songs. Van der Graaf get much more exciting after this record, though.

"The Tangerine Dream Police knocked on my door in the middle of the Knight Area, waking me from a comfortably numb Wakeman reverie and as I opened the Gates of Delerium, I was brutally propelled to the Pallas floor by a Starship Trooper who promptly read me my Wrights and Rushed me back to the Prog Colosseum on Sinister Street for further interrogation. The not so Gentle Giant promptly took my Passport so that I Can never Return to Forever. They had received a Weather Report concerning my IQ's inability to enjoy Van Der Graaf Generator and were curious to Focus on what kind of Triumvirat of Ekseptions I had committed. Yes, there was a Trace of Synergy in my lack of Sense of Solution to this horrible void in my massive Prog collection but I could never penetrate the Discipline of the Hammill Collage and found it to be Brand X. Not amused, The Rocket Scientists tied me to the Soft Machine with its huge Gong, hoping to Inquire about my Crime of the Century. The Druid even used a Glass Hammer on me hoping for a confession. The Khan wanted me to see the Clearlight. After Crying, I was released the next morning and ordered to begin my Renaissance Saga by listening to this album until I fall in love with it". This is what my favorite Prog Store owner did, in obviously less theatrical tones, to influence my continuing prog education. "You have a gigantic collection but no VdGG? That's not acceptable", was his comment on handing me this disc.

I see why it is not that obvious for me as VDGG requires a certain mindset, the stark almost gothic spirit that runs through its grooves weave a somewhat somber atmosphere that is light years removed from the more child-like Genesis fare. The lack of your standard electric guitar, here replaced by the austere saxophone style of David Jackson, the monolithic spooky organ that rejects any synthesized sound, the intense drumming of Guy Evans, all combined to scare me away from admittedly a Prog necessity. "Darkness (11/11)" is exactly that, a howling breeze introduces the piano/organ onslaught, sax blaring noisily and nastily, with the ghostly voice of Peter Hammill crueler than the wind at times, not an easy listen by any stretch. Very British in feel and tone, the Banton organ solo certainly evokes an aura of schizophrenic and psychedelic hysteria. "White Hammer" swells with a certain foreboding doom, swirling in nightmarish imagery, Potter's ballistic bass ponging all over the place, jousting with the surly organ ripples, while the raging vocals hurl bile at the sax's sardonic almost trumpet like refrains. Certainly way more intense than the parallel Genesis fare of the time, even when slowing down to a crawl only to blister back into sheer turbulent gloom, frigid keys fending off sweltering sax forays with impudence. "Whatever Would Robert Have Said" is also skewed with a contrasting cocktail of weird and soft passages, quite lurid and uneasy with cacophonic exhortations by all musicians, a trippy Nic Potter electric guitar laced jam gone berserk. On the other side of the spectrum , "Refugees" masquerades as a gentler lament, with Peter's higher pitched voice urging the lyrical despair of leaving one's homeland in a contrast of hope and pain , dancing an almost medieval dance around the sprightly Jackson flute and the almost Whiter Shade of Pale-like organ sluice. Admittedly a beautifully fragile song with a massive choir crescendo that certainly elicits goose bumps. "Out of My Book" is another typical whimsical british musical tale, spiraling in all directions, controlled frenzy where simple melody intercourses with dissonance, grandiloquent flutes fluttering "sans souci". Not exactly commercial or ear- friendly. "After the Flood" is probably where Gentle Giant got some inspiration, a bubbling brew of initially sweeter environments that slowly evolve into a more debilitating sound, almost severely disturbing, where flute and sax vie for supremacy, the bombastic swells of the hurled chorus maintaining this sense of dissonant manic imbalance that will certainly spook your local vampire. Hammill sounds almost like a mentally deranged Donovan, less mellow yellow and more raging gray, relying on that stinging, insistent chorus to keep grinding the theme into oblivion. Chilling soundtrack music for the Apocalypse. The bonus tracks are interesting , the short "Boat of Millions of Years" is a chilling ghostly exaltation, pent up fury and discord put into a pot pourri of sound, like psychedelic heavy free jazz fest. A single and slightly shorter version of the gorgeous "Refugees" puts this once controversial album to rest and I am forced to admit that there is certainly a lot to discover and admire, just never really looked in that direction. For some it's Giant or Embryo, for others its Henry Cow or Magma, my hard nut to crack is Van der Graaf. It's never too late to realize that "the least we can do is wave to each other". 4.5 mea culpas

VAN DER GRAAF GENERATOR are something of a cause celebre amongst prog rock fans, who love them for their darkness and unconventionality. They were the antithesis of the gentle, melodious sounds of symphonic prog: HAMMILL's half-spoken acerbic voice and strident, BOWIE-like delivery, JACKSON's brittle, dissonant saxophone and the sharp-edged timbre of the music all serve as unmistakable markers of this band. Eschewing moments of beauty, and most certainly going nowhere near the cheese and repetition of pop music, they are a compelling example of '70s progressive rock.

That doesn't mean this is a great album. VDGG are a lo-fi band, relying on basic sounds to create their effect, and the ponderous drumming and shrieking sax at the end of 'White Hammer', while having the requisite ominous effect, really has not dated well. Compositionally the songs are a mixture of structure and improvisation, the latter being rather unconvincing in places. The opening and closing tracks are the highlights, introducing the VDGG tradition of theatrical performance unmatched by any of their contemporaries - and no doubt explaining their popularity in Italy.

I see this album as 'Trespass's evil twin. Raw material in the formation of prog rock - certainly it spawned a whole sub-genre of psych-prog dissonant madness, much of it brilliant - but of itself not especially demanding, compelling or well-formed. The real VDGG masterpieces were, in my view, still to come.

Let the black clouds gather.

Though not always called their first album thanks to record labels slapping the band's name on what was supposed to be Peter Hammil's debut, The Aerosol Grey Machine, this really is the start of the prog behemoth, Van Der Graaf Generator [VdGG]. What we have here is one amazing first step for any band, and if this had been their sole output many of us would have been deeply satisfied (good thing they went on to make several albums on par or above this gem). I'll never forget the first experience I had with this band, reading about them in a special edition magazine all about prog back when my progressive scope was limited to Rush and a taste of Pink Floyd. The magazine said that whenever these guys played, it seemed like black clouds would gather overhead, that they were one of the darkest and most malevolent sounding bands to come out of the progressive golden era. And I agree heartily.

For those still unfamiliar with this group, VdGG is a very interesting group to first lay ear upon. No (lead) guitar, we instead have a lead saxophone and organs accompanied with madman vocalist Peter Hammil with his emotional, evil and British voice box at the front. While not a group that revolves around its front man entirely, VdGG do rely on Peter heavily for the moods in some of the songs, because as beautifully or as darkly as the band can play it's only accentuated by his voice. Take for example the heart crushing Refugees, a slow and serene song made into the song it is by Hammil's delicate delivery of the vocals. This is the kind of song that can bring tears to your eyes if you're not careful, as Hammil's voice and lyrics paint a very beautiful picture.

But while that may be a very pretty song on the album, the rest balance it out for the evil factor in a heartbeat. White Hammer is one of the songs often brought up for doing this, and for a reason. The song opens with some brooding organs before letting in Hammil's voice, gradually gaining volume until the saxes add to the mix until we get to the last two minutes of the song and the world simply begins to end, the entire instrumental section going into chaos in a kind of black cloud that eventually lets the song engulf itself (and the listener) in complete darkness. No prog fan should live their life without having said they've heard this song - truly brilliant.

Other songs on the album have different effects, although never really losing that dark factor. Whatever Would Robert Have Said is a bit more upbeat with its vocals and rhythm section, although it still has that cataclysmic chaos to it at certain points. Out Of My Book is another slower tune that's not quite as tear jerking as Refugees, but still very pretty and somewhat delicate with the pleasant flute section and acoustic guitar. The opener, Darkness (11/11) shows the audience what they're in for with a subtle intro of dark sounds, piano and drums with quiet vocals exploding into the chorus with Hammil and the sax at full blast at last. Some whispered voices make for another scary experience as Hammil continues his vocal rampage, Jackson close on his tail with the sax. This is a song that exemplifies what the band does very well, and based on this one song you can really see where the rest of the band's material over the years will come from.

However, the biggest standout on the album is likely the closer, the 11-minute After The Flood. This is a song whose style would be used a lot more on the band's next album, H To He Who Am The Only One, with it's heavy use of organ, and really would have fit well on that album as well. It's really the organ that takes the lead on this one even if the acoustic guitar and saxes fly around in the background. VdGG still lets loose with the chaotic sections such as Hammil's delivery of ''The ice is turning to water....''. Then, coming into the middle section we get barraged by a furious Jackson on the sax as the instruments all go to hell once more. Frantic and powerful drumming in there as well as the organ takes the lead with it's malicious riff. The volume picks up once more as Hammil and the boys take us onto the end.

This is a marvelous work by the VdGG crew that deserves full praise. Perhaps not for the weak-hearted, but what prog is? With enough malice and darkness to go around the table quite a few times this makes for an excellent listen and an excellent addition to any prog collection. 4 whit hammers out of 5. Evil, dark, and oh so good.

I first heard about this band when reading a Prog special magazine from the UK and I was intrigued as to what these guys sounded like as the magazine said the band played weird, unfriendly music that was dark and foreboding. So I bought one album after another and became engrossed in their unique eclectic sound. Van der Graaf Generator's The Least We Can Do Is Wave To Each Other (Wave, will do for short) is another of the early albums of the 70s that relies heavily on experimental, improvisational techniques and complex song structures.

'Darkness 11/11' starts with a wonderful brooding, throb that pulsates before Hammill interjects with a quiet soft delivery, "Day dawns dark, it now numbers infinity..." It is Potter's bass that really shines on this track, and it is complimented by Banton's estranged keyboards, and an excellent saxophone by Jackson. All the mayhem is held together by Evans who drums in jaded rhythm patterns that somehow add to the gloom and sense of dread, "Don't blame me please, for the fate that falls, I did not choose it," it is one of VDGG's best.

'Refugees' relies heavily on keyboards, mellotron and is an ode to passing friendships, namely Hammill's long lost friends and flatmates, Susan Penhaligon who was an actress in the 70s, and classical musician Michael Brand. An edited single bonus track is included but the 6 minute version is the one to savour.

After this relative calm VDGG launch into 'White Hammer', a nasty ditty about the torture of witches in 1486. It is not as dark as it first appears, and sounds rather ambient in places, but the final piece segues into a heavy handed Hammond and saxophone break that really sounds off kilter to the max. It's about as weird and unfriendly as the band could get and has a chilling after effect. The track begins to gain momentum and is suddenly silenced.

'Whatever would Robert Have Said' is an underrated classic of VDGG, and improves on each listen. It features all the aspects of prog from jagged riffs to symbolic lyrics that reference the Van der Graaf Generator scientific instrument, that causes your hair to stand on end using electric pulses, "Flame sucks between the balls of steel, nothing moves, the air itself congeals."

'Out of my Book' is one of the more pensive, reflective tracks of the band, in a similar style to much of 'Still Life', and seems to be the calm before the storm. The storm is 'After the Flood', which is the perfect way to end the album. It's another mini epic that moves from sublime quietness to freaky outbursts of musical estrangement. When Hammill screams "Total Annihilation!" he sounds like a Dalek exterminating those who stand in the way. The saxophone takes on a morbid feel that is punctuated by drums and bass. Hammill ends with contemplative vocals, "When the water falls again, all is dead and nobody lives", and we believe him, such is the overriding and chilling conviction in his delivery.

'. Wave .' is another excellent album overall and features an interesting bonus track 'Boat of Millions of Years' which certainly is worth a listen, as is the edited 'Refugees'. A great VDGG album that showcases these musical pioneers and boundary pushing visionaries' impact upon the rock world.

The Least We Can Do Is Wave To Each Other, Van Der Graaf Generator, 1970

StarStarStar

The Least We Can Do... comes a little before the thoroughly incredible H To He, Who Am The Only One, and is a good and fairly interesting album. However, though Van Der Graaf Generator would probably be my joint favourite band, I can't say that this compares very favourably with the following four masterpieces they were to release. Hammill's vocals are consistent and excellent, but certainly don't have the experimental and quirky edge which instantly drew me into the group's work. Equally, the instrumental and lyrical content is all quite strong with a number of high points, but still overall feels a bit vulnerable in comparison with the following albums.

I'd say that the two soft songs, Refugees and Out Of My Book, are a bit more successful than the aggressive and grandiose choices, and the album as a whole is fairly consistently solid, but the soul-tearing moments of instrumental fury are missing in a few places. Lastly, I actually dislike White Hammer's vocal section. Essentially a good album, with its own individual feel and merits, but more of an album for the band's fans than one I'd consider a general milestone of progressive rock.

The bleak Darkness 11/11, the lyrical opposite of Rush's Freewill (brilliantly phrased, denying the possession of Freewill and from a first person viewpoint) opens the album with incredible force, wind sound effects; neat basslines and piano pervade the piece. Jaxon's superb twinning of the electric sax and acoustic sax, comes to the forefront in the instrumental sections, and Banton and Evans, though not often coming to the forefront, are extremely effective when they do.

The gorgeous Refugees is an incredibly human and connective song about, essentially, leaving a way of life behind. Lush cellos and flute hold up the piece's substance, while Hammill's extremely high and clear vocals convey the remorseful lyrics ('we're refugees, walking away from the life we've known and loved/nothing to do nor say, nowhere to stay, now we are alone'). Throughout the piece, the vocals are changing, moving to a lower range, and being supplemented by substantial backing harmonies, and with them moves the music, incorporating superb percussion and piano (this time from Hammill). A truly beautiful song, with a lovely organ/flute ending.

White Hammer is the only Van Der Graaf Generator song I've so far heard that I actually dislike. Not only are the lyrics a bit of a mess, and lacking in impact, but the delivery is equally a little flat. Admittedly, a range of vocals are used, from grandiose to aggressive to a more intimate tone, but the final lyrical line, 'The white hammer of lo-ove' simply falls flat. There are positives to be had in the musical content, Hugh Banton's organ rocks appropriately, if a tad repetitively, in between its more reflective tones, while Nic Potter's bass is enjoyably mobile and energetic. The rather light cornet from Gerry Salisbury works quite well in providing a dated feel.

However, the real merit of the piece is the very, very strong instrumental conclusion that follows the rather weak vocal section. The organ takes on a bone-shattering force of its own, as do the saxophone wails. This gritty terror evoked by Jaxon and Banton and potent elephantine percussion lead the song to its conclusion.

Whatever Would Robert Have Said is probably my favourite of the album's darker and heavier pieces, with gritty guitar from Nic Potter complimenting Hammill's frantic vocals, the underpinning acoustics, and organ throbs, as well as a superb set of lyrics ('I am the peace you're searching for, but you know you'll never find/ I am the pain you can't endure, but which tingles in your mind'). All the performances are top notch, with David Jackson's soft sax complimenting the Frippish guitar wails suprisingly well. Mysterious, atmospheric and chaotic.

Out Of My Book is the album's second soft piece, with a rather more acoustic focus, and odd flutes and complimentary organs backing up the vocal changes. Guy Evans percussion is highly impressive here, adding in a few touches without intruding greatly, and Nic Potter's bass again is strong, adding an almost-plucked counterpart to the acoustics. The lyrics and vocals are sublime, and the piece overall is a complete success.

After The Flood is an awkward piece to review. Long and certainly grandiose, with a fierce set of sax riffs and organ additions, and enough neat additions from acoustics and all sorts of bizarre sounds to hold up the instrumental side (which includes a rather amusing Mission-Impossible-reminiscent-section). It is unfortunate that the highly repeated 'The water rushes over all...' and 'and when the water falls again...' are nothing more than grandiose. The delivery just isn't personal enough for my liking. Still, Evans is on top form, and there's plenty to enjoy, especially the 'And then he said: (Einstein quote here)' section. It just doesn't quite satisfy me constantly, which is a bit of a shame as an ending piece.

The two bonus pieces, a neat aggressive acoustic-led piece called Boat Of Millions Of Years, and a single cut of Refugees (substantially different from the album version, so still a worthy conclusion), are both strong and interesting. The former is strong on all counts, and fits in with the album's feel.

So, if, like me, you're a fan of Van Der Graaf Generator, this should definitely follow the four big albums plus the slightly (in my opinion) under-rated World Record, and should have more than enough good material to keep you satisfied, even if it's no match for Van Der Graaf Generator's string of masterpieces. If not, the soft pieces do need to be heard, but I can't imagine the album as a whole doing a lot for you. Characteristically dark, frenetic, multi-faceted and solid. Three stars.

Rating: Three Stars Favourite Track: Refugees

Most people would probably say that VDGG's truly classic period started with H to He, but I would strongly argue that this album marks the beginning of that period.

I think this one tends to get a bit of bad rap, due to some poorer production. The original CD release is indeed of a very thin sound (i never heard the vinyl), and that can cause you to miss some of the sheer glory contained within.

I have purchased more recently the 2005 re-issue, and I can safely say most of the problems with the sound are solved. Sadly, there is still some slight hissing during the first track, but the improvement is exponential, and really brings out the power in these songs.

This really is a very good album. I think the VDGG sound really glued on this one, and despite what you may hear, this is definitely their first classic. I like every track on here, the diversity they display is awesome. People have noted that VDGG tend to be a darker sounding band, and that is certainly present on this album, but there are also some very delicate, lovely passages.

For example, Darkness begins the album on a very gothic sounding note, all ominous organ and horn work. But immediately there is relief, on track 2: Refugees. This is probably the most lovely song VDGG ever recorded. For those of you who like dark music, but prefer not to be assaulted with it through a whole album, this will probably be your favourite VDGG album.

The trend continues in this way: White Hammer ends in an explosion of chaos and fear, ala King Crimson, and then Whatever Would Robert Have Said follows. It is also a track with some challenging sections. But once again, relief comes in the form of the next track: Out of my book. This one is gentle again, and almost as beautiful as refugees.

The final mini-epic track, After the Flood, is 11 minutes, and includes all the albums strengths within one track! It has dark passages, softer, more delicate passages, and passages that challange the wary listener.

All in all, this album is a VDGG classic (and therefore, a prog classic). Not quite a 5 star album, as they would soon produce, but this is worth no less than 3, by any standard and in fact, probably closer to a 3.5.

Not much better then the debut in terms of quality but a great leap ahead in style. Considering this album is from '69, it is a landmark album in the development of prog. But trying to defend its historical value is not what keeps me awake at nights. The simple truth is that this a far from accomplished album.

Things start off pretty cool though. With Darkness we get a groovy track that sets off cautiously but gradually builds into a heavy bass driven organ and sax inferno. Great! Refugees is the closest thing VDGG would come to a pop song. It would match nicely on an early Hammill solo album but it's too lightweight here. White Hammer returns to the heavy sound of Darkness but lacks both the coherence and melodies to make it listenable. Mind you, in the last two minutes something finally happens and we get treated to a slab of frenzied sax compelled by an ominous and threatening organ groove. Awesome! Next on to 'side 2'. First of all I'm sure Robert would have said it was a very weak song. The next one, Out of My Book is a little gem but would have fit better on Hammill's Fool's Mate. After The Flood is another cumbersome try at progressive song writing but the material it is made off is too ineffectual to make it interesting to anyone but a hardcore fan. If you have the remastered version you can end in beauty with the entirely pleasing Boat of Millions of Years, one of the strongest short VDGG songs. Well, they only have 3 of those anyway right?

So if you're a devoted fan or plan on becoming one, you might give it a shot. Otherwise I would advice to keep it as the last album to visit. 2.5 stars for the original album, the remaster adds another half.

This second release by VDGG was actually my first purchase of this band. I played it a couple of times a few years ago when I bought it, thought not too much of it and put it aside. When I got more and more involved with PA I found out this band is extremely popular with many proggers so I had to dig into their discography a bit more I figured. I bought Pawn Hearts, Godbluff and Still Life in a relatively short period and reviewed them all; the reviews weren't really positiv as VDGG will never be one of my favorite bands. I closed the VDGG book for a while until my progfriend Friso (kingfriso on PA) asked me about it since he happened to know this album was in my collection. Ashamedly I had to admit I didn't have a clue and I had to give it another go to be able to tell the outcome.

I played the disc a couple of times and because I by now could compare the music to three other VDGG albums I looked at it from a different perspective and I can tell you that helped big time. After these few spins I got more and more enthusiastic about this early effort I have to admit. I'll go through it song by song to give the respective opinions.

Darkness (11/11) is an energetic song with great and fierce sax by David Jackson and also impressive vocals by Hammill who appeared to sing much better on this album than on those later on. Superb climax at the end of the song as well. 3,75*.

Next up is my favorite track on this album and probably my most favorite VDGG song ever, Refugees. Not really fair by me because this is by no means a typical VDGG song because of it's beauty and great melody, features that are far from distinctive VDGG features. But I can't help it, I can only tell my truth, can't I ? I wish they played their music like this throughout their entire career but alas they decided differently and I will have to live with that i guess ... 4,5*.

White Hammer starts in a calm way but this lasts for a minute or so before Banton's organ accompanies and the song gets more powerful, I like the distant trumpet close to the three minute mark. This appears already the third song in a row that is a lot better than I could detect on any of their three so called masterpieces. Don't worry, it's just the opinion of a non fan so what do I know ? Raging ending of the song by the way. 3,5 stars for this.

Whatever would Robert have said ? is the intriguing title of the first song of the B-side (I reckon) but I fear it's the most intriguing aspect to me as I have a hard time to interpret this one. Second half of the track is ok with a great instrumental passage. 3,5*.

Out of the Book is the second gentle song on this album (along with Refugees) and also the shortest. Again I'm a bit mesmerized by it. The flute (Jackson) works nicely for me. 4*.

After the Flood is a short epic of over 11 minutes to close the album with a prominent Hammill once again proving he's a major factor on this album, to me his best vocal performance in the bands discography and then I'm talking about throughout the entire album. The second half of this song is the precursor of the next few albums by the band with distorted sax and organ going completely nuts just like they do on several occasions on Pawn Hearts. It would be inconsistent of me if I suddenly appreciated it here so I will have to subtract something in the score here: 2,5*.

But in the end it can't spoil the fun for me anymore for this album. I was harsh with my rating for Pawn Hearts but I still vindicate it. On the other hand I think it's only fair to compensate it slightly by rounding up the score here to four stars. I never thought this band could ever pull off something like this and also because of that I can justify the high score.

Van Der Graaf Generator's second album sees the band waving their sixties psych influences goodbye, though one could argue 'Whatever Would Robert Have Said?' and 'Out Of My Book' are still rooted in that musical period. Becoming ever more progressive in this period, the band offers three longer songs with extended song-writing and interesting structures. 'Darkness (11/11) is successful in introducing the audience to that Hammond organ based in-your-face doom only VdGG could cast. The band would combine the abstractness of progressive rock with a very unpolished, personal & direct performance of Peter Hammill - which still splits prog audiences in two. 'Refugees' is a churchy or gothic ballad and arguably one of the most beautiful moments of their career. That 'West is Mike and Suzy' line really hits. The longer tracks 'White Hammer' and 'After the Flood' have some grate memorable lines, but also some over the top avant-garde moments that I dislike. To my tastes, the band would greatly improve on that on the next album. The album has a nice warm sound, but towards the center of the vinyls the 'Famous Charisma Label' records would break up a lot in the high-end, distorting the ending sections of the epics. Perhaps I will buy a reprint these days. An album with both great moments and some 'misses' for me, hence the three star rating.

This is the first real Van Der Graaf Generator album and the results are still somewhat uneven due to the fact that the band haven't yet come into their own. Having said that I really can't understand how they managed to improve so significantly on their next release that was released only within a mere time span of 10 month!

Refugees is a definite stand out track and I consider it to be on the same level as some of the band's later ballads like House With No Door from H To He, Who Am The Only One and Still Life from Still Life. The rest of the compositions have some minor flaws here and there but I honestly found it quite amusing to hear these unpolished works of art since they show exactly how Van Der Graaf Generator managed to develop these ideas later on. To put it in other terms, all the instruments are here, the only problem is that they don't yet manage to produce those sweet tones that we are so accustomed to.

After The Flood is the band's first stab at a lengthier composition and despite it being clumsy and underdeveloped the main idea is brilliant and I applaud them for such an uncompromising over-the-top approach to the material. Just listen to that crazy instrumental jam in the middle of the track and you'll see exactly what I mean!

If you're new to Van Der Graaf Generator then I would recommend listening to H To He, Who Am The Only One or Godbluff before approaching this release. Fans of the band's later albums will most definitely find this material to be an unpolished treat so my final grade should be somewhere in between the two!

***** star songs: Refugees (6:22)

**** star songs: Darkness (11/11) (7:27) Whatever Would Robert Have Said? (6:17) After The Flood (11:28)

*** star songs: White Hammer (8:15) Out Of My Book (4:07)

"The Least We Can Do Is Wave To Each Other" starts VAN DER GRAAF GENERATOR's classic period. Their debut was a somewhat flawed, psychedelic rock influenced album. Here we see the band finding their sound. Overall it's one of my favorite VdGG albums. Peter Hammill's vocals and David Jackson's saxes really stand out.

The album truly progressive: The songs range from soft ballads to hard hitting suites. The lyrics are also very poetic (a trademark of Hammill) and are worth checking out.

I see many regard this album as not classic VdGG like the next four albums; I disagree. It is also a great starting point for people unfamiliar with the band.

This is arguably the first real van deer graaf album. By this time, Charisma had been formed and Van deer Graaf had signed to them. (in fact, Tony-Stratton Smith formed the label for vdgg).

The sound that the band would later become famous for is clear here, and this is no surprise, for what would become the classic line up is all present at this point, including bassist Nic Potter. The bands sound is typified by the aggressive saxophone attacks of David Jackson, the atmospheric organs of Hugh Banton, and the energetic drumming of Guy Evans. And while each of these players is an integral part of the band, Peter Hammil cannot be ignored, already the creative leader of the band, credited with the song writing of all tracks (sharing credit with David Jackson on Out Of My Book). He also brings his unique voice to the band, the voice which has been known to be either loved or hated. I, personally, love it, but would also state that on this album, the moments that I think are likely to cause a hate are less present.

In fact, compared to future albums, the band seems somewhat restrained - as if in this one, they have not yet quite found their limits, and it was in finding their limits that the band created some of their best moments. In this album, Guy's drumming is not yet quite so manic; Peters vocals not quite so extreme (thus why I think they are less likely to be hated here than on future albums), David's sax playing somewhat less intense.

There are no bad songs on the album. Darkness (11/11) is almost as cool as it's title; Refugees makes me think of what Rod Stewart would have sounded like with Van Der Graaf Generator as a backing band; Whatever Would Robert Have Said? is a very pleasing track with many interesting shifts and nice lyrics; and the best on the album, the one that hints at the heights the band would reach in this incarnation, After the Flood, is replete with contrast, energy, and aggression.

There are a few low points; Out of My Book, while nice, does not appeal to me in the way that most van deer graaf songs do, so I tend to forget about it, and while White Hammer is fine, it tends to drag after some time.

Ultimately, this album is enjoyable, but I rarely listen to it over Van deer Graafs masterworks, their next four albums, each of which reaches further, is more consistent, and stays strong after more listens.

VDGG is one of the most important bands ever in progressive rock, they are so unique that not even today a band manage to create the turbulent atmosphere of their music. The second release of the band from 1970 named The least we can do is wave to each other is a fairly better album then their debut a year prior. The famous Charisma label was born in that year 1970 and the band sign with them, make them famous over the years, maybe not as strong as another giant of progressive rock music - Genesis. So , with this album VDGG took the music to another level, both musicaly and lyricaly. The music is very odd, in parts dark , but yet very complex for that times, progressive all the way with some fantastic lyrics made by one of the best musicians ever - Peter Hammill. The highlight is for me, as for many the turbulent Refugees, absolute fantastic and beyond words can discribe what this piece offer to the listner - magic. Another track that defines the bands atmosphere and musical adventures for the next 6 years is the opening track Darkness. So, overall an excellent second album, but yet so underrated in comparation with other legenday albums. Among their best, maybe not as good as the next ones, but still an excellent addition to anyones collection. 4 stars easy from here the journey begun for them, showing that they were and are among the best in this bussines.

This album receives the same rating as Aerosol Gray Machine but for different reasons. Frankly, I think the songs on Aerosol have better melodies and more diverse arrangements. I also think that the lyrics in Aerosol are better. Oh, the lyrics here are more complex and about heavier subjects but sometimes they are embarrassing: the lyrics to White Hammer are some of the worst nonsense Hammill ever wrote. He's ham-fisted nearly literal history of white and black magic is...well...you'd swear Neil Peart was sitting in with the group. Ahem.

The melodies also get more complex but less memorable than before, losing a lot of the instant catchiness of songs like Necromancer. Yes, Necromancer has lyrics as bad as White Hammer but in that song they are presented in such a silly and catchy manner. It's hard to take them as a serious statement. White Hammer DEMANDS to be taken seriously. Enough of hammering on that song (pun not intended) because while the lyrics are bad the song is presented in such a stunning manner: the mad insistence of the arrangements and riffs, Hammill preaching it and almost convincing even me and of course the cyclical crush of the ending riff. It all adds up to a thrilling theatrical performance. The arrangements on this album are incredibly thick and complex. They also set a mood of instant doom, unlike any other prog band at the time. This was only 1970: not even King Crimson was hitting these levels of desperation and crushing intensity. If the songs aren't as memorable as before, they are certainly moodier, more intense and theatrical.

Which is essentially what every song on here is and it is what makes the album so unique and thrilling. There have always been lots of theatrical elements in progressive rock but this album and VDGG in particular stand out as the most inherently theatrical of all prog bands. Darkness starts out quiet and brooding but becomes a raging epic with incredible singing and impassioned playing from all involved. Refugees has a beautiful arrangement and melody with truly heart wrenching lyrics: it is one of Hammill's earliest personal songs and its a beauty. After the grind of White Hammer, we have Whatever Would Robert Have Said a slightly humorous and more simple tune and Out of My Book is a ballad that mostly floats by me. It has a good arrangement and good lyrics but I can't remember it. After the Flood is a spiraling epic that features complex unison playing and counter melodies in the beginning as well as a simple but effective acoustic shuffle, needless but effective vocal encoding, thrilling apocalyptic lyrics, abrupt (often too abrupt) changes in melody and mood as well as an effective "sing along" at the end with one of the best melodies on the album. I'm sure most fans of this album end up singing "and when the water falls again, all is dead and nobody lives" over and over.

All in all, this album is simply a beginning. It can't even be called a transitional album: no elements from the previous album are in this album. It's a completely new style of progressive rock music and it suffers as a result. The lyrics can be a bit too heavy handed, the melodies, while there are often obtuse. The album also has little to no diversity in the arrangements, as effective as they are here. However, it's definitely a good start for the VDGG sound that would later be perfected. An essential album for VDGG fans.

The pieces for a very good album are all here, but there's a lack of cohesion between instruments, theme and vocals that hurts the album. Peter Hammill is a good songwriter-what he lacks in subtlety he makes up for with captivating imagery- and an interesting singer with a definitively unique voice. The problem is that he sounds like he should be singing with a different band 2/3rds out of the time. VDGG's Canterbury leanings are still evident on this album and the relatively down-tempo, freeform jazz influences don't mesh with the intensity of Hammill's lyrics or vocals. It's tough to buy into a song focused entirely on apocalyptic imagery when the rest of the band sounds like they composed the piece while smoking a blunt and listening to Miles Davis.

It's no surprise, with that in mind, that the softest parts of the album work best-Peter Hammill proves to be a more versatile as a vocalist than the rest of the band are at their respective instruments and thus the band's chilled out tendencies don't feel out of place on songs like "Out of my Book" and the album's standout track, "Refugees". It's only at these points where the band feels like they're playing as a functioning unit and can produce memorable music.

"The Least We Can Do Is Wave To Each Other" is an album that is pulled in one direction by Peter Hammill and another by the rest of the group, and the result produces a very confused, disjointed work. It's a tough album to recommend to anyone who isn't already into prog, and even at that, I get the feeling this isn't the one to win somebody over to Van Der Graaf Generator. A disappointing album that could have been far better with a bit more focus.

The Least is the Best.

How can this absolute masterpiece of progressive rock have a rating less than four stars? Today on the site I see an unbelievable scores of 3.92 and still can not believe it.

"The Least" is part of a triptych of unforgettable masterpieces, together with the following "H to He" and "Pawn Hearts" is the band's creative peak. Also, in my humble opinion, perhaps even the best of three.

It is difficult to describe the style of this amazing record. If you have not ever listened to this album, considered that the tone is similar to that of "Nursery Cryme" of Genesis, with the same muffled sound, and the romantic tunes that only a few prog bands were able to convey. Unlike the masterpiece of Genesis, however, there is no space for dreamy mellotron: here we have the terrifying sounds of Farfisa organ, which gives a VDGG typical gothic atmosphere; in addition, there is less space for guitar, and an innovative use of wind instruments by the newcomer David Jackson, the value added compared to the original lineup. Hammill is already an extraordinary singer, maybe the best in all england prog scene of '70s.

The songs are all exceptional, no weak points here. A special mention for Refugees poignant song dedicated to the friends of Peter adolescence, with an incredible use of winds instruments by Jackson, and for the final and apocalyptic After The Flood, in which Hammill shows its versatility through with ease acoustic moments from other more aggressive. The opener Darkness and the paranoid White Hammer, which goes back to the times of the Inquisition, are two outstanding tracks, as Whatever Would Robert Have Said?, shorter but incisive, and with a masterly interpretation by Hammill. Out Of My Book is more relaxing, with great use of winds again.

In my opinion, one of the ten/twelwe best prog album ever. Incredibly underrated and no more to say.

Absolutely high rated: 10/10.

Best song: Refugees

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.

I bought this album from itunes about a month ago, my first Van der Graaf purchase. I didn't really know what I was letting myself in for, what with all the conflicting views I'd heard about the band in general. I'd also read that Peter Hammill's voice wasn't for everyone. But let me tell you, it works for me! His voice makes the tracks sound very dramatic (sometimes melodramatic!) and he can vary it from whispers (as in Darkness) to passionate soft singing (as in Refugees) to angst-filled wailings and shoutings (as in After the Flood). Also I was expecting the music to be more unmelodic and 'noisy' but boy was I wrong! The music may not be to everyone's taste but there is always a melody and though there are some cacophonous parts, they always add something to the concept of the song. One slight problem I have with this album is the lack of instrumental breaks. Peter Hammill's voice tends to dominate (not necessarily a bad thing, but sometimes I wish he'd shut up!) although if you listen out there is always complex and interesting music going on underneath his vocals. And sometimes there are some great non-vocal parts, especially during the lengthy closer After the Flood where they have more chance to stretch out the structure due to the 11-min length and also the last three minutes or so of White Hammer (which sounds like the world is coming to an end). David Jackson's sax definitely more than makes up for the lack of a full-time guitarist, sometimes it sounds quite monstrous, but never unlistenable. Hugh Banton's organ lines provide great accompaniment, never soloing but always audible. His style is more like a church organist than your average rock Hammond organist, more than likely due to the fact that he actually was a church organist for some time. This is their only album to feature a full-time bassist in Nic Potter, who seems to be an adept player. Guy Evans' drumming is the final piece of the puzzle and is very jazz-rock inspired and never ceasing (reminding me of Michael Giles on the first King Crimson album). The first track's name inspired me to listen to this in the dark which definitely allows you to really concentrate and I strongly urge you to listen to it in dark and quiet if you haven't already! All the tracks are very dark in subject matter and the music backs this up very well. The subject matter is also quite unusual (who else would have written a song about a medieval torture device?). Darkness is very atmospheric and the lyrics are superb (as they are throughout). Refugees is still dark but also exceptionally beautiful, delicate and provides a light of hope in an otherwise dark atmosphere. White Hammer is pretty much heavy metal and the screaming sax at the end amazingly evokes the screams of the tortured. I didn't think you could evoke that kind of emotion with music! Whatever Would Robert Have Said? is about Robert Van der Graaf himself and I think it is well above average unlike many other reviewers on this site seem to believe. Loving that acoustic guitar on this one! Only one song sticks out on this album and that is Out of My Book which is so average and unlike all the other songs, even though they start to sound a bit like Jethro Tull with the flute and acoustic guitar! After The Flood is a true epic and although it's about the Biblical Flood, I also think it is strangely prophetic as it implies a bigger and worse flood is coming, especially the lines 'This is the beginning of the end' and 'The ice is turning to water' (think about our current situation as regards global warming and then it might scare you too!). It's not consistent throughout though. This is definitely not an easy listen, but if you're not afraid to try something a bit different and challenging, or you have other VdGG album, you should definitely check this one out! I know I'll be getting more stuff by this amazing band.

The first true VdGG album is an incredible performance from the band, which if there were any justice would have propelled them to the front rank of the nascent prog scene just as King Crimson's debut did them. If I had to pick out three albums to represent the end of the 1969s and illustrate the cultural shift from the optimistic and (arguably) naive views of the hippy generation to the darker and more foreboding tones of the 1970s, I'd pick out Let It Bleed by the Rolling Stones, the first Black Sabbath album, and this one.

I defy anyone to listen to the opening track, Darkness 11/11, and not have the hairs stand up on the back of their neck as the song begins. Guy Evans and Nic Potter establish a foreboding, marching rhythm, Hugh Banton's keys whisper of supernatural forces gathering, and Hammill's vocals begin as whispering rumours and rise to bellowed prophecies of utter destruction. David Jackson's blaring saxophones sound like the last trump and band gets into full swing. Hammill's lyrical subject matter over the rest of the album ranges from refugees escaping the end of their former life to benevolent magic standing tall against evil forces until we get to After the Flood and the gradual lowering of the floodwaters unleashed at the start of the album. In each case the band as a whole devote themselves entirely to realising Hammill's visions in musical form; Refugees in particular has an eerie beauty to it which places it in the front rank of the band's output. A truly remarkable debut, particularly considering the rapid growth evident in Hammill's songwriting, and genuinely sounding like nothing that preceded it. If this doesn't deserve five stars, nothing does.

"The Least We Can Do Is Wave To Each Other" will go down in history as, not only a progressive rock album with a very interesting title, but as the record that jump started a British leviathan that would take the prog world by storm, even if they were hiding in the shadows the whole time.

"Darkness (11/11)" would definitely start that trend. Even though there were many albums in the future where Peter Hammill sounded like crap, his vocal performances on this album, and particularly on the aforementioned "Darkness (11/11)" and ballad "Refugees" would send him to stratospheric heights in comparing him to the likes of David Gilmore and Jon Anderson as some of the most iconic voices in prog rock history. Wheras the former was a showcase of musical talent, as well as David Jackson's flaming saxophones, the latter was a cool breeze in the autumn air, a ballad that showcased everything beautiful in life. Quite a contrast in the first two tracks, but a unique quality that made the is band famous.

"White Hammer" would switch back to the guitar chugging shield that would back Hammill's heart-piercing spear of a voice. It develops into an almost free-flowing jam with Jackson once again taking the lead with his saxophone until it dissolves into Nic Potter's lone fuzzy bass before a dark, ominous beat takes center stage, once again fronted by Jackson's mutated saxophone (easily similar to the sax playing evident in The Mars Volta's music).

"Whatever Would Robert Have Said?" is an interesting change of pace from the long spaced out jams of "Darkness" and "White Hammer". After a great intro by Hugh Banton, it sort of falls into a sort of "Jethro Tull-esque" jam, with acoustic guitar and wonderful overlaying harmonies by Jackson and Banton. It's a very nice song and Potter shows off some good licks. Great melody, great harmony, very exciting track.

Speaking of "Jethro Tull-esque", "Out Of My Book" is straight from that book. Hammill and Jackson pair acoustic guitar and flute to wondrous amazement. This is where Hammill really starts to shine vocally. A nice ballad with folk elements that reveals the softer, less hectic side of this British outfit, and another quality element that would increase their popularity in the years to come.

Finally, the record concludes with "After The Flood" which, once again, starts off in that brash intro with Hammill crooning in spears mouths and Branton once again with a great intro. It's a wonderful epic and a fantastic finish to a fantastic album. There's no loss of excitement here as each beat comes with it a uniqueness completely original to VDGG, which is why this is one of the most critical prog albums of the decade.

The '70's heralded the emergence of prog rock, and Yes, Pink Floyd and Kansas answered the call in the name of symphonics and elaborate passages. Van Der Graff Generator, however, took the low road to focus on more than just symphonics and high pitched vocals. This album, along with King Crimson's "In The Court Of The Crimson King" would spark the emergence of eclectic prog. Essential for any follower of this outfit and this genre.

I never had this album on LP. In fact, I didn't hear it until just a few years ago when I found a used copy of the CD. I have a feeling that I wouldn't have appreciated it as much back in the seventies. Now, I rather like it.

The album is the first of the classic VDGG releases. It shows the band just getting into the style they have become known for.

The first two tracks, Darkness (11/11) and Refugees are good prog pieces , but neither shows much of the brashness of Peter Hammill and the group. It's on White Hammer and Whatever Would Robert Have Said?, where they begin to experiment with some explosive sections and wild solos.

Out Of My Book, the only track not solely written by Hammill (it was co-written by David Jackson), is so pastoral, it almost seems out of place.

After The Flood is the gem of the album. It almost sounds heavy enough to be on the next album, the great "H To He".

I'd give this one 3.5 stars, rounded up.

I dig how the opening ambience actually sounds like an aural representation of the album cover. I'm not sure what exactly is going on, but it's cool, spacey and it's a bit dark. Created in late 69 and released in early 70, "Least..." is the sound of some psychedelic rockers awakening from some far-out celestial voyage at some crumbling ruined city, and lost amidst all the rubble are wondering "Where are we and what the hell happened?" The 60's are over, Peace and Love is a done deal, uncertainty and fear remain.

One of the best musical representations of the year 1970, even if created just a bit earlier and wasn't exactly a representative concerning Billboard charts & such, this album captures a sense of desperation, sorrow, fear and tenseness that few others could at the time. There's still some psychedelic rock flavor here, which is probably why I find this album to be my favorite of theirs so far, and the first I really really enjoyed (Still Life and even Pawn Hearts haven't quite clicked). There's also a ton of experimental prog with some gloomy and downright bleak passages that are occasionally offset by some lighter pastoral sections, which is always a good way to strike a sort of vividness to the heavier portions of a musical piece.

All of the songs range from excellent to astounding (yes, there's a difference...I think), with "After The Flood" in particular being not just an incredible and harrowing tune, but a convincing death knell to the "summers of love", with everything being flushed away to prepare for a new dawn, so to speak. "White Hammer" is another corker, with it's wild lyrics depicting the Inquisition alongside some odd verses.

"White Hammer no more is beaten"

Every once in a while my sick mind interprets things in a genuinely wrong fashion. Interpreting the last couple of minutes of "White Hammer" though is quite easy. It's as dark as any dungeon-like early Goth music and utterly foreboding without the need of distorted guitar wails. The sax can be quite an effective instrument for sure.

There's a lot to enjoy within this, in my opinion, masterstroke of art, from the heartfelt delivery of "Refugees" to the acid guitar freakouts in "Whatever Would Robert Have Said?" and plenty of little moments here and there throughout the album as a whole. The dated production doesn't really detract from the musical experience for me, and the variation, song lengths, and overall package make this a no brainer as an important document in the growth of progressive rock and the boundaries it can encompass. The musicianship is fantastic and excessively creative in the songwriting department without going overboard in the 'freakout' department, and the vocals are theatrical and suit the music well without ever striking "annoying" territory. This is pretty much my kind of jam.

Van Der Graaf has truly developed their sound at this point. Dark, powerful stuff. And in this case, while never being too fast paced. Almost a haunting, eerie calm. The guitar is an interesting addition (as they'll get rid of that piece very soon) but still the keyboard, drums, and horns have their reign throughout. For a newbie of this band, I'd steer them clear of this as hearing it they'll probably run and hide. A great album, but an average listener needs to become acquainted with the band first.

Every song is great, but lasts a bit too long in duration since there's not too many things being added to the table throughout the songs. The horns bring some elegance to the overall sound (just listen to White Hammer) quietly in the background there's the sax playing an indescribable sound, my only example would be 'Victory'. Also, these bring power, intense climax, and most of all excitement to each of these songs and makes the entire band UNIQUE! (besides the controversial Peter Hammill, of course).

The 'Knight In Shining Armor', as it were, would be After The Flood. One of Graaf's best songs that any fan would absolutely love. Each song has a similar sound, great sounding, but that's what keeps it from being a masterpiece. As Pawn Hearts has a sound of its own, spacey, interesting, and exciting, this just doesn't seem as developed or creative. But for any fan of Graaf, a fantastic find. Just don't expect to be blown away. Thus, I'm giving it 4 stars.

The group's first album proper - 1969's 'The Aerosol Grey Machine' was in actual fact a Peter Hammill solo effort released under the VDGG name due to various complex contractual reasons - 'The Least We Can Do Is Wave To Each Other'(so named after a quote from British artist John Milton) began an extraordinary run of studio albums that not even the group's premature demise and eventual re-forming mid-way through the 1970s could halt. Issued on Tony Stratton-Smith's 'progressive' charisma imprint, Van Der Graaf Generator's darkly- poetic musical vision began here, the 'classic'-era line-up of Peter Hammill(guitar, vocals), Hugh Banton(organ), David Jackson(sax) and Guy Evans(drums) augmented by original bassist Nic Potter on an album brimming with Hammill's laconic lyrical themes, bravura instrumental interplay and a musical vision quite unlike anything heard before. Even within a burgeoning genre that, at the time, was considered new and radical, Van Der Graaf Generator were an outfit considered even more so, making their distinguished peers - the likes of Genesis, King Crimson and ELP - seem tame in comparison. The pulsating brew of squawking saxophones, semi-screeched vocals, throbbing bass-lines and doom-laden organ-shaped atmospherics makes for an, at times, astonishing listen from a group half-dipped in the art-rock canon; however, this is also an outfit that knows just when to rock out, and rock out they do. Opening gambit 'Darkness' captures the bleak Van Der Graaf Generator ambience almost perfectly, building up across its seven carefully-layered minutes from simple acoustic origins into a sonic maelstrom of un-blinking power-prog. However, it is the glorious epic 'After The Flood' that truly captures the group at their creative apex. Starting out - again - as a strummed and stripped- down medley, 'After The Flood' grows spectacularly through myriad sections of glowering cacophonies, taking in mad-jazz histrionics, blazing guitar squalls, gruesomely-distorted vocal screams and pulsating bass-and- organ-fried blasts before settling down(or should I say up?) into a beautifully upbeat denouement as Hammill growls majestically over a killer guitar solo. A truly epic track, 'After The Flood' may be Van Der Graaf Generator at their most daring, yet conversely it finds them also at their most brilliant. 'The Least We Can Do Is Wave To Each Other' would begin a series of revelatory albums, followed on by 'H To He Who Am The Only One', 'Pawn Hearts' and after a much-needed hiatus, 'Still Life' and 'Godbluff'. These five albums showcase the very best of one of progressive rock's most distinct outfits, the journey beginning on this convention-shattering glimpse into the darker realms of the genre. In a word then: extraordinary.

The Least We Can Do Is Wave To Each Other is basically VDGG's first album. Here they are still taking shape musically and structurally. In doing so they created a remarkable record. There are some ideas on this record that were abandoned shortly after. Such as some of the ethereal flute dominated parts. This album also contains some of Hammills bathos encumbered lyrics and higher voice that would eventually give way to his genius introspective lyrics and gravelly voice that would dominate his later efforts.

Darkness opens up the album with a droning pulse of wind, voice and organ before the bass plays a line evoking caution. The song seems to me to be about how mans horrible actions are influenced by the past and how it can poison the future. Love the single note organ solo and the sax solo that ends it. A true classic.

Refugees is the exact opposite. Beautiful flute playing augmented by cello sets the tone for Hammill's lament about two friends moving to the US. Another classic.

White Hammer is their first stab at an extended piece illustrating the witch hunts in 15th century Europe. Good song. Love the ending, the first example of VDGG's chaotic tendencies.

Whatever Would Robert Have Said a more straightforward song with a nod towards the Van de Graaff generator's inventor, Robert J. Van de Graaff.

Out Of My Book is a nice pastoral song that really gives me that feeling of young love and all of the uncertainties, and confusion due to innocence that comes with it. One of Hammill's early attempts at an introspective piece that will be expanded in great detail later in his career.

After The Flood is another extended piece that showcases some of the chaos that would be perfected on Pawn Hearts. Still with its changes and sometimes more ethereal feel to some of its parts make it a worthwhile ride.

The second album labeled as a VdGG effort, though this is really where the band began if you ask me. "The Aerosol Grey Machine" was more of a PH solo effort, and frankly the difference is quite substantial even though Hammill remains the main songwriter also in VdGG.

This album features a quintet version of the classic line-up and opens up with a song called "Darkness"... yeah I can see where this is going already. The music is extremely dark and suggestive, in my opinion way more frightening and brutal than the most extreme metal. Hammill's lyrics instantly elevate the song to a higher level, which is a damn good job considering the level already being set at what I thought was max level with the other four creating the most vivid atmosphere on the planet.

There is something so incredibly strong over the lyrics in this opening song, the first words we hear on the record is "Day dawns dark, it now numbers... infinity". Everytime I listen to this record and hear those words I think to myself that this has got to be the best album ever made by anyone. The sick part is that... well... it gets even better...

"Don't blame me for the letters That may form in the sand; Don't look in my eyes, you may see all the numbers That stretch in my sky and colour my hand. Don't say that i'm wrong in imagining That the voice of my life cannot sing."

I can understand that his poetry is not for everyone, but these lines are among the best I've ever read, simply incredible. After "Darkness", VdGG launch into their "hit" single, the wonderful ballad "Refugees". I won't say much about that song, just that it's the best ballad I've ever heard and one of the most emotional songs ever recorded imo. I sometimes find I can relate more to that song than to my own...

Song number three, "White Hammer", is written in a more storytelling way. I thought it was a bit of a weak track during the first few listens but as I'm writing this I do consider this a very strong song. It does become evident here that Hammill 100% ignores what I thought was the norm for creating catchy and/or beautiful melodies. That's why this song was so hard for me, the melodies are freakingly strange in a way only Hammill could get away with. Towards the end of the song Banton also shows the world how dark music is played on a Vox Organ. Not that anybody asked... But no one has managed to beat that sound to date.

"Whatever Would Robert Have Said" is another strong song (there are only strong songs on this album, if you don't like it don't read a 5/5 review ;). The sound is here a bit more varied and not quite as proto-goth as "White Hammer". Still the lyrics are as brutal as always, and the dynamics in this song are simply astonishing. "Out of my Book" is a shorter and more mellow song with a more pop approach I guess. The love story is still extremely well written both lyrically and musically and somehow still connects to the rest of the album. I don't know how they did that, but it worked.

Now, how do we end this album? What about a 11+ minute long song about the end of the world? Obviously, that was the only way to go. "After the Flood" is, to sum it up, a masterpiece. The lyrics are, as always, on the highest possible level, the playing is dynamic and varied, experimental at times, catchy at others, gothic at times, progressive at (many) times, and always extremely interesting and well performed. Van der Graaf Generator is not a band of virtuoso musicians, but the truth is that they really don't need to be. This album is so incredible that I can't really express my feelings about it, and they continued to keep this standard for the forthcoming FOUR albums. That's just beyond me, really. Please, do yourself a favour and LISTEN TO THIS ALBUM!

Van der Graaf Generator has always been an interesting band and is something of an acquired taste. While they are nominally considered a progressive rock band (specifically eclectic prog) they typically eschewed the symphonic flourishes of contemporaries such as the Moody Blues, Yes and Genesis and, as such, did not receive anything approaching the radio airplay or publicity of those other bands. Although VdGG could stretch songs past ten minutes and tell mythic tales within them, there always seemed to be a darkness and anger at the heart of their music, more so than their peers.

"The Least We Can Do Is Wave To Each Other" (1970) could be considered to be their first album in the format that VdGG fans have become accustomed to, much harder and harsher than their psychedelic debut "The Aerosol Grey Machine" (1969). As much as their debut looked backwards at the psychedelic movement and perhaps was late to the party, "The Least We Can Do..." looked forward...anticipating early 1970s Genesis and heavily influencing Fish-era Marillion. Distorted organ, throbbing bass and swelling horns dominate the music with Peter Hammill's vocals, sometimes shrieking and sometimes whispering, provide plenty of drama.

The opening track "Darkness(11/11)" provides a mission statement or blueprint of sorts, showcasing Hugh Banton's aggressive organ playing, Nic Potter's pulsing bass and David Jackson's virtuoso horn playing. The next track "Refugees", along with "Out of My Book", showcases a more gentle side of the band and is vaguely reminiscent of Genesis, though the resemblance is probably coincidental given that this album was released in the same year as Genesis' first good album ("Trespass"). One almost wonders if VdGG influenced Genesis, because it almost certainly does not seem to be the other way around.

"White Hammer", "Whatever Would Robert Have Said?" and "After the Flood" are among the album's other highlights, mining the same dark, angry musical territory as "Darkness"...especially the last track. The bonus track "The Boat of Millions of Years" is also highly worthwhile. The album's only useless track is the redundant single version of "Refugees", which is included in some versions as a bonus track. While this album may not be quite as classic as "Pawn Hearts", "Godbluff" or "H to He Who am the Only One", it is still a remarkable album and is ahead of its time.

Like all great progressive rock records released on the formidable heavy, post-psychedelic scene that is 1970, it fulfils its purpose in transcending you to another dimension. Van Der Graaf Generator's first worthy offering "The Least We Can Do" certainly achieves this, by attaining an incredibly definite and unique atmosphere. The airtight musicianship and songwriting talents of Peter and the band enable this, but there's some fifth element in here. The album consistently has a perfect balance of English obscurities and heartfelt poetic outbursts. Unlike a lot of its competition, it stills stands up (both musically and lyrically) to this day, remaining as relevant and timeless as ever.

On a slightly less pretentious note, "The Least We Can Do" will regrettably always be overshadowed by such beasts as "H To He" and "Pawn Hearts". However, this record should most certainly be revisited and remembered, possibly hailed as one of VDGG's milestones. A huge advance onward from the less thrilling debut, made even more impressive by substantial band and record label issues. The fact that they released this and 2 other great works in under 2 years, in addition to touring, shows just how prolific Peter was.

The songs occasionally lack that sort of grandiose that so suits their signature sound, and the band are still finding their voice to an extent. Nevertheless, an optimum starting point for any new listeners to the band. Notably less jarring/intimidating, yet somehow just as eccentric and wild as their later releases. As Hammill himself said, don't listen to it with any preoccupations or you'll blow your chances. You have to be in just the right frame of mind to allow the album to have its full effect on you.

B+: Dark, profound, and eclectic, but for some reason I'm reluctant to give it 5 stars. Maybe it's just that their other albums were so perfect.

Darkness: ***** Refugees: ***** White Hammer: **** Whatever Would Robert Have Said?: **** Out Of My Book: **** After The Flood: ****

The Least We Can Do is Wave to Each Other is an album that I somehow associate with In the Court of the Crimson King. It brings together peacefulness, melancholy, and derangement all under one roof. Underappreciated Nic Potter is the star of this album.

"Darkness (11/11)" Boasting one of the grooviest bass lines in progressive rock music, "Darkness (11/11) is my favorite Van der Graaf Generator tune following "House with No Door." The marching snare and brass provide appropriate variety. As is his wont, Peter Hammill wavers between a soft falsetto and an angst-ridden rasp. The instrumental passage contains one of the most intriguing tones I've ever heard.

"Refugees" Childlike with trickling keyboard and light vocals, "Refugees" slowly adopts a memorable and anthem-like quality.

"White Hammer" Similar to "Darkness (11/11)," "White Hammer" has a prominent bass role, although the organ features more. And again, the vocal delivery is dynamic and remarkable.

"Whatever Would Robert Have Said?" This is one of the more uneven tracks, less coherent than the others. Each component of the song is eccentric.

"Out of My Book" Gentle with flute and engaging vocals, "Out of My Book" still has that vigorous bass. The acoustic guitar adds a refreshing flavor.

"After the Flood" A quirky Gentle Giant-like main theme opens the final track, maintaining the acoustic guitar. "After the Flood" contains just the right mixture of zaniness and catchy songwriting. The instrumental section in the middle screams "madness."

Coming to this album after hearing all the classics that followed first I didn't have high expectations but I have to say that this album is one of the best surprises in a long time. VDGG wasted no time on this first true album of theirs rocketing from proto-prog psychedlia to a full blown progressive monster.

This album showcases the musical talents of each member showing no problem taking on a fully developed darkened atmosphere replete with Gothic organs, dual saxes, full on jazz-fusion with layered symphonic effects and extremely pleasant melodic developments with frenzied freak-outs appearing in the mix. Add all the interesting strange time signatures and diminished doses of psychedelia incorporated with the rest and it is in effect the most experimental album I can think of for 1970.

In addition, Peter Hammill really goes to town in both the lyric and vocal departments. I am absolutely astounded by how well this album comes together and flows seemlessly from beginning to end despite the healthy number of influences on board. Highly recommended as THE first stop on the Van Der Graaf express.

"The Least We Can Do Is Wave To Each Other" is the first album that really made Van Der Graaf Generator stand out. Still not as complex and dark as their following works, but this one created basis for masterpieces like "Pawn Hearts" or "H To He Who Am The Only One". It shows a strong progress from their already steady and extrordinary, but rather comic debut, which followed many trends of psychedelic movement. A virtuoso saxophonist David Jackson joined the band giving it a rather jazzy and unique feel, somewhat inspired by John Coltrane and even Ornette Coleman. Again, Peter Hammill is the mastermind behind this work. A superb poet, musical genius and an outstanding, creative composer. Every instrument works like a Swiss watch. The music on "The Least We Can Do Is Wave To Each Other" incorporates elements of passing psychedelic rock, folk, jazz with romantic-era classical music sensibilities. Still not what we would call full-blown progressive rock, it encourages many qualities of so called "proto-prog". "Darkness (11/11)", a theatrical and relatively eccentric piece is in my opinion the highlight of the album and a spark of what would be to come. Recommended! Should be found in every prog nut's collection!

As the second album and the first proper [or progressive] work by an extraordinary band on the way of finding its real outstanding essence, this is to VDGG's discography what Trespass is to Genesis, VDGG's labelmates in the newly found Charisma. I have given the latter a full rate here (which I maybe shouldn't have done, on second thought), but to me personally The Least We Can Do doesn't quite have the same aura of a classic criminally overshadowed by the albums that followed it. Nor is the artistic progress from the debut quite as impressive as in the case of Genesis, even if Aerosol Grey Machine was originally intended to be Peter Hammill's solo album. Further similarities with Trespass: both contain six tracks (3+3) and are produced by John Anthony. The Least... was recorded in December 1969 and was released in February 1970, whereas Trespass was recorded in the following summer and released in October.

The long title is adapted from the words "We're all awash in a sea of blood, and the least we can do is wave to each other" by John Minton, a British painter. The apocalyptic theme -- captured also in the cover art -- refers mostly to the final track 'After the Flood', in which Hammill cites Albert Einstein, who was worried about the arms race of Americans and Russians. Quietly starting 'Darkness (11/11)' opens the album effectively. I've always wondered about the '11/11'; Wikipedia says it comes from being written on 11 November 1968. 'Refugees' stands out in the VDGG output as a romantic ballad that Hammill wrote for his ex-flatmates Mike and Susie. It's very accessible also for the vocals, and its slightly sentimental passion is impressive. The mysterious 'White Hammer' was inspired by Medieval witchcraft; genuine VDGG all the way! The whole A side is excellent, but the B side is more uneven.

The title 'Whatever Would Robert Have Said?' refers to Robert J. Van de Graaff, the inventor of the Van de Graaff generator that the group took their name from. This is the least succesful track on this album, I think. 'Out of My Book' is even more tender and "pretty" song than 'Refugees', perhaps a bit lame but beautiful nevertheless, especially for the flute of David Jackson. 'After the Flood' is doubtlessly the most progressive and strongest composition of the six. However, it's not among my favourite epics from VDGG. All in all, what was to follow is SO much more impressive that this deserves "only" four stars.

Review Nº 147

'The Least We Can Do Is Wave To Each Other' is the second studio album of one of the most original British progressive rock bands of the 70's, Van Der Graaf Generator, and was released in 1970. Although it can be considered the second official studio album of the band, it's, in a certain way, the first proper album of the group. This happened because their previous debut studio album, 'The Aerosol Grey Machine' should have been released as a solo album of Peter Hammill, but due to a deal with the record company. It was released under the name of Van Der Graaf Generator.

'The Least We Can Do Is Wave To Each Other' was recorded at Trident studios in London in December of 1969 and all songs were written by Hammill with the exception of 'Out Of My Book' which was written by Hammill and David Jackson, and Hugh Banton wrote the cello parts on 'Refugees'.

The line up of the album is Peter Hammill (vocals, acoustic guitar and piano on 'Refugees'), Hugh Banton (backing vocals, piano and organ), Nick Potter (bass guitar and electric guitar), Guy Evans (drums and percussion) and David Jackson (backing vocals and flute, tenor and alto saxophones).

The title of the album was based on a phrase taken from John Minton who was a British painter and an illustrator of landscapes, portraits, and figures, as well a theatrical designer: 'We're all awash in a sea of blood, and the least we can do is wave to each other'.

With this album, the band established their style and it sounds more impressive than the first one, probably caused by Jackson, who joined in 1969. The songs have more progressive influences and the overall sound is excellent. Drum section is very good and Banton organ is also awesome. Guitar parts are almost simple but this doesn't matter because piano, organ and sax replace it. Very strange and fantastic are sax parts. The way Jackson plays the instrument is innovative. Like in all other albums, the lyrics are wonderful. Despite Hammill has a very peculiar and strange voice, he can use it in an awesome way. The changes of tone from loud to silent, from high to low makes his vocals intensive.

'The Least We Can Do Is Wave To Each Other' has six tracks. The first track 'Darkness (11/11)' is a great opener for the album and is also one of the best songs. This is a song dominated by the continued presence of the keyboards of Banton and by a very good and strong bass line. It's the song where we can hear, for the first time, the incredible and unique sound of the saxophones of Jackson. This is a great track. The second track 'Refugees' is the most sentimental moment on the album. This is a very beautiful song, very melodic and peaceful with nice flute by Jackson. It's a song that reminds me very much 'Running Back', the third track of their debut album 'The Aerosol Grey Machine'. This is one of the most beautiful songs written by Hammill. The third track 'White Hammer' is an intense dark song about the torture and the crimes of the Inquisition in the fifteenth century. It's a song dominated by powerful saxophone and great keyboard works with good dark lyrics. The music in the end is very aggressive, dissonant and disturbing, providing us a dramatic final. The fourth track 'Whatever Would Robert Have Said?' is a good song with several different musical passages and with different rhythms throughout the song. We can consider it one of the most progressive songs of the album. However, it isn't one of my favourite songs on the album and isn't as good as all the previous songs. The fifth track 'Out Of My Book' is the smallest song on the album. It's a very different song, a light, melodic and beautiful ballad, which we even can say that it's unusually melodic for Van Der Graaf Generator. This song reminds me, in some moments, the second studio album of Genesis, 'Trespass'. Like the previous song I think it isn't as good as the other songs of the album. The sixth track 'After The Flood' is the longest song of the album. It's the epic song on the album and I think it's also its highlight point. This is a song progressively and gradually very well developed with different musical passages, some more aggressive and some more melodic. This is a perfect end for this amazing album.

Conclusion: 'The Least We Can Do Is Wave To Each Other' is without any doubt the first great studio album of Van Der Graaf Generator. It has everything what made of this band be so great. It has the complex, dark and beautiful lyrics of Hammill and also his beautiful, original and unique voice, the fantastic keyboard sound of Banton, the incredible sound of the saxophones and flute of Jackson, the original drumming of Evans and the strong bass line of Potter. Like 'Trespass' from Genesis, 'The Least We Can Do Is Wave To Each Other' is an album almost perfect. Comparing these two albums, we may say that both are near of the perfection and both show the type of music that both bands wanted to do in the future. For me, there's only a slight difference between both albums. The music on 'Trespass' is more simple, pure and na've, while the music on 'The Least We Can Do Is Wave To Each Other' is more complex, mature and adult.

Prog is my Ferrari. Jem Godfrey (Frost*)

Not the best VdGG album, no. But their first great one? I'd say. I'm conflicted about VdGG's catalogue, but this album I very much like. It's got all the elements that would make up the remainder of their career: cryptic and varied lyrics, a sinister atmosphere, and an organ heavy sound with few guitar parts. The only issue I take with the album (and it's a minimal one) is that many of the songs seem to kind of, err, run together, so to speak. This is a result of, I think, the massive number of musical ideas afforded per song. There's nary a hook in sight, and riffs are also hard to come by. The result is about 40 minutes of music that feels like just that: 40 minutes of uninterrupted music. But that's not much of a problem when it comes to VdGG's whole aesthetic. They didn't make any songs that are as memorable as anything by GENESIS, RUSH, YES, or PINK FLOYD, but they didn't really need to. VdGG is about the holistic musical aesthetic and getting lost in the layered and intricate sound of the albums. So if you're looking for songs to sing in the shower, stay away. But if you want to just let the music wash over you, this album's waiting.

After the shy but beautiful debut album, psychedelic and acoustic, Van Der Graaf with Nic Potter on bass and Dave Jackson on sax and flute, they churn out a second album light years away from the first, and representing in my opinion one of the greatest rock albums (not only of progressive-rock) of all time. Everything on this album is exceptional: the beauty of the melodies, the complexity and quality of the musical score, the arrangement, the performance of the musicians and the singer, the lyrics, the variety and quantity of the musical material offered in only six songs.

The first, "Darkness", which opens with the roumors of the wind, is emblematic of a sound, a mood, an atmosphere: it is the emblem of Van Der Graaf's music: powerful, epic, threatening, gloomy, frightening, distressing, existential. There is no space here for the sounds and phony lyrics of King Crimson, Genesis, Yes contemporary albums. Van Der Graaf, namely Hammill, confronts the solitary and alienated existential condition of modern man. And so we hear a desperate voice hovering above the din of a distressing music where the bass infuses terror with its cadence, where the sound of the sax is excruciating, it is a scream that invokes hope. Hammill stages an expressionist theatrical music that reaches, with the synergy of musical instruments, voice and text, heights of pathos very high and unmistakable and unforgettable. Absolute masterpiece. Rating 9.5.

"Refugees" begins with a church organ that brushes a delicious, wonderful, hypnotic melody of those that enter your head and heart and leave you astonished, infleve into you enveloping you, imposing yourself, possessing you, to lead you to the heights of poignant, melancholy, elegiac beauty. Banton is the decisive element: in this song he uses three different keyboards (and Hammill plays the piano), creators of the melody, but fantastic is the orchestral arrangement with cello (Mike Hurwitz) equally important, and then the flute, bass and drums. Hammill's voice is sweet as it will hardly be yet in the future, but the piece also contains melodic and rhythmic changes that have the merit of not being pedantic and not dispersing the hypnosis of melody, which leads you to ever deeper melancholic emotions. Absolute masterpiece. Rating 9.5. I don't know if I know another album with the first two songs of such high quality, and of so complementary mood and pathos.

The third song, "White Hammer" brings the album back to normal: it is a great piece, which for many other artists would be the masterpiece but that here, in the presence of two songs worthy of entering the rock olympus, is just a small masterpiece. The song has a menacing incest as the first, but the arrangement is less condensed, leaving more space for keyboards and bass, which paint large spaces; in particular, it is the cornet (Gerry Salisbury) that give a martial sound to the song. But when Hammill's vocals come in and Guy Evans' drums, which has so far remained "quiet" (but they will become more and more overflowing in upcoming albums), explode, there is an excellent rhythmic progression, relentless, enthralling. Then there is the final tail, a stroke of genius, which makes the first side finish in a grandiose way, with a frightening sound. Rating 8.5.

What a first side! Listening to such a beauty raises the fear that the second part is not up to scratch.

The first song of the side B begins with a solo on Evans' drums, accompanied by Jackson's sax, which then leaves space for the vocals and guitar, first acoustic (Hammill) and then electric (very acidic, played by Potter). It returns to the climate of terror of the first facade but not so obsessive; in addition, here you can hear pieces played by the electric guitar and sung by choirs that seem to evoke a psychedelic atmosphere. Hammill continues to show off a very high-level expressionist singing, which makes him one of the greatest singers in the history of rock (again: not only of progressive rock). The instrumental moment sees acid guitar, Jackson and Evans do virtuosity, orgasm sound from terror, then end with Hammill, tender voice and acoustic guitar... and again ending with terror atmosphere with acidic sounds. We're at the fourth masterpiece on four songs. Rating 8.5/9.

The fifth song (Out of my Book") is prog-folk, dominated by organ and flute, with almost no drums (it doesn't beat on the snare), bucolic folk melody, vaguely acidic-folk. It serves to catch your breath from the terrifying and claustrophobic atmospheres heard so far: this song is sunny, airy, almost pastoral, evokes wide spaces, or perhaps gardens among the meadows, but always with a fundamental restlessness: the song is well riteed and the bass of Potter is always looming. It is the shortest track and, like the second of the first side, has the function of attenuating the terrifying mood of the songs alternating with a lighter and melodious one. These last two songs contain psychedelic reminiscences of the psychedelic reminiscences of the first album. This piece is good but not a masterpiece. Rating 7.5/8.

The last song, "After the Flood", opened and concluded with "This is the ending of the beginning", alternated with acoustic guitar and organ, has an unfolding verse-chorus, in which are interspersed pieces of instrumental jam that make it the first real mini-suite by VdGG and the more experimental song on the album, more progressive, in a certain sense... what sense? In the sense that it is the most elaborate, the longest, the one with the most instrumental variations on the theme, with changes of time and musical arrangement. But is that good? For a group capable of producing beautiful melodies and touching a huge pathos, arousing emotions, like VdGG, isn'nt always good, because it means hitting the listener more to the head than to the heart, with the risk of distracting him from fully enjoying the pathos that music can create. This song is the summa of VdGG's music, their manifesto, because it includes all the elements of their sound, of Hammill weltanschauung. Rating 9. In terms of music quality, there is just a slight drop in the second side.

Van Der Graaf with this record have already given all the best of their repertoire: lyrics and existentialist music, epic and terrifying atmosphere, flashes of beautiful melancholy melodies, arrangements that reach a cacophonous paroxysm, with saxophone excruciating and mighty bass, overflowing drums and organ to contain all this, theatrical singing, expressionist by Hammill. How can we do more? In the next two albums, Van Der Graaf, to do more, will focus on producing longer, more elaborate, more distressing songs, but what they will gain in cerebral and paroxysm, will lose in melody and immediacy. The pathos and theatrics will always remain very high, but more facing gloomy nightmare atmospheres.

Rating album: 10/10. Absolute masterpiece of rock music. Five Stars (If I could, I'd give six stars).

The beginning of the successful saga of the British would not start with the psychedelic and rudimentary "The Aerosol Grey Machine" (which took the name of the band more for contractual than musical reasons), but thanks to their second release, "The Least We Can Do Is Wave to Each Other", an album that made its way in the dawn of the progressive scene of the early 70's.

The Least We Can Do Is Wave to Each Other" contrasts dark landscapes like the demanding "Darkness (11/11)" and David Jackson's incisive saxophones almost on the verge of asphyxiation, and the spell of "White Hammer" and its disconcerting ending, with sublime moments of luminous fragility like the beautiful and unmissable "Refugees", where an emotive Peter Hammill, without falling into the mellow, caresses the verses instead of singing them. But it is not until the last track of the album where the full-fledged progressive traces of VDGG arrive, the extensive and intricate "After the Flood". Hugh Banton's keyboards and David Jackson's saxophone engage in an intense overlap for the spotlight, while Hammill accompanies them with acoustic guitar and his particular vocal stamp. All in all, an ideal closer for the album.

"The Least We Can Do Is Wave to Each Other" is, besides a very good album, the basis for the consolidation of the band's future sound. From that moment on, VDGG would privilege the development of extensive songs impregnated with jazzy elements, unhinged improvisations and sublime melodies, all wrapped up by Hammill's enveloping personality.

4 stars

In late 1969, VdGG's manager formed Charisma Records and signed the band as the label's first act. They immediately set about recording their second album, The Least We Can Do Is Wave to Each Other. 

The Least We Can Do solidified Van der Graaf Generator's signature sound, and the album cover itself featured a Van de Graaff generator on it. "Darkness (11/11)" opens the album on a grim note. Banton's organ and Potter's bass push Hammill's vocals forward. The organ solo in the song's midpoint demonstrated Banton's willingness to work with sonic effects, and Jackson's closing sax solo is a showcase for his distinctive style of playing two saxophones at once. 

"Refugees" goes the complete opposite direction as the preceding song. After the grim pounding of "Darkness", this is a sweet, gentle song where Hammill's vocals are more traditional, and the lyrics are uncharacteristically hopeful. Banton's organ is reminiscent of Procol Harum, and the inclusion of cello was a brilliant move. "White Hammer" opens with a sound palette similar to "Refugees". The organ is docile, and Hammill sings cleanly. But this is a song about the Malleus Maleficarum and persecution of witchcraft in the Middle Ages, and the music does shift in tone to match the subject matter. The song's last two minutes, in particular, are quite ominous. The organ has a thick layer of distortion, and Jackson's saxes squeal and twist, fittingly evoking images of torture. 

Side two starts with "Whatever Would Robert Have Said?", referencing the then-recently-deceased Robert Van de Graaff. Electric guitar is a lead instrument on this cut, provided by bassist Nic Potter. It's a weird song, and it often feels like it's about to go completely off the rails, but the constant structural churn keeps the music moving forward. "Out of My Book" is a gentle little number that provides a nice, folky interlude.

The closing "After the Flood", a song about cataclysmic floods triggered by a sudden inversion of Earth's magnetic polarity, is pure gold. Hammill's lyrics are fantastically grim, and his vocal tone matches. The chorus is huge and foreboding, and the ragged acoustic guitar, paired with Banton's wall of organ, evokes mental images of the destructive waves described in the lyrics. Jazz influences are prominent on this track, as overdubs of flute and sax battle it out with one another in moments between the big vocal lines. As the song nears its outro, Peter Hammill quotes Albert Einstein discussing his worries over the Cold War arms race. The closing organ and guitar solos are powerful and majestic, with minor-key undercurrents reminding the listener of the song's unhappy subject matter.

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