VAN DER GRAAF GENERATOR

It's a great pity that the classic lineup of Van Der Graaf Generator didn't have more live material captured back in their 1970s heyday, but Real Time find the group fresh off the release of Present doing what they can to correct that, offering up an expansive collection of live treats from their back catalogue plus a few cuts from Present. There's no major surprises here - nothing from after World Record or prior to The Least We Can Do Is Wave To Each Other - which is perhaps to be expected since the album is intended to celebrate this lineup of the group, thos (In the) Black Room from Hammill's Chameleon In the Shadow of the Night is featured.

There's a bonus disc on the Japanese version (also found in the Interference Patterns boxed set, which compiles this and most of the other stuff VdGG have released since 2005) which includes a few more songs and a big chunk of tune-up improvisations aptly entitled Gibberish, but none of these seem that essential (and aren't from the same show as the main body of Real Time anyway).

In any edition, Real Time has its rough edges - we're looking at a group of people who hadn't performed live together for a good long time - but it's good that we got this before lineup changes saw the VdGG story change again.

"Godbluff," is the 5th album by the classic progressive rock outfit, "Van Der Graaf Generator." Following their 1971 masterpiece, "Pawn Hearts," the band took 4 well-spent years to craft their magnum opus, "Godbluff." In my opinion, this is the greatest album the band ever released and I absolutely love it. The band has a way tighter and perfected sound on this album with much less experimentation than their previous works, as this was the first self-produced album by the band. Clocking in at a humble 35 minutes, the album features 4 tracks only, all of which respectively clocking in at close to 10 or over 10 minutes long.

The album opens with the echoing flutes of the track, "The Undercover Man." Peter Hammil's eerie voice soon enters with light high-hat and soft organ before a drum fill shifts the octave higher. Soon a beautiful piano and organ sequence kicks in with Hammil's vocals shining. The instrumentation is absolutely perfect just a mere 3 minutes into the song. As Hammil cries out "These Phantom Figures all around you," the song shifts into an amazing Honher Clavinet jam (which Hammil had started using primarily after the Pawn Hearts album). This is my favorite part of the song, but unfortunately, it shifts back into the main theme quicker than it even starts. The sound of this song is extraordinarily full despite the lack of bass on the album, and this is because of the inventive use of Bass Pedals on the Hammond Organ by Hugh Banton. The best way I could think to describe this song is a tale of someone's subconscious taking over as "the undercover man," as shown in lyrics such as "When the madness comes, let it flood on down and over me sweetly." The next track on the album is my personal favorite, "Scorched Earth." The track opens with a ravenous clavinet riff which is quickly accompanied by snare fills and Hammil's voice which leads the song into its main sequence. This song is easily 10 times more aggressive than the opener, and I absolutely love it. The song enters a very eclectic trippy section around 2:50 with a heavy filter on Hammil's voice. Hammil is a genius lyricist in the sense that he can write great lyrics that leave the audience interpreting what he meant. I think that the song is about free will and not giving in to the man which could be assumed by lines such as "He will not be hostage, he will not be slave," or "In his wake, he leaves scorched earth and work in vain." Towards the end of the track, the song picks up and Hammil recites the lyrics at record pace. At around 7 minutes, the track goes through some clean key switches and countless variations of the theme. The end of the song is extremely grandiose and filled with massive horns, phased drums, and equally eclectic sections reminiscent of the most obscure prog imaginable. The song eventually ends on a heavy note which is a fitting end to this masterpiece.

Side two opens with the 9:30 song "Arrow." The song opens with a random drum beat, that is joined by some interesting bass. For around a minute the song executes a very experimental jam before the clavinet kicks in and the song begins to take shape. The percussive work on this track is tier 1 and amazingly done by Guy Evans. Hammil's voice reigns loudly as if he is singing to a valley of soldiers. The song has extremely minor overtones and is a very dark track in general even in the lyrics. As Hammil bellows, "Arrow!" the drums pick up and the clavinet keeps on powering through. The song repeats its main theme throughout most of it, and Hammil's voice strains mightily. Once again, the lyricism on this track is top-tier, and there are many theories as to what the song entails. I personally believe that it is a song about death and its impending inevitability which is signified by the main line "How swiftly comes the Arrow!" An exemplary track and one of the band's best. The album closes on the 10-minute epic, "The Sleepwalkers." The song opens quickly with a jumpy organ theme and spatial toms that lie under Hammil's vocals. The organ takes the song into a segment where the drums pick up and fanfare can be heard from David Jackson (similar to something by Renaissance except much darker). The song is a bit of a circus interlude around the 3-minute mark, with a high vibrato organ and horns in the background. The fanfare quickly sours, and the key switches into a new theme similar to "The Undercover Man." This song continues the dark and tragic theme of the album's lyrics with another deathly theme which symbolizes sleepwalking through life like a cog in the machine, until simultaneously awoken and put to sleep by death. The song gives an extremely doom-metal theme with prog overtones such as the sounds of Hugh Banton's modified Hammond E112 Organ. Around the 9:00 mark, the song goes through an ethereal passage with light organ arpeggios before fading to black.

On the remaster, there are two bonus tracks: "Forsaken Gardens," and "A Louse Is Not a Home." Both of these tracks could've easily made the cut for the album, and as perfect as I think this album is, I think It could've been even better had these tracks been added. Although the audio quality is worse than bad on these, they somehow possess some of that awesome good bluff feel. The first track, "Forsaken Gardens," is very heavy and has the rare sound of an electric guitar present. Clocking in at 12 minutes, the second track is no joke either. "A Louse Is Not a Home," is an eerie and quiet song that barely picks up until the 7-8 minute mark. I would love to see a fully mastered version of these tracks released or re-recorded in the future.

At the end of the day, this album is a staple of progressive rock that I would obviously recommend to anyone. Whether it be the outstanding voice of Hammil, the creative keyboards of Banton, David Jackson's mystical yet dark flutes, or Guy Evans's impressive drum exhibition, this album is refined (even down to the imaginative lyrics). There isn't a weak point on this album, and so I think It is well deserving of a perfect rating. All four songs are great, and this is (In my humble opinion), one of (if not the) greatest comeback albums in Progressive Rock (if not all music) history. 5 stars, and highly recommend.

Review Nº 686

"Real Time" is the third live album of Van Der Graaf Generator and was released in 2007. It contains the entire recordings of the group's reunion concert at the Royal Festival Hall in London, England, in 2005. By the time where their debut live album "Vital" was released, in the summer of 1978, the band had split for the second time because the same problems that they had already had in the first time, which were, lack of a record company to support them and financial difficulties. So, it was need to wait for almost thirty years to see the band joined and played live again together.

"Real Time" has fourteen tracks. So, and somehow, "Real Time" seems to me a true nostalgic trip all over the career of one of the best, important and most influential progressive rock bands ever. Van Der Graaf Generator across "Real Time", revisits almost all their entire career in the 70's with a few foraways to their latest studio album and into the solo career of Peter Hammill, too. However and curiously, their debut studio album "The Aerosoal Grey Machine" and their last studio album in the 70's "The Quiet Zone/The Pleasure Dome" didn't have any track chosen to be part of "Real Time". From "The Least We Can Do Is Wave To Each Other" we have two tracks "Refugees" and "Darkness". From "H To He, Who Am The Only One" we have only one track "Killer". From "Pawn Hearts" we have two tracks "Lemmings" and "Man-Erg". From "Godbluff" we have three tracks "The Undercover Man", "Scorched Earth" and "The Sleepwalkers". From "Still Life" we have only one track "Childlike Faith In Childhood's End". From "World Record" we have two tracks "Masks" and "Wondering". From their most recent studio album, at the time, "Present" of 2005, we have two tracks "Every Bloody Emperor" and "Nutter Alert". From the second solo studio album of Peter Hammill "Chameleon In The Shadow Of The Night", an album released in 1973 we have also one track, "(In The) Black Room".

It was with huge expectations I sat on my armchair to hear more than two hours of live music from one of my favourite prog bands of all time. There were different reasons for that. There are few live albums of the band and this is only my second live album, beyond "Vital". This is a live album recorded and released after their reunion in 2005, almost thirty years after their dissolution. This is a live album with their golden line up, which was responsible for almost of their masterpieces. My only complaint is the absence of Nick Potter. I always liked him. Still, he was never part of the hard core of the band, really. The selection of the tracks from their extensive catalogue is excellent. By the other hand, "Vital" isn't as good as it should have been. As I wrote when I reviewed "Vital", despite be a very good live album, I was a bit disappointed with it. I expected much more of the first live album of a band like Van Der Graaf Generator. "Vital" hasn't the typical sound of them. "Vital" has a very savage heavy sound, with some punk influences, which was very unusual into their music. So, after listen "Real Time" I was a bit surprised with its sound. I agree with TFTO when he says that it sounds more like a studio album than a live album. I expected an album more energetic and aggressive. Still, I wasn't a bit disappointed with it. It has a more intimate ambient that reminds me an unplugged concert and I like of it. Anyway, the album has more energy on the last track of Disc 1 "Darkness" and on Disc 2. The live show is fantastic and the all repertoire is impeccable, where "Darkness" and "Killer" are probably, the highest points on the album. The decision of playing "Wondering" as the final song was perfect. As Hammill said, that was the most indicated song of their catalogue to close that fantastic night. The surprise of the night was the inclusion of "(In The) Black Room". Despite be actually from Peter Hammill's solo catalogue, initially it was a band's song that should be released on a band's studio album between "Pawn Hearts" and "Godbluff". Due to their first split it was never been released on any band's album but only on a Peter Hammill's solo album. The fans appreciated it because it's one of Van Der Graaf Generator's lost songs. By the other hand, the inclusion of two songs of "Present" doesn't ruin anything on the album.

Conclusion: It was quite a sensation when it became known in early 2005 that Van Der Graaf Generator would appear again after 27 years, especially in the classic four men line up, and that they would also deliver a new studio album "Present". On May 6, 2005, the reunion concert took place in the Royal Festival Hall in London and almost two years later it was available on a double live album, "Real Time". Maybe "Real Time" isn't the final and last concert of Van Der Graaf Generator, but it's anyway an historic concert that can't be held again with all the members of their historical line up. This is even more evident and important since Van Der Graaf Generator will no longer appear with this line up, unfortunately, because Jackson left the band at the end of 2005. So, I want to say that was worth waiting almost thirty years by the live album that lives up the band and that hard fans like me deserved to have already for so many years. This is even truer for me, because as I mentioned, I was somehow a bit disappointed with their debut live album "Vital".

Prog is my Ferrari. Jem Godfrey (Frost*)

AH GODBLUFF

While being my second favorite Van Der Graaf Generator album (behind Still Life) it might be objectively their best. 4 years after Pawn Hearts the band reunites with the theatrical Peter Hamill to deliver some of the darkest prog ever recorded. Track by Track, here we go..

1) The Undercover Man - More of a Ballad, starts with some low flute, great opener.

2) Scorched Earth - a GREAT song, nonetheless the weakest track here in my opinion

3) Arrow - Holy Cow those vocals, someone get this man a glass of water and an award

4) The Sleepwalker - Everything about this song just works. If you're browsing through random of this album 5,10,15 years from now as I have done on this website, deciding what to listen to, maybe you're young and new to this whole prog thing, don't worry, at time of writing I am too! LISTEN TO THIS SONG NOW

The significant departures of David Jackson and his unmistakable saxophone and Hugh Banton and his timeless organ, generated a profound change in the structures of VDGG and forced Peter Hammill to recompose their musical proposal, in what would be the band's eighth album: "The Quiet Zone/The Pleasure Dome". Without extensive pieces and more focused on short melodies, but without resigning the complexity of human existence as a compositional engine, the British present their least conventional work, where Guy Evans' percussion is proposed as the main thread supported by the bass of the reinstated Nic Potter.

The first part of the album delivers the uncertain "Lizard Play" and the resilient "The Habit of the Broken Heart", two themes that develop without major challenges and where the violins of Graham Smith, incorporated for the occasion, decisively assume the role left by Jackson. Both "The Siren Song" (the first minutes of the song remind me of Pink Floyd's "The Final Cut", and the last ones of Roger Waters' "Amused to Death"), and the photographic "The Last Frame" and its hypnotic and forceful instrumental development, are among the best of "The Quiet Dome".

The fast-paced "Cat's Eye / Yellow Fever (Running)", and its sinister and powerful instrumental development crowned by Smith's feverish violin, and the acoustic moments of the psychedelic "Chemical World", are the highlights of "The Pleasure Dome", the second part of the album, beyond the fleeting participation of Jackson's saxophone in the intense "The Sphinx in the Face" and its colophon "The Sphinx Returns".

From the remastered edition of 2005 it is worth rescuing the interesting "Door", discarded from the original album, and the guitar riff of "Ship of Fools".

Without the epicness they knew how to sustain during the first half of the 70's, "The Quiet Zone/The Pleasure Dome" is the final point of one of the most resplendent and at the same time somber manifestations of progressive rock of all times. VDGG would keep since then a long silence, interrupted 28 years later by "Present" in 2005.

3 stars

The echoes of "Still Life" had not finished resounding, and once again VDGG comes out with "World Record", the band's seventh album and one of their most experimental, and in which they continue to scrutinize the complexities that the course of life brings with it. Peter Hammill on this occasion partly cedes his usual protagonism, having as a counterpart a greater instrumental development of the rest of the band.

And so it is that Guy Evans' percussion sets the pace and is even encouraged to go a little beyond the natural accompaniment, both in the vulnerable "When She Comes" and in the persevering "A Place to Survive", well supported by Hugh Banton's keyboards and David Jackson's intense saxophone. Hammil participates more actively in the cadenced half-time of the chameleon-like "Mask", briefly interrupted by an instrumental interlude, to end with an unbridled shriek, the singer's trademark, before giving way to the extended "Meurglys III, The Songwriter's Guild", and although the first part is among the best of the album, including a surprising electric guitar, atypical in VDGG's universe, the second part is unnecessarily extended with an unexpected reggae instrumental, which does not add much to the song.

The curtain of keyboards and a luminous chorus are the framework for the emotional "Wondering", the most harmonious of the songs on "World Record", to give it a jubilant ending.

Although "World Record" is a good album and is still impregnated by the sparkles of VDGG, it does not reach the brilliance of its predecessors, and it is rather beginning to be seen on the horizon that the gas tank is starting to show signs of exhaustion...

3.5 stars

Barely six months after releasing "Godbluff", the prolific Peter Hammill and his band are back with "Still Life". Introspective and poignant, VDGG's sixth album persists in the existential questions as a driving vehicle throughout its development, remaining allergic to the superficial and inconsequential.

Hammill, in a leading role more than on any previous album, which is no mean feat, goes back and forth from the imperceptible whisper to the most rabid and desperate vociferation, in dark atmospheres inspired by the deep waters of the psyche. From the beginning with the hurtful and harmonic "Pilgrims", passing through the desolate "My Room (Waiting for Wonderland)" and David Jackson's wavering saxophone, to the apotheosic ending with the heartbreaking "Childlike Faith in Childhood's End" and Hugh Banton's celestial organ that give it a unique nuance, the singer recurrently explores the human condition and its inexhaustible inner conflicts, using the melodies more as an accompaniment to express himself than as an end in itself.

The 2005 remastering includes "Gog", a piece from Hammill's solo album "In Camera", but the sound is very dirty and hard to appreciate. A shame.

"Still Life" is undoubtedly one of VDGG's most mature and balanced albums, and is part of the gallery of their best works.

4 stars

Van der Graaf Generator returned in 2016 with Do Not Disturb. I've read some mixed messages online about whether or not this is officially the band's last album or not, but it has a sense of finality to it. The band is still together, and they're still touring, but they may not be recording anything new anymore. (Hammill, though, is still pumping out solo records.)

Do Not Disturb opens on the gentle, nearly-Floydian guitar of "Aloft". This calls to mind some of Pink Floyd's more pastoral moments, like "Fat Old Sun" or "Fearless". But Hammill's voice is unmistakable. When Banton's organ comes in, it's a classic Van der Graaf line. The melody is dark and distinctive, though I'm not crazy about the inclusion of the melodica(?). This track runs a bit long, but the underlying composition is strong enough to forgive the extended runtime.

"Alfa Berlina" starts with some strange vocal effects and ambient traffic noises. As the verse gets going, it's a simple arrangement of Hammill's voice over a basic backing of organ and drums. It's a bit bland, but not bad. "Room 1210" is piano-based and keeps a similar, slow pace to start. It eventually shifts to a more distinctively-Van der Graaf riff, and continues to move back and forth between this section and the prior piano passage for the rest of its runtime.

"Forever Falling" sounds almost like a Dire Straits song at first. The particular guitar and organ tones are quite Knopflerian. Harsh, dissonant passages cast that comparison aside quickly enough though, and jittering instrumental antics make the track feel much more distinct. 

Following the brief, airy instrumental "Shikata Na Gai", "(Oh No I Must Have Said) Yes" kicks off with a tumbling distorted guitar riff. Hammill's guitar suffers from its usual lackluster tone, but the underlying passage is decent. There's a quirky, early-Devo-like quality to parts of this track, balanced against the more trudging main theme. The song's midsection is much quieter and features some drawn-out guitar noodling before closing out on a reprise of the main riff.

The first half of "Brought to Book" is a somewhat dull, jazzy piano piece. As organ and guitar enter in the second half, it improves somewhat, but it remains generally unimpressive. "Almost the Words" is almost the same as the preceding cut, though I like it more.

Do Not Disturb ends with "Go". A somber organ is the main focus of this piece. There's a sense of gravity here, and though it doesn't stand out in isolation, it's a fitting way to end their career, if indeed that was their intention.

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

Only a year later, Van der Graaf Generator put out ALT, an instrumental album. While the band is no stranger to instrumentals, in my mind, Peter Hammill's voice is the most defining characteristic of the band. Yes, David Jackson leaving did rob the band of some of their character, but the strongest moments on Trisector and Grounding proved the band can soldier on saxophone-less. Wordless, though?

"Earlybird" is a dull blend of tabla and bird calls that does nothing for four minutes. "Extractus" is a hazy, percussion-forward piece, and "Sackbutt" continues in that same vein.

"Colossus" maintains a sparse atmosphere that reminds me of the band's instrumental experiments intended for disc two of Pawn Hearts, and at six-and-a-half minutes, it is entirely too long. "Batty Loop" is another percussion-forward interlude that does nothing interesting.

"Splendid" has some better ideas than preceding cuts, but it's still unfocused, poorly-produced, and quite weak compared to most of their prior output. "Repeat after Me" has a bit more structure and prominently features some very pretty piano. That said, this song is about four minutes too long.

Weird synthesizer bloops and light jazzy elements make up "Elsewhere". "Here's One I Made Earlier" is an uninteresting drone piece. "Midnite or So" feels like an actual composition, but it doesn't do much to stand out. Evans's percussion is mixed far too loudly, especially near the end. "D'accord" is more dull drone. "Mackerel Ate Them" has some chaotic drumming and bizarre guitar, though it doesn't amount to anything.

A hint of structure shows up again in "Tuesday, the Riff". This one feels like something the band could have refined into something really good, but instead it was wasted on this underwhelming instrumental.

ALT ends on the nearly-11-minute "Dronus". You can probably guess what this is like, as well as my thoughts on it.

ALT is far and away this band's worst album. It feels like a substantially weaker version of disc two of Present. Composition is minimal, and the production is awful. There are very few points where the band is recognizably themselves.

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

A Grounding in Numbers followed in 2011. I actually had an opportunity to see them on tour for this release while I was in Europe. However, I was way too jetlagged to do anything and was compelled to skip the show. I regret not seeing them (as I doubt they'll ever tour North America, especially the west coast), but I was far too tired to attend a concert that night.

"Your Time Starts Now" is a slow-moving, swelling, and ultimately forgettable track. Hammill's vocal arrangements are strong, and it's another good lyrical outing, but there's nothing that distinctive about this song. "Mathematics" is another clever lyrical piece, but the music stays in a middling, piano-jazz lane. 

"Highly Strung" switches things up a bit with a fittingly anxious guitar line. There are weird new-wave and art-punk influences. I'm still not crazy about Hammill's guitar style, but the strange edginess of this cut suits the band well.

"Red Baron" is a short, atmospheric instrumental that sounds like it was originally recorded for disc two of Pawn Hearts, but at barely two minutes, it doesn't overstay its welcome.

"Bunshō" is a pretty strong cut. Organ and guitar meld into a moody backdrop for Hammill's voice. There's a sense of drama to this song, and the development is well-plotted. In the song's final couple minutes, the band does a great job of playing their signature dark and jagged prog.

The instrumental elements of "Snake Oil" are strong, but the vocal melody feels somewhat forced. That piece is followed by another short and disorienting instrumental, "Splink".

"Embarrassing Kid" has an awkward and uneven riff, but that was probably intentional given the song's title and subject matter. In contrast, "Medusa" is mournful and gloomy. The arrangement is minimal, and the song's brevity works in its favor. It works as an interlude, but it would have been a dull piece had it been dragged out to five minutes, like many other latter-era VdGG songs.

"Mr. Sands" is an example of one of those too-long songs. The ideas in it are good, but it would have worked fine as a sub-four-minute piece. "Smoke", another short song, follows, and it's one of my favorites on the album. It has a fun, loose, wobbly feel; the band has always excelled when they've leaned into weird ideas. "5533" has an even looser, more shambolic atmosphere. The guitar (at least some of which is played by drummer Guy Evans) is especially weird. It's skittery, jumpy, and heavily affected.

A Grounding in Numbers ends with the harpsichord-heavy "All Over the Place". This is one of the better songs on the album, and it's well-constructed. However, it still suffers from some of the same ills seen elsewhere: it's a bit too long, and it feels like it could have used a little more refinement.

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