VAN DER GRAAF GENERATOR - Band Review
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- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 22 ส.ค. 2024
- This is my band review of the classic prog band Van Der Graaf Generator. This is actually my third upload of this video, the first two getting yeeted by the algorithm gods due to copyright issues. Lets hope the third time is the charm.
So glad you re-uploaded this my dude! Van Der Graaf is so un-talked about in online music discussion and I'm glad you're out here manning the lighthouse, keeping online prog nerds safe in their journey. Hope to see more uploads soon Christian!
VdGG are anything but un-talked about ¬ just go on any TH-cam listing like this and look at the number of comments on any one. I myself can never resist talking about them.
The fans are so passionate and loyal even if they can't convert the masses. I myself am on the Autistic spectrum, albeit high functioning, and I wonder if VdGG appeals especially strongly to people of this disposition ? Just my pet theory, and I know the fear of loud noises will probably squash my theory pan-flat !
You just have to accept that some of us are capable of understanding and appreciating the complexities and dynamics of the music / organised chaos coupled with Hammills boundary pushing lyrics, subject matter and vocals and the rest of the population are just Sleepwalkers - happier with the safer classic options or the modern noodling and wankery exponents.
Keep the Lighthouse burning dude. We need to keep the good ship S.H.M Van der Graaf off the rocks.
Sod the music, " said the man in the suit,
"I understand profit and without that, it's no use,
Why don't you go away and write commercial songs;
Come back in three years, that shouldn't be too long... "
He's a joker and an acrobat,
A record exec. In a Mayfair flat
With Altec speakers wall to wall,
A Radford and a Revox and through it all he plays
Strictly nowhere Muzak.
"Hey, listen, baby, this band's got a lot of soul...
If we can beat that out of them I see a disc of gold!
Give them an image, maybe glitter, maybe s**,
Maybe outrage, maybe elegance--
How about as nervous wrecks? "
Signs up the product at two percent,
Justified by vinyl shortage and the increased rent
On the yacht he has to hire to make his pitch at Midem
And all the press receptions for his business friends
Who spill their Taittinger upon the floor
While the band sip English lager just outside the door.
Treble, alto, bass clefs on the page,
Crotchets, quavers, minims all the rage
But you'll never find a -L- in the score--
It's there when it's strictly merchandise,
Through all the propagated lies 'bout what the whole thing's for!
He'll make you a star, he'll make you so famous
That all you desire is to be left nameless,
Drained of all you felt you had to offer at the start.
Not without blame, either, are the gentlemen of the press:
You can talk about the state of music,
They will writer about your dress.
Play them the new album, they will say it's great (or not)--
When the articles come out, they're all about
How many dogs you've got.
God to keep the human interest high,
And the hacks are only too willing to comply,
Pander to the ego, build up frail men as gods--
But somewhere in the process, the prime purpose is forgotten.
Groupies offer their bodies, the hangers-on their coke;
It's all very jolly--what a joke!
Fellini creatures cluster round the dressing-room.
The heavenly bodies all got to have their moons.
In the cult of the superman the music plays a supporting role
And far more important is the shape of his nose,
The size of his codpiece and the cut of his clothes...
Soul and feeling always take second place
To the bump and grind of a Fender bass.
Frankly, most musicians bore me--but not as much as those
Who chase the glory to bask in reflected light,
Making the man much more important
Than his arpeggios and mordants,
When it's the other way that's right.
On the values by which this world makes its heroes
Then the best violinist ever was Nero,
Because he had the most Press
And his fire gimmick was simply the best.
We got the live thing too,
The Human Zoo:
Ten thousand arms are raised, just like the Hitler Youth--
Ten thousand peace signs mark the entry of the sax;
Ten thousand peace signs,
But they're different from the back
I was listening to VDGG 35 years ago...when I was in college. I had a marantz amplifier and marantz 4-way tower speakers... With a vintage pioneer turntable.. I had no idea how good I had it at the time... So nice to see VdGG and Peter Hammill getting the recognition they so adamantly deserve..thanks for posting.
Whoa, big disagree on your take on Still Life. Still Life is their mature masterpiece while Pawn Hearts is their youthful masterpiece. Godbluff is the Goldilocks album between the two.
Still Life is possibly my absolute favourite though I'd been following them for years before its release.
Pawn Hearts is probably my close second favourite...
I completely agree with you about the power of Still Life, but I also think Godbluff is an exhilarating, tour de force of progressive genius from musicians at their creative peak. I'm not sure which of the two I like more, they are both so incredibly strong.
So well put. Still Life is my favorite album by my favorite band. The older I get the more I appreciate it✌️🎷🎹🎸😎
In college I was introduced to H to HE and Pawn Hearts. Damn! These guys, like Gentle Giant and King Crimson, were so unique and had their own signature sound. This band is infectious with their sonic approach and bipolar moods. Love this band. BTW, your passionate review of this stellar band is refreshing and necessary. During my college years, it was VERY unusual to walk by a dorm room with VDGG spinning on someones turn table. I'm grateful to know this band in some capacity as they have endeared themselves in my consciousness. As to their longevity! We will never see the likes of VDGG again.
Also my all time favorite band, since 1976 , I was 19 than first discovering ” Still Life“
Great video! Here's my personal ranking of their albums (not counting the ones that came after):
1. Pawn Hearts
2. H to He
3. Still Life
4. Godbluff
5. The Least
6. World Record
7. Quiet Zone
8. Aerosol Machine
1. Godbluff
2. Still Life
3. Pawn Hearts
4. H to He
5. The Least..
6. Quiet Zone
7. Word Record
8. Vital
My favorite band since 1971. (USA)
Just in case H to He is Hydrogen to Helium like in the sun good review Great band been listening to for 45 years.
The melody that goes with 'Searching for diamonds in the sulphur mine...' -pretty 'catchy' surely?
My Room Waiting for Wonderland is gorgeous. Any group would be proud of it.
Yes it is sublime. One of the most haunting melodies ever.
I have tried seducing unsuspecting souls into the VdGG brotherhood with ''My Room'', ''House with no Door'' and ''Wondering'' but once they are in and I unleash the ''Plague'', they always seem to run away.
I am a lonely man...my solitude is true............
VDGG is one of my 5 favorite bands ( Beatles, LZ, Yes, Genesis and VDGG ) ..... Amon Duull II is number 6 ( Lemmings, Wolf City, Made in German, Vivalal trance, Carnival in Babylon) ..... BUT because of my completism for these bands, I have never been OK with the huge VDGG gap in 1972, 1973 and 1974, in the PEAK of their creativity. So I tend to imagine unreleased albuns in this period, with songs like " Black Room" " A louse is not home``, "Forsaken Gardens", "W", " Rift Valley", "The Liquidator", "Gog", "The Lie", "Faint- Heart " "Rubicon", and one of my favorites: " Roncevaux", that has a very good finished version - very faithfull to the original - from a band called "Parallel or 90 degrees" in their album "No More travelling chess" . Unfortunattley is not on youtube anymore. I am almost sure this "lost album would have "Louse" and "Black Room" as side 1. Side 2, "Roncevaux, and something else
I'm only halfway in the video and I'm enjoying it so much. The way you talk about VDGG just fits and feels familiar on one hand but also makes it so accessible for those who don't know the band. I don't agree with every single thing you said although I do agree for the most part but I was "worried" and waiting for the moment you'll get to "World Record" but in all honesty - Meurglys 3. And hearing it's your fav just as it is mine made me feel good. VDGG fans don't appreciate this masterpiece enough. It's one of the music pieces I've heard and replayed the most in my lifetime.
Thankyou! Loved your review and i adore that Van Der Graaf album, thankyou for giving it some love!!
Nick Potter returned to accompany PH as a duo at the Royal Elizabeth Hall on London's cultural South Bank center around 1989/90
Pioneers over c. What is c in E=mc²? c denotes the speed of light in vacuum). What a track! Hammill and VDGG music grew so deeply into my psyche I had to file for a divorce in 1983, after listening to them for 12 intense years. Every lyric from song, every VDGG album , and Hammill's solo albums became a dark cancer in my mind: although they soothed, my depression deepened ultimately I could no longer listen to them. Still what a brilliant band.
Split up 13.07 yes but not quite, because most of them were on Peter Hammill's solo albums from 1971- 1974 which if you haven't yet listen to them your in for a treat.
Being a 'wicked little Scorpio' myself I was hooked on VDGG and Hammill from the moment I first heard Darkness 11/11 on its release.
VDGGs Firebrand was ProtoProg!!
Well, well, well . . . I must say, I'm impressed. Now I get to try to come up with some adjectives. I found your commentary, Informed, Inspired, Factual, efficiently Entertaining, Respectful and Respectable. Curious was your 'rating' of the releases. First a, Huh? then even more curious, I found myself admitting that it directly related to the frequency that, with which I listen to these same releases. Hmmm. Late 1971, Long Beach CA had it's first 'underground' FM radio station 105.5 KNAC. Then, just a little over 16 1/2, while 'glassing' a surfboard, 'Lemmings' began to play on the (now dispatched to the garage) family Grundig HiFi. Though already hooked on 'The Court of the Crimson King', I was vaulted to a 'Next Level'. 'Pawn Hearts' impacted me on such a fundamental level that, going forward, EVERYTHING would be 'Different'. If I'm honest?, it would be difficult for me to imagine who I may have become without Peter Hammill's lyrics and his(and the bands) daring musical style. A perfect soundtrack for a histrionic 17 year old(now 67). EVERY inquiry/understanding(Spiritual, Philosophical, Psychological, Zen, Human Nature in it's ENTIRETY!), is surveyed from(and back to) this PH/VDGG benchmark. I invite you to consider that when one is integrated with such phenomena, terms like 'Fanboy/man' are made superfluous. AND, this music IS a 'Time Machine' for me! Curiously, "I remember what it felt like at seventeen . . .", turned out to be more prophetic, perhaps, than even PH might have imagined(!). AND I SAW THEM LIVE in the UK 1976!
You Did a FUCKING INCREDIBLE Job, Christian McGuire!
MAD RESPECT,
Ted Furlo
♥🙏🌹
(is it ok that I mention that you didn't mention 'Vital'? It had some important cuts found no where else. And, some worthwhile singles 'Boat of Millions of Years'(for one).
I discoverd VDGG with Godbluff and maybe because of this I have had a hard time to get into the earlier stuff. I love Godbluff, Still Life and World Record. 👍👏
Totally agree with you ! I love them the best . Peter Hammill is an outstanding genius, and so all of em are.
Pawn Hearts was an excellent EP. I have a hard time believing a three-song set can be considered a full album, but they're three damn good songs.
I might also add: if a punk guy like Johnny Rotten says your prog band is good, you're doing something right.
I admit to being biased as I was there at the time when all these albums were released, with this band forming the soundtrack of my late adolescence/early adulthood as well as being for a while in correspondence with Peter Hammill. "Aerosol grey machine" was not a VdGG album but rather a Peter Hammill solo album that for contractual reasons appeared under the band's aegis. There is definitely a quantum leap between this and "Least we can do". "H to He" is actually pronounced Aitch to Aitch Ee - "He" is the chemical symbol for the element Helium, and the back sleeve reproduces the thermonuclear equation that powers the sun, turning hydrogen into helium. I very much disagree with your ratings of "Still life" and "World record": two songs from the first were actually recorded at the same time as "Godbluff" and is much better than you rate. On the other hand, "World record" was a deliberate attempt to simplify their sound, an experiment that in my opinion failed. Frequently you use the word "catchy" - VdGG was never about catchy and attractive music but rather was tapping into some elemental force that describes the human psyche, sometimes beautiful and sometimes ugly. Their prolific output in 1975-7 was due to financial reasons: delivering an album would award them an advance that they would use to finance their life. VdGG was not a way to make money!
My list for early albums best down. Pawn Hearts, Still Life, Godbluff, At least we can do is wave to each other, World record, The quite zone pleaser Dome, H to He (not my favourite), Aerosol grey machine . Nice review my friend even if don't agree with your scoring.
Listening to Van der Graff Generator on acid is definitely NOT recommended. A little weed and alcohol, yes. At 66 years of age, I've only recently been getting into them...after 50+ years of being into the traditional prog bands. This band is a tough nut to crack. I have 4 of their albums: "Pawn Hearts", "Still Life", "Godbluff", and "World Record". I've had "World Record" the longest, and would only occasionally listen to it, Hamill's vocals reminded me of Tim Curry's character from the "Rocky Horror Picture Show"...kind of Drag Queen-ish. I like "Still Life", I'm getting deeper into "Pawn Hearts", and have only recently acquired "Godbluff". I might get "H to He..." one day, but for now, I have enough to keep my ears busy.
Can’t believe how prolific they were when they were together in the 70’s.
If it wasn’t for the break there would’ve been, like, 6 more albums.
" ... it was only the drug .. " join the club, Peter.
Sorry, but you rated Still Life very badly! 7/10??? Is it a joke?This is one of their best albums!
What songs that Childlike..., Pilgrims, Still Life, La Rossa and the fabulous My room!!!
David Jackson is also there for Godbluff and Pawn Hearts (their masterpiece in my opinion), but these are their three best albums. All of which should be rated 10/10!!!
The remastering of The Charisma Years: 1970-1978 is an excellent initiative to rediscover these albums for the greatest pleasure of audiophiles in the world who want to listen to their groups in better auditory and... emotional states!!!
But man... 8/10 for Still Life... it's a joke that discredits you...
Sorry to tell you that... but listen to this record again and you will better understand my more favorable opinion...
Completely agree. Still Life is my #1 VdGG album. Each and every one of its songs is a masterpiece. Specially, Stiil Life.
Stiil life, Pawn hearts and Godbluff are their 3 best albums. My preferences go like that:
1. Still life (for the power of EACH song);
2. Pawn hearts (for The plague... their masterpiece song);
3. Godbluff (more energic then SL but so good too).@@Hammillian7
@@pinkyfloydyfan1 My three top albums _in the order they were my top albums_: Pawn Hearts, Godbluff, Still Life. They've all held the honour. 🤨
Have you actually see the video? They gave 7!!!!!
Their remastered albums from Charisma years are marvelous!
Vdgg the zenith of Prog
Nice to see you back, even of its just a reupload
Actually this reupload marks a bit of a return; I will be uploading again with the goal of making videos about basically whatever I find interesting
@@AngryChristian1please do :^)
6:30 RIP headphone users who turned up the volume to hear the whispers....
Love the music, vocals not so much. Definitely an acquired taste on Peters singing. Pawn Hearts my favorite.
So ... when are you getting around to the Peter Hammill solo album review?
❤❤❤❤
Alt was never meant to be a "normal" VdGG album. As it states on the sleeve - "Instrumental Improvs and experiments".
As someone who actually likes instrumental improvs and experiments, I still think it's not very good at what it is trying to do
@@AngryChristian1 I agree it's not a great album, but I do listen to it from time to time. I don't think it's any better/worse than Hammill's Sonix, or his collaboration with Roger Eno (The Appointed Hour).
A firecracker band
You're recommending Van Der Graaf to the King Crimson fanbase? Did it maybe occur to you that that fanbase knew about Van Der Graaf before you were born?
lol, i've seen alot of hate for meurglys III. mainly at the guitar solo during the reggae part, very sloppy.
Meurglys is the one song I don't listen to on any of the "big six" albums.
Right. Not too bad if it were quite shorter, but decidedly not worth devoting one's limited time to it. Since few minutes, it doesn't add more music to the one just heard and I don't like repetitions.
I love *every second* of Meurglys III. In fact, I never ever look at 'The Box' collection because (the compiler) Ian edited out the closing section on that compilation. Whenever they play both M.III and Gog live, that's the best gig! It may well be my favourite VdGG song.
Merci great revue
Marduk band review pls?
why did you delete your old vids?
They aren't technically deleted, anyone with the link can view them. Its just that I'm embarrassed by them and don't want them to be reflective of who I am.
If there's any specific videos you'd like access to, feel free to ask
@@AngryChristian1 I like the burzum and bathory ones mostly, I am glad you just unlisted them.
What the hell is going on with your voice on this video. The way it JUMPS out at 6:31 is just ridiculous. "NIC POTTER!" Did you not think to check the video before you uploaded it?
Yeah ouch..
MIXING, Christian, it's all in the MIXING. This is virtually impossible to watch or more importantly, to listen to, with some words jumping out at least twice the volume of the rest. I give up! Hey guys, whatever you do, don't listen to this with headphones on.
Ouch ... gor an alreadt fan this is boring butt more complex...yawn
For an already fan ... yawn something like boring play any album figure it out peoples.. chill and shake intense music not for weak minds so go back
You speaking is much louder than the music played, can't watch it unfortunately