Plague is a monster prog piece... Trust me; IT'S AMAZING! Hammill is the most profound writer in prog...Overwhelmed is EXACTLY how you should feel...It staggered me on my first listen, all so many years ago...The live version of this is very cool.
@@JustJP :)...You'll be haunted by the song when you hear it again, or, you may already be haunted... The ending words are so profound and yet simple; All things are a part All things are apart All Things are a part. The layers of that simple statement are sublime....:)
VDGG and Peter Hammill goes beyond music. It's pure feeling. It is sincerity and honesty in conveying love and hate, joy and fear, anger, loneliness, madness, chaos, affection, hope and misery, nonsense ... It is a journey through the confines of human feelings.
There are two different foghorns, so I gather it's two ships with two different foghorns colliding in the fog. That solo at the end is NOT guitar, it is Hugh Banton on the organ. Trust me on that; I read the VdGG book. But Hugh perfectly imitates a Robert Fripp guitar solo on the organ. He fooled me as well. We are not surprised you are overwhelmed; it is an overwhelming song. But we are certain you will love it once you get used to it. Note the little wordplay at the end: "All things are a part. All things are apart". They are all parts of a greater thing, but that greater thing is now broken into pieces.
This is my go-to 2020 quarantine song and now that you’ve heard it, it will haunt you for the rest of your days. Existential loneliness and dread with a sprinkling of hope and contentment. Who could ask for more? I highly recommend the song and album “Still Life” next. More sublime stuff with soaring Peter Hammill lyrics.
50 years later and it still haunts me. I really like their other albums especially the one before this one but Pawn Hearts, Yeah the killer lives inside me.
I've stopped the video when you asked what we'd think of what your reaction will be.... I'm sure you'll be 100 % enchanted and impressed. I"ve read it in your eyes during the playing. You were happily amazed and surprised a few times, at the beginnings of some sections. This song is so intensive, so emotional that it's almost unbearable to listen to it, and that is why people who seeks only entertainment in music don't appreciate such kind of music. Peter didn't do any compromise in this song. He and the band hits you hard with pure emotion, for more than 22 minutes, with no restrain of any kind. There are so many good things in this song: the 4 or 5 different ways to sing (and shout ...) of Peter, all wonderful and so dramatic, the drumming, especially in the slow sections (classical bolero drumming style), the haunting sax and keys, the majesty of two slow sections etc. One of the best symphonic prog suites. A masterpiece.
This is one of my favourite VDGG pieces, but it took me such a long time to find my way into it. It IS overwhelming. Peter Hammill has so many voices. I used to think they had two singers. I really enjoy watching you taking time to listen and react to some of my favourite music. Your expressions of wonder and surprise on this one are priceless.
There is a great balance and contrast between the cahotic and the classically harmonious. The moments of instabilty, dissonance and rythmic complexity make the more traditionnal melodies and harmonies sound even more beautiful.
I completely agree with you, but that's because the name of the group was chosen completely in accordance with the music they create. If you are familiar with the working principle of the VdG generator, then everything is clear and consistent...One of the many songs of my favorite group from my youth and now that I am 70 years old.
It’s very impressive that you even reacted to this song at all, and you did a really good job. The first time I heard this song I was in an altered state and it scared the daylights out of me. This band and this album really pushed the envelope beyond the limits of what others were doing. Possibly the best prog album, definitely the most wildly psychedelic and emotionally wrenching album of the era. Thanks JP. Your content is A+.
It takes a couple of listens but it is a masterpiece that grows on you. I was listening to Godbluff last night, The Sleepwalkers is a favourite from that great album. It's great that you are persevering with VDGG, that's a pretty good summing up for a first listen, good stuff JP.
OMG every time I hear this I think....Echoes....Supper's Ready....Awaken....Ocean Cloud....A Plague of Lighthouse Keepers....throw a hat over 'em This could be the best Thanks Justin
If I remember, I was overwhelmed by this track for the first three listens...then on the fourth run through, I'd assimilated enough of it to floor me. :)
I don't know whether you caught this. But the last line of the song is written two ways: "All things are a part All things are apart" It's a great bit of ambiguity.
Peter Hammill, interviewed by Sounds, said: "It's just the story of the lighthouse keeper, that's it on its basic level. And there's the narrative about his guilt and his complexes about seeing people die and letting people die, and not being able to help. In the end - well, it doesn't really have an end, it's really up to you to decide. He either kills himself, or he rationalises it all and can live in peace... Then on the psychic/religious level it's about him coming to terms with himself, and at the end there is either him losing it all completely to insanity, or transcendence; it's either way at the end... And then it's also about the individual coming to terms with society - that's the third level..."
It definitely took a few listens to be able to wholly appreciate the suite in it’s entirety, but I also find the songs that do require this of me to be the ones that really stick with me through the years instead of becoming more forgettable and boring. The same goes with Close to the Edge, as a familiar example. I just couldn’t wrap my head around the first part to begin with, but on my fifth listen or so it finally clicked and it was just great!
This the anti-Supper's Ready. Hammil sings of loneliness, looking at a meaningless universe in which "all things are appart". Then Gabriel and Genesis respond with a mystical love song and their transcendant call to "go back home to the new Jerusalem". I love both those brilliant and epic songs although they stand on opposite sides of a massive philosophical debate!
Thanks, JP, for another intro to VDGG. I suspect that the band will be an acquired taste for me, like ELP was. It's good to hear the songs on your channel and get your analysis that helps me note the subtleties. I did like the organ segment and the vocal drum/sax/segment. I think it's the vocals that put me off most of the time, like Azureth. I'm game to keep experiencing and learning. Congrats on getting to 10K! Thanks for becoming a regular part of my viewing day.
For me, I have the same problem but with Jethro Tull, I have nothing against their music, it’s Ian Anderson vocals that put me off, but I like Peter Hammill vocals no problems 😉
For me as a diehard 70s-era prog fan, a great prog album has always been hard, if not impossible, to even begin to assimilate and appreciate on first listen. It was probably during my third or fourth listen to the particular piece that it finally hit me just how great it is and how moving that it was for me. Especially that triumphant finale, which I think is an amazing climax to what is basically a medley of stunning song segments drawn together into a cornucopia of musical delights.
The next song to listen too after this, in my view, should be A Louse is not a Home, on one of Hammil's solo albums. He pushes the loneliness into isolation and the nihilism into despair. One of the most poignant and powerful songs I have ever heard.
I didn't really like it at first listen, but there was something that had me coming back time and time again, and then it just clicked. Never thought i would like it, but i did apparently
Don't worry this song took me years to appreciate it for real! I must say at the time I wasn't too experienced with prog rock so this was quite a shock to listen at. But after a couple of years I gave another possibility to this album and man, I actually gradually fell in love with Van Der Graaf.
Congratulations! You've just listened to your first VdGG album. I think it's too much to take in on a first listen. Almost none of us understood 'Plague' on the first listen. BUT - these are albums and meant to be heard that way. The prog albums of the 70's weren't made for radio they were made for the 45 minute album experience. Had you heard Lemmings then Man-Erg then Plague back to back to back all in one sitting - then you more appreciate or are more able to catch on to what VdGG's all about. When you hear Lemmings then a month later Man-erg and then another month later Plague - you're almost starting back at square one. ****** Plus one foghorn sound was one ship - the other foghorn was another ship. TWO SHIPS CRASHED INTO EACH OTHER and the lighthouse keeper wasn't able to alert the ships from avoiding the crashing of the ships. Because of this the lighthouse keeper goes mad.
Still Life is their most elegant refined album. I think you'll have no problem getting into it. Pawn Hearts is their most nutty obtuse album. And now you've finished it. Personally I love the madcap controlled chaos of Lighthouse Keepers. One must surrender themselves to it and just enjoy the ride.
This was the first song I listened to from VDGG when I was still listening to random internet radio to find new stuff. It's the song that made me realize what "prog" was, or could be. I think I listened to this song for months before I listened to other VDGG, but I was big into songs at that time, not as much albums. I'd assume you wouldn't like this one, because I can't tolerate most dissonant VDGG until at least like 3 listens, let alone like. Liking maybe around listen 5 and get really into only later. It feels cheap, that some sections feel awesome but others land flat, but that's just because you aren't anticipating the changes, and that takes a while to learn what is coming next and how the tone of the song evolves along its path. Hammill was actually known to have done to vocals what Hendrix did for guitar... pretty wild! No horns in the song!!! The fog horns are actually created by playing 2 sax at the same time! btw there is an amazing live version of this song, 100% worth checking out.
Congratulations on reaching 10 000 subscribers! As for further recommendations, I would recommend one of Peter Hammill's solo albums. (e.g. The Silent Corner and the Empty Stage, The Future Now, PH7, A Black Box) 😎
I first heard this song as a high school senior. I was definitely overwhelmed but I LOVED it right away. Give it time. It’ll sink in more. 11 years later the lyrics have taken on whole newer deeper meanings for me
Many years ago, I got to see Van der Graaf in NYC. It was just the 4 members, no extra usicians to fill out the sound. The sax player totally blew my mind as he was playing 3 saxs at the same time, with the soprano sax for all leads. It's a night I will always remember
Congratulations, Justin, you got most of the meaning of the song on first impact. Great. As usual Peter is telling two storys here: One about a lighthouse keeper watching helplessly two ships collide (the two fog horns at 4:40) due to his fault ("no paraffin for the flame"), after that he jumps / falls into the water and drowns. But this wouldn't be a Peter Hammill song if there wouldn't be a second story behind. It is about guilt and the way dealing with it. The part were the protagonist struggles not to drown shows the inner fights and troubles. The peaceful bit at the end shows a) the real person got saved b) the real person ist drowned (and so found his peace) c) the inner person found a way to arrange himself with his guilt and is peaceful now In an interview Peter left the end open to the listeners choice. Just a rough interpretation of the song. Greetings from Germany
I thought that you would be completely overwhelmed on first listen. We all were. But after forty years, knowing every note and shift, it's still overwhelming. They were dark and claustrophobic in a way that none of the others were and thats what gives them legs.
VDGG's music is like data overload. It took me a long time to peel through all the layers of complexity before I could really appreciate everything going on in songs like this.
If there is a heavier sounding song than Arrow let me know. A lot of metal tries to do what PH can do with this voice. So chilling to hear saxophone take the place of guitar. I really think Justin would love it too since he likes metal.
Justin!!!! You are GREAT!!!! I'm a big fan from VDGG ans Peter solo... This is the first time I see someone listening this song for the firt time and makes such a deep analysis, it's really a very difficult song to "digest" at first listen. Love your channel because of that, big hug!!!
The entire album used to be a kind of bible to me when I was in my late teens. The lyrics are literary gems, profound and inherently life-changing. I saw Peter perform solo in the early eighties. I was in the front row. Suddenly his eyes caught mine and we held each other's gaze for the longest time. I was transfixed for minutes but in the end had to look away. An incredible experience.
First of all, Thank you very much for your daring to add such a artwork to your repertoire. It's like presenting an abstract painting in a photo gallery. You go off the agreed paths and offer on You Tube a unique platform for groups that have marked the world of music ( Otherwise, they would sink into oblivion ...) That being said, I must confess that sometimes I skip certain passages of this allucinating masterpiece. There's a lot to take in, isn't it ? Good job JP
Heard this album when I was about 13 years old. My listening diet at the time was quite eclectic - Zep, Floyd, Yes, ELP, Genesis, GG, Rundgren, Rush................ but nothing prepared me for this ! I immediately loved Man Erg, Lemmings was a bit harder to like and Plague blew mu mind. I found it so far out of the comfort zone that I ended up skipping the scary bits and listening only to the beautiful and haunting melodic passages. After doing this for a few times I listened to it in full again and what a shock - the scary bits were less scary, the melodies more beautiful, the lyrics even more heartrending. Finally it all made complete sense in that I realised that without the scary horrible bits, the beautiful bits were just ''nice'' and you really need the horror to appreciate the good in the song just as is so in real life. From that day, Hammill has always really reached me with his poetry.
First time for me was about 32 years ago, being 17. I already knew Supper's Ready, Tarkus, Echoes and so on, so I was prepared. First impression though: complete maelstrom chaos.
Funny, I listened to it last night. Nice honest review. Definitely not the "comfy chair" of songs but worth the extra effort. Godbluff is more straightforward but still intense. Keep up the good work Justin!
Yes, there's a bit of subtle Robert Fripp guitar here in Lighthouse Keepers. At the end, that's organ though. Hugh Banton is an organ maker by trade, so he can get all kinds of wild sounds out of his.
To answer your question, I kind of did fall in love with it at first because a friend said that if I liked King Crimson I’d love this and he was right. But it still took me several listens to fully appreciate it, so I recommend maybe a long car ride or two to get into the existential solitude of it all.
@@JustJP I’ve been wanting to spend a night at a lighthouse and have become obsessed with lighthouses, in fact, since this song came into my life. It’s also my quarantine theme song lol.
Take your time with this song/album, I had to force myself through several grating listens before it really clicked with me. I couldn't even get through this song on my first listen and even when I did get into side one, this still took me a long while after that. I think the creativity on this album is only paralleled by a few others, Magma? Can maybe? I'm more partial to godbluff, but I think this album is incredible and unlike any other album i've ever heard. But even now that i've really invested a ton of time into this album and I consider it nearly perfect, it's by no means an easy listen.
KooKooTheBirdGirl, Okay, you got it. Ladies and gerbils I hope you are able to Aquire some Taste. We all live in a Glass House. Okay I need a nap now. Hello from Tejas.
Peter Hammill played all the piano on all the VDGG albums and most of the guitar. Amazing composer, musician , lyricist and above all an incredible vocalist
I love this. I only recently started to listen to van der Graaf Generator, heard of them before, but never dug deeper. Now Pawn Hearts is my favorite album at the moment. Three songs. All of them fantastic. I will explore their other albums soon.
Back in the 70's I used to play this to my friends in a dark room accompanied with red wine at least! 😎 Some liked it, some walked out of the room saying that they didn't want to end the evening feeling like wanting to make a suicide 🤣.
I've been listening to A Plague of Lighthouse Keepers (or VdGG in general) for about 20 years now, and I'm afraid I still don't get it! I think that's the secret of why I never tire of VdGG. I can listen to APoLK over and over again and it still feels like the first time!
Thank you, Justin! This may be the most fun I've had watching you listen. I understand your perplexed response, but your talk afterward suggests that you like it more than you may initially think. I read that the band was doing lots of acid at the time of this album. Certainly sounds like it to me. Someone once told me this was the most unhinged music they'd ever heard. There is a fantastic live performance of this from Belgian TV that is readily accessible here on TH-cam. I highly recommend it. Something I'd like to point out is the song's title. We all know now from personal experience that a plague is not a desirable thing, and lighthouse keepers is plural. Could it be that the character depicted here simply wants to face an unfortunate destiny and resents the intervention of those who would save him? Hey, it's Peter Hammill and he's a morbid piece of work, bless him.
I was not one of those petitioning for this; simply because I've never heard it before! Does this mark a major return to aggressively unlistenable, cerebral masterpieces? Hope so, I love it!
Still waiting for my saviour, storms tear me limb from limb; my fingers feel like seaweed...I'm so far out I'm too far in. I am a lonely man, my solitude is true, my eyes have borne stark witness and now my nights are numbered, too.
I've seen the smiles on dead hands, the stars shine, but they're not for me.
I prophesy disaster and then I count the cost... I shine but, shining, dying, I know that I am almost lost. On the table lies blank paper and my tower is built on stone; I only have blunt scissors, I only have the bluntest home. I've been the witnessand the seal of death lingers in the molten wax that is my head.
When you see the skeletons of sailing-ship spars sinking low You'll begin to wonder if the points of all the ancients myths are solemnly directed straight at you...
No time now for contrition, the time for that's long past, the walls are thin as tissue and if I talk I'll crack the glass. So I only think on how it might have been, locked in silent monologue, in silent scream.
I am much too tired to speak and as the waves crash on the bleak stones of the towerI start to freak and find that I am overcome....
(S.H.M.)
"Unreal, unreal" ghost helmsmen scream and fall in through the sky, not breaking through my seagull shrieks -no breaks until I die. The spectres scratch on window-slits, the hollowed faces and mindless grins are only intent on destroying what they've lost.
I crawl the wall till steepness ends in the vertical fall; my pail has sailed into the sea -no joking hopes at dawn. White bone shine in the iron-jaw mask, lost mastheads pierce the freezing dark and parallel my isolated tower... no paraffin for the flame, no harbour left to gain.
(Presence of the night / Kosmos tours)
'Alone, alone' the ghosts all call, pinpoint me in the light. The only life I feel at all is the presence of the night.
Would you cry if I died? Would you catch the final words of mine? Would you catch my words? I know that there's no time, I know that there's no rhyme, false signs find me. I don't want to hate, I just want to grow; why can't I let me live and be free? ...but I die very slowly alone.
I know no more ways, I am so afraid, myself won't let me just be myself and so I am completely alone.
The maelstrom of my memory is a vampire and it feeds on me; now, staggering madly, over the brink I fall.
((Custard's) Last stand)
Lighthouses might house the key but can I reach the door?
I want to walk on the sea so that I may better find a shore; but how can I ever keep my feet dry? I scan the horizon, I must keep my eyes on all parts of me.
Looking back on the years it seems that I have lost my way: lLike a dog in the night I have run to a manger, now I am the stranger I stay in. Ah, well.
All of the grief I have seen leaves me chasing solitary peace; But I hold experience in my head. I'm too close to the light,. I don't think I see right, for I blind me.
(The clot thickens)
Where is the God that guides my hand? How can the hands of others reach me? When will I find what I grope for? Who is going to teach me? I am me / me are we / we can't see any way out of here. Crashing sea, a trophied history: chance has lost my Guinevere...
I don't want to be one wave in the water but sea will drag me deep: one more haggard drowned man.
I can see the lemmings coming, but I know I'm just a man. Do I join or do I founder? Which can is the best I may?
(Land's end (Sineline) / We go now)
Oceans drifting sideways, I am pulled into the spell, I feel you around me, I know you well. Stars slice horizons where the lines stand much too stark; I feel I am drowning - hands stretch in the dark.
Camps of panoply and majesty, what is Freedom of Choice? Where do I stand in the pageantry, whose is my voice? It doesn't feel so very bad now, I think the end is the start, begin to feel very glad now: All things are a part All things are apart All things are a part.
Good work JP. Overwhelmed is exactly how I was first listen, but once I 'got it' after a couple of listens I was and remain in awe of both the ability and imagination of the musicians. Bearing in mind I bought it on its release and after all the years of listening I still find this work just breathtakingly good. I've commented before that this 'song' and this album really are a masterpiece in a world where that term is grossly over used .
Glad you're discovering VDGG! If you enjoy this sort of dark-opera schizophrenic prog stuff, you should definitely touch some of the most profound Italian prog, namely "Introduzione" to album "Ys" by Il Balleto Di Bronzo. Trust me!
For a first listen, I was overwhelmed, too. But I really like the cosmic feel to it, and the chaotic nature of the music creates a strange landscape. I would recommend another cosmic experience - Blows Against The Empire (1970) by Jefferson Starship (Kantner, Frieberg, Slick) - especially "Sunrise / Hijack / Home / Have You Seen The Stars Tonight / X-M / Starship". A bit more acoustic and conventional work, but highly enjoyable.
Plague was the first song I heard of VDGG (the live version) the second song was Theme One. I thought, what are this band they seem so interesting and musically diverse.
Overwhelming, yes. This masterpiece is like a stew or gumbo with (almost) too many ingredients. "Man Erg" is my favorite, "The Sleepwalkers" a close second. There is a live (video) studio version of this and Peter plays the electric piano.
you should do Godbluff next which came 4 years after Pawn Hearts. Its when Van der Graaf Sort of changed their sound a bit into a more harsh and deeper sounding band. Basically Scorched Earth is on the album and the songs sound a bit like that. Only 4 songs. 4 masterpieces. Also you could do their 2nd album (technically their 1st) The least we can do is Wave to each other. Again a great album. Might be a lot more accessible. Amazing songs on there like Darkness, Refugees, WHITE HAMMER and the HEAVY After the Flood. This album sounds a bit like H to He and Pawn Hearts merged.
Peter Hammill went on to become a pioneer of punk rock, admired by Johnny Rotten! Listen to Birthday Special from Nadir's Big Chance. Then, well his solo stuff is just outstanding. Listen to Sitting Targets, especially the title track - just don't try clapping along! :-)
My first listen. Impression: worth another listen (which is high praise from me --I'm not good with first listens). Listening to this a few pieces of the progressive puzzle fell into place. 1. Fish's Marillion is often compared to either Peter Gabriel or Peter Hammill. Definitely the latter after listening to this. 2. Steven Wilson and Porcupine Tree are obviously influenced by this. There's even a section at 3:36 of flute (I think) that sound like a bird. I'm sure Wilson either copied it or sampled it in Voyage 34.
It’s wonderful to see these seminal pieces of music being appreciated by a new generation. My son is also a fan of VDGG, and Man-erg is his favourite track. For me, it would always be Plague, but La Rossa and Still Life (from Still Life) and Sleepwalkers (from Godbluff) come close. Peter Hammill is one of the greatest lyricists in prog. I am also a great fan of Robert Calvert, who unfortunately died at the age of 42 in 1988. His lyrics and concepts compare with those of Hammill, in my humble opinion, if the music is more straightforward, though still compelling. You may want to check out ‘Captain Lockheed and the Starfighters’’ , a concept album which documents the tragic history of the F104G Starfighter and the commercial shenanigans behind it. It’s theme is the seduction of technology and its humour is in the vein of Monty Python. Calvert also worked with Hawkwind, penning many songs based on SF and dystopian themes. You might want to check out Hawkwind’s ‘Astounding Sounds, Amazing Music’, perhaps their most accessible album for first- timers - it is a parody of John Campbell’s ‘Astounding’ magazine from the golden age of science fiction.
Not having an immediate opinion about a song is what makes good prog so good. It's not just some 3 minute pop ditty that tries to please with the first listen. The best stuff stands up to many, many listens (over many years!) and you often find something new in each successive listen. But VdGG is definitely not for everyone (and I agree with the sonic connection to Soft Machine, although some of that is just the era both bands were operating in.) With VdGG the instrumental matrix poses a big, additional challenge to the uninitiated: no guitar, Jaxon's saxes, and Hammill's vocal gymnastics can take some getting used to. But once you get over that hurdle they're an amazingly rewarding band. They might even be the most respected by musicians and even the media. Their recent comeback and albums have been well received and we all hope they'll get through this Covid craziness and be back on stage at some point.
first time listening to this one. like you,totally overwhelmed but it was the most unique sound i heard of my life. how does he come with so much chaotic creativity... i was i a strange trance listeninth to this. it felt so right yet so hard to listen. i'm in love with peter voice whitout any doubt. thank you for all your reactions on overall completely wtf songs man, you really know how to put words into totally strange shits lol cheers mate and thank you for all these discoveries!
If you don't like it, that's because you can't feel the emotion throught the excellence of this music!!! The plague needs a second, third and so for really be IN the music! This is the epitome of the progressive music! Simply the best of the hard work and good vibrations into a poetic affair. A MASTERPIECE WITHOUT A DOUBT! Hear the sax of Jackson at the voice of Hammill and the drum of Evans and the atmospheric sound of Banton... THE album that open minds! ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- I WANT TO TALK ABOUT THE PLAGUE:... This is an undisputed masterpiece of progressive music. There are so many things here turbulent, matamorphosed, echo, infinity ... A surreal and metaphorical text to perfection in a timeless musical mosaic. We are not here in a commercial fresco, but in a MAJOR WORK! I have been listening to this piece for 30 years and it impresses me again and again !!! And Fripp ... where is he? David Jackson did a remarkable job scaring us with his hellish tones! Hugh Banton is at atmospheric summit. Guy Evans is the fast paced freighter sailing the textual waves of Peter Hammill at his best. What a marvelous job on the voices, he transforms them, skilfully kneads them to lead us into an epic and very disturbing world. Truly, The plague of lighthouse keepers is one of the 5 best tracks progressive music has produced. It is uncompromising and in a class of its own. And she ranks very well alongside Supper's ready, Close to the edge, Gates of delirium, Thick as a brick, Echoes, Atom heart mother, Shine on you crazy diamond, Dogs and Starless of this world !!! ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- With Still life & Godbluff, it makes a pecfect listening time. Wine, good tube amp, a full night and... play it LOUD! " ... think that was made in heaven..." like the Miles Kind of blue album! (Y'know that they still a live and well - Present-! Hope they will come in Quebec for some nights: lots of fans here!) Vive VDGG!
This was my first VDGG album, and just handful of albums have changed my understanding and appreciation of music to the degree that Pawn Hearts did. The first listen was overwhelming and 40 years later - for me - it still can be. Can something be 'perfectly overwhelming"? Plague may be just that.
I was overwhelmed the first time I heard it. I do prefer VDGG after this album, in which they had a small break. They're slightly more conventional with 'Godbluff' , 'Still Life' and 'World Record' for the most part. I'm gonna predict you'll prefer that era of VDGG.
Here's another fact about Plague of Lighthouse Keepers, after touring in 1972 they didn't play it in it's entireity again live for over 40 years. I missed the 1972 performances, I was 13 at the time, so didn't get to see them do this live until 2013. I know Jaxon's not with them, but still worth checking out these live performances in Berlin and Prague th-cam.com/video/YtfHCoWK51M/w-d-xo.html th-cam.com/video/ezpP2RVFkt4/w-d-xo.html
You are absolutely true, this is complex music and it take time to assimilate it it's a huge plate of music. Notting to be ashamed of not being hungry enough to take it all on the first try.
And you ask what you should react to next? I know I'm repeating myself, after Lighthouse Keepers you should listen to "A Louse is not a Home" on Peter's solo album The Silent Corner and the Empty Stage. The Wiki about it says Louse "was originally written for Van der Graaf Generator's album following Pawn Hearts, an album that because of the band's split never came to be." And while you're there listen to "Forsaken Gardens"; together with "Man-erg", "Lighthouse Keepers", "Louse" and "House with no Door" these five are my favourites from this period of VDGG. Of course I also love equally most of their songs from the Godbluff, Still Life, World Record period too. One other thing before I go, you mentiond Jaxon's ability to perfectly match what he's playing to what everyone else is doing, but in the song "The Liquidator" Hammill's lyrics about Jaxon are: "always playing too hard, too fast, too soon".
That's not said about Jackson, it's said about all four of them. Here the line in context: "Only playing happy families, maybe playing different tunes, always playing too hard, too fast, too soon". This clearly means all four of them due to the "happy family" reference, which always means a quartet.
Overwhelmed is a good way to put it. Some parts were stunning and some parts to me sounded like the Daleks from Dr Who. This will require more work on my part.
My brain has again been turned, too mash hearing these guys, funnily they actually induce panic attacks, on me. I am holding on and still trying to like em.
Your not done with the album yet don’t forget Theme One which was meant to be on this album it was the US and Canadian releases though, let me be honest it did take time for me to like it. Let me recommend the music documentary of them called Inside Van Der Graaf Generator they talk about every album up to Godbluff. And they’re formation
Interesting fact about "A Plague" - intro to "Voyage 34: Phase I" by Porcupine Tree is sampled from this song. Beside VdGG stuff I hope that you'll find time to do reaction to Peter Hammill's "The Silent Corner and the Empty Stage" solo album (every song is worth to do it) - maybe it's not a masterpiece such as "Pawn Hearts", but you won't regret this.
I feel like I have a super odd take on this song. It was the only song I used to listen to from Pawn Hearts because it had parts I could remember, but as I kept listening to VDGG and eventually started digesting their music better I've found myself to get a lot more out of Lemmings and Man-Erg personally. Althouuugh, this song has given me the strongest goosebumps moments (besides Arrow) and still does when I'm in the right mood, but I also find at least half the sections of the song to be meandering and among their weaker compositions, so I'm split as hell lol
I absorbed this one very quickly... the whole album was like that for me. That's largely because I found VDGG 10 years into my prog journey, and this is the first one I heard. Still my favorite by far. I'd say Godbluff is the next logical step from here, although PH's In Camera is very close to being the VDGG album in between, as they are all on it, and VDGG still performs Gog and Magog.
It is a guitar there. Perhaps even Fripp, I don’t know. Its not the kind of guitar that Peter Hammill would (could) do. But you found that one out. With Hammill its almost always metaphoric.
Makes me think of 'So Said the Lighthouse Keeper' by Klaatu. Yes the music is dense and chaotic with all the changes, very understandable you'd need further listens, I'd think you were lying if you said you got it all on the first exposure to it. I don't always get this band, I'm not into jazz at all but I always feel like they know what they're doing so I have faith in that. They aren't just noodling away randomly, there's a purpose to it.
Plague is a monster prog piece... Trust me; IT'S AMAZING! Hammill is the most profound writer in prog...Overwhelmed is EXACTLY how you should feel...It staggered me on my first listen, all so many years ago...The live version of this is very cool.
I agree, the songwriting is exceptionally strong
@@JustJP :)...You'll be haunted by the song when you hear it again, or, you may already be haunted... The ending words are so profound and yet simple;
All things are a part
All things are apart
All Things are a part.
The layers of that simple statement are sublime....:)
@@godbluffvdgg so so so true Rob
VDGG and Peter Hammill goes beyond music. It's pure feeling. It is sincerity and honesty in conveying love and hate, joy and fear, anger, loneliness, madness, chaos, affection, hope and misery, nonsense ... It is a journey through the confines of human feelings.
100%
CONGATS YOU FINALLY DID IT. This album had been one of the albums I’ve been listening to a lot during lockdown
There are two different foghorns, so I gather it's two ships with two different foghorns colliding in the fog.
That solo at the end is NOT guitar, it is Hugh Banton on the organ. Trust me on that; I read the VdGG book. But Hugh perfectly imitates a Robert Fripp guitar solo on the organ. He fooled me as well.
We are not surprised you are overwhelmed; it is an overwhelming song. But we are certain you will love it once you get used to it.
Note the little wordplay at the end: "All things are a part. All things are apart". They are all parts of a greater thing, but that greater thing is now broken into pieces.
Robert Fripp is on this album.
@@shyshift Yes, but he does not play in the "We Go Now" passage. He plays in the passage "Presence of the Night".
@@BaldJean thanks
What VDGG book is this? I'd love to get a copy.
The guy in this video has a copy of this book and shows it at 7:45. th-cam.com/video/SLgm9JAbyVE/w-d-xo.html Just so you know what to expect.
The first time I heard this song I couldn't talk. exceptional beyond words.
Masterpiece
This is my go-to 2020 quarantine song and now that you’ve heard it, it will haunt you for the rest of your days. Existential loneliness and dread with a sprinkling of hope and contentment. Who could ask for more? I highly recommend the song and album “Still Life” next. More sublime stuff with soaring Peter Hammill lyrics.
50 years later and it still haunts me. I really like their other albums especially the one before this one but Pawn Hearts, Yeah the killer lives inside me.
I've stopped the video when you asked what we'd think of what your reaction will be.... I'm sure you'll be 100 % enchanted and impressed. I"ve read it in your eyes during the playing. You were happily amazed and surprised a few times, at the beginnings of some sections. This song is so intensive, so emotional that it's almost unbearable to listen to it, and that is why people who seeks only entertainment in music don't appreciate such kind of music. Peter didn't do any compromise in this song. He and the band hits you hard with pure emotion, for more than 22 minutes, with no restrain of any kind. There are so many good things in this song: the 4 or 5 different ways to sing (and shout ...) of Peter, all wonderful and so dramatic, the drumming, especially in the slow sections (classical bolero drumming style), the haunting sax and keys, the majesty of two slow sections etc. One of the best symphonic prog suites. A masterpiece.
This is one of my favourite VDGG pieces, but it took me such a long time to find my way into it. It IS overwhelming. Peter Hammill has so many voices. I used to think they had two singers.
I really enjoy watching you taking time to listen and react to some of my favourite music. Your expressions of wonder and surprise on this one are priceless.
Ty!
There is a great balance and contrast between the cahotic and the classically harmonious. The moments of instabilty, dissonance and rythmic complexity make the more traditionnal melodies and harmonies sound even more beautiful.
I completely agree with you, but that's because the name of the group was chosen completely in accordance with the music they create. If you are familiar with the working principle of the VdG generator, then everything is clear and consistent...One of the many songs of my favorite group from my youth and now that I am 70 years old.
It’s very impressive that you even reacted to this song at all, and you did a really good job. The first time I heard this song I was in an altered state and it scared the daylights out of me. This band and this album really pushed the envelope beyond the limits of what others were doing. Possibly the best prog album, definitely the most wildly psychedelic and emotionally wrenching album of the era. Thanks JP. Your content is A+.
Ty! I can imagine this being terrifying in the right circumstances
It takes a couple of listens but it is a masterpiece that grows on you. I was listening to Godbluff last night, The Sleepwalkers is a favourite from that great album. It's great that you are persevering with VDGG, that's a pretty good summing up for a first listen, good stuff JP.
Arrow is master piece in godbluff album for me
OMG every time I hear this I think....Echoes....Supper's Ready....Awaken....Ocean Cloud....A Plague of Lighthouse Keepers....throw a hat over 'em This could be the best Thanks Justin
forgot grendel also by marillion
If I remember, I was overwhelmed by this track for the first three listens...then on the fourth run through, I'd assimilated enough of it to floor me. :)
I don't know whether you caught this. But the last line of the song is written two ways:
"All things are a part
All things are apart"
It's a great bit of ambiguity.
Your reflections took me back me back many years.
Ty for watching John!
OMG, you found Van Der Graaf. Enjoy the trip down that rabbit hole!
Peter Hammill, interviewed by Sounds, said: "It's just the story of the lighthouse keeper, that's it on its basic level. And there's the narrative about his guilt and his complexes about seeing people die and letting people die, and not being able to help. In the end - well, it doesn't really have an end, it's really up to you to decide. He either kills himself, or he rationalises it all and can live in peace... Then on the psychic/religious level it's about him coming to terms with himself, and at the end there is either him losing it all completely to insanity, or transcendence; it's either way at the end... And then it's also about the individual coming to terms with society - that's the third level..."
It definitely took a few listens to be able to wholly appreciate the suite in it’s entirety, but I also find the songs that do require this of me to be the ones that really stick with me through the years instead of becoming more forgettable and boring.
The same goes with Close to the Edge, as a familiar example. I just couldn’t wrap my head around the first part to begin with, but on my fifth listen or so it finally clicked and it was just great!
Good point. Gotta wait for that "click" sometimes
This the anti-Supper's Ready. Hammil sings of loneliness, looking at a meaningless universe in which "all things are appart". Then Gabriel and Genesis respond with a mystical love song and their transcendant call to "go back home to the new Jerusalem". I love both those brilliant and epic songs although they stand on opposite sides of a massive philosophical debate!
Genesis were actually inspired to create "Supper's Ready" by this song.
..or "all things are a_ part" !
@@lemming9984 There is even more meaning in it than you might think. The German word "apart" means "of strange or special appeal".
Fascinating!❤
Thanks, JP, for another intro to VDGG. I suspect that the band will be an acquired taste for me, like ELP was. It's good to hear the songs on your channel and get your analysis that helps me note the subtleties. I did like the organ segment and the vocal drum/sax/segment. I think it's the vocals that put me off most of the time, like Azureth. I'm game to keep experiencing and learning. Congrats on getting to 10K! Thanks for becoming a regular part of my viewing day.
For me, I have the same problem but with Jethro Tull, I have nothing against their music, it’s Ian Anderson vocals that put me off, but I like Peter Hammill vocals no problems 😉
Thank you so much David!
absolute masterpiece. "plague..." is like "supper's ready" for genesis or "close to the edge" for yes
Holy Trinity of prog!!!!!!... followed by echoes, TAAB, tarkus, 2112...
For me as a diehard 70s-era prog fan, a great prog album has always been hard, if not impossible, to even begin to assimilate and appreciate on first listen. It was probably during my third or fourth listen to the particular piece that it finally hit me just how great it is and how moving that it was for me. Especially that triumphant finale, which I think is an amazing climax to what is basically a medley of stunning song segments drawn together into a cornucopia of musical delights.
The next song to listen too after this, in my view, should be A Louse is not a Home, on one of Hammil's solo albums. He pushes the loneliness into isolation and the nihilism into despair. One of the most poignant and powerful songs I have ever heard.
I agree, A Louse is not a Home should be the next song in is VDGG/Hammil reaction
not Chameleon??
@@EBFido1973 my personal all time favourite but I would like to see him review Modern. Love to all Hammill fans
@@EBFido1973 Yes, definitely! ♫ There is a lofty, lonely, Lohengrinic castle in the clouds ♫
I didn't really like it at first listen, but there was something that had me coming back time and time again, and then it just clicked. Never thought i would like it, but i did apparently
After seeing the chalk board behind you i am IMMEDIATELY subscribing. Nothing like some great reactions to prog rock
Ty Paul 😄
Don't worry this song took me years to appreciate it for real! I must say at the time I wasn't too experienced with prog rock so this was quite a shock to listen at. But after a couple of years I gave another possibility to this album and man, I actually gradually fell in love with Van Der Graaf.
Congratulations! You've just listened to your first VdGG album. I think it's too much to take in on a first listen. Almost none of us understood 'Plague' on the first listen. BUT - these are albums and meant to be heard that way. The prog albums of the 70's weren't made for radio they were made for the 45 minute album experience. Had you heard Lemmings then Man-Erg then Plague back to back to back all in one sitting - then you more appreciate or are more able to catch on to what VdGG's all about. When you hear Lemmings then a month later Man-erg and then another month later Plague - you're almost starting back at square one. ****** Plus one foghorn sound was one ship - the other foghorn was another ship. TWO SHIPS CRASHED INTO EACH OTHER and the lighthouse keeper wasn't able to alert the ships from avoiding the crashing of the ships. Because of this the lighthouse keeper goes mad.
👍👍
@@HippoYnYGlaw Yes - that's Zaragon - he's into the deep prog that I like as well. Thx for the shout out.
Hey looks like you’re up to 10k, congrats! And your wise men don’t know how it feels to be thick as a brick.....
He's doing part 1 saturday and part 2 sunday : )
The wiseman breaks wind and is gone...
What a great line😅
Still Life is their most elegant refined album. I think you'll have no problem getting into it. Pawn Hearts is their most nutty obtuse album. And now you've finished it.
Personally I love the madcap controlled chaos of Lighthouse Keepers. One must surrender themselves to it and just enjoy the ride.
This was the first song I listened to from VDGG when I was still listening to random internet radio to find new stuff. It's the song that made me realize what "prog" was, or could be. I think I listened to this song for months before I listened to other VDGG, but I was big into songs at that time, not as much albums.
I'd assume you wouldn't like this one, because I can't tolerate most dissonant VDGG until at least like 3 listens, let alone like. Liking maybe around listen 5 and get really into only later. It feels cheap, that some sections feel awesome but others land flat, but that's just because you aren't anticipating the changes, and that takes a while to learn what is coming next and how the tone of the song evolves along its path.
Hammill was actually known to have done to vocals what Hendrix did for guitar... pretty wild!
No horns in the song!!! The fog horns are actually created by playing 2 sax at the same time!
btw there is an amazing live version of this song, 100% worth checking out.
JP, you have done this piece justice.
Ty Carlo! Glad you enjoyed the video
What a way to start a weekend! First Carry On and then VDGG's masterpiece! And Thick as a Brick tomorrow & on Sunday. Great!
Ty! TaaB will be next week though, im editing 🙃
Congratulations on reaching 10 000 subscribers! As for further recommendations, I would recommend one of Peter Hammill's solo albums. (e.g. The Silent Corner and the Empty Stage, The Future Now, PH7, A Black Box) 😎
The Storm (Before the Calm) from 1993. He screams his lungs out. Also a brilliant album.
I first heard this song as a high school senior. I was definitely overwhelmed but I LOVED it right away. Give it time. It’ll sink in more. 11 years later the lyrics have taken on whole newer deeper meanings for me
Many years ago, I got to see Van der Graaf in NYC. It was just the 4 members, no extra usicians to fill out the sound. The sax player totally blew my mind as he was playing 3 saxs at the same time, with the soprano sax for all leads. It's a night I will always remember
Sounds incredible Jacobs!
Congratulations, Justin, you got most of the meaning of the song on first impact. Great.
As usual Peter is telling two storys here: One about a lighthouse keeper watching helplessly two ships collide (the two fog horns at 4:40) due to his fault ("no paraffin for the flame"), after that he jumps / falls into the water and drowns. But this wouldn't be a Peter Hammill song if there wouldn't be a second story behind. It is about guilt and the way dealing with it. The part were the protagonist struggles not to drown shows the inner fights and troubles. The peaceful bit at the end shows
a) the real person got saved
b) the real person ist drowned (and so found his peace)
c) the inner person found a way to arrange himself with his guilt and is peaceful now
In an interview Peter left the end open to the listeners choice.
Just a rough interpretation of the song.
Greetings from Germany
I thought that you would be completely overwhelmed on first listen. We all were. But after forty years, knowing every note and shift, it's still overwhelming. They were dark and claustrophobic in a way that none of the others were and thats what gives them legs.
VDGG's music is like data overload. It took me a long time to peel through all the layers of complexity before I could really appreciate everything going on in songs like this.
This is my fav album from them
now its time for may fav song : Arrow
I hope you could do the Godbluff as soon as possible
If there is a heavier sounding song than Arrow let me know. A lot of metal tries to do what PH can do with this voice. So chilling to hear saxophone take the place of guitar. I really think Justin would love it too since he likes metal.
Justin!!!! You are GREAT!!!! I'm a big fan from VDGG ans Peter solo... This is the first time I see someone listening this song for the firt time and makes such a deep analysis, it's really a very difficult song to "digest" at first listen. Love your channel because of that, big hug!!!
Ty so much Ono!
The entire album used to be a kind of bible to me when I was in my late teens. The lyrics are literary gems, profound and inherently life-changing. I saw Peter perform solo in the early eighties. I was in the front row. Suddenly his eyes caught mine and we held each other's gaze for the longest time. I was transfixed for minutes but in the end had to look away. An incredible experience.
Sweet, have not played this LP in a few years, what a pleasant find today on your channel!
I personally thanked David Jackson for that fog horn section :)
Wow!
First of all, Thank you very much for your daring to add such a artwork to your repertoire. It's like presenting an abstract painting in a photo gallery. You go off the agreed paths and offer on You Tube a unique platform for groups that have marked the world of music ( Otherwise, they would sink into oblivion ...) That being said, I must confess that sometimes I skip certain passages of this allucinating masterpiece. There's a lot to take in, isn't it ? Good job JP
Ty Yves! It really is😃
Heard this album when I was about 13 years old. My listening diet at the time was quite eclectic - Zep, Floyd, Yes, ELP, Genesis, GG, Rundgren, Rush................ but nothing prepared me for this !
I immediately loved Man Erg, Lemmings was a bit harder to like and Plague blew mu mind. I found it so far out of the comfort zone that I ended up skipping the scary bits and listening only to the beautiful and haunting melodic passages.
After doing this for a few times I listened to it in full again and what a shock - the scary bits were less scary, the melodies more beautiful, the lyrics even more heartrending. Finally it all made complete sense in that I realised that without the scary horrible bits, the beautiful bits were just ''nice'' and you really need the horror to appreciate the good in the song just as is so in real life.
From that day, Hammill has always really reached me with his poetry.
The bit where the sax sounds come in is just epic!.
First time for me was about 32 years ago, being 17. I already knew Supper's Ready, Tarkus, Echoes and so on, so I was prepared. First impression though: complete maelstrom chaos.
Funny, I listened to it last night. Nice honest review. Definitely not the "comfy chair" of songs but worth the extra effort. Godbluff is more straightforward but still intense. Keep up the good work Justin!
Ty Mark!
Yes, there's a bit of subtle Robert Fripp guitar here in Lighthouse Keepers. At the end, that's organ though. Hugh Banton is an organ maker by trade, so he can get all kinds of wild sounds out of his.
Yes; Fripp appears in the "Presence of the Night" section.
@@BaldJean Hey, I remember seeing you on the Progarchives forums back in the day. Cheers.
@@TrevRockOne Hello! We still attend this forum.
To answer your question, I kind of did fall in love with it at first because a friend said that if I liked King Crimson I’d love this and he was right. But it still took me several listens to fully appreciate it, so I recommend maybe a long car ride or two to get into the existential solitude of it all.
Maybe ill have to spend a night at a lighthouse
Worth it!!!
@@JustJP I’ve been wanting to spend a night at a lighthouse and have become obsessed with lighthouses, in fact, since this song came into my life. It’s also my quarantine theme song lol.
Take your time with this song/album, I had to force myself through several grating listens before it really clicked with me. I couldn't even get through this song on my first listen and even when I did get into side one, this still took me a long while after that. I think the creativity on this album is only paralleled by a few others, Magma? Can maybe? I'm more partial to godbluff, but I think this album is incredible and unlike any other album i've ever heard. But even now that i've really invested a ton of time into this album and I consider it nearly perfect, it's by no means an easy listen.
Hell yeah, let's gooooo.
PH is such a gifted man. This track shows it big time.
Also, at the risk of repeating myself: More Gentle Giant please! ;-)
Yes! “Free Hand” would be a really fun listen!!
KooKooTheBirdGirl, Yes the entire lp.
@@Claytone-Records since we’re going full on crazy, how about the entire Octopus album?
KooKooTheBirdGirl, Okay, you got it. Ladies and gerbils I hope you are able to Aquire some Taste. We all live in a Glass House. Okay I need a nap now. Hello from Tejas.
Peter Hammill played all the piano on all the VDGG albums and most of the guitar. Amazing composer, musician , lyricist and above all an incredible vocalist
Very well rounded and exceptional man
Almost all piano. In the "Maelstrom" section of "A Plague of Lighthouse Keepers" all four banged away on pianos.
@@BaldJean Haha yea I forgot that. Nice one
I love this. I only recently started to listen to van der Graaf Generator, heard of them before, but never dug deeper. Now Pawn Hearts is my favorite album at the moment. Three songs. All of them fantastic. I will explore their other albums soon.
This is one of my favorite prog epics, along with Karn Evil 9, Supper’s Ready, and Close to the Edge. It’s just mind-boggling.
It really is!
Great review! Good to nod along with you!
Ty Marc!
Back in the 70's I used to play this to my friends in a dark room accompanied with red wine at least! 😎 Some liked it, some walked out of the room saying that they didn't want to end the evening feeling like wanting to make a suicide 🤣.
Lol!
“A day without sunshine is like, you know, night.”
― Steve Martin
I've been listening to A Plague of Lighthouse Keepers (or VdGG in general) for about 20 years now, and I'm afraid I still don't get it! I think that's the secret of why I never tire of VdGG. I can listen to APoLK over and over again and it still feels like the first time!
Peter Hamill just goes up and up and up. Amazing.
Thank you, Justin! This may be the most fun I've had watching you listen. I understand your perplexed response, but your talk afterward suggests that you like it more than you may initially think. I read that the band was doing lots of acid at the time of this album. Certainly sounds like it to me. Someone once told me this was the most unhinged music they'd ever heard. There is a fantastic live performance of this from Belgian TV that is readily accessible here on TH-cam. I highly recommend it. Something I'd like to point out is the song's title. We all know now from personal experience that a plague is not a desirable thing, and lighthouse keepers is plural. Could it be that the character depicted here simply wants to face an unfortunate destiny and resents the intervention of those who would save him? Hey, it's Peter Hammill and he's a morbid piece of work, bless him.
Ty so much Carrie, great point about the title
I was not one of those petitioning for this; simply because I've never heard it before! Does this mark a major return to aggressively unlistenable, cerebral masterpieces? Hope so, I love it!
Still waiting for my saviour, storms tear me limb from limb;
my fingers feel like seaweed...I'm so far out I'm too far in.
I am a lonely man, my solitude is true,
my eyes have borne stark witness
and now my nights are numbered, too.
I've seen the smiles on dead hands,
the stars shine, but they're not for me.
I prophesy disaster and then I count the cost...
I shine but, shining, dying, I know that I am almost lost.
On the table lies blank paper and my tower is built on stone;
I only have blunt scissors, I only have the bluntest home.
I've been the witnessand the seal of death
lingers in the molten wax that is my head.
When you see the skeletons
of sailing-ship spars sinking low
You'll begin to wonder if the points of all the ancients myths
are solemnly directed straight at you...
No time now for contrition, the time for that's long past,
the walls are thin as tissue and if I talk I'll crack the glass.
So I only think on how it might have been,
locked in silent monologue, in silent scream.
I am much too tired to speak
and as the waves crash on the bleak
stones of the towerI start to freak
and find that I am overcome....
(S.H.M.)
"Unreal, unreal" ghost helmsmen scream and fall in through the sky,
not breaking through my seagull shrieks -no breaks until I die.
The spectres scratch on window-slits,
the hollowed faces and mindless grins
are only intent on destroying what they've lost.
I crawl the wall till steepness ends in the vertical fall;
my pail has sailed into the sea -no joking hopes at dawn.
White bone shine in the iron-jaw mask,
lost mastheads pierce the freezing dark
and parallel my isolated tower...
no paraffin for the flame,
no harbour left to gain.
(Presence of the night / Kosmos tours)
'Alone, alone' the ghosts all call,
pinpoint me in the light.
The only life I feel at all
is the presence of the night.
Would you cry if I died?
Would you catch the final words of mine?
Would you catch my words?
I know that there's no time,
I know that there's no rhyme,
false signs find me.
I don't want to hate, I just want to grow;
why can't I let me live and be free?
...but I die very slowly alone.
I know no more ways, I am so afraid,
myself won't let me just be myself
and so I am completely alone.
The maelstrom of my memory
is a vampire and it feeds on me;
now, staggering madly, over the brink I fall.
((Custard's) Last stand)
Lighthouses might house the key but can I reach the door?
I want to walk on the sea so that I may better find a shore;
but how can I ever keep my feet dry?
I scan the horizon,
I must keep my eyes on all parts of me.
Looking back on the years it seems that I have lost my way:
lLike a dog in the night I have run to a manger,
now I am the stranger I stay in.
Ah, well.
All of the grief I have seen leaves me chasing solitary peace;
But I hold experience in my head.
I'm too close to the light,.
I don't think I see right, for I blind me.
(The clot thickens)
Where is the God that guides my hand?
How can the hands of others reach me?
When will I find what I grope for?
Who is going to teach me?
I am me / me are we / we can't see
any way out of here.
Crashing sea, a trophied history:
chance has lost my Guinevere...
I don't want to be one wave in the water
but sea will drag me deep:
one more haggard drowned man.
I can see the lemmings coming, but I know I'm just a man.
Do I join or do I founder? Which can is the best I may?
(Land's end (Sineline) / We go now)
Oceans drifting sideways, I am pulled into the spell,
I feel you around me, I know you well.
Stars slice horizons where the lines stand much too stark;
I feel I am drowning - hands stretch in the dark.
Camps of panoply and majesty, what is Freedom of Choice?
Where do I stand in the pageantry, whose is my voice?
It doesn't feel so very bad now, I think the end is the start,
begin to feel very glad now:
All things are a part
All things are apart
All things are a part.
Such an interesting song
Good work JP. Overwhelmed is exactly how I was first listen, but once I 'got it' after a couple of listens I was and remain in awe of both the ability and imagination of the musicians. Bearing in mind I bought it on its release and after all the years of listening I still find this work just breathtakingly good. I've commented before that this 'song' and this album really are a masterpiece in a world where that term is grossly over used .
Glad you're discovering VDGG! If you enjoy this sort of dark-opera schizophrenic prog stuff, you should definitely touch some of the most profound Italian prog, namely "Introduzione" to album "Ys" by Il Balleto Di Bronzo. Trust me!
For a first listen, I was overwhelmed, too. But I really like the cosmic feel to it, and the chaotic nature of the music creates a strange landscape.
I would recommend another cosmic experience - Blows Against The Empire (1970) by Jefferson Starship (Kantner, Frieberg, Slick) - especially "Sunrise / Hijack / Home / Have You Seen The Stars Tonight / X-M / Starship". A bit more acoustic and conventional work, but highly enjoyable.
Great Review!! VGG!! To me, they are like punk rock prog!! "A Plague Of Lighthouse Keepers" could be a great modern suspense horror film, No??
Definitely!
Plague was the first song I heard of VDGG (the live version) the second song was Theme One. I thought, what are this band they seem so interesting and musically diverse.
Overwhelming, yes. This masterpiece is like a stew or gumbo with (almost) too many ingredients. "Man Erg" is my favorite, "The Sleepwalkers" a close second. There is a live (video) studio version of this and Peter plays the electric piano.
you should do Godbluff next which came 4 years after Pawn Hearts. Its when Van der Graaf Sort of changed their sound a bit into a more harsh and deeper sounding band. Basically Scorched Earth is on the album and the songs sound a bit like that. Only 4 songs. 4 masterpieces.
Also you could do their 2nd album (technically their 1st) The least we can do is Wave to each other. Again a great album. Might be a lot more accessible. Amazing songs on there like Darkness, Refugees, WHITE HAMMER and the HEAVY After the Flood. This album sounds a bit like H to He and Pawn Hearts merged.
I think it would blow your mind
Peter Hammill went on to become a pioneer of punk rock, admired by Johnny Rotten! Listen to Birthday Special from Nadir's Big Chance. Then, well his solo stuff is just outstanding. Listen to Sitting Targets, especially the title track - just don't try clapping along! :-)
My first listen. Impression: worth another listen (which is high praise from me --I'm not good with first listens). Listening to this a few pieces of the progressive puzzle fell into place. 1. Fish's Marillion is often compared to either Peter Gabriel or Peter Hammill. Definitely the latter after listening to this. 2. Steven Wilson and Porcupine Tree are obviously influenced by this. There's even a section at 3:36 of flute (I think) that sound like a bird. I'm sure Wilson either copied it or sampled it in Voyage 34.
Welcome to the VDGG club.
It’s wonderful to see these seminal pieces of music being appreciated by a new generation. My son is also a fan of VDGG, and Man-erg is his favourite track. For me, it would always be Plague, but La Rossa and Still Life (from
Still Life) and Sleepwalkers (from Godbluff) come close.
Peter Hammill is one of the greatest lyricists in prog. I am also a great fan of Robert Calvert, who unfortunately died at the age of 42 in 1988. His lyrics and concepts compare with those of Hammill, in my humble opinion, if the music is more straightforward, though still compelling. You may want to check out ‘Captain Lockheed and the Starfighters’’ , a concept album which documents the tragic history of the F104G Starfighter and the commercial shenanigans behind it. It’s theme is the seduction of technology and its humour is in the vein of Monty Python. Calvert also worked with Hawkwind, penning many songs based on SF and dystopian themes. You might want to check out Hawkwind’s ‘Astounding Sounds, Amazing Music’, perhaps their most accessible album for first- timers - it is a parody of John Campbell’s ‘Astounding’ magazine from the golden age of science fiction.
Ty so much Tom!
Not having an immediate opinion about a song is what makes good prog so good. It's not just some 3 minute pop ditty that tries to please with the first listen. The best stuff stands up to many, many listens (over many years!) and you often find something new in each successive listen.
But VdGG is definitely not for everyone (and I agree with the sonic connection to Soft Machine, although some of that is just the era both bands were operating in.) With VdGG the instrumental matrix poses a big, additional challenge to the uninitiated: no guitar, Jaxon's saxes, and Hammill's vocal gymnastics can take some getting used to.
But once you get over that hurdle they're an amazingly rewarding band. They might even be the most respected by musicians and even the media. Their recent comeback and albums have been well received and we all hope they'll get through this Covid craziness and be back on stage at some point.
first time listening to this one. like you,totally overwhelmed but it was the most unique sound i heard of my life. how does he come with so much chaotic creativity... i was i a strange trance listeninth to this. it felt so right yet so hard to listen. i'm in love with peter voice whitout any doubt. thank you for all your reactions on overall completely wtf songs man, you really know how to put words into totally strange shits lol cheers mate and thank you for all these discoveries!
Very very unique indeed!
If you don't like it, that's because you can't feel the emotion throught the excellence of this music!!!
The plague needs a second, third and so for really be IN the music!
This is the epitome of the progressive music!
Simply the best of the hard work and good vibrations into a poetic affair. A MASTERPIECE
WITHOUT A DOUBT! Hear the sax of Jackson at the voice of Hammill and the drum of
Evans and the atmospheric sound of Banton... THE album that open minds!
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I WANT TO TALK ABOUT THE PLAGUE:...
This is an undisputed masterpiece of progressive music. There are so many things here turbulent, matamorphosed, echo, infinity ...
A surreal and metaphorical text to perfection in a timeless musical mosaic.
We are not here in a commercial fresco, but in a MAJOR WORK! I have been listening to this piece for 30 years and it impresses me again and again !!!
And Fripp ... where is he? David Jackson did a remarkable job scaring us with his hellish tones! Hugh Banton is at atmospheric summit. Guy Evans is the fast paced freighter sailing the textual waves of Peter Hammill at his best. What a marvelous job on the voices, he transforms them, skilfully kneads them to lead us into an epic and very disturbing world.
Truly, The plague of lighthouse keepers is one of the 5 best tracks progressive music has produced. It is uncompromising and in a class of its own.
And she ranks very well alongside Supper's ready, Close to the edge, Gates of delirium, Thick as a brick, Echoes, Atom heart mother, Shine on you crazy diamond, Dogs and Starless of this world !!!
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With Still life & Godbluff, it makes a pecfect listening time.
Wine, good tube amp, a full night and... play it LOUD! "
... think that was made in heaven..." like the Miles Kind of blue album!
(Y'know that they still a live and well - Present-! Hope they will come in Quebec for some
nights: lots of fans here!)
Vive VDGG!
I like their song KILLER
There is certianly some guitar in 'Presence of the Night', played by Robert Fripp of King Crimson.
This was my first VDGG album, and just handful of albums have changed my understanding and appreciation of music to the degree that Pawn Hearts did. The first listen was overwhelming and 40 years later - for me - it still can be. Can something be 'perfectly overwhelming"? Plague may be just that.
Absolutely
I was overwhelmed the first time I heard it.
I do prefer VDGG after this album, in which they had a small break. They're slightly more conventional with 'Godbluff' , 'Still Life' and 'World Record' for the most part.
I'm gonna predict you'll prefer that era of VDGG.
Here's another fact about Plague of Lighthouse Keepers, after touring in 1972 they didn't play it in it's entireity again live for over 40 years. I missed the 1972 performances, I was 13 at the time, so didn't get to see them do this live until 2013. I know Jaxon's not with them, but still worth checking out these live performances in Berlin and Prague th-cam.com/video/YtfHCoWK51M/w-d-xo.html
th-cam.com/video/ezpP2RVFkt4/w-d-xo.html
You are absolutely true, this is complex music and it take time to assimilate it it's a huge plate of music. Notting to be ashamed of not being hungry enough to take it all on the first try.
Ty Sylvain, taking my time to digest lol
Keep the VDGG going please! What a trip! The next albums, Godbluff and Still Life are their masterpieces imo. Very mature albums!
Watch the live version of this from 1972
And you ask what you should react to next? I know I'm repeating myself, after Lighthouse Keepers you should listen to "A Louse is not a Home" on Peter's solo album The Silent Corner and the Empty Stage. The Wiki about it says Louse "was originally written for Van der Graaf Generator's album following Pawn Hearts, an album that because of the band's split never came to be." And while you're there listen to "Forsaken Gardens"; together with "Man-erg", "Lighthouse Keepers", "Louse" and "House with no Door" these five are my favourites from this period of VDGG. Of course I also love equally most of their songs from the Godbluff, Still Life, World Record period too.
One other thing before I go, you mentiond Jaxon's ability to perfectly match what he's playing to what everyone else is doing, but in the song "The Liquidator" Hammill's lyrics about Jaxon are: "always playing too hard, too fast, too soon".
That's not said about Jackson, it's said about all four of them. Here the line in context: "Only playing happy families, maybe playing different tunes, always playing too hard, too fast, too soon". This clearly means all four of them due to the "happy family" reference, which always means a quartet.
Overwhelmed is a good way to put it. Some parts were stunning and some parts to me sounded like the Daleks from Dr Who. This will require more work on my part.
My brain has again been turned, too mash hearing these guys, funnily they actually induce panic attacks, on me. I am holding on and still trying to like em.
Your not done with the album yet don’t forget Theme One which was meant to be on this album it was the US and Canadian releases though, let me be honest it did take time for me to like it. Let me recommend the music documentary of them called Inside Van Der Graaf Generator they talk about every album up to Godbluff. And they’re formation
Interesting fact about "A Plague" - intro to "Voyage 34: Phase I" by Porcupine Tree is sampled from this song.
Beside VdGG stuff I hope that you'll find time to do reaction to Peter Hammill's "The Silent Corner and the Empty Stage" solo album (every song is worth to do it) - maybe it's not a masterpiece such as "Pawn Hearts", but you won't regret this.
It also samples As the Bell Rings the Maypole Spins by Dead Can Dance, worth checking out too
It also samples As the Bell Rings the Maypole Spins by Dead Can Dance, worth checking out too
I feel like I have a super odd take on this song. It was the only song I used to listen to from Pawn Hearts because it had parts I could remember, but as I kept listening to VDGG and eventually started digesting their music better I've found myself to get a lot more out of Lemmings and Man-Erg personally. Althouuugh, this song has given me the strongest goosebumps moments (besides Arrow) and still does when I'm in the right mood, but I also find at least half the sections of the song to be meandering and among their weaker compositions, so I'm split as hell lol
I absorbed this one very quickly... the whole album was like that for me. That's largely because I found VDGG 10 years into my prog journey, and this is the first one I heard. Still my favorite by far. I'd say Godbluff is the next logical step from here, although PH's In Camera is very close to being the VDGG album in between, as they are all on it, and VDGG still performs Gog and Magog.
It is a guitar there. Perhaps even Fripp, I don’t know. Its not the kind of guitar that Peter Hammill would (could) do. But you found that one out.
With Hammill its almost always metaphoric.
Trust me, it is an organ. I read the VdGG book.
I was sure you were going to love it.
Makes me think of 'So Said the Lighthouse Keeper' by Klaatu.
Yes the music is dense and chaotic with all the changes, very understandable you'd need further listens, I'd think you were lying if you said you got it all on the first exposure to it. I don't always get this band, I'm not into jazz at all but I always feel like they know what they're doing so I have faith in that. They aren't just noodling away randomly, there's a purpose to it.
There’s a house with no room and I’m living there...