 | The least we can do is wave to each other (1970)Genres: progressive rock |
review by daniel
This is not Van der Graaf Generator in their prime. It is their first record, if you disregard “Aerosol Grey Machine” that was intended to be a solo effort from Hammill, and it is a fumbling effort. Hammill has not yet matured as a songwriter and Jackson does not seem to be fully integrated in the band (he joined a couple of months before the recording took place). As a result there are only hints of the trademarks that make Vdgg unique (and great). The sax is wimpy in places and Hammill even plays guitar on some parts that would have suited Jackson better. The poor sound quality does not help either (listen to the drums on “White Hammer”).
“Darkness (11/11)” is the best song of the album and it actually sounds like Vdgg thanks to its heaviness and dark atmosphere, not to mention the saxes. “Refugees” is Vdgg’s greatest hit, peaking at an impressive 47th place in the UK chart. It is a nice tune driven by light and tasteful flute, cello and organ, along with Hammill’s prettiest vocals. I don’t know about you but I don’t want my Vdgg to be nice. There are plenty of bands that can fill that spot while few, if any, can replace the Vdgg present on later recordings.
Buy this only if you are a Vdgg fanatic.
 | H to He who am the Only One (1971)Genres: progressive rock, dark progressive |
review by daniel
With David Jackson (and his saxes) fully integrated and stronger song material, Van der Graaf Generator came up with their first classic album. The first side contains three good tracks. “Killer” is a rocking track built on a catchy sax riff and “House with no Door” is a calm track driven by flute and piano. The next track, “The Emperor in his War-Room”, has alternating calm and energetic moments and Fripp contributing with a guitar solo.
On the second side things really improve from good to great. It consists of two long tracks; “Lost” and “Pioneers Over c.”. Both are brilliant. “Lost” is a melancholic piece with superb and moody sax work from Jackson (just listen to that ominous baritone sax hissing in the background). It also features some quirky instrumental parts that abruptly breaks the pace of the song. I don't know what they are supposed to symbolise; it sounds great but it sure does not sound like a “Dance in Sand and Sea” or “Dance in the Frost”, as suggested by the subtitles of the song.
“Pioneers Over c.” is an attempt to write a science fiction story about space travellers getting lost in space. It wouldn't surprise me if it is intended to be yet another allegory about isolation and loss, though. If that is the case the lyrical themes of the five songs on the album would be; (1) isolation, (2) isolation, (3) isolation, (4) loss, (5) isolation and loss. You decide if that is good or bad. Personally, I have no problem with depressing lyrics, nor do I mind the children’s tale lyrics of “Killer”. Anyhow, back to “Pioneers Over c.”. As a science fiction story it is rather dated (“Left the Earth in 1983...”), but musically it is Vdgg at their best. The track creates an eerie atmosphere with a desperate sounding Hammill over music that offers no comfort. My favourite part is Jackson's sax solo where the initial melody disintegrates into dissonance. Very striking.
review by thomas
Van der Graaf Generator comes at us at full speed here, starting with ”Killer” an extraordinary track full of life with saxophone and organ all over and the drums riding along between ‘em. On top of that some really nice acoustic guitar playing in the background, I guess by Peter Hammill, whom besides this give a very strong vocal deliverance here and elsewhere. It has come to my understanding that folk either love or hate his voice. I count myself in with the former.
Well, five lengthy tracks on this one and “House With No Door” serves as the quiet song here, the “ballad” of the album with plenty of piano and soft playing although there are many quiet passages on most songs. Anyway “House With No Door” is probably the song I like the least, though I don’t think it’s bad. But then we are off again with three classic VdGG tunes in the same style as “Killer”. A very strong album indeed, highlights for me being “Killer” and “Pioneers Over c.”. But again all songs are good.
This album is to me one of the most accessible VdGG record, not that hard to get into (certainly no “Pawn Hearts”) and it is also one of their best.
 | Pawn Hearts (1971)Genres: progressive rock, dark progressive |
review by daniel
Van der Graaf Generator’s masterpiece is actually not quite a masterpiece. “Man-Erg” is a track with decent calm passages and more-than-decent energetic passages enhanced by some violent sax riffing from Jackson. “Lemmings (Including Cog)” reminds me of “Lighthouse Keepers” with its weird and experimental atmosphere, but the enduring themes of that song is unfortunately missing.
“A Plague of Lighthouse Keepers”, the piece that occupies the entire side two, is the masterpiece that makes the two other songs pale in comparison. It is dark, dissonant, uncompromising, weird, noisy and beautiful. And more importantly: It is stuffed with great and memorable themes that gradually reveals themselves upon repeated listening.
Vdgg used overdubs, studio tricks and strange equipment (psychedelic razor?!) to create the weird atmosphere of the album. As a result the sound is really dynamic. At least in theory. In practice the sound quality of the recording is too flat to convey the vision of the band. Until Virgin decides to remaster Vdgg’s catalogue I recommend using headphones. An alternative, if you can live without the first two songs, is getting “The Box“, which contains a remastered version of “Lighthouse Keepers” (the remastered songs are the main reason for buying it, you only need the rare stuff if you collect songs instead of listening to them).
 | Godbluff (1975)Genres: heavy progressive, dark progressive |
review by daniel
Van der Graaf Generator's comeback after a four year vacation. The sound and approach differs somewhat from that of their previous effort; “Pawn Hearts” (by many regarded their masterpiece). This time the songs are more “to the point”, with lesser use of overdubs and studio tricks. Regardless of what you think about the change it is easy to understand that they couldn't go any further in the same direction. King Crimson was in a similar position after their praised debut album, the difference is that they didn't realise that it was futile to try to improve the concept.
The music on this record is dark, intense, rather heavy (without lead guitar!) and somewhat jazzy, but far from jazz rock. Actually you get the feeling that it is pretty far from just about everything. The sound is (as always, but now even more clearly) dominated by the saxes of Dave Jackson, the organ textures of Hugh Banton and the voice of Peter Hammill. Jackson does everything you might expect from a lead guitarist, and a lot more, with his saxes, while Banton provides the foundation with his subtle and unique organ playing. He must be the only prog keyboardist that no one could accuse of wankery (well, I guess there are people who consider the very presence of the organ wankery). Most people into prog seem to appreciate the music, but some have trouble coping with Peter Hammill's vocal delivery. His voice is certainly intense (or grating if you belong to the other camp), as can be heard on the third track “Arrow”. I belong to those who love the music as well as the vocals, and “Arrow” happens to be my favourite track of the album. Hammill really spits out the words in a furious way, and I guess it boils down to if you feel that he can match his intensity with credibility.
This is a masterpiece and a good place to start if you are new to Vdgg. Just don't expect “Pawn Hearts” to be better, you might be disapointed.
review by thomas
This is the VdGG comeback album after some years apart (may not be the real truth since I guess all Graafers were involved in Hammill’s solo work in the 71-74 era) and the result is “Godbluff” with four 10-minute songs on it. It’s dark and heavy stuff presented here from opening “The Undercover Man” to closing “Sleepwalkers”. Well the opening track can be omitted from this ‘cause it’s a more light number on which Hammill sings rather soft and calmly and the music flows rather undisturbed, but after that track the dark, heavy stuff comes forth.
David Jackson’s saxophones screams and quirks their way through the songs, underpinned by Hugh Banton’s gloomy organ and Guy Evan’s precise drumming. Peter Hammill whispers, screams (he doesn’t really scream, it’s more like some utterly strange way of singing, spitting forth the lyrics as the other reviewer writes in his review), sings and outbursts his way along the album and probably plays some guitars and keyboards too.
A very tight album packed with some incredible music of dark and heavy progressive but also with strong melodies and dramatic hooks, resulting in the best VdGG album and one of the top progressive records ever done.
 | Still Life (1976)Genres: progressive rock, heavy progressive |
review by daniel
The follow up to the magnificent “Godbluff” is a more uneven record. The opening “Pilgrims” and the closing “Childlike Faith in Childhood’s End” are both good songs, but they cannot match the three songs in between. “Still Life” starts out quietly with Hammill's vocals accompanied by Banton's eerie organ. Then Evans and Jackson join in to emphasize Hammill's words when he expresses his dismay with man's dream of immortality. “La Rossa” is a proggy piece with intense playing from all band members and equally intense vocals. The next track, “My Room (Waiting for Wonderland)”, is one of my favourite tracks ever. I simply cannot get tired of it. Imagine Hammill trying to write a cosy lounge jazz piece. Of course he fails (thank god!) and instead comes up with this soft and wonderful piece, with pessimistic lyrics, a restrained (!) vocal delivery and tasteful instrumentation. I love it.
Still, this is not as good as “Godbluff” as a whole. Banton is great throughout and his organ sound gets closer and closer to that of a real pipe organ (without getting too close). Jackson (saxes) and Evans (drums) are however not as great. Both seem to rely more on conventional playing on this record than on previous efforts. Evans keeps time, but not much more, while Jackson has replaced some of his dissonant outbursts with melodramatic playing. He is nowhere near the cheese of E-Street Band’s sax player, but he is not as brilliant and versatile as we have gotten used to. On top of that Hammill is more melodramatic than ever on some parts, especially on the closing track which I sometimes find a bit “too much”.
Enough complaints. Van der Graaf Generator is one of my favourite bands and I might thus be too fussy when it comes to them. This is a great (and quite accessible) album.
review by thomas
Another fine album from the Graafers with a different approach than ”Godbluff”. Gone are much of the darkness and much of the heaviness, leaving room for Van der Graaf Generator to create one of their most melodic records ever. “Still Life” offers songs that sometimes feel remarkably stripped from excesses like the title track and the jazzy ballad “My Room (Waiting for Wonderland)”.
Although if I were to compile a single “best of” VdGG record there wouldn’t be that many songs from this album – I guess “La Rosa” would be the only one – it’s still a very good and tight album with five good songs, highly enjoyable. They sort of take the well-known road to destination instead of trying an unknown path to the same destination, so it’s VdGG doing what they are best at doing in a comfortable way without any real surprises. Especially if you’re a long time fan familiar with their back catalogue this one can feel a little “safe”.
Nevertheless, another good album that you simply must have if you like VdGG. Newcomers may want to start somewhere else.
 | World Record (1976)Genres: progressive rock, heavy progressive |
review by daniel
After four great classics in “H to He who am the Only One”, “Pawn Hearts”, “Godbluff” and “Still Life”, “World Record” is a minor disappointment. Don’t get me wrong: It is a good album and the disappointment should only be considered evidence of the qualities of the earlier mentioned classics. It is a rare achievement to come up with four albums of that class in a row. Led Zeppelin did it with their first four albums, before they too released a good album, “Houses of the Holy”, that still was a minor disappointment. (Thank god VDGG quit before they released their “In through the Out Door”).
“World Record” does not have any really weak songs; every track is good, with the exception of “Meurglys III” that is very good. “When She Comes”, “A Place to Survive” and “Masks” all contain engaging melodies and themes, but they nevertheless fail to make a lasting impression. Hammill uses his angry-voice a lot on these three tracks, but he never sounds quite as convincing as he does on “Arrow” from "Godbluff". The first half of “Meurglys III” is in fact the only piece of music on the album that makes an emotional impression beyond laid-back content. Beautiful and melancholic themes are gradually charged into themes of purifying anger, all with a certain touch of despair. Does it sound familiar? It is classic Van der Graaf Generator and I love it. The song could (and probably should) end after 13 minutes, but instead the band performs some sort of jam based on a reggae rhythm, and a guitar solo on top of it, for seven minutes. It is not as bad as it sounds, but it seems out of place and I prefer the edited version present on “The Box”. The album ends with “Wondering”, a Banton composition that does not sound like VDGG at all. It is a solemn, organ driven, tune that conveys hope rather than despair. An exception to the VDGG sound, and as such it works.
 | Present (2005)Genres: progressive rock, heavy progressive |
review by daniel
I wonder why reviewers, particularly from the mainstream rock press, seem so eager to praise Van der Graaf Generator’s reunion album. Do rock critics feel the need to correct their fathers’ ill-judged criticism? No, I don’t mean to imply the presence of objectively good and bad art, just that rock critics seem more aware of what is the right opinion at the moment than 12 year old kids at a school yard. And yes, VDGG sure deserves some praise in the media, but I doubt that this album will be regarded essential VDGG ten years from now. Maybe the critics seriously think that “Present” can match “Pawn Hearts” or “Godbluff”. Or maybe they compare it with other reunion-albums. In that case “Present” is a bloody masterpiece, because it is more than decent, and decent is a lot better than embarrassing, the most suitable description of most reunion–albums.
How does the music on the new album compare with the classic VDGG stuff, then? Less adventurous, less dynamic, less intense, fewer themes, fewer outbursts and no build-ups that climax in that VDGG-chaos. Is there anything left? Some. If it is an excuse to tour, at least it isn’t a poor one.
“Every Bloody Emperor” and “Nutter Alert” are both good songs. The former is closest to classic VDGG with its typically calm start and gradual build-up, even though it never quite reaches any climax. The latter might be the best song of the album, with its catchy melodies and Dave Jackson proving that he is still able to handle his saxes. “Abandon Ship” and the instrumental “Boleas Panic” are decent, but they both suffer from repetitive riffs (“Boleas Panic” is the better song simply because the riff is better). “In Babelsberg” is slightly annoying and Hammill’s guitar playing does not help (I don’t mind his notorious technical inability; I simply dislike his sound), while the calm closer “On the Beach” is downright bad. Every time I hear that one I think of the brilliance of “My Room” and weep.
As a bonus, a second disc consisting of (semi-interesting) improvisations is included. These improvisations do not have much in common with the far out improvs of Henry Cow; they sound more like jamming than experimentation (although I am not sure which I prefer). They have one thing in common with most attempts at improvisation though: Most of the time they seem to drift aimlessly without ever arriving anywhere. The songs just carry on, and then they stop. A cool sound, a good idea, a bad idea. But never a plan.
One more thing: The CD is copy-protected, which means you cannot transfer the songs to your computer and consequentially not to your ipod/MP3 device. What the record companies gain by harassing the people that actually BUY their products is very difficult to understand. If the idiot who came up with the idea happens to read this, feel free to contact me and explain.
