My favorite band since 1971. Pawn Hearts is the first thing I ever heard by them and my life changed! Man-erg, to me, is the greatest song I"ve ever heard. Amazing band.
An amazing trio of albums indeed , that began with Godbluff , the incredible Still Life , and World Record too. Meurglys 3 ( The Songwriters Guild ) for me is one of the highlights in all of PROG.
Nice comparison... For me, Yes is pure virtuosity with a little bit of soul, and VDGG is pure soul & passion with bunch of virtuosity. And vocals - VDGG has most genius vocal in prog. Just like another set of instruments - Hammill was called to be Hendrix of vocal. And Yes has boring, always the same Anderson with constantly same phrases, but gifted voice. Both are great bands but, for me VDGG is far above. Sometimes when I listen to Wakeman and Howe, have impression that they're showing off, and when I listen to Hamill, always have feelings that he'd like to express his soul and thoughts. That's the difference between them. Nevertheless, love both.
This, Jim, this is my favourite album. Though a longstanding prog fan, I first encountered VdG(G) in 1978 on hearing Ship of Fools on a John Peel show. Well, 'this is different...and uncompromising...and strangely beautiful', my 19 year old brain told me. I bought Vital the next day and quickly sought out the previous albums. My favourite band changed from Yes to VdGG quickly...and then the band split up before I had a chance to see them. (Don't worry - they reformed and I had the pleasure several years later) I'll review the album in part 2 but that was not saxophone - that was M&S saxophone - take a normally dull jazz instrument, learn something from Roland Kirk, stick two of them in your mouth at the same time, put them through effects pedals and you have an entirely fresh and exciting instrumental sound.
This album, especially The Plague Of Lighthouse Keepers really grew on me. Very unique music, and believe me or not my favorite song by them is from Peter Hammil solo album, the song is called Louse Is Not A Home, and it’s lyrically and musically just a perfection
They were amazing at Sage Gateshead in 2005. So happy to see them after waiting for so long. And with David Jackson too. They played Lemmings and Man Erg. A fantastic concert.
@@stephenvarty191 I never thought that I would get to see them. What a great setlist: The Undercover Man Scorched Earth Every Bloody Emperor Lemmings Still Life (In The) Black Room (Peter Hammill song) Nutter Alert Childlike Faith in Childhood's End Killer The Sleepwalkers Man-Erg Encore: Darkness (11/11)
@RichardW001 I only saw them once at the City Hall. Must have been 75 or 76. I remember being disappointed that the place was far from full but I had a great view from the balcony.
This album was the second album i bought by VDGG after still life. I initially did not like this album. But after multiple listens this is now one of my favorite albums ever. It really is that good. It i just nothing like anything i had heard prior to it.
I love English prog, was in my teens while it was happening. This band, album and in particular Plague of LKeepers , the absolute pinacle of a substantial prog mountain
Just catching up on the channel after being away for a few days. Delighted to see you tackling this beast of an album, Jim! Easy listening it ain't, but it's critical, vital stuff for any student of 70's prog. Godbluff is the next obvious step after this album, when you're ready for it. It takes all the sturm und drang of Pawn Hearts and remodels it into something rather more cohesive, but no less uncompromising. I've never seriously tried to work out my all time top 10 prog albums, but Godbluff would be a serious contender, that's for sure.
I come to regard bands or artists like VdGG, Gong, Zappa, and to a certain extend King Crimson and Henry Cow, and Company, as being musically Rabelaisian. The more one digs in, the more one sees, and much of it is of a jocular mindset. My musical sensei had this import in the '70s, but it was over my head, as was much of what he shared. I appreciate it deeply now that I have been around the block. Gentle Giant were explicitly Rabelaisian, as one can tell by the names of some of the songs. Rabelaisian Prog. Heard it here first...I'm guessing. Thanks for this excellent alternative to a raging storm outside.
What ? You took so long to discover VDGG ? I thought you knew them since a while. I recommend the album Godbluff. The best IMHO. VDGG is my favorite band for a few reasons. The main reason is that Peter Hammill's lyrics and vocals helped my though periods in my life where I was down. Listening to him helped me get through. I ow them so much.
A great album by one of the most exploratory bands of all time. Hammill's vocal range is astonishing. Lighthouse Keepers is a harrowing exploration of mental disintegration. Godbluff, which they made upon their reformation is well worth a listen. Thanks for playing it Jim.
@@ralphdarvill4055 Hammill has so much great solo stuff. His range is amazing, from lovely, flowery ballads like vision to intense and dark pieces like a louse is not a home.
A friend of mine played this to me on its release. I remembered the track names and title, but little else. I didn't like it. Other than snippets in the intervening years, I've not heard it since until tonight. Wow, it's magnificent. Off to listen to side 2. Thanks for indulging yourself.
Amazing album. No one like VDGG. For a slightly easier listening experience Jim i highly recommend their previous album 1970's H to He Who Am The Only One - superb stuff.
It was real pleasure to see your smile hearing that for the half of hour. This album is pure genius, and Man-erg is one of the best tracks in rock history. Every sound of this album is perfect. It is so intense, so dozens of times are needed to study it in deep.
PURE post 60's / early 70s PROG sensibilities from the Dark Side ! This, my FAVORITE VDGG always transports me into a deep Prog Jazz Classical Psychedelic Manic Trippy Trance. Unpredictable, scary, dangerous, dreamy & magically delicious! But serious! in my college daze we found this album one of the greatest to take ACID to & then YES to bring us back from the shadows.
I just dove into these guys and the Bryan Hammill universe this year as well. Mind blown. Some of the most unique, forward thinking music that I have ever heard. I wish their records were easier to find over here in Canada.
Oddly, this album was my gateway to King Crimson. I was a Genesis fan and came across Pawn Heart’s which had the same cover artist as Nursery Cryme and Foxtrot and was on the same label, Charisma. So I thought I’d give it a try and liked it a lot. I showed it to a guy I knew and he noted Fripp plays guitar on the album and suggested I try out Fripp’s band, KC which became one of my all time favorites (of course). As I understand it Peter Hammill and VDGG were very popular/influential with the British Punk bands. To me, the “Lemmings” metaphor is very applicable to today’s politics (as it seemed to me in the early 70’s).
VDGG always seemed to me to be to be the evil love-child of really early Genesis and the most abstract (and head scratching) aspects of pre-Bruford King Crimson. Was never quite my cuppa, but respect their work.
I think it's probably required listening, and an acquired taste, but not everyone will want this to feature prominently in their lives. I'm enjoying it the more I listen. Repeat listening really helps!
Amazing band Jim, only recently got round to listening to their music myself. Pawn Hearts is indeed a fantastic album, and one of the greatest progressive rock albums in my opinion, but I agree it's not for everyone and requires the right mood & a few good listens. I enjoyed your facial expressions as you tried to make sense of the aural assault! The pieces on side 1 are both excellent, however, wait until you get to Side 2 - 'A Plague of Lighthouse Keepers' is without doubt a masterpiece and will quite possibly blow you away! For me it's up there with the prog epics such as 'Close to the Edge' & 'Supper's Ready'. Looking forward to your reaction on that one...
It's one hell of a listen side 2 , and a rival side 2 IMO is World Record with Meurglys 3 and the sublime Wondering. Near perfection as you'll ever get I think.
This album is a bit challenging as an introduction to the band. It is the culmination of the first phase of the band so ideally the two previous albums should be heard, in order, beforehand to get a better impression of the band. Listen to 'The least we can do is wave to each other' and 'H to He, Who am the Only One' and you will have a fuller understanding of this era of Van der Graaf Generator.
Thanks for this Jim, one of my favourite bands. The albums they did after the initial reformation in 1975 (Godbluff, Still Life & World Record) are my favourites and probably an easier introduction with some sublime sections. Pawn Hearts gets a lot of plaudits but it is not an easy first time listen, I personally don’t rate it as highly as the one that came before it (“H to He who am the only one” nor the mid 70’s trio I’ve just mentioned.
Only my opinion of course , but although everyone here I'm sure knows quite rightly the importance and brilliance of bands like Genesis , YES , and Pink Floyd etc etc , the very essence of PROG lies with Van Der Graaf Generator. Just the mention of VDGG and I get a tingle 😅 , Jim seriously you need to indulge yourself in the whole catalogue of incredible , crazy , and indeed deeply beautiful music that lives on every slab of vinyl... Just wait until you listen to side 2 !!! THE most important band in the history of Progressive Rock I believe. 😍🎵🎵🤘
This is their most extreme record. I'd never recommend for a first approach to the Band. Better starting with THE LEAST WE CAN DO.... - STILL LIFE - WORLD RECORD
I have known the name VdGG for decades but neither my older brother nor any friend had an album of them. And no radio station ever played them. Then a few years ago my eclipsed magazine listed the 100 best prog albums of all times and Pawn Hearts was Top 20 or so. So I finally was curious, because in the meantime many people had mentioned the band in several reports or other sections of the magazine. I bought the album, listened to it several times ... and was clueless. I realized that the music is different from almost anything I knew ... but I just didn't like Peter Hammills singing ... the voice ... I don't know. But I don't seem to be alone, as I read in several comments. I guess, it's only natural, when the music is special, it polarizes ... similar as Gentle Giant. I've decided to give it a last chance and do it a very special way : I listen to it by myself with headphones, because listening to it with a friend can take a certain influence on your opinion, so let's go ... and when I'm ready, I'll watch Jim's reaction. Song #1: nothing has changing, I don't like the voice very much and I don't really like this theatrical style. Song #2: I like the music, but not the singing. ... to be continued
Pawn Hearts is my favourite album of all time, but I would never recommend it as a first listen to VdGG. 'The Least We Can Do' or 'H To He' ease the listener in a little more gently!
Agree with many....maybe dont start here with VDGG. I didnt and repeatedly adore other albums including Still Life and World Record. This one sounds like their overtly avant garde lets go ott and sod the lot of ya album. Gotta love it though just for that!
Hi Jim. I hope you get together again with NicknLex and Doug and the other guy (forget his name). I've tried to get NicknLex to listen to the Tale of Jenny and Screech, but they still haven't. Maybe you can get them to check it out. Alexia has a background in Criminal Justice, so I think she'd really enjoy it.
Hi Jim, I remember this band from many decades ago. A friend of mine lived them and after some listening I had to conclude that I simply didn’t like them at all. I hated Peter Hammill’s voice because of the tone quality, and the type of raspiness. I didn’t like the song structure or the absence of it too. I will try them again. And after two minutes I have to stop. Unbearable to listen to 😖.
It took me a while to appreciate this album. They definitely incorporate a lot of dissonance and even free form jazz (see: "Killer" off of H to He if you like that) so if that isn't your jam, you might not appreciate them very much. That said, as mentioned, Still Life is quite beautiful, and Arrow is epic while maintaining a fair bit of accessibility.
It's musical story telling like most prog. It's just that the stories they tell on this album are sad, ugly, and horrifying. Lemmings calls out UK society in the 70s and the grueling realities of being a cog in the machine that ridicules nonconformity even if it's better for us, especially societal pressures to be hopeless and pessimistic about the future (Lemmings being an example in myth of confirmity and not seeing an alternative to the status quo leading to death). Man-Erg discusses the duality of human beings, that we're capable of beautiful and horrific things, hence the two different motifs of the song representing an angelic and killer side to people. I think the music does an outstanding job of representing those ideas. Hopefully this helped!
