CD Charts
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Music : An Introduction: from the Least to the Quiet Zone
Rating: 
- Eye opening and breath taking!
VDGG do not conform to the typical '70's prog rock formula. Thats why their music works so well. They are completley original and although their music is not immediate when it does grow on you, you'll never look back! This is a good album to start with if you have never heard any of their others. There is a broad cross section of tunes on this album that covers their erratic stop/start career from 1970 - 1977 ish. Witness the unique power of Hammil's voice and the crushing and stirring Hammond organs and the refreshing lack of lead guitar heroics! There is'nt a duff track on here but the best have to be 'Killer' 'Sleepwalkers' 'Man-ERG' and 'Still life' Moving and powerfull stuff which sadly never really made a huge commercial dent on the UK or US markets. They appeared to enjoy most of their success in Italy. Somethings never change, though. It's the same today as it was then, some of the best music around is just a little to 'out there' for the masses to get to grips with. Mind you, who cares? At least it's there for the rest if us!
Rating:
- progressive? yes. haunting yes. chart orientated no.
The first listen to this c.d is like jumping down a very dark hole. You are unsure what is down there, unsure what you will do, unsure what others will say when they discover youre hidden passion for jumping down dark holes. But its bound to be fun so you jump and what a jump it is. For a start you find youre self in the strange world of seventies underground prog-rock (yes that's right songs that even Sid Barret wouldn't have written). Unusual chords, time signitures, phrases, pages and pages of doom laiden lyrics- Punk rock this ain't. But saying that Jonny Rotten was influenced by V.D.G.G and its not hard to see why because once one gets over the initial shock of 'you can't get away with that' and starts actualy listening to the music one finds the most heaviest of riffs (Man-Erg) coupled with the most dirtiest of sounds (Killer). Lead singer and songwriter Peter Hammill has a voice which lies somewhere between Bowie and Larence Olivier and songs that have to be listened to untill the end because of their tendancy to change, going off in a different direction out of nowhere to arrive at somewhere else completly be it a ballad, a bossa nova, 60's pop or heavy rock. Although it could be said that this proved a little too contrived at times it still makes for an intresting listen and is nowhere near as bad as some recent prog efforts (such as Mansun's 'Six'). V.D.G.G provides perfect listening alone music, not really the type you could sing along with in the pub with youre mates (all together now- "and lirking in my cloisters come the accolytes of gloom"), but then again who wants another Travis? The fact that they were never successful in their day just goes to highlight the extent to which they represent 'outsider music' (for more information, see 'Songs in the Key ok z' the new compilation album of American outsider music). Yes their albums have stupid names and yes their song titles are ridiculous but the music is often awe inspiring and inspirational. Spencer McGarry
Rating: - An excellent introduction to the band
This is a selection of tracks taken from the larger boxed set and similarly spans the career of the band although obviously in much less detail.
Whilst you get a number of classic songs including "Killer", "Still Life" and the rare "Theme One", you don't get much of a look at the extended epic songwriting that characterises the band for many people.
To those who are wondering whether to go for this or the larger boxed set, the latter has far more to offer so is well worth the extra money. Still, if all you can scrape together is the price of a single CD, this is as good a place to start your Van Der Graaf Generator collection as any.
- Eye opening and breath taking!VDGG do not conform to the typical '70's prog rock formula. Thats why their music works so well. They are completley original and although their music is not immediate when it does grow on you, you'll never look back! This is a good album to start with if you have never heard any of their others. There is a broad cross section of tunes on this album that covers their erratic stop/start career from 1970 - 1977 ish. Witness the unique power of Hammil's voice and the crushing and stirring Hammond organs and the refreshing lack of lead guitar heroics! There is'nt a duff track on here but the best have to be 'Killer' 'Sleepwalkers' 'Man-ERG' and 'Still life' Moving and powerfull stuff which sadly never really made a huge commercial dent on the UK or US markets. They appeared to enjoy most of their success in Italy. Somethings never change, though. It's the same today as it was then, some of the best music around is just a little to 'out there' for the masses to get to grips with. Mind you, who cares? At least it's there for the rest if us!
Rating:
- progressive? yes. haunting yes. chart orientated no.The first listen to this c.d is like jumping down a very dark hole. You are unsure what is down there, unsure what you will do, unsure what others will say when they discover youre hidden passion for jumping down dark holes. But its bound to be fun so you jump and what a jump it is. For a start you find youre self in the strange world of seventies underground prog-rock (yes that's right songs that even Sid Barret wouldn't have written). Unusual chords, time signitures, phrases, pages and pages of doom laiden lyrics- Punk rock this ain't. But saying that Jonny Rotten was influenced by V.D.G.G and its not hard to see why because once one gets over the initial shock of 'you can't get away with that' and starts actualy listening to the music one finds the most heaviest of riffs (Man-Erg) coupled with the most dirtiest of sounds (Killer). Lead singer and songwriter Peter Hammill has a voice which lies somewhere between Bowie and Larence Olivier and songs that have to be listened to untill the end because of their tendancy to change, going off in a different direction out of nowhere to arrive at somewhere else completly be it a ballad, a bossa nova, 60's pop or heavy rock. Although it could be said that this proved a little too contrived at times it still makes for an intresting listen and is nowhere near as bad as some recent prog efforts (such as Mansun's 'Six'). V.D.G.G provides perfect listening alone music, not really the type you could sing along with in the pub with youre mates (all together now- "and lirking in my cloisters come the accolytes of gloom"), but then again who wants another Travis? The fact that they were never successful in their day just goes to highlight the extent to which they represent 'outsider music' (for more information, see 'Songs in the Key ok z' the new compilation album of American outsider music). Yes their albums have stupid names and yes their song titles are ridiculous but the music is often awe inspiring and inspirational. Spencer McGarry
Rating:
- An excellent introduction to the bandThis is a selection of tracks taken from the larger boxed set and similarly spans the career of the band although obviously in much less detail.
Whilst you get a number of classic songs including "Killer", "Still Life" and the rare "Theme One", you don't get much of a look at the extended epic songwriting that characterises the band for many people.
To those who are wondering whether to go for this or the larger boxed set, the latter has far more to offer so is well worth the extra money. Still, if all you can scrape together is the price of a single CD, this is as good a place to start your Van Der Graaf Generator collection as any.