Peter Hammill - Sitting Targets

[progman1975]

I've never claimed to be the biggest Hammill or VDGG fan only having Godbluff and H to HE in my collection. But for some reason the title track really resonates with me. Maybe it's the cover too. Or the year it was released. lol..
How do Hammill fans rate this??

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[Steve F.]

I like it.
I view it as the last in the line of a string of pretty great solo albums post VDGG/VDG before he veered off into a different direction with 'K'.

[at least 100 dead]

It contains "stranger still", which is one of his greatest songs (imo).

[thedunno]

Great album! In general a, slightly more accesible album then what came before. Especially side 2 is very strong. Indeed, stranger still is one of his best songs.

[Kcrimso]

One of his best. Brilliant songs.

[arturs]

I love all of ST. It may well have been the first thing I ever owned by Hammill, having picked it up as a $2.99 cutout cassette sometime in the 80s. I thought it was a good "new wave" style album and was surprised that I couldn't get any of my Talking Heads/Ultravox/Bauhaus/Cult loving friends into it. Seemed very relevant and accessible to anyone who liked that kind of music.

[jake]

One of the last albums I bought on vinyl it remains a favourite. There are a couple of real Hammill classics here - Ophelia, Sign, Sitting Targets, Central Hotel - hell its just a great album from start to finish. I remember thinking it was more guitar-focused even 'rockier' than his previous work up to then. Definitely recommended - although in my book that is an easy call for Peter Hammill releases.

[polmico]

A very good album with much more of a sense of band than the previous two albums. It sets a clear direction for the K Group that followed. Both studio albums from that band and both live albums are well worth getting.

[JJ88]

IMHO one of his best albums. 'Stranger Still' is probably the best known track but I don't think there's a weak link. Things like 'Breakthrough' and 'Central Hotel' see him taking on contemporary rock with aplomb. Definitely set the tone for his subsequent direction with The K Group.

'Glue' is an overlooked masterwork- a very unsettling composition and the ending is spectacular. 'Ophelia' is one of his finest ballads, too.

[strawberrybrick]

One of my favorite PH albums. Also, the first album in his catalog that I recommend to "new ears."

[flytomars]

I love this album! Definitely one of my PHavourites.
A great collection of songs with a great production, an album that helped me get rid of my prejudice against eighties production values

[Kcrimso]

A very good album with much more of a sense of band than the previous two albums. It sets a clear direction for the K Group that followed. Both studio albums from that band and both live albums are well worth getting.

Yes Sitting Target kind of set direction for K Group but I think it is much better than those albums that followed it.

[Steve F.]

Yes Sitting Target kind of set direction for K Group but I think it is much better than those albums that followed it.

I agree; not a fan of the K group.

[at least 100 dead]

^ I'm only familiar with the K Group's 2nd album, which certainly is more "user friendly" than PH's preceding solo work. I kinda like it ("film noir" and the title track in particular), but it does sound rather sleek/slick...

[Skeptrick]

Love it (but I am admitted PH/VDGG fanboy). Just picked up the Rockpalast CD/DVD set of the K Group (but before Enter K and Patience) that has several tracks from Sitting Targets,at ROSFest. Well worth seeking out.

[polmico]

^ I'm only familiar with the K Group's 2nd album, which certainly is more "user friendly" than PH's preceding solo work. I kinda like it ("film noir" and the title track in particular), but it does sound rather sleek/slick...

Slickness has never been a disqualifier for me.

Those two K Group albums sit very well for me. The Evans/Potter rhythm section was a potent one.

[Pekka]

Brilliant album!

[Udi Koomran]

The Future Now
Black Box
PH7
Sitting Targets
Those post VDG Mark II solos - the sound changed became more compact more edgy not losing that experimental touch what an amazing streak

[regenerativemusic]

The Future Now
Black Box
PH7
Sitting Targets
Those post VDG Mark II solos - the sound changed became more compact more edgy not losing that experimental touch what an amazing streak

I was wondering if people thought The Future Now was one of his best works. I do. Ph7, In a Foreign Town, As Close As This also favorites.

[at least 100 dead]

I was wondering if people thought The Future Now was one of his best works. I do. Ph7, In a Foreign Town, As Close As This also favorites.

The Future Now is a weird one. While most of the individual tracks are good, it doesn’t quite work as an “album experience” for me. IMO, pH7 flows much better. (Still, the one-man chorale "Mediaevil" is a remarkable achievement, not just for its time.)

[at least 100 dead]

Slickness has never been a disqualifier for me. Those two K Group albums sit very well for me. The Evans/Potter rhythm section was a potent one.

Agreed.

BTW: Many great 80s pop records are arguably “slick” (Avalon, New Gold Dream, Primitive Man, It’s My Life et al), so it wasn’t meant as a putdown or a disqualifier.

[flytomars]

The Future Now
Black Box
PH7
Sitting Targets
Those post VDG Mark II solos - the sound changed became more compact more edgy not losing that experimental touch what an amazing streak

I even prefer these to the 70s PH solo output.
As much as I love those 70s proggy albums, I find myself getting back to the above-mentioned albums much more.
I also like the resurgence of the noughties albums which I find very good to excellent.

[Steve F.]

The Future Now
Black Box
PH7
Sitting Targets
Those post VDG Mark II solos - the sound changed became more compact more edgy not losing that experimental touch what an amazing streak

I agree completely. You said what I was trying to say, but much better. Thanks!

[Steve F.]

I was wondering if people thought The Future Now was one of his best works. I do. Ph7, In a Foreign Town, As Close As This also favorites.

I think it's a great album and I saw him on that tour and he did a lot of the material live and it was also great.

[Progatron]

Those two K Group albums sit very well for me. The Evans/Potter rhythm section was a potent one.

Agreed 100%. I love both of those albums and the live output from this period.