Peter Hammill - In A Foreign Town

[alanterrill]

Fireships is a lovely album. I found the 90s a very interesting period, at least at the time, when Hammill was releasing "Be Calm" and "Be Loud" series albums.

Mmm -that's another one we'll have to disagree on -it was the first of his albums I didn't like - I only kept Gaia from that. It wasn't just that the music was quieter it was the lyrics that suddenly changed -before he'd always gone for lyrics with two or more possible meanings, something that rewarded repeated listening, but with songs like 'His Best Girl' I just couldn't see more than one meaning and that one meaning was pretty banal.

As for Jim's comments about him coming back to life with the VDGG reformation -yes I'd largely agree -Singularity and Thin Air have some good work although they are sandwiched between Incoherence and Consequences, two albums I find unlistenable. Excluding Alt, the 3 VDGG albums have all had some great stuff on them but also some filler. I hope they take more than two weeks on their next one and produce a good all the way through album. They're certainly capable if only they'd spend a bit more time on them.

[Bucka001]

Mmm -that's another one we'll have to disagree on -it was the first of his albums I didn't like - I only kept Gaia from that. It wasn't just that the music was quieter it was the lyrics that suddenly changed -before he'd always gone for lyrics with two or more possible meanings, something that rewarded repeated listening, but with songs like 'His Best Girl' I just couldn't see more than one meaning and that one meaning was pretty banal.

As for Jim's comments about him coming back to life with the VDGG reformation -yes I'd largely agree -Singularity and Thin Air have some good work although they are sandwiched between Incoherence and Consequences, two albums I find unlistenable. Excluding Alt, the 3 VDGG albums have all had some great stuff on them but also some filler. I hope they take more than two weeks on their next one and produce a good all the way through album. They're certainly capable if only they'd spend a bit more time on them.

Agree with you, Alan, re: Incoherence (I just never got that one) but like Consequences. Also agree with you re: much strong material but some filler on Present and Trisector. I do think that AGIN was pretty great all the way through. Only heard the Hammill/Lucas cd twice but it sounds really good to me!