Having only taken the plunge into the music of VDGG the past year or so, I've only heard albums 2, 3 and 4. GODBluff was next on my list...sounds like STILL LIFE will be added as well!
Having only taken the plunge into the music of VDGG the past year or so, I've only heard albums 2, 3 and 4. GODBluff was next on my list...sounds like STILL LIFE will be added as well!
No reason to stop there! World Record is still pretty good, and Quiet Zone is also excellent. Then, for the more recent albums, at least Trisector and Grounding in Numbers are just as good as anything they did on the '70s. Present is ok as well, but not as good as those later two (though the CD2, consisting entirely of instrumental improvisations, is also amazing, if you're into that stuff).
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I think Godbluff is VDGG's best album by a very large margin. It's pretty much perfect.
The Prog Corner
I'd put Godbluff on a fifth place, - honoured firth place, if you wish.
Behind Still Life, Quite Zone, H to He, The Least We Can Do..
'World Record' is their first dip IMHO. Almost every track suffers from overlong arrangements, despite the fact the basic songs are mostly as strong as they'd ever been. Why they went in for so much heavy soloing is beyond me- it's not where their strength lies, particularly Hammill, as he shows on 'Merglys III'.
'Wondering' strikes me as the only track where the extended ending works (although it is the shortest track!), I find that a very powerful, moving piece of work.
Perspective Vortex - my new solo project available now at http://perspectivevortex.bandcamp.com
Mahtrak Progressive Jazz Rock - www.mahtrak.com
Perspective Vortex - my new solo project available now at http://perspectivevortex.bandcamp.com
Mahtrak Progressive Jazz Rock - www.mahtrak.com
Utterly amazing and electric night that Friday night in London back in 2006! I was there for the first re-union concert and am still in awe over that night. To this day I am not sure who enjoyed it the most, the band or the audience, because the boys had blown themselves away and were not quite sure what had happened on that magical evening. It was to be a one-off but after that performance and the energy they felt that night they just had to keep going. Too bad Jackson left the band. The Godbluff songs were some of the best of the show if not the best. A fantastic album, surely in my top 5 of all time best records. And to me that is saying a lot.
Perspective Vortex - my new solo project available now at http://perspectivevortex.bandcamp.com
Mahtrak Progressive Jazz Rock - www.mahtrak.com
^^^^ Agree, It was for sure in my top 5 concerts if not number 1!! When i get to that level of performances it is hard for me to say which is my favorite, because I have seen some of my all time fave bands play that I never thought I would ever get to, if that makes sense??
I'm just glad we have that GODBLUFF video, even with its flaws, because it's so rare to have a vintage live document of a whole album like that.
And that live version of "Lighthouse Keepers" that's appended to it has to be the single coolest vintage Prog video I've ever seen. Absolutely stunning. It just doesn't get any better than that.
High Vibration Go On - R.I.P. Chris Squire
I love Godbluff / Still Life / World Record "trilogy". No weak song in my opinion on those three. Godbluff and Still Life of course has a slight edge over World Record but last mentioned is still among my top-5 favorite VdGG albums.
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This and Pawn Hearts trade places constantly for the top spot. I heard Godbluff on cassette first, and it was my first VdGG album...don't know if it was a labelling error or intentional but sides 1 and 2 were reversed. So Arrow was my first exposure to the band and Peter Hammill! Sweet Jesus...it was terrifying
Matt.
Totally agree. I was surprised how good this was after hearing some mixed reviews about the footage. Yeah, too many close-ups, but the performances are awesome and it really is a fantastic document of that period.
And I agree about the Plague video. I struggle a bit with that piece, but watching this video brings it to life in a different way. I need to spin this DVD again soon.
I'm spinning Godbluff as I type, just seguing into Sleepwalkers. As good as I'd remembered, still my overall favorite, but I love stuff from all their albums from H to He through Quiet Zone. Never connected with their music before that, or the stuff after.
Bill
Perfect, flawless album. My favorite VdGG. Not a dull moment.
Ian Beabout
Mixing and mastering engineer. See ya at ProgDay !
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I adore H, Least, and Pawn, but have never embraced the reformation ones nearly as much, although Pilgrims may be my favorite VDGG track
Surprised to read earlier in the thread that it came out of the Godbluff sessions
BG
"When Yes appeared on stage, it was like, the gods appearing from the heavens, deigning to play in front of the people."
I want to dynamite your mind with love tonight.
Get you a VdGG license plate, too:
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I want to dynamite your mind with love tonight.
It was released by Classic Rock Productions several times. Not sure who has put it out now, but it would be available cheaply still, I'd have thought. I'm not sure what it was filmed for. As I said on another thread, you can hear the opening chords of 'Man-Erg' on the end credits...frustrating! I wouldn't bet on the whole show still surviving.
The earlier 70s performance of 'Theme One' and 'Plague Of Lighthouse Keepers' was from a Belgian TV series- the same one as the early footage of Genesis in that all-white studio. I've read about these performances getting re-runs in the 80s on regions of British channel! Again, well done to the Europeans for keeping that film- vitally important stuff and totally live.
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