Yeah, those are two great albums, no doubt. IMO, they're not practically VdGG albums though. Very much solo PH. In Camera, in particular, only has Guy Evans from the band appearing on it, and he's only on two songs. But, yeah, the epics like Gog, Louse, and one or two others from those albums do practically scream out VDGG. Louse was even played by the band live before it broke up in '72 (and again when they reformed in '75, as was Gog).
I'd say the twin towers of PH's solo career are Nadir's Big Chance and Over.
"Louse" is just incredible. A rare ten-out-of-ten track for me. Likewise with "The Lie", from the same album. "Gog" is stunning but loses a half-point because of "Magog (In Bromine Chambers)" which I sometimes like and sometimes skip. "Modern", "Red Shift", "Faint-Heart And The Sermon" (that mellotron!!), "The Comet, The Course, The Tail"... oh, and the rest of the tracks. Seriously, whether you consider them 'practically VDGG' or not, they are certainly essential for fans of VDGG.
Over is my favourite PH album. I've listened to it countless times, and it never ceases to command my attention. Every single track. Another essential album, especially if you're a fan of "La Rossa"! (The last song "Lost And Found" suddenly morphs at one point into the 'lost verse' from "La Rossa"). A stellar album that is drenched in strong emotions.
Nadir is a great album, although for me it doesn't quite reach the heights of the other three we've been discussing. I do love it though, especially "Open Your Eyes" and "Nobody's Business".
Interviewer of reprobate ne'er-do-well musicians of the long-haired rock n' roll persuasion at: www.velvetthunder.co.uk and former scribe at Classic Rock Society. Only vaguely aware of anything other than music.
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Not in my book - Nadir has some good songs and some poor ones, and Over is one of those I play the least -Looking Glass is fabulous but the rest I think depends on how much you relate to the subject matter and I've been fortunate enough never to have suffered a relationship breakup! In my view Silent Corner, In Camera are great, but over the years its Patience and Enter K that I keep coming back to.
Last edited by alanterrill; 03-20-2013 at 06:51 AM.
Godbluff is really growing on me. I like a lot more now than I did a couple weeks ago.
Yeah, same for me when I first heard it. It took a while, but it became my fave eventually and has remained so for many years. I love Pawn Hearts, but there's a raw, organic, almost brutal vibe with Godbluff that really resonates with me. Pawn Hearts is brilliantly trippy and feverish. Godbluff has some of that, but then it just flat out *rocks* in a way that the first generation albums don't. It's like non-linear heavy metal rock, in weird time signatures, with organ and sax instead of guitars!! In your face, take no prisoners. I love the many faces of VdGG, but that's the style I prefer most. It's the next album after Nadir, and Rikki's on this one too... He's just fronting a prog band this time around.
BTW, this is Guy's hands down fave VdGG album, and Peter (when pressed to the gills) has cited this as his fave VdGG as well.
world record isn't on top of the heep but a damn good album. impossible not to love M3.
ya sitting targets is a great one from early 80's
I find PH's solo work a little difficult to listen to. They are excellent albums, but sometimes they are just emotionally draining and leave me a wreck (particularly Chameleon and Over). Are any of the 80's or 90's albums any good? I've heard mixed things about them...
Anyway - for me, Godbluff is the best one, I love the intensity that VdGG could muster up when they really got going and after "The Undercover Man" (excellent song, by the way), it's a non-stop rollercoaster ride, like, turn it up loud enough and you'll forget to breathe After that, I can't decide between H to He, Pawn Hearts, or Still Life, so let me just say that 4-album run is really something special. I don't believe they ever made a bad album. Even the Vital - Live album is essential. I stayed away from them for so long because of guys like Starostin and McFerrin who gave them the "subpar prog" tag, but in my opinion they were maybe the greatest of them all!!
For PH Solo, Patience and Sitting Targets are my favs, but I really dig the compilation Vision, as it was my first PH album.
"Always ready with the ray of sunshine"
Agreed! I get awfully tired of punk being mentioned every time someone talks about that album. I see very little in common, apart from a bit of attitude from Hammill in the lyrics and vocal delivery of the title track. And has there ever been an article written about PH that does not mention that Johnny Rotten was a fan? Who cares? To me, it would be like every single article written about Michelangelo saying that the guy who drew Archie comics was a fan. It's just always rubbed me the wrong way that reviewers feel the need to name-drop as though PH's work does not stand on its own merits.
Anyway, listening to Over again thanks to this thread and loving every second of it as always. It's hard to type more than five words without getting caught up in the music coming from the speakers. So compelling! "...if you leave me now, it might nearly kill me.. remember me - remember meeeeeeeeee......."
Oh, yes, certainly. From 1980's A Black Box right up until last year's Consequences, you'll find plenty of excellent Hammill material. Some stuff that won't work for you as well, of course, which you'll get with any catalogue that enormous (I don't love EVERY Zappa either, but most of it). He did some very experimental stuff on some of those albums. The highly electronic In A Foreign Town from 1987 for example is generally not considered one his better works but I actually really like a few tracks from that one. I always rather liked 1992's Fireships as well, one title from what he refers to as his 'Be Calm' series. Most of the albums from approximately 2000 onward have maintained a certain 'feel' to them, at least to me. I like most of them, especially Thin Air from a few years ago.
Interviewer of reprobate ne'er-do-well musicians of the long-haired rock n' roll persuasion at: www.velvetthunder.co.uk and former scribe at Classic Rock Society. Only vaguely aware of anything other than music.
*** Join me in the Garden of Delights for 3 hours of tune-spinning... every Saturday at 5pm EST on Deep Nuggets radio! www.deepnuggets.com ***
I felt like playing World Record this morning on my drive. I've been alternating for the last few days between Godbluff and WR. It's possible that Godbluff will edge WR down a notch (but that could all change next time I go on a VDGG bender like this last one). Man I love Murglye's III but that guitar solo goes on too long. They could've shaved at least 2-3 minutes off that long outtro. Or maybe instead of that guitar solo they let David play a sax solo. I just also noticed that David Jackson doesn't do a lot of soloing with VDGG, it's mostly just unison playing and color/texture. I'm not complaining about that so much, I really like the sax in VDGG, but for Murgleys a sax or organ solo would've worked a little better. But it's still a pretty cool epic track. It's not "ruined" by the guitar but it is cringe worthy in spots .
FYI, a brand new interview with Peter Hammill on all things VdGG is available here: http://www.innerviews.org/inner/hammill.html
I think I officially LOVE Godbluff. What a monster of a prog album. The keyboards are awesome. Best prog album I've bought in years.
Yeah, the combo of piano, organ and sax, with Evan's drums, is really different and works well.
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