I've been curious to try the more recent stuff. I think I got "Present" some time ago, but I remember being bored to death. (might need to revisit, I guess)
How are the other albums from the 00's?
Also, I actually don't have their debut. Worth getting?
I love their latest proper studio album,
namely "Grounding by numbers", and personally I think it is better than *some* of their 70s output,
But I am probably alone with this thought.
(My 70s favs are Pawnhearts and Still Life).
Regarding their first - if you mean Aerosol Gray machine-
Then I find it just OK and not as good as what came after, though it does have some worthwhile songs in it.
Decide for yourself (I think it's ok)
Would also go for the latest (real) if it comes to 00s
VitalLive
Cobra handling and cocaine use are a bad mix.
I'd go:
Godbluff
Pawn Hearts
The Least We Can Do Is Wave
That would give you a good scan of what to expect.
There will be people who will tell you to not purchase anything, but they are merely troglodytes
"The woods would be very silent if the only birds that sang were those who sang best..." - Henry David Thoreau
Godbluff
Pawn Hearts
Still Life
Trisector
Chad
A Grounding In Numbers is the ONLY recent VdGG release that comes close to their 70s work, IMO, but I do recall some pretty polarized reviews here on PE about AGIN vs Trisector. There are good songs & cool moments on almost every album Hammill has ever released, but AGIN is the reunion album that doesn't sound like "just a reunion album."
Aerosol is fun, but grain-of-salt fun.
The OP asked about the recent albums, I'm guessing he is fully aware of Pawn Hearts and Godbluff. :P
I like all three of the latter-day studio albums (I'm not counting Alt). You don't care for Present, perhaps the trio format of the next two will work for you. Some great tracks on them... or maybe Live At The Paradiso would be a better overview, since it also includes modern takes on classic VDGG material (and "Gog"!)
As for Aerosol Grey Machine, it's a bit embryonic but has some good tracks, particularly "Running Back", "Necromancer" and "Octopus" (although that last one is done in a far superior version with "Squid 1" and "Squid 2" as a bonus track on H To He. It's worth checking out but in some ways it's like the debuts from Genesis or Yes: good, interesting, but ultimately not one you'll pull off the shelf often.
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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Of the recent reformed albums I think Trisector is fantastic!
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Go with A Grounding In NumbersOriginally Posted by Rickenbacker
Hell, they ain't even old-timey ! - Homer Stokes
Yeah, I have all the must haves from the 70's.
AGIN is very good, IMHO not up to Pawn Hearts or Godbluff but worthy of their canon.
Ian
Host of the Post-Avant Jazzcore Happy Hour on progrock.com
https://podcasts.progrock.com/post-a...re-happy-hour/
Gordon Haskell - "You've got to keep the groove in your head and play a load of bollocks instead"
I blame Wynton, what was the question?
There are only 10 types of people in the World, those who understand binary and those that don't.
Present is the weakest of the three "proper" reunion albums (meaning with vocals), imo.Yeah, I have all the must haves from the 70's.
Trisector is my favorite of the three, though AGIN is very good as well, imo.
But "Present" does have some juicy pieces; "Every Bloody Emperor" and "Nutter Alert" come to mind. And bonus points just for being that "first" one after the hiatus.
Seems a new live album is soon to be released as per their website.
"Henry Cow always wanted to push itself, so sometimes we would write music that we couldn't actually play – I found that very encouraging." - Lindsay Cooper, 1998
"I have nothing to do with Endless River. Phew! This is not rocket science people, get a grip." - Roger Waters, 2014
"I'm a collector. And I've always just seemed to collect personalities." - David Bowie, 1973
I like Present, but honestly, it sounds like a PH solo album to me. I think the other guys finnaly re-integrated themselves with the next two (even if Jaxon is missing).
Cool news about the live album. I hope it has the trio version of Plauge.
Present - Excellent.
Alt - If you like PH's Sonix works then this one is a needed pick up. If that sort of stuff annoys you, then this is a skip.
Trisector - Alright. Some very very good, some average to not so good.
AGIN - The weakest one IMO. To my ears it lacks punch/interest/depth. Though it seems I'm alone with that thought, so YMMV.
Please don't ask questions, just use google.
Never let good music get in the way of making a profit.
I'm only here to reglaze my bathtub.
It seems many here don't read the opening posts before suggesting/proposing their faves
The thread starter asked about 21st C VdGG, dudes !!!
Indeed... their only indispensible album since they reunited...
Present's first disc started well (the firqst three tracks are excellent, but it ran out of steam afterwards), while the second disc is inhabitual, and hardly essential...
Grounding is OK, but I actually prefer Alt, which is for dedicated Graafheads only...
my music collection increased tenfolds when I switched from drug-addicts to complete nutcases.
I confess to not owning ALT. I'll pick it up someday...
Between all the reunion titles, one could compile one killer single-disc!
Nutter Alert & In Babelsburg (both from Present) are great. The Real Time live album is cringe-inducing IMO (probably had to be there).
I agree with this, I think AGIN is fantastic and the best of the reunion lot. As for Aerosol, I think that's great too (it was my first VdGG album, Afterwards was the first song I heard, and The Voice was captivating). AGM has at least two of my fave VdGG songs: Afterwards (which is in my top 5 all time VdGG/PH songs) and Octopus (which is the one song on the album that hints at the chaos the band would become famous for). Aquarian and some other things on there are pretty good too. Up until their breakup in the summer of '72, Octopus and Aquarian were mainstays of the live set.
I haven't bothered with the reunion albums because most reviews seem to be negative. And, I just can't imagine them as a trio without the sax. I'm curious, does Peter play keys or guitar now (or a bit of both)?
He plays both.
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 ***
Then you are missing out; and live the trio smoked. Of course I would rather have Jackson augment them in concert, but was very satisfied the few times I've seen them this century.
"Henry Cow always wanted to push itself, so sometimes we would write music that we couldn't actually play – I found that very encouraging." - Lindsay Cooper, 1998
"I have nothing to do with Endless River. Phew! This is not rocket science people, get a grip." - Roger Waters, 2014
"I'm a collector. And I've always just seemed to collect personalities." - David Bowie, 1973
I thought the same thing until I heard Trisector. Hugh really kicked it into overdrive and while I love Jaxon, they get an incredibly full and complex sound without him. It's not like you'd listen to Trisector and think, "oh, it's good but Jaxon is missing", there's really nothing missing and no real space left for anyone to fill.
Check out my solo project prog band, Mutiny in Jonestown at https://mutinyinjonestown.bandcamp.com/
Check out my solo project progressive doom metal band, WytchCrypt at https://wytchcrypt.bandcamp.com/
No, no you're not. Read on
Wow, none of mine have been negative :
Present: http://www.allaboutjazz.com/php/article.php?id=17833
Real Time: http://www.allaboutjazz.com/php/article.php?id=24914
A Grounding in Numbers: http://www.allaboutjazz.com/php/article.php?id=38981
Sorry, didn't review Trisector, but IMO, hey came back inconsistent with Present but what songs were good were as good as anything they'd done IMO. Trisector continued the upward trajectory, an even better album, and AGiN is, IMO, as good as anything they've done, with the possible exception of Pawn Hearts which just trumps everything else as one of those records few groups get to do once in a career, and very rarely twice.
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