My all-time favorite Van Der Graaf Generator / Peter Hammill quotes

10) "...At physicality I've always baulked / like the man in the chair who believes it's beyond him to walk" - La Rossa (1976)

9) "Yes, and every bloody emperor claims that freedom is his cause / as he buffs up on his common touch as a get-out clause" - Every Bloody Emperor (2005)

8) "Take away the threat of death / and all you're left with is a round of make-believe" - Still Life (1976)

7) "And it's difficult to think of anything less magic / than the aged in pursuit of the hip" - Abandon Ship! (2005)

6) "You made some pretty deals along the way / Judas and Faust are in accord / When the revolution comes you may be blown away / but I bet you'll end up on the board..." - Sci-Finance (1978)

5) "These days I mainly just talk to plants and dogs / All human contact seems painful, risky, odd" - Meurglys III (The Songwriters' Guild) (1976)

4) "I wore my moods like different sets of clothes / but the right one was never around" - Lost (1970)

3) "You must pay the price of hate / and that price is your soul" -The Emperor In His War Room (1970)

2) "Camps of panoply and majesty, what is Freedom of Choice? / Where do I stand in the pageantry, whose is my voice?" - A Plague Of Lighthouse Keepers (1971)

1) See the second half of my signature!

For more words of wisdom from Van Der Graaf Generator and their lead singer and songwriter Peter Hammill, check out these websites!:

www.vandergraafgenerator.co.uk

www.sofasound.com

 

The lyrics seem interesting... what's the music like?

 

The closest thing I can think of to compare Van Der Graaf Generator to would be somebody like Pink Floyd or King Crimson. They play a darker, more sinister and gothic brand of "progressive rock." (They also shared management with Genesis, during their years with Peter Gabriel.) They were formed in the late '60s and released eight studio albums between 1969 and 1977, plus a posthumous live double-album in 1978. They recently reunited, in 2005, and released an album called Present.

Their lead singer and songwriter is Peter Hammill, who also plays guitar and piano. David Jackson plays saxophone and flute, Hugh Banton plays electric organ and bass pedals (and sometimes bass guitar), and Guy Evans plays drums.
Other musicians that have at one time or another been members include original keyboardist Nick Pearne, original drummer and songwriter Chris Judge Smith, original bass player Keith Ellis (1969), Ellis' replacement Nic Potter (who left in 1970, but briefly returned in 1977), violinist Graham Smith and cellist Charles Dickie (both '77-78 members).
What's particularly astonishing about Van Der Graaf is how incredibly heavy they can be for a band without a proper lead guitarist! I guess that you could call them heavy in the same way that The Doors or Joy Division could be called heavy...

DISCOGRAPHY:
The Aerosol Grey Machine (1969)
The Least We Can Do Is Wave To Each Other (1970)
H To He, Who Am The Only One (1970)
Pawn Hearts (1971)
Godbluff (1975)
Still Life (1976)
World Record (1976)
The Quiet Zone/The Pleasure Dome (1977)
Vital: Live (1978)
Maida Vale (BBC sessions) (1994)
The Box (4-CD box set) (2000)
An Introduction (best-of) (2000)
Present (reunion) (2005)