Van der Graaf Generator
Encyclopedia
Van der Graaf Generator are an English progressive rock
band, formed in 1967 in Manchester. They were the first act signed to Charisma Records
. The band achieved considerable success in Italy during the 1970s. In 2005 they embarked on a reunion, which continues to the present day.
The signature Van der Graaf Generator sound in the 1970s was a combination of Peter Hammill
's distinctive and dynamic voice and David Jackson
's electronically treated saxophones, generally playing over thick chordal keyboard parts (such as Hammond organ
and/or clavinet
), and Guy Evans' rolling, jazz-rock-like drumming. The band explored the complete range of phonaesthetics from euphony to cacophony, often within the same song. Van der Graaf Generator albums tended to be darker in atmosphere than many of their prog-rock peers (a trait they shared with King Crimson
, whose guitarist Robert Fripp
guested on two of their albums), and guitar solo
s were the exception rather than the rule.
Hammill is the primary songwriter for the band, and the line between music written for his solo career and for the band is sometimes blurred. In interviews, Hammill stated that even though he wrote the majority of VdGG music, its arrangements were always collective, while in the case of his solo recordings, he wrote and arranged all the compositions.
(guitar and vocals), Nick Pearne (organ) and Chris Judge Smith
(drums and wind instruments) formed Van der Graaf Generator in 1967 when they were students at Manchester University. The group was named after a piece of electric equipment designed to produce static electricity, the Van de Graaff generator
. The name was suggested by Smith (the misspellings are accidental). On the basis of a demo, this blues- and jazz-influenced first incarnation were offered a recording contract with Mercury Records
.
In 1968, Pearne was replaced by Hugh Banton
. The band were able to secure Tony Stratton-Smith
as a full-time manager. Through him, the band acquired a bass guitar
player, Keith Ellis
. Drummer Guy Evans
joined not too long afterwards. This line-up recorded a series of demos for Mercury, before releasing a single ("People You Were Going To" b/w "Firebrand") on Polydor Records
. The single was withdrawn under pressure from Mercury, since it violated the contract band members Hammill and Smith signed the previous year. Smith left the band, amicably, shortly after the recording of the single.
Although the band performed on BBC Radio 1
's Top Gear
radio show in November, and was touring successfully, it broke up in June 1969. Pressures leading to this included financial difficulties, the theft of the band's gear and transport in London, combined with Mercury's refusal to let the band record and Stratton-Smith's refusal to let the other members of the band sign to Mercury too (only Hammill remained now of the original three who had signed with Mercury).
In July 1969, Hammill went to record his first solo album at Trident Studios
. Banton, Evans, and Ellis joined him as session musicians. Through a deal worked out by their manager, Hammill's intended solo album, The Aerosol Grey Machine
, was released by Mercury under the band's name in return for releasing the band from their contract. The album was initially only released in the United States with hardly any promotion at all, so sales were minimal.
Tony Stratton-Smith formed Charisma Records
and signed the band as his first act. Before recording their second album, The Least We Can Do Is Wave To Each Other
, Ellis left (eventually joining Juicy Lucy
and a very brief incarnation of Iron Butterfly
among others) and was replaced by Nic Potter
, and David Jackson
(saxophone
s and flute
s) was added to the line-up.
A new sound was established, leaving behind the psychedelic influence of The Aerosol Grey Machine in favour of darker textures influenced by jazz and classical music. The Least We Can Do... was well received, and was swiftly followed by H to He, Who Am the Only One
. Potter left mid-way through that recording, and the band decided to carry on without a bass guitarist, with Banton alternating between bass guitar and organ bass pedals. Robert Fripp
of King Crimson
contributed guitar on the song, "The Emperor in His War-Room".
The Hammill/Banton/Jackson/Evans quartet that resulted from H to He is now considered the 'classic' line-up, and went on to record Pawn Hearts
. The album contains just three tracks, "Lemmings", "Man-Erg" and the 23 minute concept piece "A Plague of Lighthouse Keepers". Fripp again provided a cameo appearance on guitar. The album proved highly successful in Italy, topping the chart there for 12 weeks. The single "Theme One" was number one of the charts in Italy, too. "Theme One" was an instrumental piece, originally written by Beatles producer George Martin
as a fanfare for the BBC radio station Radio 1, later to appear on US pressings of Pawn Hearts.
The band toured extensively from 1970 to 1972, but a lack of support from the record company and also financial difficulties caused the band to implode, and Hammill left to pursue a solo career.
The three remaining members recorded an instrumental album with Nic Potter, Ced Curtis, and Piero Messina, under the name "The Long Hello". Their self-titled album (The Long Hello
) was released in 1974.
at Trident Studios), and displayed a somewhat tauter, more streamlined sound. Godbluff
in particular saw Hammill making significant use of the Hohner
clavinet
keyboard. Still Life
followed within the same year. The Italian tour of 1975 was plagued by riots and trouble with the police.
At the end of 1976, following World Record
, first Banton and then Jackson departed. Nic Potter returned to replace Banton, and in a typically eccentric move Jackson was replaced by a violinist, Graham Smith (formerly of Charisma folk-rock band String Driven Thing
). This line-up produced the album The Quiet Zone/The Pleasure Dome
. The band also shortened its name to Van der Graaf. Charles Dickie then joined the band on cello, documented on the live double-album Vital
. By the time Vital was released, in the summer of 1978, the band had already split, because of lack of record company support in the United States and financial difficulties.
In 1982 a collection of out-takes and rehearsal recordings from the 1972-1975 hiatus was released (initially on cassette only), called Time Vaults
. These are not studio-quality recordings.
in March 1997). In 2003, Banton, Jackson, and Evans joined with Hammill to perform the song "Still Life" at the Queen Elizabeth Hall
in London. Both of these appearances were unannounced to the audience in advance.
Following the Queen Elizabeth Hall performance, discussions between the band members led to writing and rehearsal of new material in mid-2004. A double CD, Present, containing this material was released in April 2005. A reunion concert took place at the Royal Festival Hall
, London, on 6 May 2005, followed by several European dates in the summer and autumn of 2005. The concert in Leverkusen, Germany on 5 November 2005 was filmed for a TV show ("Rockpalast
") and was broadcast on 15 January 2006. A DVD from that concert had been announced on Hammill's website in 2006. However, so far only one track thereof, "Wondering", has been officially released (on a DVD that came with the Rockpalast anniversary edition of the German magazine Eclipsed in June 2007).
Hammill stated in a December 2005 newsletter that there were no plans for further recordings or performances by the 'classic' Van der Graaf Generator line-up. In September 2006, Hammill announced that the band would be continuing as a trio, for live and studio work, without Jackson. In March 2007 he stated that the reason for Jackson's departure from the band was that he "seemed to have difficulty in understanding what we had mutually agreed and that he was struggling to make the leap of faith which being in this group has always involved. This put him into conflict with us as a unit and as individuals. After an increasingly fractious series of events (which I do *not* propose to detail) it became clear to Guy, Hugh and I that whatever happened in the future we were not going to be able to continue being in a group with David."
A live album, Real Time
, was released on 5 March 2007 on Hammill's label, Fie! Records. It contains the entirety of the band's 2005 concert at the Royal Festival Hall.
In April and July 2007 the band played as a trio in different places in Europe. A concert on 14 April 2007 in the Paradiso
in Amsterdam was recorded and streamed on the FabChannel
website until March 2009, and was released on DVD and CD in June 2009.
The first trio recording, Trisector
, was released on 17 March 2008. Live concerts were played in Europe in March and April, and in Japan in June, among them, one at the Gouveia Art Rock Festival (http://www.gaudela.net/gar). There were further concerts in January 2009 in Europe, and the band played several concerts in Canada and the United States in the summer of 2009, among them performances at NEARfest
, in New York City and Toronto, and an outdoor concert at the Quebec City Summer Festival
(Festival d'été de Québec). It was the first time Van der Graaf Generator visited the United States since 1976.
In the spring of 2010 the trio recorded a new album in Devon
. A Grounding in Numbers
was released on 14 March 2011.
Progressive rock
Progressive rock is a subgenre of rock music that developed in the late 1960s and early 1970s as part of a "mostly British attempt to elevate rock music to new levels of artistic credibility." John Covach, in Contemporary Music Review, says that many thought it would not just "succeed the pop of...
band, formed in 1967 in Manchester. They were the first act signed to Charisma Records
Charisma Records
Charisma was a record label founded by former journalist Tony Stratton-Smith in 1969. Manager for The Nice, the Bonzo Dog Band and Van der Graaf Generator at the time, Stratton-Smith was unable to find a record company willing to release an album by one of his favourite groups so he founded his own...
. The band achieved considerable success in Italy during the 1970s. In 2005 they embarked on a reunion, which continues to the present day.
The signature Van der Graaf Generator sound in the 1970s was a combination of Peter Hammill
Peter Hammill
Peter Joseph Andrew Hammill is an English singer-songwriter, and a founding member of the progressive rock band Van der Graaf Generator. Most noted for his vocal abilities, his main instruments are guitar and piano...
's distinctive and dynamic voice and David Jackson
David Jackson (rock musician)
David Nicholas George Jackson , nicknamed Jaxon, is a British progressive rock saxophonist, flautist, and composer. He is best known for his work with the band Van der Graaf Generator and his work in Music and Disability...
's electronically treated saxophones, generally playing over thick chordal keyboard parts (such as Hammond organ
Hammond organ
The Hammond organ is an electric organ invented by Laurens Hammond in 1934 and manufactured by the Hammond Organ Company. While the Hammond organ was originally sold to churches as a lower-cost alternative to the wind-driven pipe organ, in the 1960s and 1970s it became a standard keyboard...
and/or clavinet
Clavinet
A Clavinet is an electrically amplified keyboard instrument manufactured by the Hohner company. It is essentially an electronically amplified clavichord, analogous to an electric guitar. Its distinctive bright staccato sound has appeared particularly in funk, disco, rock, and reggae songs.Various...
), and Guy Evans' rolling, jazz-rock-like drumming. The band explored the complete range of phonaesthetics from euphony to cacophony, often within the same song. Van der Graaf Generator albums tended to be darker in atmosphere than many of their prog-rock peers (a trait they shared with King Crimson
King Crimson
King Crimson are a rock band founded in London, England in 1969. Often categorised as a foundational progressive rock group, the band have incorporated diverse influences and instrumentation during their history...
, whose guitarist Robert Fripp
Robert Fripp
Robert Fripp is an English guitarist, composer and record producer. He was ranked 42nd on Rolling Stone magazine's 2003 list of the "100 Greatest Guitarists of All Time" and #47 on Gibson.com’s "Top 50 Guitarists of All Time". Among rock guitarists, Fripp is a master of crosspicking, a technique...
guested on two of their albums), and guitar solo
Guitar solo
In popular music, a guitar solo is a melodic passage, section, or entire piece of music written for an electric guitar or an acoustic guitar. Guitar solos, which often contain varying degrees of improvisation, are used in many styles of popular music such as blues, jazz, rock and metal styles such...
s were the exception rather than the rule.
Hammill is the primary songwriter for the band, and the line between music written for his solo career and for the band is sometimes blurred. In interviews, Hammill stated that even though he wrote the majority of VdGG music, its arrangements were always collective, while in the case of his solo recordings, he wrote and arranged all the compositions.
Formation and early years (1967-1972)
Peter HammillPeter Hammill
Peter Joseph Andrew Hammill is an English singer-songwriter, and a founding member of the progressive rock band Van der Graaf Generator. Most noted for his vocal abilities, his main instruments are guitar and piano...
(guitar and vocals), Nick Pearne (organ) and Chris Judge Smith
Judge Smith
Christopher John Judge Smith , is a songwriter, composer and performer, and a founder member of progressive rock band Van der Graaf Generator. Initially working under the name Chris Judge Smith, he has been known simply as Judge Smith since 1994.- Early years :In 1967, with Peter Hammill, Judge...
(drums and wind instruments) formed Van der Graaf Generator in 1967 when they were students at Manchester University. The group was named after a piece of electric equipment designed to produce static electricity, the Van de Graaff generator
Van de Graaff generator
A Van de Graaff generator is an electrostatic generator which uses a moving belt to accumulate very high voltages on a hollow metal globe on the top of the stand. It was invented in 1929 by American physicist Robert J. Van de Graaff. The potential differences achieved in modern Van de Graaff...
. The name was suggested by Smith (the misspellings are accidental). On the basis of a demo, this blues- and jazz-influenced first incarnation were offered a recording contract with Mercury Records
Mercury Records
Mercury Records is a record label operating as a standalone company in the UK and as part of the Island Def Jam Motown Music Group in the US; both are subsidiaries of Universal Music Group. There is also a Mercury Records in Australia, which is a local artist and repertoire division of Universal...
.
In 1968, Pearne was replaced by Hugh Banton
Hugh Banton
Hugh Robert Banton is a British organist and organ builder, most widely known for his work with the group Van der Graaf Generator in the 1970s.-Career:...
. The band were able to secure Tony Stratton-Smith
Tony Stratton-Smith
Tony Stratton-Smith was an English rock music manager, and entrepreneur. He was best known as founder of London based independent record label Charisma Records which he began in 1969. Groups he managed included The Nice , Bonzo Dog Band and Van der Graaf Generator...
as a full-time manager. Through him, the band acquired a bass guitar
Bass guitar
The bass guitar is a stringed instrument played primarily with the fingers or thumb , or by using a pick....
player, Keith Ellis
Keith Ellis
Keith Ian Ellis , was an English bass player. He is known for his associations with The Koobas, The Misunderstood and Juicy Lucy. He was also a member of Van der Graaf Generator from 1968 to 1969...
. Drummer Guy Evans
Guy Evans
Guy Randolph Evans is an English progressive rock drummer, percussionist and composer, and a member of Van der Graaf Generator....
joined not too long afterwards. This line-up recorded a series of demos for Mercury, before releasing a single ("People You Were Going To" b/w "Firebrand") on Polydor Records
Polydor Records
Polydor is a record label owned by Universal Music Group, headquartered in the United Kingdom.-Beginnings:Polydor was originally an independent branch of the Deutsche Grammophon Gesellschaft. Its name was first used as an export label in 1924, the British and German branches of the Gramophone...
. The single was withdrawn under pressure from Mercury, since it violated the contract band members Hammill and Smith signed the previous year. Smith left the band, amicably, shortly after the recording of the single.
Although the band performed on BBC Radio 1
BBC Radio 1
BBC Radio 1 is a British national radio station operated by the British Broadcasting Corporation which also broadcasts internationally, specialising in current popular music and chart hits throughout the day. Radio 1 provides alternative genres after 7:00pm including electronic dance, hip hop, rock...
's Top Gear
Top Gear (radio show)
Top Gear was originally a short-lived pop music show on the BBC Light Programme in the mid-1960s.- Origin and format :It was one of the Corporation's few attempts to compete with the pirate radio stations and Radio Luxembourg, who had attracted large audiences of young British pop music listeners...
radio show in November, and was touring successfully, it broke up in June 1969. Pressures leading to this included financial difficulties, the theft of the band's gear and transport in London, combined with Mercury's refusal to let the band record and Stratton-Smith's refusal to let the other members of the band sign to Mercury too (only Hammill remained now of the original three who had signed with Mercury).
In July 1969, Hammill went to record his first solo album at Trident Studios
Trident Studios
Trident Studios was a British recording facility, originally located at 17 St. Anne's Court in London's Soho district. It was constructed in 1967 by Norman Sheffield a drummer of former 1960's group The Hunters and his Brother Barry....
. Banton, Evans, and Ellis joined him as session musicians. Through a deal worked out by their manager, Hammill's intended solo album, The Aerosol Grey Machine
The Aerosol Grey Machine
The Aerosol Grey Machine is the first album by the British progressive rock band Van der Graaf Generator. It was released in September 1969.The album was originally intended as a solo album by the band's lead singer and main songwriter, Peter Hammill...
, was released by Mercury under the band's name in return for releasing the band from their contract. The album was initially only released in the United States with hardly any promotion at all, so sales were minimal.
Tony Stratton-Smith formed Charisma Records
Charisma Records
Charisma was a record label founded by former journalist Tony Stratton-Smith in 1969. Manager for The Nice, the Bonzo Dog Band and Van der Graaf Generator at the time, Stratton-Smith was unable to find a record company willing to release an album by one of his favourite groups so he founded his own...
and signed the band as his first act. Before recording their second album, The Least We Can Do Is Wave To Each Other
The Least We Can Do Is Wave To Each Other
The Least We Can Do Is Wave to Each Other is the second album by the British progressive rock band Van der Graaf Generator. It was released in 1970. The album was reissued in re-mastered form, with two bonus tracks, in 2005....
, Ellis left (eventually joining Juicy Lucy
Juicy Lucy (band)
Juicy Lucy is a blues-rock band formed on April 1, 1969. After the demise of The Misunderstood, vocalist Ray Owen, steel guitarist Glenn Ross Campbell, and saxophone player Chris Mercer formed Juicy Lucy...
and a very brief incarnation of Iron Butterfly
Iron Butterfly
Iron Butterfly is a US psychedelic rock band best known for the 1968 hit "In-A-Gadda-Da-Vida".Their heyday was the late 1960s, but the band has been reincarnated with various members. In-A-Gadda-Da-Vida is the 31st best-selling album in the world, selling more than 25 million copies.-History:The...
among others) and was replaced by Nic Potter
Nic Potter
Nic Potter is a British bassist, composer and painter, best known for his work with the group Van der Graaf Generator in the 1970s.-Career:...
, and David Jackson
David Jackson (rock musician)
David Nicholas George Jackson , nicknamed Jaxon, is a British progressive rock saxophonist, flautist, and composer. He is best known for his work with the band Van der Graaf Generator and his work in Music and Disability...
(saxophone
Saxophone
The saxophone is a conical-bore transposing musical instrument that is a member of the woodwind family. Saxophones are usually made of brass and played with a single-reed mouthpiece similar to that of the clarinet. The saxophone was invented by the Belgian instrument maker Adolphe Sax in 1846...
s and flute
Flute
The flute is a musical instrument of the woodwind family. Unlike woodwind instruments with reeds, a flute is an aerophone or reedless wind instrument that produces its sound from the flow of air across an opening...
s) was added to the line-up.
A new sound was established, leaving behind the psychedelic influence of The Aerosol Grey Machine in favour of darker textures influenced by jazz and classical music. The Least We Can Do... was well received, and was swiftly followed by H to He, Who Am the Only One
H to He, Who Am the Only One
H to He, Who Am the Only One is the third album by the British progressive rock band Van der Graaf Generator. It was released in 1970.During the recording of the album, Nic Potter quit the band. Organist Hugh Banton offered to play bass guitar on the two tracks that had not yet been finished. In...
. Potter left mid-way through that recording, and the band decided to carry on without a bass guitarist, with Banton alternating between bass guitar and organ bass pedals. Robert Fripp
Robert Fripp
Robert Fripp is an English guitarist, composer and record producer. He was ranked 42nd on Rolling Stone magazine's 2003 list of the "100 Greatest Guitarists of All Time" and #47 on Gibson.com’s "Top 50 Guitarists of All Time". Among rock guitarists, Fripp is a master of crosspicking, a technique...
of King Crimson
King Crimson
King Crimson are a rock band founded in London, England in 1969. Often categorised as a foundational progressive rock group, the band have incorporated diverse influences and instrumentation during their history...
contributed guitar on the song, "The Emperor in His War-Room".
The Hammill/Banton/Jackson/Evans quartet that resulted from H to He is now considered the 'classic' line-up, and went on to record Pawn Hearts
Pawn Hearts
Pawn Hearts is the fourth album by English progressive rock band Van der Graaf Generator, released in October 1971. The album reached number 1 on Italian album charts.-Differences between the European and North American releases:...
. The album contains just three tracks, "Lemmings", "Man-Erg" and the 23 minute concept piece "A Plague of Lighthouse Keepers". Fripp again provided a cameo appearance on guitar. The album proved highly successful in Italy, topping the chart there for 12 weeks. The single "Theme One" was number one of the charts in Italy, too. "Theme One" was an instrumental piece, originally written by Beatles producer George Martin
George Martin
Sir George Henry Martin CBE is an English record producer, arranger, composer and musician. He is sometimes referred to as "the Fifth Beatle"— a title that he often describes as "nonsense," but the fact remains that he served as producer on all but one of The Beatles' original albums...
as a fanfare for the BBC radio station Radio 1, later to appear on US pressings of Pawn Hearts.
The band toured extensively from 1970 to 1972, but a lack of support from the record company and also financial difficulties caused the band to implode, and Hammill left to pursue a solo career.
The three remaining members recorded an instrumental album with Nic Potter, Ced Curtis, and Piero Messina, under the name "The Long Hello". Their self-titled album (The Long Hello
The Long Hello
The Long Hello is a studio instrumental album by David Jackson, Hugh Banton, Guy Evans and Nic Potter recorded in August 1973 and released in Italy in 1974...
) was released in 1974.
First reunion (1975-1978)
Hammill's split with the group was amicable, and Banton, Jackson and Evans, among others, all contributed to his solo work at various times. By 1975, the members of the band were ready to work with each other again, and they recorded three new albums in just 12 months. The sessions were produced by the band themselves (all previous Van der Graaf Generator albums had been produced by John AnthonyJohn Anthony (producer)
John Anthony is a British music producer. He has worked with Van der Graaf Generator, Genesis, Queen and Peter Hammill.-Career:John Anthony started in 1966 as a club DJ in London at The Roundhouse, the UFO Club, and Middle Earth, and then in 1968 at the Speakeasy...
at Trident Studios), and displayed a somewhat tauter, more streamlined sound. Godbluff
Godbluff
Godbluff is the first record released by Van der Graaf Generator after they reformed in 1975. It is their fifth disc overall.It features a tighter, more pared-down sound than the band's earlier recordings with John Anthony. Hammill makes extensive use of the Hohner Clavinet D6 electromechanical...
in particular saw Hammill making significant use of the Hohner
Hohner
Hohner Musikinstrumente GmbH & Co. KG is a company specialising in the manufacture of musical instruments. Founded in 1857 by Matthias Hohner , Hohner is identified especially with harmonicas and accordions. The Hohner company has invented and produced many different styles, and most of the...
clavinet
Clavinet
A Clavinet is an electrically amplified keyboard instrument manufactured by the Hohner company. It is essentially an electronically amplified clavichord, analogous to an electric guitar. Its distinctive bright staccato sound has appeared particularly in funk, disco, rock, and reggae songs.Various...
keyboard. Still Life
Still Life (Van der Graaf Generator album)
Still Life is an album by Van der Graaf Generator. It was originally released in 1976. One bonus track was added for the 2005 rerelease. The album cover shows a Lichtenberg figure....
followed within the same year. The Italian tour of 1975 was plagued by riots and trouble with the police.
At the end of 1976, following World Record
World Record (album)
World Record is an album by Van der Graaf Generator. It was originally released in 1976. Bonus tracks were added for the 2005 rerelease.It was the last album recorded by the classic line-up of the band until their 2005 reunion: Banton and Jackson departed in 1976, but Hammill and Evans carried on,...
, first Banton and then Jackson departed. Nic Potter returned to replace Banton, and in a typically eccentric move Jackson was replaced by a violinist, Graham Smith (formerly of Charisma folk-rock band String Driven Thing
String Driven Thing
String Driven Thing were a 1970s folk-rock band from Scotland led by husband and wife Chris Adams and Pauline Adams and featuring the electric violin of Graham Smith.-Formation:...
). This line-up produced the album The Quiet Zone/The Pleasure Dome
The Quiet Zone/The Pleasure Dome
The Quiet Zone/The Pleasure Dome, released in 1977, was Van der Graaf Generator's last studio album before their 2005 reunion. The album features a more energetic, new wave sound than its three immediate predecessors, anticipating singer and songwriter Peter Hammill's late '70s solo work.For this...
. The band also shortened its name to Van der Graaf. Charles Dickie then joined the band on cello, documented on the live double-album Vital
Vital (album)
Vital is Van der Graaf Generator's first live album. Except for one-off reunions, it marked the end of Van der Graaf Generator as a band until their 2005 reunion. The album was credited under the truncated name Van der Graaf...
. By the time Vital was released, in the summer of 1978, the band had already split, because of lack of record company support in the United States and financial difficulties.
In 1982 a collection of out-takes and rehearsal recordings from the 1972-1975 hiatus was released (initially on cassette only), called Time Vaults
Time Vaults
Time Vaults is an album by Van der Graaf Generator. It was originally released in 1982 on cassette only. It contains out-takes and rehearsal recordings from the period 1972-1975, when the band was on hiatus. The recordings "are not studio-quality recordings". It was released almost four years after...
. These are not studio-quality recordings.
Second reunion (2005 to date)
Banton, Jackson and Evans all made occasional appearances on Hammill's solo albums following the 1978 split, and the classic line-up also played occasionally together. In 1996, the quartet appeared on stage during a concert by Hammill and Evans at the Union Chapel in London to perform "Lemmings" (the whole recording was released as The Union Chapel ConcertThe Union Chapel Concert
The Union Chapel Concert is a live album by Guy Evans and Peter Hammill, recorded in the Union Chapel in London, 3 November 1996, and released as a double CD in March 1997...
in March 1997). In 2003, Banton, Jackson, and Evans joined with Hammill to perform the song "Still Life" at the Queen Elizabeth Hall
Queen Elizabeth Hall
The Queen Elizabeth Hall is a music venue on the South Bank in London, United Kingdom that hosts daily classical, jazz, and avant-garde music and dance performances. The QEH forms part of Southbank Centre arts complex and stands alongside the Royal Festival Hall, which was built for the Festival...
in London. Both of these appearances were unannounced to the audience in advance.
Following the Queen Elizabeth Hall performance, discussions between the band members led to writing and rehearsal of new material in mid-2004. A double CD, Present, containing this material was released in April 2005. A reunion concert took place at the Royal Festival Hall
Royal Festival Hall
The Royal Festival Hall is a 2,900-seat concert, dance and talks venue within Southbank Centre in London. It is situated on the South Bank of the River Thames, not far from Hungerford Bridge. It is a Grade I listed building - the first post-war building to become so protected...
, London, on 6 May 2005, followed by several European dates in the summer and autumn of 2005. The concert in Leverkusen, Germany on 5 November 2005 was filmed for a TV show ("Rockpalast
Rockpalast
Rockpalast is a German music television show that broadcasts live on German television station Westdeutscher Rundfunk . Rockpalast started in 1974 and continues to this day. Hundreds of rock and jazz bands have performed on Rockpalast...
") and was broadcast on 15 January 2006. A DVD from that concert had been announced on Hammill's website in 2006. However, so far only one track thereof, "Wondering", has been officially released (on a DVD that came with the Rockpalast anniversary edition of the German magazine Eclipsed in June 2007).
Hammill stated in a December 2005 newsletter that there were no plans for further recordings or performances by the 'classic' Van der Graaf Generator line-up. In September 2006, Hammill announced that the band would be continuing as a trio, for live and studio work, without Jackson. In March 2007 he stated that the reason for Jackson's departure from the band was that he "seemed to have difficulty in understanding what we had mutually agreed and that he was struggling to make the leap of faith which being in this group has always involved. This put him into conflict with us as a unit and as individuals. After an increasingly fractious series of events (which I do *not* propose to detail) it became clear to Guy, Hugh and I that whatever happened in the future we were not going to be able to continue being in a group with David."
A live album, Real Time
Real Time (Van der Graaf Generator album)
Real Time is a live album by Van der Graaf Generator, released in 2007 on Fie! Records . It contains the entire recording of the group's reunion concert at the Royal Festival Hall in London, England on 6 May 2005...
, was released on 5 March 2007 on Hammill's label, Fie! Records. It contains the entirety of the band's 2005 concert at the Royal Festival Hall.
In April and July 2007 the band played as a trio in different places in Europe. A concert on 14 April 2007 in the Paradiso
Paradiso (Amsterdam)
Paradiso is an iconic rock music venue and cultural center in Amsterdam, the Netherlands.-History:It is housed in a converted former church building that dates from the nineteenth century and that was used until 1965 as the meeting hall for a liberal Dutch religious group known as the "Vrije...
in Amsterdam was recorded and streamed on the FabChannel
Fabchannel.com
Fabchannel.com was a Dutch company that aimed to give attention to artists unrecognized by the mass media.The project was founded by Justin Kniest in 2000 in collaboration with internet service provider XS4ALL and broadcast facility company N.O.B....
website until March 2009, and was released on DVD and CD in June 2009.
The first trio recording, Trisector
Trisector
Trisector is a studio album by the British rock group Van der Graaf Generator. It was released on Virgin/EMI Records in March 2008. It is an important release for Van der Graaf Generator because it is the first album the band recorded as a trio...
, was released on 17 March 2008. Live concerts were played in Europe in March and April, and in Japan in June, among them, one at the Gouveia Art Rock Festival (http://www.gaudela.net/gar). There were further concerts in January 2009 in Europe, and the band played several concerts in Canada and the United States in the summer of 2009, among them performances at NEARfest
NEARfest
The North East Art Rock Festival, or NEARfest for short, is a multi-day event celebrating the resurgence of progressive and eclectic music in the United States and around the world. The event is held annually in early summer in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania, approximately one hour north of Philadelphia...
, in New York City and Toronto, and an outdoor concert at the Quebec City Summer Festival
Quebec City Summer Festival
The Festival d'été, or Summer Festival , has been taking place annually since 1968. It is organized by groups of businesspersons and artists of Quebec City in order to show the artistic, economic, and tourist potential of the region...
(Festival d'été de Québec). It was the first time Van der Graaf Generator visited the United States since 1976.
In the spring of 2010 the trio recorded a new album in Devon
Devon
Devon is a large county in southwestern England. The county is sometimes referred to as Devonshire, although the term is rarely used inside the county itself as the county has never been officially "shired", it often indicates a traditional or historical context.The county shares borders with...
. A Grounding in Numbers
A Grounding in Numbers
A Grounding in Numbers is a studio album by the British rock group Van der Graaf Generator. It was released on 14 March 2011. This date, if written as 3,14, comprises the first three digits of the number π. The second track, "Mathematics", refers to Euler's identity, sometimes known as the...
was released on 14 March 2011.
Current members
- Peter HammillPeter HammillPeter Joseph Andrew Hammill is an English singer-songwriter, and a founding member of the progressive rock band Van der Graaf Generator. Most noted for his vocal abilities, his main instruments are guitar and piano...
– guitar, piano/keyboard and vocals (1967–1978, 2005-present) - Hugh BantonHugh BantonHugh Robert Banton is a British organist and organ builder, most widely known for his work with the group Van der Graaf Generator in the 1970s.-Career:...
– organ, bass pedals and bass guitar (1968–1976, 2005-present) - Guy EvansGuy EvansGuy Randolph Evans is an English progressive rock drummer, percussionist and composer, and a member of Van der Graaf Generator....
– drums (1968–1978, 2005-present)
Former members
- Chris Judge SmithJudge SmithChristopher John Judge Smith , is a songwriter, composer and performer, and a founder member of progressive rock band Van der Graaf Generator. Initially working under the name Chris Judge Smith, he has been known simply as Judge Smith since 1994.- Early years :In 1967, with Peter Hammill, Judge...
– vocals, drums and wind instruments (1967–1968) - Nick Pearne – organ (1967)
- Keith EllisKeith EllisKeith Ian Ellis , was an English bass player. He is known for his associations with The Koobas, The Misunderstood and Juicy Lucy. He was also a member of Van der Graaf Generator from 1968 to 1969...
– bass guitar (1968) - David JacksonDavid Jackson (rock musician)David Nicholas George Jackson , nicknamed Jaxon, is a British progressive rock saxophonist, flautist, and composer. He is best known for his work with the band Van der Graaf Generator and his work in Music and Disability...
– saxophone and flute (1970–1977, 1978, 2005-2006) - Nic PotterNic PotterNic Potter is a British bassist, composer and painter, best known for his work with the group Van der Graaf Generator in the 1970s.-Career:...
– bass guitar (1970, 1977–1978) - Graham SmithString Driven ThingString Driven Thing were a 1970s folk-rock band from Scotland led by husband and wife Chris Adams and Pauline Adams and featuring the electric violin of Graham Smith.-Formation:...
– violin (1977–1978) - Charles Dickie – cello (1978)
Discography
- The Aerosol Grey MachineThe Aerosol Grey MachineThe Aerosol Grey Machine is the first album by the British progressive rock band Van der Graaf Generator. It was released in September 1969.The album was originally intended as a solo album by the band's lead singer and main songwriter, Peter Hammill...
(1969) - The Least We Can Do Is Wave to Each OtherThe Least We Can Do Is Wave To Each OtherThe Least We Can Do Is Wave to Each Other is the second album by the British progressive rock band Van der Graaf Generator. It was released in 1970. The album was reissued in re-mastered form, with two bonus tracks, in 2005....
(1970) - H to He, Who Am the Only OneH to He, Who Am the Only OneH to He, Who Am the Only One is the third album by the British progressive rock band Van der Graaf Generator. It was released in 1970.During the recording of the album, Nic Potter quit the band. Organist Hugh Banton offered to play bass guitar on the two tracks that had not yet been finished. In...
(1970) - Pawn HeartsPawn HeartsPawn Hearts is the fourth album by English progressive rock band Van der Graaf Generator, released in October 1971. The album reached number 1 on Italian album charts.-Differences between the European and North American releases:...
(1971) - GodbluffGodbluffGodbluff is the first record released by Van der Graaf Generator after they reformed in 1975. It is their fifth disc overall.It features a tighter, more pared-down sound than the band's earlier recordings with John Anthony. Hammill makes extensive use of the Hohner Clavinet D6 electromechanical...
(1975) - Still LifeStill Life (Van der Graaf Generator album)Still Life is an album by Van der Graaf Generator. It was originally released in 1976. One bonus track was added for the 2005 rerelease. The album cover shows a Lichtenberg figure....
(1976) - World RecordWorld Record (album)World Record is an album by Van der Graaf Generator. It was originally released in 1976. Bonus tracks were added for the 2005 rerelease.It was the last album recorded by the classic line-up of the band until their 2005 reunion: Banton and Jackson departed in 1976, but Hammill and Evans carried on,...
(1976) - The Quiet Zone/The Pleasure DomeThe Quiet Zone/The Pleasure DomeThe Quiet Zone/The Pleasure Dome, released in 1977, was Van der Graaf Generator's last studio album before their 2005 reunion. The album features a more energetic, new wave sound than its three immediate predecessors, anticipating singer and songwriter Peter Hammill's late '70s solo work.For this...
(1977) - Time VaultsTime VaultsTime Vaults is an album by Van der Graaf Generator. It was originally released in 1982 on cassette only. It contains out-takes and rehearsal recordings from the period 1972-1975, when the band was on hiatus. The recordings "are not studio-quality recordings". It was released almost four years after...
(1982) - Present (2005)
- TrisectorTrisectorTrisector is a studio album by the British rock group Van der Graaf Generator. It was released on Virgin/EMI Records in March 2008. It is an important release for Van der Graaf Generator because it is the first album the band recorded as a trio...
(2008) - A Grounding in NumbersA Grounding in NumbersA Grounding in Numbers is a studio album by the British rock group Van der Graaf Generator. It was released on 14 March 2011. This date, if written as 3,14, comprises the first three digits of the number π. The second track, "Mathematics", refers to Euler's identity, sometimes known as the...
(2011)
Further references
- PH-VdGG Study Group; Fiaccavento, L.; Olivotto, M. (2005) Van der Graaf Generator - Dark Figures Running - Lyrics 1968-1978 (published by PH-VdGG Study Group http://www.phvdggstudygroup.it/libro_eng.htm)
External links
- Peter Hammill's official site
- Van der Graaf Generator fan site
- David Jackson's official site
- Nic Potter's official site
- Nic Potter's authorised official Italian site
- See their discography at Music City
- Van der Graaf Generator family tree
- Russian Peter Hammill and Van der Graaf Generator page
- Trouser Press entry