New blog post today from Peter: New solo album finished, release tbd: Live VdGG album from last years short bit of touring: Personally I'm a lot more interested in the new solo studio album as for me the 3 piece VdGG is missing a little something. I'll buy the live disc too though as they were doing some different things last year, like the entire Lighthouse Keepers piece.
Glad PH and VDG are keeping on. I look forward most to the next band album, which I'm sure they'll only do when the time is right.
Peter or Van Der Graff have not played on the west coast in decades. They have performed a little bit on the east coast but nothing on my side of the hill. Hammill is one artist I must see before time runs out. And I really would have preferred he not be 75 years old.
I've seen the trio twice. The first, a few years back in Liverpool, took a while to get going, and I felt that something was missing too, but the most recent concert in Manchester at the RNCM was excellent. I hope some of that performance makes the cut, especially 'Plague'. If they do intend to beef-up the live VDGG sound with another member, I would prefer they try something entirely different, and not try to replicate DJ. Maybe they would consider an effects-laden guitarist (e.g. Fripp or the like), bring back a violinist, reeds such as Theo Travis. A forceful and inventive personality, who would bring new arrangements and sounds to the established back catalogue.
Decades? Peter played solo in fall 2008...saw him in Phoenix (he also hit SF that tour). VdGG, well you have a point - I don't think they've ever hit the west coast? Still, 2008 was a little while ago and I think he's due for some shows over this way....perhaps the new album will bring that on.
Since Jackson is not likely to ever return because of his Tonewall and Playing the History projects, if there is to be a 4th member, I vote for Adrian Belew.
I vote for never a fourth member, but I don't get a vote. Those in VDGG decide what is or is not VDGG. I don't buy them all, though I'll always buy a studio project. But I can see the point that there are those who will, and (for VDGG) better revenue-producing approved releases that phone-recorded torrents cheaply pressed onto CD.
Sadly He will probably never play Detroit again. It was insulting how few people showed up for the gig. Are so called hipster IN if you will rag Metro Times could not even bother to do a piece on this Legend when he came to town. I can't think of another artist outside of Bowie that has such a brilliant run of albums. I may have mentioned this in another thread before if so Sorry but It just really pissed me off. I really love the mans music. A quality vinyl box set done like the Beatles mono covering Fools mate through sitting targets would bring me great joy.
No update on Peter's site (yet) but several european shops have listings for the new solo album "...All That Might Have Been..." coming November 28 in 3 formats - single CD, a 3 CD version, and vinyl. Since word of the album seems to have leaked out I suspect more info will be coming very soon now.
Pre-order for the new album (all versions) now up at Burning Shed: peter hammill - ...all that might have been... (3cd preorder) peter hammill - ...all that might have been... (vinyl preorder) peter hammill - ...all that might have been... (cd preorder)
PH has announced his next release: http://sofasound.com/latest.htm November is almost upon us. As well as my Mexico City "Otherworld" show with Gary Lucas I'll also be back in Tokyo for another four shows at the end of month. Details, of course, are up at touring. More importantly, the fruit of my recording labours over the last months is also going to be released at the end of November. The title is "..all that might have been..." and it comes in a number of different formats. The main release is a single CD, in the same form of packaging as was used for "Consequences". The music is presented here in continuous form and is cinematic by design. As in a film, scenes move backward and forward in time and space and characters appear and disappear without much by way of explanation. The scenes have been formed by slashing apart the forms of the original songs with which I started the project and reassembling them into this new form. It's *not* music looking for an imaginary film, but more like a combination of screenplay and music at the same time. To the best of my knowledge no-one has attempted such a project before. A special edition 3-CD box set is also available. This contains the main, cinematic, CD as well as one in which the individual songs are presented in more conventional fashion. The third CD is a stripped down instrumental collage. A vinyl release presents the songs in a different order and in a slightly edited form. The download versions of the release will be the songs, rather than the cinematic version. We are now taking orders for the Cd and the 3-cd box set, at the orders page (a little way down it, at the end of the PH section!). These days we're simply not geared up to deal with the specifics of vinyl shipping and so have decided to pass on that aspect of the release to Burning Shed, who really are experts at this particular format. You can find them here. I'll probably write more about how this has all come about and, indeed, the nature of the beast, closer to thactual release date. But for now it's enough to know that, at long last, the music is fully on schedule.
I've ordered the 3cd box and the vinyl edition. Anticipation level: HIGH But with a slight caveat - I found Consequences to be a tough nut to crack. Several listens after its release and I still don't quite get it. For me it's the most unsatisfying Hammill release in quite a long time.
And some details (and pre-order, Feb 2 release date) on the live VdGG release "Merlin Atmos": http://www.burningshed.com/store/peterhammill/collection/383/ Single CD - Featuring VDGG's definitive epic A Plague of Lighthouse Keepers and Peter Hammill's equally ambitious side long piece Flight, Merlin Atmos is arguably the best live album in the history of this legendary band. Limited 2CD - this strictly limited edition double cd digipak version features a 70 minute bonus CD also recorded on the band's 2013 European tour (including classics such as Scorched Earth, Man-Erg and Meurglys III). CD 1: 1. Flight 2. Lifetime 3. All That Before 4. Bunsho 5. A Plague Of Lighthouse Keeper 6. Gog CD 2: 1. Interference Patterns 2. Over The Hill 3. Your Time Starts Now 4. Scorched Earth 5. Meurglys III, The Songwriter's Guild 6. Man-Erg 7. Childlike Faith In Childhood's End Vinyl - This is a strictly limited 180g vinyl edition of the album - mastered and cut at Abbey Road - featuring the two grand compositions only. Side 1: Flight Side 2: A Plague Of Lighthouse Keepers
Seems that Peter has also done a little bit of recording with Tim Bowness for Tim's next album: http://timbowness.co.uk/diary/
Must ... Not ... Buy ... Vinyl ... AND ... CD. I have done this for Peter's solo album. The signed LP has arrived but was whisked away into my Xmas present pile. The CD box set won't come until next week. That is a late birthday present so I can have that when it arrives. Another Bowness album to come too. I should have shares in Burning Shed.
… All That Might Have Been … whew. It's taken me awhile to "get" it; but that's good, probably. I love the cinematic atmosphere of the thing; canny selection of cover images too (Tokyo at night?) … Can't wait for the next VdGG studio album.
I was at the show in Phoenix too. I enjoyed it, though I was sad he didn't perform my favorite VdGG song, Killer.
Probably the most exhilarating piece of Van der Graaf Generator news this year is that the 7 classic Charisma albums will be released on SHM-SACD in March.
Let's hope those 2015 DSD transfers (by the way, also released in SHM-CDs) sound way better (or at least not as compressed) than the latest remasters.
Hammill personally supervised and prepared the last round of remasters and claims to have had the other members sign off, so although I personally don't agree that's how he thinks the records should sound and I don't expect any further reissue to be different. The bonus cuts were nice to hear, but I'm glad I still have my records and bought a few spares along the way.
