(Progressive) Van Der Graaf Generator - Live in Concert at Metropolis Studios 2CD+DVD - 2012, WavPack (iso.wv), lossless

Треклист:
1. INTERFERENCE PATTERNS
(Hammill / Banton / Evans)
2. NUTTER ALERT
(Hammill)
3. YOUR TIME STARTS NOW
(Hammill / Banton / Evans)
4. LEMMINGS
(Hammill)
5. LIFETIME
(Hammill / Banton / Evans)
6. BUNSHO
(Hammill / Banton / Evans)
7. CHILDLIKE FAITH
(Hammill)

Треклист:
1.MR. SANDS
(Hammill / Banton / Evans)
2.OVER THE HILL
(Hammill / Banton / Evans)
3. WE ARE NOT HERE
(Hammill / Banton / Evans)
4. MAN-ERG
(Hammill)

Few bands of the 1970s inspired such a devoted following, or divided opinion as vehemently as Van Der Graaf Generator. Fans found theirs some of the most challenging music of the decade; others had to leave the room when a VDGG album came on! Founder member Peter Hammill later admitted "The times were intense, and we were an intense, even scary band"
But through it all, the group persisted and developed. On and off reunions culminated in this rendezvous in December 2010, when three key members of the band -Peter Hammill, Hugh Banton and Guy Evans - performed a blistering set to a small, dedicated audience of fans in a West London recording studio.
Originally formed by Hamogtill while studying at Manchester University in the late 60s, VDGG were plagued by record industry contractual nightmares, and it was only the belief of legendary record company owner Tony Stratton-Smith that the band held out and stayed together. "We were the first act to sign to Charisma Records" Peter Hammill told Mark Powell, "and in a way were the reason for the label starting, mainly due to the fact that Tony couldn't interest any other label in signing us!"
One of the best-loved (and certainly best value) tours of the 1970s found Charisma label mates Van Der Graaf Generator, Lindisfarne and Genesis packing 'em in to student unions.
"Things were extremely open", Peter Hammill admitted later, looking back on 1971's Pawn Hearts album, "and that's the attitude we went in with. We were given more time than before, and we were aware that it was going to be an epic production. In the writing, I was trying to push things as far as they could go, and in the playing, we were trying to pull as many influences into one cohesive mess". The finished Pawn Hearts, Mojo later called "compelling, claustrophobic, carefully-hewn chaos... practically unique in pop".
Of all the bands on his Charisma label, the late Stratton-Smith always had a soft spot for VDGG, calling Peter Hammill "the most talented writer I have ever worked with" - no empty claim when you consider Charisma also boasted Peter Gabriel, Lindisfarne's Alan Hull and Sir John Betjeman! A trio of well-received VDGG albums (The Least We Can Do Is Wave To Each Other; H To H, Who Am The Only One and Pawn Hearts) on Charisma led to the only way to promote their music back then - constant touring.
There were three tours of Italy alone in one year. Such pressure led to the band splitting in 1972, with Hammill pursuing a solo career.
Over the years, Van Der Graaf Generator have reformed for odd albums and sporadic shows; none more keenly anticipated than this reunion. Commenting immediately afterwards, the band singled out this "unique, unrepeatable, fantastic event". All admit to the intensity of Van Der Graaf Generator's music and here, showcased are new numbers from their most recent A Grounding In Numbers album.
Fractured time signatures... Peter Hammill's fervent, and at times frankly terrifying, vocals... the complexity of the band's music... the inscrutability of their lyrics... all add up to a unique and inimitable performance. There was something challenging and confrontational about Van Der Graaf Generator. For many, they were unfairly associated with the easy end of underground music, but as Peter Hammill told Martin Aston: "To put things in perspective, there's all this retro nostalgia today about progressive rock and the 70s, and it's all been about crushed velvet loon pants and petunias. It's easy to forget that this era was also the peak of the Baader-Meinhof and Red Brigade gangs".
Theirs has been called "some of the most experimental, enduring, savage and beautiful music of the 1970s". In interview, Van Der Graaf Generator have been admired by Nick Cave, The Fall's Mark E. Smith, Julian Cope and John Lydon. Stuart Maconie once wrote "Of the classic UK prog rock band, Van Der Graaf Generators stock has always remained high".
Perhaps the most illustrious of the band's fans was David Bowie. In his exhaustive study of the Thin White Duke's work, The Man Who Sold The World, Peter Doggett said that in 1974, Bowie "immersed himself" in the work of Peter Hammill, specifically citing VDGG's 'Darkness (11/11)' and Hammill's solo "In The Black Room' as influences on Station To Station.
Splits and reunions, an ongoing Hammill solo career, CD reissues, a box set... there had been sporadic one-ofT get togethers: in 2003, the three other members of the "classic" VDGG line up joined Hammill onstage at a solo show at the Queen Elizabeth Hall. But it was in 2005 that a full scale reunion took place at the Royal Festival Hall. The word was "reunion" rather than "reformation". Peter Hammill issued a press statement: "I was getting constant offers regarding a reunion, including one from the South Bank. Until then I had never taken them seriously; but now it seemed as though there might be some interest. We talked and we realised that -J we met more often at the funerals of former members of our road crew. So if it was to be undertaken, it should be while-all four of us were still alive!"
Following the reunion, multi-instrumentalist David Jackson decided not to stay with the band, so Van Der Graaf Generator pressed on with the core trio of Hammill, Hugh Banton and Guy Evans, who continue to play together, which led to this event being filmed, and this live souvenir of that very special evening.
© Patrick Humphries, 2012

Peter Hammill
Guy Evans
Hugh Banton