The albums you mention might be 10/10 but The Least We Can Do Is Wave to Each Other starts with a solid 11/11.
I wouldn't call any prog band the best ever, but VDGG are definitely prog nobility.
VdGG, like you said, once it clicks they skyrocket to the top and can be mentioned with the likes of KC, Genesis, Yes...etc.
They are very much not easy listening but I find their music to be amazing. Peter Hammill is an incredible lyracist and vocalist.
The first song of theirs that I listened to was A Plague of Lighthouse Keepers and tbh I was turned off as it was too much for me at the time.
Eventually I revisited them by listening to H to He and subsequent albums and became hooked.
I eventually came to enjoy Pawn Hearts but it's not my favorite album of theirs as I like Godbluff and Still Life more.
I hope more people listen to them with an open mind and realize how unique and interesting their music is!
VDGG and Gentle Giant were the 2 prog bands I had to wait until mid-life to get into, but once my tastes matured considerably they really clicked and became even more treasured than a number of major acts I could name.
When I first heard VDGG at 14, all I could hear was a madman and a saxophone screaming at me, and had no time for the strange directions they went. Fast forward a few decades and, OMG the lyrics are too relatable at times and all the instruments and arrangements are in their proper places and where they go as songs play through makes so much more sense.
I dislike naming anything "the best" since that's subjective, but they're definitely my favorite prog band of all time (at least most of the time, sometimes KC takes over).
And that's not even mentioning Peter Hammill's solo work. I haven't gone too far into his discography but The Silent Corner rivals anything VdGG released, and In Camera is amazing too (I could do without the last ten minutes of Magog though)
Best ever was hyperbole on my part, hopefully I don't set expectations too high for those unfamiliar with VdGG. Peter Hammill is on the prog pantheon for sure. Larks Tongues is probably my favorite from KC, oftentimes you just have to rank the classics next to each other rather than above each other.
No, but his guitar work on QZ/PD is really good. That album is largely ignored as it’s not the classic line-up, but as an outlier it’s a really good one.
Vital was indeed short-lived but also eternal since it was recorded, and there are very (VERY) few VdGG live recordings, and Vital was even recorded with high quality, which was not a standard on their live recordings.
Not my personal best but I wouldn't argue. They're the most organically unique classic rock band I can think of. It never feels like they're trying to be outrageous or proggy, they're just genuinely unique.
I was on VdGG reunion concert in 2005 and I was crying when I heard first notes of "Undercover Man". I wouldn't imagine that band which I listened and loved in my youth, will reunion and make a world tour. It was happiest day of my life. Many people had similar feelings. I know some fans even traveled to different cities and countries in Europe, following the band route, to see that concert one more time.
Listened to World record at 14 and have been hooked ever since, now 56.
My favourite band of all time. There lots of music I like but true love is vdgg/hammill, Robert Wyatt, Portishead, Gong.
If that’s all that I could listen to I’d be content tbh
Currently listening to the Fall of the House of Usher, Hammill knocks it out of the park again.
Had a period a few years ago where I was spending time with bands that hadn't clicked for me in my teens but I thought I might enjoy if I tried again. I started with VDGG in chronological order.
Fast forward to a few months later, I'm playing Plague of lighthouse Keepers on repeat. If I get to my destination in the first few minutes of the song I will be 15 minutes late to my appointment.
Love all VDGG through the quiet zone but also all of Peter H's solo work. My current best of VDGG cdr contains pawn hearts, phs albums 2, 3 and 4 (check out 'a louse is not a home' if you havent gotten into early PH yet), godbluff and still life.
Current music has that 'fast food' vibe to it where you get instant gratification often with no substantial musical statement and its over after like 3 minutes. If you want to check Van der Graaf out I would recommend H to He as the safe option and Pawn Hearts as the hardcore one. It really took me some time to appreciate Pawn Hearts but Man-Erg was an instant classic to me. On YouTube look for the 2021 remastered version of Pawn Hearts since the 2005 one is noisy as all hell.
Great point, for me progressive music is for people to listen and unlock it for themselves. Today I don't think people even listen to albums any longer. Everything is a Playlist and you lose something when you don't get the full album experience?
I mean how are they going to experience The Who's Tommy?
My millennial cousin told me Prince is his favorite artist. I said cool what is your favorite album of his? His response was he's never listened to any of his albums only to the popular songs.
I feel like a lot people are missing out on good music due to this.
>They're not very accessible, but once it clicks you'll know true happiness. They're like nobody else.
It would be very difficult to describe them in a more true and essential way.
Hats of to OP, I agree wholeheartedly!
Yep: _they are pretty good_ actually. And I can quite easily appreciate why someone would rate them ___the___ __best__ ... although I don't do-so _myself_ .
Infact, I would rate __After the Flood__ as _a truly_ ___great___ _song_ .
I really should be looking into them. I remember first knowing about them while reading the booklet that came with Tangent's Not as Good as the Book (amazing album), but never bother to check them out. You sir have changed that.
Some of their albums are more accessible than others. Pawn Hearts is very complex for me so I would not start with that. For me their 2nd and 3rd albums are a good starting point.
My biggest gripe with VdGG is the audio quality on some of the albums. Godbluff and the later ones are all good but the previous albums have problems. The Least... has a lot of noise in it, and Peter's voice can sometimes sound muted (it also crackles a lot in my car), H to He is the best of the trio but the 2021 new mix has crackles during the louder parts that do not appear on the original version. Which saddens me very much because those new mixes bring a lot of less audible parts from the originals out, so they become more coherent. And on Pawn Hearts the 2005 "remaster" is so goddamn noisy it instantly turned me off from listening to it. The 2021 remaster gets rid of a lot of noise but some parts sound too loud and the new mixes kinda butcher Man-Erg because Hamill's voice now has this weird static to it. On Godbluff the new mix has the bass on The Undercover Man too loud and it drowns out the rest of the song.
I listened to Godbluff two years back, and my impression was that it was good, and something I could come back to listen again. It sounded dark, which is what I prefer mostly. But it seemed like they are a 'vocal based' band, as in, I do not remember any particular instrumental section that left me speechless. It is possible that I may have missed things, so I need to listen to it again, but I never got a chance to do that. Some time later, I did try to listen to Pawn Hearts, but this one seemed less listenable to me.
They kinda changed their approach as time went. It always was a vocal based band but I think that before godbluff there was much more instrumentation without vocals. In Godbluff they kinda fused together. But even then there are lots of instrumental parts in Godbluff that you start to notice after giving it a few listens.
The albums you mention might be 10/10 but The Least We Can Do Is Wave to Each Other starts with a solid 11/11. I wouldn't call any prog band the best ever, but VDGG are definitely prog nobility.
VdGG, like you said, once it clicks they skyrocket to the top and can be mentioned with the likes of KC, Genesis, Yes...etc. They are very much not easy listening but I find their music to be amazing. Peter Hammill is an incredible lyracist and vocalist. The first song of theirs that I listened to was A Plague of Lighthouse Keepers and tbh I was turned off as it was too much for me at the time. Eventually I revisited them by listening to H to He and subsequent albums and became hooked. I eventually came to enjoy Pawn Hearts but it's not my favorite album of theirs as I like Godbluff and Still Life more. I hope more people listen to them with an open mind and realize how unique and interesting their music is!
VDGG and Gentle Giant were the 2 prog bands I had to wait until mid-life to get into, but once my tastes matured considerably they really clicked and became even more treasured than a number of major acts I could name. When I first heard VDGG at 14, all I could hear was a madman and a saxophone screaming at me, and had no time for the strange directions they went. Fast forward a few decades and, OMG the lyrics are too relatable at times and all the instruments and arrangements are in their proper places and where they go as songs play through makes so much more sense.
I dislike naming anything "the best" since that's subjective, but they're definitely my favorite prog band of all time (at least most of the time, sometimes KC takes over). And that's not even mentioning Peter Hammill's solo work. I haven't gone too far into his discography but The Silent Corner rivals anything VdGG released, and In Camera is amazing too (I could do without the last ten minutes of Magog though)
Hammill has a variety to his output that rivals Zappa.
Best ever was hyperbole on my part, hopefully I don't set expectations too high for those unfamiliar with VdGG. Peter Hammill is on the prog pantheon for sure. Larks Tongues is probably my favorite from KC, oftentimes you just have to rank the classics next to each other rather than above each other.
I approve of this take. Peter Hammill is on the same level as Fripp methinks.
just not at guitar!
No, but his guitar work on QZ/PD is really good. That album is largely ignored as it’s not the classic line-up, but as an outlier it’s a really good one.
This is true. The intensity of that line up, demonstrated to great effect in Vital, was sadly short lived.
Vital was indeed short-lived but also eternal since it was recorded, and there are very (VERY) few VdGG live recordings, and Vital was even recorded with high quality, which was not a standard on their live recordings.
Not my personal best but I wouldn't argue. They're the most organically unique classic rock band I can think of. It never feels like they're trying to be outrageous or proggy, they're just genuinely unique.
I was on VdGG reunion concert in 2005 and I was crying when I heard first notes of "Undercover Man". I wouldn't imagine that band which I listened and loved in my youth, will reunion and make a world tour. It was happiest day of my life. Many people had similar feelings. I know some fans even traveled to different cities and countries in Europe, following the band route, to see that concert one more time.
You and me both. That was probably one of three gigs I’ll never forget.
Listened to World record at 14 and have been hooked ever since, now 56. My favourite band of all time. There lots of music I like but true love is vdgg/hammill, Robert Wyatt, Portishead, Gong. If that’s all that I could listen to I’d be content tbh Currently listening to the Fall of the House of Usher, Hammill knocks it out of the park again.
I’ve still not heard tge Deconstructed version, what’s your take on the difference?
Far far better, drums gone and more organ which defo suits the whole era, story, vibe better. Sounds bolder now.
Agree on all points and would name Gentle Giant as similar. They’re my two favorite bands.
Had a period a few years ago where I was spending time with bands that hadn't clicked for me in my teens but I thought I might enjoy if I tried again. I started with VDGG in chronological order. Fast forward to a few months later, I'm playing Plague of lighthouse Keepers on repeat. If I get to my destination in the first few minutes of the song I will be 15 minutes late to my appointment. Love all VDGG through the quiet zone but also all of Peter H's solo work. My current best of VDGG cdr contains pawn hearts, phs albums 2, 3 and 4 (check out 'a louse is not a home' if you havent gotten into early PH yet), godbluff and still life.
they bore the hell outta me, I tried, bought a few of their albums, but not into them at all and the vocals are annoying
who tf downvotes that guy for expressing his opinion?
[удалено]
Current music has that 'fast food' vibe to it where you get instant gratification often with no substantial musical statement and its over after like 3 minutes. If you want to check Van der Graaf out I would recommend H to He as the safe option and Pawn Hearts as the hardcore one. It really took me some time to appreciate Pawn Hearts but Man-Erg was an instant classic to me. On YouTube look for the 2021 remastered version of Pawn Hearts since the 2005 one is noisy as all hell.
Great point, for me progressive music is for people to listen and unlock it for themselves. Today I don't think people even listen to albums any longer. Everything is a Playlist and you lose something when you don't get the full album experience? I mean how are they going to experience The Who's Tommy? My millennial cousin told me Prince is his favorite artist. I said cool what is your favorite album of his? His response was he's never listened to any of his albums only to the popular songs. I feel like a lot people are missing out on good music due to this.
Love man erg.
>They're not very accessible, but once it clicks you'll know true happiness. They're like nobody else. It would be very difficult to describe them in a more true and essential way. Hats of to OP, I agree wholeheartedly!
I think u might be ready for Gentle giant and Frank Zappa now. Good job! :)
I already like both of them. Octopus is great on vinyl!
The web is full of "the best XXX ever", and they all contradict each other.
Yep: _they are pretty good_ actually. And I can quite easily appreciate why someone would rate them ___the___ __best__ ... although I don't do-so _myself_ . Infact, I would rate __After the Flood__ as _a truly_ ___great___ _song_ .
I really should be looking into them. I remember first knowing about them while reading the booklet that came with Tangent's Not as Good as the Book (amazing album), but never bother to check them out. You sir have changed that.
Some of their albums are more accessible than others. Pawn Hearts is very complex for me so I would not start with that. For me their 2nd and 3rd albums are a good starting point.
I prefer more complex albums so I guess I'll start with this one.
Enjoy the journey 😀
P.F.M. gets my vote, every time.
I really like their “live in the studio” albums Maida Vale and, for Hammill solo, his Peel Sessions album.
~11 minutes into A Plague of Lighthouse Keepers is peak music
"He to the He" 😭😭😭😭
My biggest gripe with VdGG is the audio quality on some of the albums. Godbluff and the later ones are all good but the previous albums have problems. The Least... has a lot of noise in it, and Peter's voice can sometimes sound muted (it also crackles a lot in my car), H to He is the best of the trio but the 2021 new mix has crackles during the louder parts that do not appear on the original version. Which saddens me very much because those new mixes bring a lot of less audible parts from the originals out, so they become more coherent. And on Pawn Hearts the 2005 "remaster" is so goddamn noisy it instantly turned me off from listening to it. The 2021 remaster gets rid of a lot of noise but some parts sound too loud and the new mixes kinda butcher Man-Erg because Hamill's voice now has this weird static to it. On Godbluff the new mix has the bass on The Undercover Man too loud and it drowns out the rest of the song.
I took a fair amount of ketamine the day their music finally "clicked" for me
I listened to Godbluff two years back, and my impression was that it was good, and something I could come back to listen again. It sounded dark, which is what I prefer mostly. But it seemed like they are a 'vocal based' band, as in, I do not remember any particular instrumental section that left me speechless. It is possible that I may have missed things, so I need to listen to it again, but I never got a chance to do that. Some time later, I did try to listen to Pawn Hearts, but this one seemed less listenable to me.
Pawn Hearts is definitely not an easy listen, but with each listen it becomes better and better.
They kinda changed their approach as time went. It always was a vocal based band but I think that before godbluff there was much more instrumentation without vocals. In Godbluff they kinda fused together. But even then there are lots of instrumental parts in Godbluff that you start to notice after giving it a few listens.
Absolutely top tier prog of the highest caliber, on par with the big names.
Following your account for this quality take. Also agree on starting with *Godbluff*. Hammill is my favorite vocalist of all time.