Van Der Graaf Generator was always different than its ‘70s progressive rock contemporaries. Groups like classic lineups, but on tour they almost exclusively emphasized their ‘70s repertoire. VDGG dissolved in late ‘70s the result of the rigors of touring and bad finances but everyone remained in touch, often The group reconvened in 2004 to see if there was anything left to be said, and (Charisma/Virgin, 2005) suggested that not only was there life left in the group, but it was capable of new material reflective of artistic growth while maintaining its own identity.
VDGG’s subsequent European tour in support of Present was enthusiastically received. With the release of the double-disc Real Time, as good as anything the band has ever recorded, fans It does. VDGG was never about instrumental virtuosity, even though Hammill, organist Hugh Banton, saxophonist/flautist David Jackson and drummer Guy Evans are anything but slouches.
Hammill recently Tribute to Jack Johnson (Legacy, 1970). Real Time may not speak that language, but in its the unexpected, VDGG might be considered to be aligned with the spirit, if not the letter, of jazz. VDGG has always been about the songs.
Often dark and disturbing, the group majestically delivers the with a maelstrom of energy that often feels like a vicious animal trying to escape its cage. It’s no surprise that the punk/new wave movement of the late ‘70s related to VDGG, a raw and visceral alternative to progressive rock’s impressive but often meaningless virtuosity. Hammill’s fervent, sometimes primal scream-like delivery may be melodramatic, but it’s never less than completely honest.
discography, positioning material from Present (the disturbingly transcendent “Every Bloody Emperor” and equally powerful but less turbulent “Nutter Alert”) as new classics alongside old ones, “Man-Erg” from the group’s classic Pawn Hearts (Charisma, 1971). The studio versions were built on layers of instrumentation and effects; here the group is stripped down, but no less powerful or in the day Vital (Charisma, 1978) Real Time is the disc fans of the classic lineup have been waiting for. It delivers on every count, so the only question now is: was this a one-time reunion, or will VDGG continue?
One can only hope. Track listing: CD1: The Undercover Man; Scorched Earth; Refugees; Every Bloody Emperor; Lemmings; (In the) Black Room; Nutter Alert; Darkness. CD2: Masks; Childlike Faith in Childhood’s End; The Sleepwalkers; Man-Erg; Killer; Wondering.
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