| The
Review |
BACK FOR THE FAITHFUL
I lead with a quote from drummer
Guy Evans' liner notes: "Gradually it has dawned on us that
if we were ever going to stage the much-vaunted re-union,
it should be while we are all still alive." And so the four
"core" members of one of the '70's greatest British progressive
acts have reconvened to give us long time fans another dose
of prog-rock existentialism with their new release, "Present."
*****
Let me re-emphasize the "long time
fans" in the preceding paragraph, because I don't believe
this recording is going to awaken a broader audience for Van
der Graaf. Actually, I don't think the band particularly cares;
at this stage in their lives, I would guess that they are
grateful to be able to play and record together, and having
long been aware that they would never be commercial titans
have focused instead on perfecting their own unique take on
progressive rock.
Let me provide a little background
for the benefit of readers unfamiliar with Van der Graaf Generator.
With minor personnel shifts over the years, they started in
the late 1960's, led by the totally unique songwriting and
voice of Peter Hammill. After an inchoate debut album, "The
Aerosol Gray Machine," they reeled off a string of visionary
progressive releases starting with "The Least we can do is
Wave to Each Other" and ending in 1975 with "World Record."
In my opinion no fan of progressive rock's collection or experience
is complete without a healthy appreciation for their 1971
masterpiece "Pawn Hearts," now available in a DEFINITIVE reissue
with meaningful (as opposed to filler) bonus tracks as well
as essential liner notes including illuminating history &
commentary for the benefit of new & old fans alike. I don't
know whether "Pawn Hearts" was also their commercial high
water-mark, but I do know that it was a huge continental success,
hitting #1 on the charts in Italy. Imagine a time and place
where it has been possible for a progressive band or album
to do THAT! *****
Despairing of being able to make
a living, the band splintered (apparently for good) after
"World Record" and while Hammill has soldiered on with countless
solo releases and lesser versions of VDGG, his parts have
been considerably less than the sum of the original whole.
However, unlike so many other human pairings, the VDGG split
was not acrimonious, and so when the stars had aligned themselves
properly, all four found themselves back in the studio in
late 2004 to see whether or not they could rekindle some of
the old fire for their own sake and ours. *****
"Present" is the fruit of their
labors, and while it's certainly no "Pawn Hearts" it is indeed
a welcome return for an important band that still definitely
has something worthy to contribute for our entertainment and
cultural enlightenment. In my opener I referred to Van der
Graaf's sound as "prog-rock existentialism," and I think that
just about nails it as succinctly as language is capable of
doing. Hammill's lyrics are all about standing on the outside
of things and observing, probing, asking the big questions
and wondering about the silence echoing in response. To be
sure, some may find this pompous or just depressing; those
of you that feel that way can go listen to Neal Morse instead.
To me (and I know I'm not alone here), Hammill expresses reservations
about the human condition that aren't satisfactorily rationalized
by clerics or magazine articles or guys with neckties. *****
The sound here is unmistakably
Van der Graaf, characterized by Banton's kaleidoscopic organ,
Guy Evans' crisp, almost military-precise drumming, and Jackson's
unique "skronking" (love that word) sax. Perhaps the closest
parallel to David Jackson is the late Chris Wood of Traffic,
although I don't know that Chris could strap on two saxes
and play them in unison as David famously does. *****
As usual it's the 6 songs on disc
one that are the real stars, most (as is the Van der Graaf
custom) written by Hammill (with occasional collaborations
with Banton/Jackson) for the band's interpretation. Disc two
is given over to in-the-studio instrumental jams by the band,
and while it's not the stoned wankfest that description may
imply, it's pretty dispensable. If you have the option of
buying the one disc package of disc one by itself, I recommend
you go that route to yield the most bang for your buck. *****
Although it clocks in at a skimpy
37:32 there's still plenty of "content" here to justify your
outlay. The first track, "Every Bloody Emperor" rivets immediately
with its denunciation of modern empire as practiced by Bush/Blair
(not named but clearly targeted here). Or, to quote from the
source: "yes and every bloody emperor's got his hand up history's
skirt, as he poses for posterity over the freshly-dug dirt."
Much anger and indignation, yes, but if you happen to agree
with Hammill's wrath (as I do, fervently), it's a spiky reminder
that "democracy" is a slogan more than a system of self government
anymore. *****
Other tracks are equally trenchant,
though not as politically barbed as "Emperor." "Nutter Alert"
finds Peter musing on the crazies who seem to gravitate toward
him; "On the Beach" is classic Hammill metaphysics, surfing
on the waves of life (a recurring metaphor throughout Peter's
work); and "Abandon Ship" is a self-deprecatory look at getting
older and trying to swing it again as a rock musician ("And
it's difficult to think of anything less magic than the aged
in pursuit of the hip"). As a whole, this is an enjoyable,
relaxed "victory lap" for a group of veterans who have richly
earned the right to come together again and remind us what
it was that made them so special in the first place. *****
GRADE: B
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