Darkness (11/11) - Van der Graaf Generator

[AlexAndFTW]

Nice video

[frem900]

great song!!!

[TomG6000]

prog rock genius...awesme jam!

[TimyCovert]

Interesting band, the sax player listened to Roland Kirk for sure.

[rwcrux]

class

[Jimysalad]

Saxxy song...

[puddypuss]

I remember once seeing them at the lyceum london, and I was singing along mouthing the words, as you do in the enthusiasm of the moment .I looked at david jackson doing the wicked little scorpio bit and thought hed seen me and was making fun of it, but then realised it was his part of the song....

[twostrokemansay1]

dope.

[Makanachen]

ich frage mich: warum mag ich diese band so? dann höre/sehe ich so ein video und es ist mir wieder klar!

[digitalramyun]

IMHO, this performance beats the living daylights out of the studio version ("The Least We Can Do Is Wave To Each Other"), which just sounds weedy - here, all the band were firing on all cylinders. Robert Fripp has said King Crimson's early-70s LPs never captured the intensity of the band live - I suspect VdGG were similarly ill-served on record at that time.

Stunning clip.

[hegelec]

@digitalramyun

youtube.com/watch?v=h4m0SXhsqN­g

Live in the studio ca. 71. Listen right to the end, because the closing build-up is from another world.

[hegelec]

@digitalramyun Also, stunning performance and recently-discovered ..... youtube.com/watch?v=uPGb5iYtyj­o

[daven58100]

Can't understand how these guys escaped the attention of the masses unlike King Crimson, Genesis, Yes, ELP, etc. Just found out about them a couple of days ago myself. F'n fantastic!

[dynkle]

One guy playing 2 sax's this is more tap than spinal tap

[Haberdager]

It's 11/11/11 and I'm bloody kicking off my day with this song :D

[loekie64]

Hugh looks like the tough guy here :-)

[bassa1010]

dkd



[MrDanielphenix]

How amazing! The band at his best...and God does Hammill is freak out with his long hair and his Monster voice ...love it.!...Punk couldn't achieve half of his madness in the way he sings....moves and fill the silence with his neurotic body

[VantiveMan]

They are mus------ic

[lalexe42]

ejercicio sobrio de rock progresivo, en una linea que abarca matices, escuchar a van der graf, es dejarse llevar por atmosferas, eran buenos.

[dandyhands]

The Mickey Mouse t-shirt is the icing on the cake!

[erixoff]

@MisterJohnCope Exactly well remarked, dude ! Both bands are apart from their time.

[jamirosmajicrocks]

this name is so dutch.

[natfandaggy]

Epicn 0_0

[mirobaldo]

The most underrated band of the history of modern music...

[SKOTP69]

@mirobaldo Indeed!

[Maguita70s]

This Is One Of The Best Songs Ever Made In This Darn World. I Cry when i heart it cause the emotion i feel with this masterpiece!

[captainbeansprout]

by jove, i'm in love

[robertanswerman]

When have you ever beheld a sax man like David Jackson? Two saxes at once as a mater of routine! May his memory be held in its proper place. Love to his family.

[LondonDada]

In their pomp.

[watzerenaufe]

Such a beautiful song

[shadowmalik009]

i love how the drummer (i think his name is guy) uses traditional jazz form with his sticks. i wonder if that was common back than among drummers in rock groups?

[deathlightning92]

@shadowmalik009 Yeah, it was. It wasn't until later on in the '70s that heavier rock featured primarily match-grip drummers.

[antifata77]

I saw them last night in Rome at Auditorium! Amazing!!!! he has an incredible voice, the music was perfect, lots of passion! :)

[Nandez18]

I'm gonna see them tonight @Auditorium in Rome... some really awesome shit

[01000101010001]

What a sensational sound. Best composer in Prog Rock? I say so, interesting and meaningful always. And whats more with such depths that no one else seemed to care to go to... or couldn't, perhaps.

[banchtants]

Epic.

[kiskte]

Gorgeous song. I have it on LP as well. Greetings from Hungary.

[DaygloCollective]

I have witnessed true reality...

[thegoodusernameman]

Shit that was good

[captainsoul1953]

Much darker than your average prog rock....no pixies elves goblins or wizards here

Jim

[izmangr]

one of the underrated rock bands shows great performance here..what a quality.

thanx for posting.

[TheGm66]

its got everything, sax, dark hammond and vocals

[TheGm66]

sinister.......

[TOREMJ]

A redeeming factor of Western culture. Despite all imperialism, colonial wars, slave trade, destruction of the environment, pollution and killings everywhere, it still produced van der Graaf generator. Hail!

[utentissimo]

A real jewel.

[PorroFirst]

Better than Led Zeppelin.

[peoniesfleur]

@PorroFirst I just listened to Emperor in the War Room by Van Der Graaf, they are up there in genius-land. I agree with that statement.

[HomeWindTurbines7]

This video is great. See my home energy stuff using Home Wind Turbines and solar panels.  I won a Green Design Contest with my product on EarthDay

C-ya

[duumt]

That's a nice one! The least we can do...(LP bought 3,5 decades ago:) is really one of my favourites. I recently searched for VDGG on YT. Like a lot of 'old' bands, they live on. But I was amazed by the power P. Hammill still has.

[gwxk]

A Van Der Graaf generator will make your hair stand on end.  So will this fantastic band.

[J0000OOOO]

Dream Theater used to be my favourite band until I discovered VdGG several months ago. Now VdGG are my favourite. :)

[plas50]

tos ahi pegaos.........

mola

[TheWhiteShark100]

The only real british "Krautrock" Band ever..:)))

[XXDanyAlfXX]

Dont say that im wrong in imagining

that the voice of my life cannot sing

best lines ever 

[Trimbler00]

Those are some ugly dudes!

[fabrikk60]

It makes me sad that saxophone genius David Jackson will never again play with VdGG. He was such an integral part of their sound, and the latest trio version of the band is sorely lacking without him. Sure wish he and PH would patch-up their differences; life's too short to hold grudges.

[THEKINKS08]

@fabrikk60

very right. David stills the Van Gogh of the sax. One my old friend had the chance to see the Van Der Graaf Generator tour here in Italy in 1972. Jackson made a great performance. he's a sax player too, he was really impressed from the very first minute of the show, stunning..

[dreamspeed756]

very great

[GuilhermeBlassioli]

OH MY GOD, I'VE NEVER IMAGINED PETER HAMMIL WITH THAT HAIR! awesome... really awesome... my idol... :o

[strokejam]

HAMMILL: delicious, shimmering and magnificent

[Spreewilder]

Guter Überblick...ohne alles zeigen zu können. VDGG...Peter sind Klasse!

[MICHELSMOOS]

Pas une ride!

[utz14]

Once I was Peter Hammill's and VDGG's biggest fan. His music got under my skin and threaded my nervous system, while Jaxon, Banton and Guy all burnt mt ears like fire. Now I play them less because I am a happier person.

[shotdonkey]

ladies and gentlemen, the magnificent, the one and only van der graaf generator!

recorded in bremen, germany for beat club, german television on april 5th, 1970 (broadcast june 27th), btw.

[hawkwind90]

the best prog band ever

[corm1000]

wow I think Rob halford got some of his volcal stile from this singer

[CanyonProg]

@corm1000 Incredible! I was thinking about it today! You're right!

[MEPG75]

gran banda

[lesclaypool0727]

Unbeliveable!!!!



[DALSU]

WHAT GARBAGE

[DarkGlassly]

Superb :)

[dofritz]

suuuuuuuuuuuuuppppppppeeeeeeee­errrrrrrr

wahnsinn

geil

dankedankedanke

hatte vergessebn 30 jahre

wooooooooooowwwwwwwww

abgefallen

[RubySkull888]

Incredible band, one of the greatest rock groups of all time. Their sound is very unique and well developed, wish i could have seen them perform live like some of you have.

[joaquintorrez7]

Kraut Rock! the pinacle of the genere

[jackal59]

@joaquintorrez7 Ah, they're English, not German, and not "krautrock."

[Aldershot007]

excellento...

[dofritz]

@Aldershot007

Jaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa

[TheCoffeinjunkie]

peter hammill, steve winwood, jim morrison....voices from another galaxie

[mobyboy]

Brilliant !

[baco82]

they were pretty popular here in italy. even now they still have a following among rock listeners.

[then00best]

this is the most badass bassline ever

[elsykilmister]

Son unos genios y Peter Hammill es sin duda uno de los mejores vocalistas del rock.

[1961gilson]

som de prima!!!

Gilson, Recife, Brasil

[Dallie90]

whats the singers name in this one i'm confused is he still part of the band? or is he one of the former members?

[hegelec]

@Dallie90 The singer is "Peter Hammill". He's still with the band and has been for every incarnation ... seeing as he was the progenitor of most of their material, it would hard for the band to be VDGG without him!

Nic Potter, who left shortly after this was filmed, was the bassist, and a damn fine one at that. When he left, the organist, Hugh Banton took over electric bass (when needed) on record, and played bass organ pedals live and on record.

[sandwich451]

the keys at 3:00 is so awesome!

[squke23]

@sandwich451 I agree! Banton was one of the most skillful keyboard players of the 70-ties and has the guts to hold the same note for nearly thirty seconds - half of the organ solo.

[sandwich451]

very cool

[saxofonix]

They will forever remain one of the truly unique bands.

Try to imagine a world where there is no Peter Hammill, and none of these songs existed!

[MrHenthorn2]

@saxofonix saw them free trade hall manchester 1971 awsome went home deaf

[RINLEW]

CREEPY!!!!

I love these creepy VDGG dark 'athmosfear':

LIGHTHOUSE KEEPERS, GOG MAGOG, NECROMANCER, DARKNESS, A LOUSE IS NOT A HOME and the loneliness of SOLITUDE and MEURGLYS 3 THE SONGWRITER'S GUILD.

[captainsoul1953]

No one ever sounded like VDGG....then or since...totally unique....this is amazing

Jim

[pancentricism]

Probably the best video on Youtube.

[picabia1]

@pancentricism

delete probaBLY

[elephanta2]

What a nice performance! Really dark. In Japan, they are often under rated compared with King Crimson.

[maguskh]

Just open the 'statistics' and look to the world map: This video is most popular in ITALY.

The real fans know of course that PH/VdGG early and always were appreciated in Italy, but it's astonishing anyway.

Gracie e salute to our dear Italian friends - you have backed the right horse :)

[thefuguedotnet]

na, mario, da haben wir ja anscheinend eine gemeinsame vorliebe.

s.

[FUZZYSHA]

the singer looks like a fusion of thomas anders from moderntalking and paul stanley from kiss

[MrLuciferSam]

Yes, I remember the pre-operation Julie acid too!

[mkonutgan]

One of my favorite VDGG songs... Excellent live show!

[aazzuull912]

listen sumo, it´s a great band

[Hammill]

@aazzuull912 No se compara con VDGG. El Rock argentino es bastante bueno, pero nunca innovó, solo emuló lo que se hacía en Europa. VDGG es innovación pura.

[czkolyk]

the national anthem for the nation of my soul!

[tourist54]

definitely..unforgettable ! I love any song,any performance. Peter Hammil..where are you? We all miss you. Agree with Hogwee, the surely deserved ( and still deserve) a bigger popularity and appreciation, but fine arts are not meant for all: that's a fact ! cheers

[findaterra]

1:42 Sax looks like John Lennon with Yoko's hat.

[vintagezigg]

Damn Good !

[KillingLies1]

giant for a day was a crap, but they were amazing their first years

[KillingLies1]

lol genesis turn into garbage in the 80's , yes had his bad moment too with rabin, but vdgg and gentle giant were always oldie goldie prog rock!

[seiferganon]

You obviously haven't heard the last two GG albums. They tried to go pop.

[apassageto2112]

gentle giant did try to go pop... so did rush... most prog bands did try there hand at pop success.... but it flopped

[then00best]

hasn't rush had a lot of mainstream success?

[apassageto2112]

not compared to genesis or yes..... the only pop hit that did remotely well was New World Man... and that was the transition from heavier prog to a lighter pop sound.

[ub3r2008]

@apassageto2112 No, I don't think Rush ever went pop. Their synth era is definitely not pop. Hold Your Fire comes to mind, what an underrated album.

[AcidDroog]

vdgg were giants!!!

[VolvicApfelmann]

someone knows where to get good quality bootlegs of that era?this is awesome

[TheGm66]

gothic.................

[elderberry111]

cool

[Hogwee]

This band deserves same popularity or even more than Pink Floyd have. The same applies to Yes even though they are pretty popular. Genesis didn't gain their fame through their much better and older 70's stuff but due to the main-stream albums, but they surely deserves it too.

[gablen23]

@Hogwee yeah, Im just getting into their music, but they are up there with Floyd, Genesis etc. I think

[dzdaas]

@Hogwee didn't mention KC man, who were the best of the lot.

[IntiFloyd]

@Hogwee I agree totally. VDGG are too great to be so underrated and their masterpieces are even better than some of Pink Floyd most famous stuff. Some Pink Floyd songs are surely timeless masterpieces, but they also made mediocre records and songs that are,in my humble opinion,too celebrated.

I think VDGG genius is missunderstood.

Also for Genesis, my favourite band, I love only the first records, from Trespass to Selling England ( I like The Lamb less).

[Adamboms]

@Hogwee they might not have had the same success in England and America, but Pawn Hearts hit #1 on the Italian charts and that is no easy feat, so they got recognition somewhere at least

[Hogwee]

@Adamboms Yes, Italy was and still is certainly a stronghold for many prog rock bands such as VDGG. I always wondered why. I think, the reason is that italians have taste for great music in their blood, because Italy is the cradle of art music.

[sarasota75]

Best music ever.

5*****

Awesome!!!!

[peter0250]

Bigelf's fathers

[Andreyamity]

i first heard them in 1990 and now they stay my fav band! Great music !!!

[jackal59]

Way down in the comments, someone mentioned Magma, Van der Graaf, and Can together. Those three bands have three of my favorite drummers (Christian Vander, Guy Evans, and Jaki Leibezeit) - all three of whom could easily overpower most other musicians. Here, and on the other live '70s VdG stuff I've heard and seen, it's like four equally-matched rams headbutting. (Nic Potter's good, but Hugh Banton could take the bass part without them losing anything.)

This music makes it hard to breathe.

[monica48047]

peter hammill thanks

[MrGiobyron]

Wonderful !!!!!!! wonderful their music

[mobyboy]

210000 views is quite respectable for this underground prog band.

good.

[alanterrill]

Great to see this very early performance in good quality. I saw them in a small club in Brighton in 1970 with this line up and doing this song . I've loved them ever since but this really brings back just how well they could play live even though they were only just starting out.

[1963Pure]

The sax guy is really awesome!

[isa238]

I am falling in love, head over heels, with this band!!!!

[Israfvel]

tottenham:

To each generation his own, sir. The highs of one can be the lows of another, and vice versa. Though I do agree that Slipknot and Korn are crappy cliche.

[copstolemywife]

There were a couple of reverse coloured keyboards the most famous was the "Vox Continental" They look really classy.

[hegelec]

Hugh's playing a Farfisa -- seems like the Professional 222 model.

Yeah, they do look classy, eh? But they had crappy transistors, which results in a really tinny sound with basically no low end. In short, they sound like ASS unless you're running them through some major distortion and shit, as Hugh is doing.

[1963Pure]

You bet, the "conti" was the sound of The Animals, The Doors and many other 60's great bands.

[Buja91]

sorry for the offtopic, i know it's a Van der Graaf vid^^

[tottenhamhajduk]

Unbeliavable.I have 15 years and in this world you"re not gona find a teenager who listens to :van der graaf generator,King crimson,Mahavishnu orchestra,Chick Corea,Sweet smoke,Leonard Cohen,Moody blues,Jethro tull,Peter Hammill,Porcupine tree,Pink floyd,Soft machine,Santana...............­....Today"s teenagers listen to Slipknot,Korn,Tool.......in that kind of bands all you can hear is loud sounds and bunch of savages singing "bleed to death" "creepy death".

[glitchtoast]

I was born 89 and totally agree with you... my friends are like the same. A few of them ,actually listen to some classic old prog bands...

I prefer the old, and some of the new, art-rock, jazz/prog bands like:

Soft Machine, Van der Graaf, Gnidrolog, Brian Auger, Colosseum, Anekdoten, etc. And of course the krautrock movement, pre-autobahn kraftwerk, brainticket, xhol caravan...

[Buja91]

well great for you, sounds like your acting special because of it, maybe i'm wrong^^ but as it seems you still got a lot to learn about music if you think Tool is just "loud sound and bunch of savages singing...". they are one of the most original bands ever, and hope you will realize it someday and have some huge emotional moments while listening to them, like i had, and if not, well then....i guess you missed a lot^^

[wnxapoc]

I listen to both of them.

comparing apples to oranges. nuff said.

[Buja91]

i'm not comparing them and if you would red my comment properly you would know that^^ i'm just if some band doesn't come from the same generation(in this case Tool) it doesn't mean the quality automatically shrinks, nor does it mean that all the bands in a generation have the same quality in their music, so you can't group music by the time when a band started.

[Buja91]

i'm just saying*

[then00best]

@Bgeeez tot, aren't you super duper cool. jesus christ, get your head out your ass

[wnxapoc]

your opinion is clearly the fount of empirical truth

[Hyardacil]

The music is brilliant.

Now with that said.

First thought upon seeing this video: "OMGOMGOMG keyboard with black/white keys reversed! ME WANT!"

[belych]

Не слов, просто фантастика!!! А как он пел в "живую" в Москве!!!!!!!!

[iosonounporcellino]

Mickey mause Tshisrt is awesome, drummer is awesome, sax player is awesome.. Just a perfect performance

[1963Pure]

The sax player is amazing!

[TheGm66]

top band... proper music

[1963Pure]

Great!

[blerking]

Wow! Fantastic sound and picture quality!

[UncleChickenMan]

Thanks so much for posting this!

I was 17 when i discovered this band, which was '83, and even then they were considered "dinosaurs", luckily I discovered that swallowing blotting paper with funny pictures on made albums such as Van der Graaf and King Crimson come to life....

Thanks again for posting such a decent quality copy

[elephantstoner]

F#***#* awsome!!

[sandwich451]

what a groove!

[bellsonrich]

That drummer is a beast.

[just1sheep]

The song is okay, but the best part of the video is Peter Hammill's Mickey Mouse t-shirt :-)

[then00best]

@poisonfume best comment ever

[MeurglysIV]

Most unique prog band ever.Not Yes,not KC ,not Genesis.... VDGG is the best imho.Darkest,most sincere,most unique most odd,...

If they made at least one song as radio hit,they would probably be known as well as their counterpart bands.But Hammill'S music is just come from his hearth and he is not in it for money.God bless you guys...

These days I mainly just talk to plants and dogs,all human contacts seem painful,risky,odd...

Their songs made me asocial....

[then00best]

Weird as hell, but awesome too

[o2bbydc]

PH genius of the highest order!!

[sigermulder]

Shit, ik hoop dat piet van nassaupark dit ziet en hoort. (je nagel..) all the best from siger still alive..

[sigermulder]

man man man this is what i was waiting for. never seen this clip before, its f*ckin great!!!!!!!!

[fredfroi]

Holy shit! Never seen this video before.. Fantastic!