Darkness 11/11-Van Der Graaf Generator

Yet another video I have brutally swiped. VDGG are simply the best band this country has produced. According to the maestro himself, the songwas composed on 11th November, 1968, but is also linked to an Icelandic saga that he wrote, several years previously. The opening sentance read "It was the eleventh dauy of the eleventh month." Mr Hammill further noted that he is a Scorpio (November being that signs month) and finally his life number (whatever one of those is) is 11.

Category:

Music

Tags:

• Van
• Der
• Graaf
• Generator
• Darkness
• 1111
• Peter
• Hammill

[burgersoft777]

Trisector is only pretty good, like the last one it sounds more Peter Hammill than true VDGG..It is better than Present and the music is a bit more complex but I can't see me playing it as much as the first six records.

Saying that I hated World record for years but have recently been playing it to death.

Peter is always entertaining but its been a long time since his classic run of near perfect LP's. Trisector is patchy.

[godbluff68]

I hate myself for saying it but I must agree that Trisector is nowhere near to the standards of Pawn Hearts and H to He. World Record is for me solely the overwhelming glory of Meurglys III. The other tracks are alright but don't compare to those on Godbluff or H to He (particularly Lost - I would love to get my grommy maulers on a decent video of that song!)

It is great to meet another VDGG fan. What do you think of King Crimson and The Groundhogs?

[Hammill]

Trisector is very amateur. And you can notice that the song are not hard worked.

[burgersoft777]

They are certainly not up to the very high standard of the first five or six VDGG records I agree. I feel that Hammill has not been at his best for quite a number of years. The last really great record was fire-ships and it had been years since his classic run when that came out.

[godbluff68]

Burgersoft777, I am beginning to suspect that you and I have almost identical music collections. I totally agree with you about King Crimson and The Groundhogs. Pushing out the boat a bit, do you listen to much in the way of modern prog? In particular Mars Volta and iLiKETRAiNS? Also what about Marillion? My favourite album is Script For A Jester's Tear, who about you?

[godbluff68]

I think 'amateur' is about harsh. The problem the likes of VDGG have is that they have set the bar so high it becomes almost impossible to nmaintain the standard. That said 'Over The Hill' is a stand out moment on the album. For me, the lack of a saxaphonist is noticable. This album is very 'rocky' but not very ground-breaking.

[burgersoft777]

I saw Marillion a few times but I stop being interested in them after Fish left. I suppose having kids sort of took up all my cash. I even have yet to buy quite a number of Peter Hammill's later records. So my collection is strong in 70's records less so on the eighties. I also play synth a lot of my spare time now. Genesis most especially Trespass are a big favorite of mine.

[burgersoft777]

I do get the impression that Peter and Co. are trading a little on past glories to ensure a decent retirement. Groundhogs that takes me back I liked "Split" and "thank Christ for the bomb" otherwise I really don't know their work. King Crimson are even more inconsistent than VDGG. "In the Court" is of course a classic as is "larks tongue" and "red" but much of the rest leaves me cold or is patchy at best.

[godbluff68]

To be honest I didn't know that the video had been suppressed (or is this a technical term and am I therefore displaying my ludditeness?)

I agree about the general quality of videos on Youtube (not just VDGG), I do try therefore to only post those that are minimally pixellated and/or blocky.

Any opinions on the Trisector album?

[burgersoft777]

Great and at least this film very good which made it suppression even more wrong. Nic was a very important part of the sound...this is really very tight indeed.