Peter Hammill - "Refugees" - beautiful live solo skeleton version (1978)

We began to notice that we could be free ...
Peter Hammill (audio only) plays the Van Der Graaf Generator favourite "Refugees", from the unofficial live and solo album "Skeletons of Songs", accompanied by my own video compilation. Recorded live at the All Souls Unitarian Church in Kansas City (USA) in February 1978, Hammill explains that all songs when first written exist in their 'skeleton' form, and when playing live and solo none of the orchestration and overdubbing added later are included. Live and solo is by far my favourite way of listening to Peter Hammill, and this album is amongst my top ten all-time favourite albums without question. I have uploaded some of my other favourite tracks from this album.

I compiled the video montage myself utilising footage mostly downloaded from YouTube, with some of my own added effects and filters.

Please check out my other videos.
Comments are most welcome.

Category:

Music

Tags:

• Peter
• Hammill
• Van
• der
• Graaf
• Generator
• Refugees
• Skeletons
• 1978
• kansas
• usa
• souls

[edenic]

There comes a point in all of our lives when we sing this song but Peter sang it when he was just out of his childhood . I have waited for almost 30 years more to understand it and still more to vocalise its message. For some there are pioneers , to others there are prophets but to most there are friends and to me peter has been a friend and companion in hours of deepest soul searching becoming my voice and coherent emotion. Thanks Peter for your brilliant poetry and incredible honesty.

[professoricon]

@edenic

Brilliant comment.



[taulua1]

i bought this in 1973 andit is still brilliant

[professoricon]

This is quite as haunting as "Whiter Shade of Pale".

[Linstrumentiste]

Peter Hammill has one of the most amazing voices and also such strange behaviours when on stage. I saw him with Van Der Graaf Generator, here in Québec City, at Le Centre des Congrès, I am not sure, maybe 30 years ago or so... Thank you for posting! Oh! I saw him also in a solo concert at le CEGEP de Limoilou, Québec City, I met with him backstage before the concert, he was hyptnotizing a dog, my old friend Denis Huot introduced me to him. Denis, si tu me reconnais, contactes-moi (UL Pollack)

[blackesteyes1962]

I wouldn't mind getting buried with this.

What a song, perhaps the best ever written. IMHO, it is.

[ZobaK1]

yes, it still is briliant...

[BlackestEyes1963]

A fantastic singer and composer.

I will be there when he and his VanDerGraaf Mates will play at my hometown, come March 30th.

And anyone who doesn't understand the beauty of this song should have his ears CUT OFF.

[LondonDada]

Totally under-rated and partially unrecognized song-writing genius.

[Hammill]

@anniegog quite difficult if zappa still sleeping

[erixoff]

Thanx. I have the Time Vaults CD actually :-)

Good day

[prosoloist]

@erixoff TIME VAULTS version...Van der Graaf Generator - (In the) Black Room (1972)