Peter Hamill - "Still Life" - live and solo (1978)

Audio only, Peter Hammill (audio only) playing live and solo from the unofficial live album "Skeletons of Songs", plays the title track from the Van Der Graaf Generator album "Still Life", 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 (watch this space for more uploads). Please forgive me if the videos with each upload are similar, because there is a shortage of good footage, and the editing takes some considerable time.

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

This is version two of this video because I have revised both the video and sound since I uploaded the first version a day earlier. I realised I had put in the wrong introduction (from Peter Hammill), adding the ending to the beginning. I have now included the correct introduction, and added the previous introduction at it's rightful place at the end, in the interests of accuracy from the album (and I guess the concert). This second version is 13 seconds longer. I have removed the first version, which had attracted no comments.

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

Category:

Music

Tags:

• Peter
• Hammill
• Still
• Life
• Skeletons
• Van
• der
• Graaf
• Generator
• Kansas
• USA
• live
• 1978
• souls

[magla1]

Great

[professoricon]

@magla1:

I love this.

[goldenpollen]

extremely beautiful vid. skeleton of songs is my all time favourite concert and still life is surely one of Peter´s most important songs. when i´m completely inside him there is no other musician i know, that makes me more going into a soul than this compelling poet. his lines are of mastery. vdgg will always be in a row together with kc, g and sm. will music of the 20th century be judged in 200 years, these serious few will be considered as the definers. to approach hammill: he is the coolest.j

[professoricon]

@goldenpollen:

Completely true. Please check out my other videos for more from SOS.

[BloggStandard]

Who else sings in their authentic English VOICE like Peter Hammill? Brian Eno George Harrison Jake Thackray Bryan Ferry (with a little 'something' added) David Sylvian (something or "other" added) Peter Gabriel (+ Brummy accent on G'emOutBF) Sophie Ellis-Bexter. (for better or worse!) Marc Bolan (spoke as he sang, mostly! 'fey posh' self-invented boy frm Hackney) Wonderful Definitely NOT list: Amy Winehouse Mick Jagger Robbie Williams Elton John

[professoricon]

David Bowie

Lily Allen

[supafleur]

I can't believe that anyone would think Peter Hammill is a less than GREAT singer. He has always been and continues to be one of the best rock voices in the world. That growl, so natural and one of the definitive sounds of rock and he was one of the originators of it. Nice bloke too :-)

[imatio8iki]

Masterpiece!

[anniegog]

only the vocals of Don Van Vliet comes close to this guy, and even he is some way behind.

[orange8129]

Thanks so much for posting this exquisite rendition of this song. Much appreciated!

[swans1997]

Douglas Pierce of Death In June, Robert Wyatt

[debrajallreus]

You couldn't be more right on!

He IS a genius and a really nice guy! While mainstream America was into disco, you, I and all the rest of those with musical sense were appreciating REAL artistry! King Crimson,Genesis with Peter Gabriel and of course VDG can never be replicated! Glad to know I'm not the only person of "a certain age" that appreciates the finest of our generation!