Van der Graaf Generator
Van der Graaf Generator is a progressive rock band formed in Manchester, En… Read Full Bio ↴Van der Graaf Generator is a progressive rock band formed in Manchester, England, United Kingdom. They were the first act signed to Charisma Records. The band achieved considerable success in Italy during the 1970s. In 2005 they embarked on a reunion, which continues to the present day.
The signature Van der Graaf Generator sound in the 1970s was a combination of Peter Hammill's distinctive and dynamic voice and David Jackson's electronically-treated saxophones, generally playing over thick chordal keyboard parts (such as Hammond organ and/or clavinet). Van der Graaf Generator albums tended to be darker in atmosphere than many of their prog-rock peers (a trait they shared with King Crimson, whose guitarist Robert Fripp guested on two of their albums), and guitar solos were the exception rather than the rule.
Hammill is the primary songwriter for the band, and the line between music written for his solo career and for the band is often blurred.
The band first formed in 1967 while its members were studying at Manchester University. The three-piece was comprised of Peter Hammill (guitar and vocals), Nick Pearne (organ) and Chris Judge Smith (drums and wind instruments). The group was named after a piece of electric equipment designed to produce static electricity, the Van de Graaff generator. The name was suggested by early member, Chris Judge Smith (the misspellings are accidental). On the basis of a demo, this blues- and jazz-influenced first incarnation were offered a recording contract with Mercury Records.
In 1968, Pearne was replaced by Hugh Banton. The band were able to secure Tony Stratton-Smith as a full-time manager. Through him, the band acquired a bass guitar player, Keith Ian Ellis. Drummer Guy Evans joined not too long afterward. This line-up recorded a series of demos for Mercury, before releasing a single ("People You Were Going To" b/w "Firebrand") on Polydor Records. The single was withdrawn under pressure from Mercury, since it violated the contract band members Hammill and Smith signed the previous year. Judge Smith left the band, amicably, shortly after the recording of the single.
Although the band performed on BBC Radio 1's Top Gear radio show in November, and was touring successfully, it broke up in June 1969. Pressures leading to this included financial difficulties, the theft of the band's gear and transport in London, combined with Mercury's refusal to let the band record and Stratton-Smith's refusal to let the other members of the band sign to Mercury too (only Hammill remained now of the original three who had signed with Mercury).
In July 1969, Hammill went to record his first solo album at Trident Studios. Banton, Evans, and Ellis joined him as session musicians. Through a deal worked out by their manager, Hammill's intended solo album, The Aerosol Grey Machine, was released by Mercury under the band's name in return for releasing the band from their contract. The album was initially only released in the United States with hardly any promotion at all, so sales were minimal.
Ellis left (eventually joining Juicy Lucy and a very brief incarnation of Iron Butterfly among others) and was replaced by Nic Potter, and David Jackson (saxophones and flutes) was added to the line-up. Tony Stratton-Smith formed Charisma Records and signed the band as his first act. Before recording their second album, The Least We Can Do Is Wave To Each Other.
A new sound was established, leaving behind the psychedelic influence of The Aerosol Grey Machine in favour of darker textures influenced by jazz and classical music. The Least We Can Do Is Wave to Each Other was well received, and was swiftly followed by H to He, Who Am the Only One. Potter left mid-way through that recording, and the band decided to carry on without a bass guitarist, with Banton on hand and feet bass pedals. Robert Fripp of King Crimson contributed guitar on the song, "The Emperor in His War-Room".
The Hammill/Banton/Jackson/Evans quartet that resulted from H to He, Who Am the Only One is now considered the 'classic' line-up, and went on to record Pawn Hearts. The album contains just three tracks, "Lemmings", "Man-Erg" and the twenty-three-minute concept piece "A Plague of Lighthouse Keepers". Fripp again provided a cameo appearance on guitar. The album proved highly successful in Italy, topping the chart there for twelve weeks. The single "Theme One" was a success in Italy too, an instrumental piece, originally written by the Beatles producer George Martin as a fanfare for the BBC radio station Radio 1, later to appear on U.S. pressings of Pawn Hearts. They toured Italy for a while, but the shows were plagued by different extremist organizations from Red Brigade to neo-fascists. The band toured extensively from 1970 to 1972, but a lack of support from the record company and also financial difficulties caused the band to implode, and Hammill left to pursue a solo career.
The three remaining members recorded an instrumental album with Nic Potter, Ced Curtis, and Piero Messina, under the name The Long Hello. Their self-titled album (The Long Hello) was released in 1974.
Hammill's split with the group was amicable, and Banton, Jackson and Evans, among others, all contributed to his solo work at various times. By 1975, the members of the band were ready to work with each other again, and they recorded three new albums in just twelve months. The sessions were produced by the band themselves (all previous Van der Graaf Generator albums had been produced by John Anthony at Trident Studios), and displayed a somewhat tauter, more streamlined sound. Godbluff in particular saw Hammill making significant use of the Hohner clavinet keyboard. Still Life followed within the same year.
At the end of 1976, following World Record, first Banton and then Jackson departed in 1977. Nic Potter returned to replace Banton, and in a typically eccentric move Jackson was replaced by a violinist, Graham Smith (formerly of Charisma folk-rock band String Driven Thing). This line-up produced the album The Quiet Zone / The Pleasure Dome. The band also shortened its name to Van der Graaf. Charles Dickie then joined the band on cello, documented on the live double-album Vital. By the time Vital was released, in the summer of 1978, the band had already split, because of lack of record company support in the United States and financial difficulties.
In 1982 a collection of out-takes and rehearsal recordings from the period 1972-1975 was released (initially on cassette only), called Time Vaults. These are not studio-quality recordings.
Banton, Jackson and Evans all made occasional appearances on Hammill's solo albums following the 1978 split, and the classic line-up also played occasionally together. In 1996, the quartet appeared on stage during a concert by Hammill and Evans at the Union Chapel in London to perform "Lemmings" (the whole recording was released as The Union Chapel Concert in March 1997). In 2003, Banton, Jackson, and Evans joined with Hammill to perform the song "Still Life" at the Queen Elizabeth Hall in London. Both of these appearances were unannounced to the audience in advance.
Following the Queen Elizabeth Hall performance, discussions between the band members led to writing and rehearsal of new material in mid-2004. A double CD, Present, containing this material was released in April 2005. A reunion concert took place at the Royal Festival Hall, London, on the 6th May 2005, followed by several European dates in the summer and autumn of 2005. The concert in Leverkusen, Germany on the 5th November 2005 was filmed for a TV show ("Rockpalast") and was broadcast on the 15th January 2006. A DVD from that concert had been announced on Hammill's website in 2006. However, so far only one track thereof, "Wondering", has been officially released (on a DVD that came with the Rockpalast anniversary edition of the German magazine Eclipsed in June 2007).
Hammill stated in a December 2005 newsletter that there were no plans for further recordings or performances by the classic Van der Graaf Generator line-up. In September 2006, Hammill announced that the band would be continuing as a trio, for live and studio work, without Jackson.
A live album, Real Time, was released on the 5th March 2007 on Hammill's label, Fie! Records. It contains the entirety of the band's 2005 concert at the Royal Festival Hall.
In April and July 2007 the band played as a trio in different places in Europe. A concert on the14th April 2007 in the Melkweg in Amsterdam was recorded and streamed on the FabChannel website.
The first trio recording, Trisector, was released on the 17th March 2008. Live concerts were played in Europe in March and April, and in Japan in June, among them, one at the Gouveia Art Rock Festival. There were further concerts in January 2009 in Europe, and it was announced that the band would play several concerts in Canada and the United States in 2009, among them one at NEARfest in 2009. It was the first time Van der Graaf Generator had visited the United States since 1976.
The signature Van der Graaf Generator sound in the 1970s was a combination of Peter Hammill's distinctive and dynamic voice and David Jackson's electronically-treated saxophones, generally playing over thick chordal keyboard parts (such as Hammond organ and/or clavinet). Van der Graaf Generator albums tended to be darker in atmosphere than many of their prog-rock peers (a trait they shared with King Crimson, whose guitarist Robert Fripp guested on two of their albums), and guitar solos were the exception rather than the rule.
Hammill is the primary songwriter for the band, and the line between music written for his solo career and for the band is often blurred.
The band first formed in 1967 while its members were studying at Manchester University. The three-piece was comprised of Peter Hammill (guitar and vocals), Nick Pearne (organ) and Chris Judge Smith (drums and wind instruments). The group was named after a piece of electric equipment designed to produce static electricity, the Van de Graaff generator. The name was suggested by early member, Chris Judge Smith (the misspellings are accidental). On the basis of a demo, this blues- and jazz-influenced first incarnation were offered a recording contract with Mercury Records.
In 1968, Pearne was replaced by Hugh Banton. The band were able to secure Tony Stratton-Smith as a full-time manager. Through him, the band acquired a bass guitar player, Keith Ian Ellis. Drummer Guy Evans joined not too long afterward. This line-up recorded a series of demos for Mercury, before releasing a single ("People You Were Going To" b/w "Firebrand") on Polydor Records. The single was withdrawn under pressure from Mercury, since it violated the contract band members Hammill and Smith signed the previous year. Judge Smith left the band, amicably, shortly after the recording of the single.
Although the band performed on BBC Radio 1's Top Gear radio show in November, and was touring successfully, it broke up in June 1969. Pressures leading to this included financial difficulties, the theft of the band's gear and transport in London, combined with Mercury's refusal to let the band record and Stratton-Smith's refusal to let the other members of the band sign to Mercury too (only Hammill remained now of the original three who had signed with Mercury).
In July 1969, Hammill went to record his first solo album at Trident Studios. Banton, Evans, and Ellis joined him as session musicians. Through a deal worked out by their manager, Hammill's intended solo album, The Aerosol Grey Machine, was released by Mercury under the band's name in return for releasing the band from their contract. The album was initially only released in the United States with hardly any promotion at all, so sales were minimal.
Ellis left (eventually joining Juicy Lucy and a very brief incarnation of Iron Butterfly among others) and was replaced by Nic Potter, and David Jackson (saxophones and flutes) was added to the line-up. Tony Stratton-Smith formed Charisma Records and signed the band as his first act. Before recording their second album, The Least We Can Do Is Wave To Each Other.
A new sound was established, leaving behind the psychedelic influence of The Aerosol Grey Machine in favour of darker textures influenced by jazz and classical music. The Least We Can Do Is Wave to Each Other was well received, and was swiftly followed by H to He, Who Am the Only One. Potter left mid-way through that recording, and the band decided to carry on without a bass guitarist, with Banton on hand and feet bass pedals. Robert Fripp of King Crimson contributed guitar on the song, "The Emperor in His War-Room".
The Hammill/Banton/Jackson/Evans quartet that resulted from H to He, Who Am the Only One is now considered the 'classic' line-up, and went on to record Pawn Hearts. The album contains just three tracks, "Lemmings", "Man-Erg" and the twenty-three-minute concept piece "A Plague of Lighthouse Keepers". Fripp again provided a cameo appearance on guitar. The album proved highly successful in Italy, topping the chart there for twelve weeks. The single "Theme One" was a success in Italy too, an instrumental piece, originally written by the Beatles producer George Martin as a fanfare for the BBC radio station Radio 1, later to appear on U.S. pressings of Pawn Hearts. They toured Italy for a while, but the shows were plagued by different extremist organizations from Red Brigade to neo-fascists. The band toured extensively from 1970 to 1972, but a lack of support from the record company and also financial difficulties caused the band to implode, and Hammill left to pursue a solo career.
The three remaining members recorded an instrumental album with Nic Potter, Ced Curtis, and Piero Messina, under the name The Long Hello. Their self-titled album (The Long Hello) was released in 1974.
Hammill's split with the group was amicable, and Banton, Jackson and Evans, among others, all contributed to his solo work at various times. By 1975, the members of the band were ready to work with each other again, and they recorded three new albums in just twelve months. The sessions were produced by the band themselves (all previous Van der Graaf Generator albums had been produced by John Anthony at Trident Studios), and displayed a somewhat tauter, more streamlined sound. Godbluff in particular saw Hammill making significant use of the Hohner clavinet keyboard. Still Life followed within the same year.
At the end of 1976, following World Record, first Banton and then Jackson departed in 1977. Nic Potter returned to replace Banton, and in a typically eccentric move Jackson was replaced by a violinist, Graham Smith (formerly of Charisma folk-rock band String Driven Thing). This line-up produced the album The Quiet Zone / The Pleasure Dome. The band also shortened its name to Van der Graaf. Charles Dickie then joined the band on cello, documented on the live double-album Vital. By the time Vital was released, in the summer of 1978, the band had already split, because of lack of record company support in the United States and financial difficulties.
In 1982 a collection of out-takes and rehearsal recordings from the period 1972-1975 was released (initially on cassette only), called Time Vaults. These are not studio-quality recordings.
Banton, Jackson and Evans all made occasional appearances on Hammill's solo albums following the 1978 split, and the classic line-up also played occasionally together. In 1996, the quartet appeared on stage during a concert by Hammill and Evans at the Union Chapel in London to perform "Lemmings" (the whole recording was released as The Union Chapel Concert in March 1997). In 2003, Banton, Jackson, and Evans joined with Hammill to perform the song "Still Life" at the Queen Elizabeth Hall in London. Both of these appearances were unannounced to the audience in advance.
Following the Queen Elizabeth Hall performance, discussions between the band members led to writing and rehearsal of new material in mid-2004. A double CD, Present, containing this material was released in April 2005. A reunion concert took place at the Royal Festival Hall, London, on the 6th May 2005, followed by several European dates in the summer and autumn of 2005. The concert in Leverkusen, Germany on the 5th November 2005 was filmed for a TV show ("Rockpalast") and was broadcast on the 15th January 2006. A DVD from that concert had been announced on Hammill's website in 2006. However, so far only one track thereof, "Wondering", has been officially released (on a DVD that came with the Rockpalast anniversary edition of the German magazine Eclipsed in June 2007).
Hammill stated in a December 2005 newsletter that there were no plans for further recordings or performances by the classic Van der Graaf Generator line-up. In September 2006, Hammill announced that the band would be continuing as a trio, for live and studio work, without Jackson.
A live album, Real Time, was released on the 5th March 2007 on Hammill's label, Fie! Records. It contains the entirety of the band's 2005 concert at the Royal Festival Hall.
In April and July 2007 the band played as a trio in different places in Europe. A concert on the14th April 2007 in the Melkweg in Amsterdam was recorded and streamed on the FabChannel website.
The first trio recording, Trisector, was released on the 17th March 2008. Live concerts were played in Europe in March and April, and in Japan in June, among them, one at the Gouveia Art Rock Festival. There were further concerts in January 2009 in Europe, and it was announced that the band would play several concerts in Canada and the United States in 2009, among them one at NEARfest in 2009. It was the first time Van der Graaf Generator had visited the United States since 1976.
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Van der Graaf Generator Lyrics
03 Running Back I thought I'd give it up for good, Cause none of…
03-Running Back I thought I'd give it up for good, Cause none of…
04. Into A Game I never thought it could come to this, As you sit…
05. Aerosol Grey Machine Just one breath, and it's instant death, It's the Aerosol G…
5533 You can make a matrix pattern out of almost anything Tracin…
A Louse Is Not A Home Sometimes it's very scary here, sometimes it's very sad, So…
A Place to Survive (Hammill) It's easy to say, when you're so down, That every…
A Plague of Lighthouse Keepers Eyewitness Still waiting for my saviour, storms tear me limb…
A Plague Of Lighthouse Keepers (Medley) - 2005 Digital Remaster a.) Eyewitness Still waiting for my saviour, storms tear me…
A Plague of Lighthouse Keepers: A) Eyewitness Eyewitness Still waiting for my saviour, storms tear me limb…
A Plague of Lighthouse Keepers: Eyewitness/Pictures/Lighthouse/Eyewitnes Eyewitness Still waiting for my saviour, storms tear me li…
A plague of lightouse keepers i. Eyewitness Still waiting for my saviour, storms tear me l…
Abandon Ship! Oh, the heptagenarians got behind the decks while the skele…
Aerosol Grey Machine Just one breath, and it's instant death, It's the Aerosol G…
After the Flood Continuing the story, humanity stumbles - Gone is the glory,…
Afterwards You stare out in yellow eyes larger than my mind; In…
All Over The Place So, driven to distraction By witless repartee And witterin…
All That Before I don't know if I'm cracking up or just getting…
Aquarian Now we sit here in our special place, all wearing our…
Arrow Stub towers in the distance, riders the blasted moor Against…
Bunsho I'd just done the best work to fall into my hands…
Cat's Eye I was walking in the evening, I was looking for something…
Cat's Eye Yellow Fever I was walking in the evening, I was looking for something…
Cat's Eye/Yellow Fever I was walking in the evening, I was looking for something…
Chemical World "Well what's the harm? It's good clean fun... why don't you …
childlike faith childhood's e Existence is a stage on which we pass a sleepwalk trick…
Childlike Faith in Childhood's End Existence is a stage on which we pass a sleepwalk trick…
Darkness Day dawns dark, it now numbers infinity Life crawls from the…
Darkness (11/11) Day dawns dark, it now numbers infinity. Life crawls from th…
Door He's a blind man, crouching by the pavement only seeing with…
Drop Dead A charmed circle on the dance floor, a spell-binding display…
Embarrassing Kid Embarrassing kid looks into the mirror and grins like an id…
EMPEROR IN HIS WAR ROOM THE MEDLEY: Emperor The/Room/The i. THE EMPEROR Standing in the space that holds the silent…
Every Bloody Emperor Every Bloody Emperor Lyrics By this we are all sustained: …
Firebrand Sunday night, twelve weeks before winter, the world is in a…
Forsaken Gardens Where are all the joys of yesterday? Where, now, is the…
Giant Squid I wish that you would set me free forever but the…
Gog Some call me Satan, others have me God; Some name me…
Highly Strung The beat, the beat at my temples; my pulse, my pulse…
House With No Door There's a house with no door and I'm living there At…
In Babelsberg The city's spread beneath my feet, but not the one that…
In the Black Room i. THE EMPEROR Standing in the space that holds the silent…
Interference Patterns All that we see illusory Every assumption based on blind fai…
Into a Game I never thought it could come to this, As you sit…
Killer So you live in the bottom of the sea, And you…
La Rossa Lacking sleep and food and vision Here I am again, encamped…
Last Frame Pretty keen, yes, my hobby keeps me busy And if I…
Lemmings I stood alone upon the highest cliff-top, Looked down, aroun…
Lemmings (Including Cog) - 2005 Digital Remaster I stood alone upon the highest cliff-top, Looked down, arou…
Lifetime I can remember it so well, the bed of roses where…
Lizard Play Frozen moment, cold blood time: the Iguana lady is saying go…
Lost Dance in Sand and Sea So here we are, or rather,…
Lost (Pt. 1: The Dance in Sand and Sea a.) The Dance in Sand and Sea So here we are,…
Man Erg The killer lives inside me: yes, I can feel him…
Man-Erg - 2005 Digital Remaster The killer lives inside me: I can feel him move. Sometimes…
Masks (Hammill) He's a man of the past and one of the…
Mathematics Here be numbers transcendental, on an imaginary axis spun, …
Medusa Welcome to the coils, they're here to set you free from an…
Meurglys III (Hammill) These days I mainly just talk to plants and dogs,…
Mirror Images If I'm the mirror and you're the image Then what's the…
Mr. Sands Soon as you like, ladies and gentlemen, please take your…
My Book We sat by ourselves, still looking for company; There could…
My Room Searching for diamonds in a sulphur mine, Leaning on props t…
My Room (Waiting for Wonderland) Searching for diamonds in the sulphur mine, leaning on props…
My Room [Waiting For Wonderlan Searching for diamonds in a sulphur mine, Leaning on props t…
Nadir (Hammill) I've been hanging around, waiting for my chance T…
Necromancer Yes I live in the black woods, where you dare…
Not Here I dreamed you here beside me, Radiant, impulsively strong. L…
Nutter Alert It might come in a letter, darkness falls in a telephone…
Octopus I want to paint you poems full of fire, You who…
On The Beach If we had all the time in the world we might…
Only In A Whisper Dive in to the Motion of the Avatar, sign up to…
Out of My Book We sat by ourselves, still looking for company; There could …
Out Of My Books We sat by ourselves, still looking for company; There could…
Over The Hill Let's recount our history, our tale of boom and bust. We cou…
People You Were Going To Your father has just left your mother, gone off to live…
Pilgrims Sometimes you feel so far away, Distanced from all the actio…
Pioneers Over 'C' Left the earth in 1983, Fingers groping for the galaxies, …
Pioneers Over C. Left the earth in 1983, fingers groping for the galaxies, re…
Plague of Lighthouse Keepers Eyewitness Still waiting for my saviour, storms tear me limb…
Refugees North was somewhere years ago and cold: Ice locked the peopl…
Rift Valley At the edge of the canyon, looking down upon the haze... w…
Roncevaux Fight within a war within a song: Roland dies, but memory…
Running Back I thought I'd give it up for good, Cause none of…
Sci Finance You got some shares in a speculative venture, you got some…
Scorched Earth Just one crazy moment while the dice are cast, He looks…
Ship Of Fools The captain's in a coma, the lieutenant's on a drunk The…
Siren's Song Letters in pencil, some of them as heavy as lead, as…
Sleepwalkers At night, this mindless army, ranks unbroken by dissent, Is …
Smoke Best be careful, maintain a tight grip, Yes, be careful and…
Snake Oil Best of intentions, fresh-faced devotees display, sat at th…
Squid 1/Squid 2/Octopus Squid 1 I wish that you would set me free forever …
Still Life Citadel reverberates to a thousand voices, now Dumb: What ha…
Tarzan Griegos, romanos, son todos humanos. Griegos, romanos, son t…
The Boat of Millions of Years Horus the Good lived in the North, in lands of fertility…
The Emperor in His War Room i. THE EMPEROR Standing in the space that holds the silent…
The Emperor in His War-Room i. THE EMPEROR Standing in the space that holds the silent…
The Final Reel Jack and Gillian, facing their decline, Take to the dance fl…
The Habit of the Broken Heart Oh, the Sisters of Blindness From the Convent of the Broken…
The killer So you live in the bottom of the sea, And you…
The Siren Song Letters in pencil, some of them as heavy as lead, as…
The Sleepwalkers At night, this mindless army, ranks unbroken by dissent, Is …
The Sphinx in the Face I remember what it felt like at seventeen, I was a…
The Undercover Man Here at the glass - all the usual problems, All the…
The Wave The wave hits the beach, writing words on the sand - to…
Theme One Continuing the story, humanity stumbles Gone is the glory, t…
Undercover Man The Here at the glass - all the usual problems, All the…
W Life is an endless succession of waves You're happy and you…
Whatever Would Robert Have Said I am the suck of air you take That you've had…
When She Comes (Hammill) Slow motion in the quiet of the room; So potent i…
White Hammer In the year 1486 the Malleus first appeared, Designed to kil…
Wondering (Banton - Hammill) I will arise: In the depths, I will open…
Your Time Starts Now Your time starts now without a question, without a clue, …