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 The single was withdrawn under pressure from Mercury, since it violated the contract band members Hammill and Smith signed the previous year.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.
Aerosol Grey Machine
Van der Graaf Generator Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
It's the Aerosol Grey Machine!
Just one breath, and it's instant death,
It's the Aerosol Grey Machine!
You're walking along the road one day,
Up comes a man dressed all in grey;
He blows a little aerosol in your face
Just one breath, and it's instant death,
It's the Aerosol Grey Machine!
"Buy an Aerosol Grey Machine for your own home today!"
"Shan't. Shan't. I'm not going to!"
(sniggersnigger. chortle.)
The lyrics to Van der Graaf Generator’s “Aerosol Grey Machine” are a warning about the dangers of conformity and the brainwashing tactics used by those in power. The “Aerosol Grey Machine” is a metaphor for a societal indoctrination device that controls the minds of individuals who are exposed to it, and the mere act of breathing in its fumes leads to instantaneous death - a metaphorical death of one’s individuality and free thought. The image of a man dressed in grey who sprays aerosol in someone’s face represents the figure of authority who seeks to silence dissenting voices and turn people into mindless automatons who blindly follow the dominant ideology. The repetition of the refrain “just one breath, and it’s instant death, it’s the Aerosol Grey Machine” emphasizes the unrelenting power of this machine and the fact that it can claim its victims in a single moment.
The lyrics also highlight the absurdity of consumer culture and how people are often willing to buy into products without questioning their true value or purpose. The catchy jingle “Buy an Aerosol Grey Machine for your own home today!” is a satirical jibe at the marketing tactics used by corporations to encourage mass consumption of products that ultimately harm individuals and society as a whole. The defiant response “Shan’t. Shan’t. I’m not going to!” reveals the resistance that one can take against these social pressures and serves as a rallying cry for those who refuse to conform to the dominant narrative.
Line by Line Meaning
Just one breath, and it's instant death,
The Aerosol Grey Machine is so toxic that even one breath of it can lead to instant death.
It's the Aerosol Grey Machine!
The name of the deadly machine that emits the aerosol is the Aerosol Grey Machine.
You're walking along the road one day,
The scenario involves someone walking on the road at some point in time.
Up comes a man dressed all in grey;
A man wearing grey clothes approaches the person walking.
He blows a little aerosol in your face
The man sprays a small amount of the toxic aerosol directly into the person's face.
And you find your mind's all over the place...
The immediate effect of the toxic substance is disorientating, causing the person's mind to be all over the place.
"Buy an Aerosol Grey Machine for your own home today!"
The man is promoting the purchase of the lethal Aerosol Grey Machine for personal use.
"Shan't. Shan't. I'm not going to!"
The person being marketed to refuses to buy the machine.
(sniggersnigger. chortle.)
The man laughs slyly and amusedly at the person's response, implying that he takes pleasure in the death and destruction caused by the Aerosol Grey Machine.
Lyrics © O/B/O APRA/AMCOS
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
gelu batir
Van Der Graaf Generator - The Aerosol Grey Machine (Full Album) - From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia - The Aerosol Grey Machine is the debut studio album by English progressive rock band Van der Graaf Generator. It was first released in the United States in 1969 by Mercury Records.The album was originally intended as a solo album by the band's lead singer and main songwriter, Peter Hammill. When the band signed with Charisma Records, a deal was worked out whereby The Aerosol Grey Machine would be released under the Van der Graaf Generator name, in return for Mercury releasing Hammill from his earlier contract This version of the LP was later released in Europe by Fontana Records..Track listing
All tracks are written by Peter Hammill, except as indicated.
Side A
No. Title Writer(s) Length
1. "Afterwards" 4:55
2. "Orthenthian St (Parts I & II)" 6:18
3. "Running Back" 6:35
4. "Into a Game" Hammill, Hugh Banton, Keith Ellis, Guy Evans 6:57
Side B
No. Title Writer(s) Length
1. "Aerosol Grey Machine" 0:47
2. "Black Smoke Yen" Banton, Ellis, Evans 1:26
3. "Aquarian" 8:22
4. "Necromancer" 3:30
5. "Octopus" 8:00Personnel
Van der Graaf Generator
Peter Hammill – lead vocals, acoustic guitar
Hugh Banton – Farfisa organ, piano, percussion, backing vocals,
Keith Ellis – bass guitar
Guy Evans – drums, percussion
Additional personnel
Jeff Peach – flute on "Running Back"
Chris Judge Smith – slide-saxophone and harmony vocals on "People You Were Going To", chorus vocals on "Firebrand"
morbo
this band is criminally underrated
moraine asdai
NO. Genius is always underrated.
Tveshag
Unfortunatly yes,Fantasic band for sure!Thank you for Sharing.God Bless You
Yellow Jelly
Van der Graaf Generator are one of the better know progressive rock bands but sure, they are underrated
Stuart Miers
@Yellow Jelly I hate Prog Rock but I love Van Der Graaf. They are more of a poetical/melodic band.
Gianni Salustri
@Yellow Jelly WE ITALIAN BOYS OF 70 EVE DISCOVERED THEM AND HELP THEM TO JUMP IN THE WORLD MUSIC .....REMBER IN ENGLAND DONT HAD GOOD DEBUT
Corea Kixx
Goodness, this is incredible. To think that I have been a huge fan of prog rock for close to 45 years now, and being 63 years of age...and just recently gotten into this band. It's beyond criminal. But I am making amends as quickly as I can. Thank you Eric De Rosa for your amazing upload!! Tim here in Essex County in Southwestern Ontario, appreciates it immensely.
Phil mole
This has a definite '60s vibe compared with the later albums. The later ones might be "better" in some ways, but in terms of mood and feeling, I really enjoy this one.
Creak
I find that quite a lot of '69 albums are like that. Caught in the transition from 60's to 70's I guess. We got some fantastic albums that year, I believe '69-'74 was the peak of music. Mid-late 70' seems a bit lacking of something to me.
Andreas Sorg
the same with Genesis