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 The single was withdrawn under pressure from Mercury, since it violated the contract band members Hammill and Smith signed the previous year.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.
Lost
Van der Graaf Generator Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
So here we are, or rather, here I am, quite alone,
I'm seeing things that were shared before, long ago
My memory stretches and I am dazed: you know I know
How good the time was and how I laughed
Times have changed, now you're far away, I can't complain:
I had all my chances but they slipped right through my hands - like so much sand;
I know I'll never dance like I used to
I'll just wait till day breaks upon the land and the sea.
Hoping that I can catch all of the memories,
Then I must crawl off upon my way, all of me
Listening hard for the final words.
But there are none; the sunrise calls, I've lingered on
Too close for comfort and I don't know quite why
I feel like crying
I know we'll never dance like we used to.
I look up, I'm almost blinded by the warmth of what's inside me
And the taste that's in my soul,
But I'm dead inside as I stand alone
Dance in Frost
I wore my moods like so many different sets of clothes
But the right one was never around;
And as you left I heard my body ring
And my mind began to howl
It was far to late to contemplate the meaning of it all:
You know that I need you, but somehow I don't think
You see my love at all
At some point I lost you, I don't know quite how it was;
The wonderland lay in a coat of white, chilling frost
I looked around and I found I was truly lost:
Without your hand in mine I am dead
Reality is unreal and games I've tried just aren't the same:
Without your smile there's nowhere to hide
And deep inside
I know I've never cried as I'm about to
If I could just frame the words that would make your fire burn
All this water now around me could be the love that
Should surround me.
Looking out through the tears that bind me
My heart bleeds that you may find me .. or at least that I can
Forget and be numb, but I can't stop, the words still come:
I love you
The song "Lost" by Van der Graaf Generator tells the story of the loss of a loved one, and the emotions that come with it. The first part of the song, "Dance in Sand and Sea," deals with the memories of a past relationship. The singer is alone and reminiscing about times gone by when they had danced on the sand and in the sea with their loved one. They regret that they did not cherish those moments more and that they will never be able to relive them. The second part of the song, "Dance in Frost," deals with the emptiness that remains after the loss. The singer is lost without their loved one and expresses a deep sense of sadness at the thought of being without them. They long to find a way to make things right, to bring back the love that they lost.
The song is notable for its use of imagery, particularly in the "Dance in Sand and Sea" section. The description of dancing on the sand and in the sea creates a dreamlike atmosphere that captures the essence of a perfect moment. Similarly, the "Dance in Frost" section uses imagery to describe the singer's feelings of being lost and alone. The "coat of white, chilling frost" is a powerful metaphor for the singer's inner turmoil.
Line by Line Meaning
So here we are, or rather, here I am, quite alone,
I am all alone now, after we were together once
I'm seeing things that were shared before, long ago
I still remember all the things that we shared long ago
My memory stretches and I am dazed: you know I know
I am overwhelmed as I recall all the memories of our time together
How good the time was and how I laughed
I remember the time we spent together and how happy I felt
Times have changed, now you're far away, I can't complain:
Although you are far away now, I do not complain
I had all my chances but they slipped right through my hands - like so much sand;
I had every chance to make things work, but they all slipped away like sand
I know I'll never dance like I used to
I realize that I can never be as happy as I was with you
Hoping that I can catch all of the memories,
I hope to remember everything so that I can relive the good times
Then I must crawl off upon my way, all of me
Then I must go on, taking everything I have with me
Listening hard for the final words.
I am waiting to hear the last words from you
But there are none; the sunrise calls, I've lingered on
But there are no last words and I must move on with the new day
Too close for comfort and I don't know quite why
I am too close to the past and do not know why
I feel like crying
I feel like crying as I realize that we cannot go back to how things were
I know we'll never dance like we used to.
I know that we can never be as happy as we were before
And deep inside
In the depths of my being
I know I've never cried as I'm about to
I realize that I have never cried as much as I am about to
Looking out through the tears that bind me
I look through my tears, which keep me trapped in the past
My heart bleeds that you may find me .. or at least that I can
My heart aches for you to find me or for me to forget
Forget and be numb, but I can't stop, the words still come:
I want to forget and be numb, but I cannot stop thinking about you or saying 'I love you'
I love you
I still love you
Lyrics © BMG Rights Management, Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: PETER HAMMILL
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Rodolfo Lauri
Lost (Perso)
- La danza nella sabbia e nel mare -
Così: siamo qui, o piuttosto, sono qui, tutto solo.
Vedo cose che furono divise tempo fa, molto tempo fa.
La mia memoria spazia e sono stordito: sai che so
quanto sono stati belli i tempi passati e quanto ho riso....
I tempi sono cambiati, ora sei lontana; non posso levare lamento -
Ho avuto le mie possibilità, ma mi sono scivolate tra le mani come sabbia.
So che ormai non danzerò più come facevo un tempo.
Ora non mi rimane che attendere che il giorno irrompa sulla terra e sul mare,
sperando di poter catturare tutte le mie memorie;
poi striscerò lungo la mia strada tutto concentrato
ad ascoltare le ultime parole.
Ma non ce ne sono.... il sorgere del sole chiama, ho indugiato
troppo chiuso per comodità e non so bene perché
sento la voglia di piangere -
So che non danzerò mai come prima.
Guardo in alto: sono quasi accecato
dal calore di quel che sento dentro
e dal gusto che ho nell'anima,
ma sono morto dentro e me ne sto da solo....
- La danza nel gelo -
Indossavo gli stati d'animo come diversi capi di vestiario,
ma non c'era mai quello giusto....
e quando sei partita ho sentito il mio corpo trillare e la mia mente
cominciare a urlare.
Era oramai troppo tardi per stare a ripensare sul significato della cosa....
Sai che ho bisogno di te, ma, in un certo senso,
non penso tu ti renda conto del mio amore.
Ad un certo punto ti ho perduta, non so esattamente come sia accaduto;
il paese delle meraviglie giace in una coltre di bianco, ghiacciato gelo....
Mi guardai intorno e scoprii che ero smarrito del tutto:
senza la tua mano nella mia sono morto!
La realtà è contaminata con l'irreale e i giochi provati
non sono gli stessi:
senza il tuo sorriso agrodolce non c'è nessun posto per ripararmi
e nel profondo del cuore
so che non ho mai pianto quanto farò da ora in poi....
Se potessi trovare le parole per far accendere il tuo fuoco
tutta l'acqua che ho intorno potrebbe essere l'amore
che dovrebbe circondarmi.
Guardando attraverso le lacrime che mi incatenano
il mio cuore sanguina affinché tu possa trovarmi.. .o, almeno,
che possa dimenticare ed essere insensibile
ma non posso fermarmi: le parole continuano a premere:
TI AMO!
DX7036
"I know I'll never dance like I used to" , love the dramatic way in which Hammill sings that bit ; wonderful voice.
Mariusz Broda
Arcydzieło lat 70 tych.... Ta muzyka 🎶 i ten głos 🗣 niesamowity śpiew Hammilla tak jakby miał być za chwilę koniec świata... Doskonała muzyka 🎶 Jedna z ważniejszych płyt muzyki lat 70 tych... 🎸🎸🎸🎸🎸🎸🎸🎸🎸🎸🎸🎸🎸🎸🎸🎸🎸🎸🎸
xiropigado
The raw emotion, the way he sings this song, his heart has been ripped out. Fantastic song.
Crimson Post
I like to think I'm a pretty tough person, but when 9:00 comes on the tears just come on their own. And to think I picked this album up just because the title sounded good.
Creak
Yeah, it's beautiful! I listened to this after I fell in love with Pawn Hearts, only to be impressed all over again.
Rodolfo Lauri
Lost (Perso)
- La danza nella sabbia e nel mare -
Così: siamo qui, o piuttosto, sono qui, tutto solo.
Vedo cose che furono divise tempo fa, molto tempo fa.
La mia memoria spazia e sono stordito: sai che so
quanto sono stati belli i tempi passati e quanto ho riso....
I tempi sono cambiati, ora sei lontana; non posso levare lamento -
Ho avuto le mie possibilità, ma mi sono scivolate tra le mani come sabbia.
So che ormai non danzerò più come facevo un tempo.
Ora non mi rimane che attendere che il giorno irrompa sulla terra e sul mare,
sperando di poter catturare tutte le mie memorie;
poi striscerò lungo la mia strada tutto concentrato
ad ascoltare le ultime parole.
Ma non ce ne sono.... il sorgere del sole chiama, ho indugiato
troppo chiuso per comodità e non so bene perché
sento la voglia di piangere -
So che non danzerò mai come prima.
Guardo in alto: sono quasi accecato
dal calore di quel che sento dentro
e dal gusto che ho nell'anima,
ma sono morto dentro e me ne sto da solo....
- La danza nel gelo -
Indossavo gli stati d'animo come diversi capi di vestiario,
ma non c'era mai quello giusto....
e quando sei partita ho sentito il mio corpo trillare e la mia mente
cominciare a urlare.
Era oramai troppo tardi per stare a ripensare sul significato della cosa....
Sai che ho bisogno di te, ma, in un certo senso,
non penso tu ti renda conto del mio amore.
Ad un certo punto ti ho perduta, non so esattamente come sia accaduto;
il paese delle meraviglie giace in una coltre di bianco, ghiacciato gelo....
Mi guardai intorno e scoprii che ero smarrito del tutto:
senza la tua mano nella mia sono morto!
La realtà è contaminata con l'irreale e i giochi provati
non sono gli stessi:
senza il tuo sorriso agrodolce non c'è nessun posto per ripararmi
e nel profondo del cuore
so che non ho mai pianto quanto farò da ora in poi....
Se potessi trovare le parole per far accendere il tuo fuoco
tutta l'acqua che ho intorno potrebbe essere l'amore
che dovrebbe circondarmi.
Guardando attraverso le lacrime che mi incatenano
il mio cuore sanguina affinché tu possa trovarmi.. .o, almeno,
che possa dimenticare ed essere insensibile
ma non posso fermarmi: le parole continuano a premere:
TI AMO!
Gabriele 95
Simply fantastic. And I love that voice.
Alison Hill
A great song. meant so much to me in my teens. Still does
SupremeMrRici
I love the beggining, so chaotic. The whole song is amazing.
Angelo Cataldo
Masterpiece.