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 The single was withdrawn under pressure from Mercury, since it violated the contract band members Hammill and Smith signed the previous year.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.
Octopus
Van der Graaf Generator Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
You who I do not know.
Now my mind is tested with love which
Twists and wavers from side to side and which
Some day soon you may see...
I want you to cascade through ten thousand
From the sea:
You who I now begin to know. But emotion is pent up inside,
Too scared of dying again to live,
And meanwhile I must endure your
Red-copper hair screaming like a
Water-baby black eyes stare
From my ceiling:
You who I now truly know...
Now I cannot see too clearly
And already my trellis stands bare...
How can I break free of these over clinging
Arms which entwine and enfold me?... And reach
To the clear blue sea?
I want you to know, but how can I
Tell you? I want you to see
But my own eyes are blind...
The Octopus now enfolds me,
I know you too well...
The lyrics of "Octopus," by Van der Graaf Generator, seem to be about an unrequited love or even a love that has already ended. The singer wants to create art for someone they don't know well, someone who makes their emotions "twist and waver from side to side." They desire that person to experience the beauty of life with them, from seeing ten thousand rainbows to dredging mountains from the sea. The singer wants to get to know this person more deeply, but they feel that their emotions are thwarted and they're too scared to live.
As the song continues, the singer describes feeling trapped by someone else's presence, and how they long to break free and see the world clearly again. However, the singer can't seem to find a way out, and their world closes in on them like the limbs of an octopus. It's unclear whether the object of their affection is the one holding them back or if it's their own fears, but the final lines suggest that they're too entangled and that the person has "enfolded" them, that they know too much to feel relief.
Line by Line Meaning
I want to paint you poems full of fire,
I desire to express my love through the power of words, to convey intense emotions, and ignite fervor within you.
You who I do not know.
You are still a stranger to me, yet I am drawn towards you.
Now my mind is tested with love which
My feelings are uncertain and unsteady, as love brings complexity to my thoughts and emotions.
Twists and wavers from side to side and which
My love is filled with contradictions and conflicts, pulling me in different directions.
Some day soon you may see...
Perhaps in the future, you may understand the depth of my love for you.
I want you to cascade through ten thousand
I long for us to experience infinite joy and happiness together, traversing countless possibilities.
Rainbows with me and dredge mountains
I yearn for us to undertake grand adventures, conquer difficult challenges together, and create lasting memories amid the beauty of the world.
From the sea:
Exploring and discovering what lies beneath the surface, divulging secrets not before known.
You who I now begin to know. But emotion is pent up inside,
Although we may be acquaintances at this point, my love for you is growing. However it is trapped within me, unwilling to be exposed yet...
Too scared of dying again to live,
I am holding back because I was hurt by love in the past, and the thought of experiencing similar pain terrifies me.
And meanwhile I must endure your
I must bear witness to tangible reminders of you, affecting me in unexpected ways.
Red-copper hair screaming like a
Vibrant and attention grabbing, your hair reminds me of lions mane or ferocity.
Water-baby black eyes stare
Your deep expressive eyes, remind me of still pools of water, holding beauty and danger within them.
From my ceiling:
You have become a fixture in my life, to the point that even in my dreams you are present.
You who I now truly know...
We have both changed through time together or interactions and you now were deeper, personal meaning to me.
Now I cannot see too clearly
I am lost in love and lack clarity, perhaps becoming blinded by my emotion.
And already my trellis stands bare...
A once prominent aspect of my life, perhaps a symbol of hope or growth, has been stripped away or is fading.
How can I break free of these over clinging
I feel trapped and overwhelmed by my emotions, unsure of how to continue or how to ease this strain on my heart.
Arms which entwine and enfold me?... And reach
I feel smothered by my own feelings, despite my longing to hold you close.
To the clear blue sea?
I wish to escape this emotional entanglement and find clarity and peace.
I want you to know, but how can I
Although my love is strong, I struggle to find the words to convey my intense feelings to you.
Tell you? I want you to see
I yearn for you to truly understand my love and devotion for you.
But my own eyes are blind...
Despite my desire to open myself up to you, I am hindered by my own insecurities or fears.
The Octopus now enfolds me,
My love for you has turned into a powerful, all-encompassing force that entraps me and makes me feel vulnerable.
I know you too well...
I have grown so close to you that you have become an inseparable part of me, yet I fear the potential consequences of this attachment.
Lyrics © Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: PETER HAMMILL, PETER JOSEPH ANDREW HAMMILL
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
vogel mandrie
Hugh Banton's organ is absolute impressive here , their debut is simply the best !
jazzman 2
I remember hearing this when I was about 11, and the organ chords and Hammill's mesmerising vocals just stuck in my mind. Its great to realize only now the name of the tune that had impressed me all those years ago
Mariusz Broda
Moje ulubiony utwór z pierwszego albumu VDGG.... THE AEROSOL GREY MACHINE..... OCTOPUS...... 🎸 🎸 🎸 🎸 🎸 🎸 🎸 🎸
DENIS SCHIZOID KEWES
This song counts among the very few musics that merely frighten me. The version along Squid on the Pawn Hearts reedition on CD is if possible still more frightening ! So sad VDGG never had the audience they deserved !
Barry Lamb
wow I forgot how amazing this track is.
MothershipOracle
a classic from VDGG! hugh's hammond is just superb here!
Syfoll
It's a Farfisa Professional, he started using the Hammond only on H to He
Rho Statton
HB2 organ from 1970 on ftw!!
C. Augusto P.
obra-prima !!!
massimo marchesin
Hanno anticipato sia le ORME de LA PORTA CHIUSA che i GOBLIN di PROFONDO ROSSO ROLLER SUSPIRIA etc !!!!! Grandissimi VAN DER GRAAF GENERATOR ancora OGGI resta uno dei loro CAPOLAVORI assoluti!!!!!! Per me questo è un brano MITICO!!!!!!!