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 The single was withdrawn under pressure from Mercury, since it violated the contract band members Hammill and Smith signed the previous year.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.
Sleepwalkers
Van der Graaf Generator Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Is moved into action and their pace does not relent.
In step, with great precision, these dancers of the night
Advance against the darkness - how implacable their might!
Eyes undulled by moon, their arms and legs akimbo,
They walk and live, hoping soon to surface from this limbo.
Their minds, anticipating the dawn of the day,
Shall never know what's waiting mere insight away
Senses dimmed in semi-sentience, only wheeling through this plane,
Only seeing fragmented images prematurely curtailed by the brain,
But breathing, living, knowing in some measure at least
The soul which roots the matter of both Beauty and the Beast.
From what tooth or claw does murder spring,
From what flesh and blood does passion?
Both cut through the air with the pendulum's swing
In deadly but delicate fashion.
And every range of feeling is there in the dream
And every logic's reeling in the force of the scream
The senses sting.
And though I may be dreaming and reality stalls
I only know the meaning of sight and that's all
And that's nothing.
The columns of the night advance,
Infectiously, their cryptic dance
Gathers converts to the fold -
In time the whole raw world will pace these same steps
On into the same bitter end.
Somnolent muster now the dancing dead
Forsake the shelter of their secure beds,
Awaken to a slumber whose depths they dread,
As if the ground they tread would give way
Beneath the solemn weight of their conception.
I'd search the hidden corners of all this world,
Make reason of the sensory whorl
If I only had time,
But soon the dream is ended.
Tonight, before you lay down to the sweetness of your sleep
Do you question your surrender to the drop from Lover's Leap
Or does the anaesthetic darkness take hold on its very own?
Does your body rise in service with not one dissenting groan?
These waking dreams of life and death
In the mirror are twisted and buckled,
Lashes flicker, a catch of breath,
Skin whitening at the knuckles.
The army of sleepwalkers shake their limbs and are loose
And though I am a talker, I can phrase no excuse
Not to rise again.
In the chorus of the night-time I belong
And I, like you, must dance to that moonlight song
And in the end I too must pay the cost of this life.
If all is lost none is known
And how could we lose what we've never owned?
Oh, I'd search out every knowledge that I could find,
Unravel all the mysteries of mind,
If I only had time,
If I only had time,
But soon my time is ended.
The Sleepwalkers by Van der Graaf Generator is a haunting and insightful song about the concept of sleepwalking through life. The singer observes the mindless army of sleepwalkers who move with great precision, advancing against the darkness with implacable might. Their eyes undulled by moon, they hope to surface from this limbo and anticipate the dawn of the day. However, their minds shall never know what's waiting mere insight away, too far and too soon. The song highlights the feeling of being trapped in this life, of being a dancer in the army of sleepwalkers, and not having enough time to really understand or appreciate existence.
The lyrics suggest that we see only fragmented images and have our senses dimmed in semi-sentience. The range of feeling is there in the dream, and every logic's reeling in the force of the scream. We witness the pendulum's swing - from what tooth or claw does murder spring, from what flesh and blood does passion? Both cut through the air delicately but with deadly force. The song weaves back and forth between dream and reality, between the waking world and the unconscious mind. In the end, the singer must pay the cost of this life and belong in the chorus of the night-time, dancing to the moonlight song.
Line by Line Meaning
At night, this mindless army, ranks unbroken by dissent,
In the night, a group of people with no will of their own follow blindly and without any opposition.
Is moved into action and their pace does not relent.
They are compelled to act and do not stop.
In step, with great precision, these dancers of the night
They move in perfect coordination.
Advance against the darkness - how implacable their might!
They are unstoppable in their movement toward the unknown.
Eyes undulled by moon, their arms and legs akimbo,
They move without regard for their surroundings.
They walk and live, hoping soon to surface from this limbo.
They live their lives hoping to one day escape their current state.
Their minds, anticipating the dawn of the day,
They anticipate the arrival of daybreak.
Shall never know what's waiting mere insight away
They will never know what the future holds.
Too far, too soon.
The future is unattainably distant.
Senses dimmed in semi-sentience, only wheeling through this plane,
They move through life without fully experiencing it.
Only seeing fragmented images prematurely curtailed by the brain,
Their perception of reality is limited by their own minds.
But breathing, living, knowing in some measure at least
They exist in some capacity.
The soul which roots the matter of both Beauty and the Beast.
They possess the vitality that animates all living creatures.
From what tooth or claw does murder spring,
What is the cause of violence?
From what flesh and blood does passion?
What drives human desire?
Both cut through the air with the pendulum's swing
Both are powerful forces that affect people's lives.
In deadly but delicate fashion.
Their effects are dangerous yet beautiful.
And every range of feeling is there in the dream
The full spectrum of emotion is present in dreams.
And every logic's reeling in the force of the scream
The agony of a scream renders rational thought useless.
The senses sting.
Sensory experience can be painful.
And though I may be dreaming and reality stalls
Even if reality is uncertain, life continues.
I only know the meaning of sight and that's all
Perception is the only truth I know.
And that's nothing.
But even that pales in comparison to the fullness of life.
The columns of the night advance,
The forces of darkness continue to move forward.
Infectiously, their cryptic dance
The darkness spreads and infects others.
Gathers converts to the fold -
Others join in the dance.
In time the whole raw world will pace these same steps
Eventually, everyone will fall in line with the darkness.
On into the same bitter end.
Leading to the same dark fate for all.
Somnolent muster now the dancing dead
The lifeless become energized and join in the dance.
Forsake the shelter of their secure beds,
Leaving behind the safety of their own minds.
Awaken to a slumber whose depths they dread,
Awakening to a world full of unknowns.
As if the ground they tread would give way
As if the foundation of their existence could crumble at any moment.
Beneath the solemn weight of their conception.
Under the gravity of their own thoughts and ideas.
I'd search the hidden corners of all this world,
If given the chance, I would explore every aspect of life.
Make reason of the sensory whorl
Try to make sense of the chaotic nature of existence.
If I only had time,
If time were not a limiting factor.
But soon the dream is ended.
But alas, all dreams must come to an end.
Tonight, before you lay down to the sweetness of your sleep
Before you go to bed.
Do you question your surrender to the drop from Lover's Leap
Do you question your own willingness to take risks in life?
Or does the anaesthetic darkness take hold on its very own?
Or do you allow yourself to be numb?
Does your body rise in service with not one dissenting groan?
Are you complacent with your own existence?
These waking dreams of life and death
The perpetual contemplation of life and death.
In the mirror are twisted and buckled,
Distorted by personal biases and perspectives.
Lashes flicker, a catch of breath,
Instinctual reactions to the world around us.
Skin whitening at the knuckles.
Showing the physical manifestation of fear.
The army of sleepwalkers shake their limbs and are loose
The masses move about without true awareness.
And though I am a talker, I can phrase no excuse
Despite my ability to articulate, I have no excuses.
Not to rise again.
I must continue living and participating in life's dance.
In the chorus of the night-time I belong
I am a part of this world and its darkness.
And I, like you, must dance to that moonlight song
And like you, I am compelled to move with the rhythm of the night.
And in the end I too must pay the cost of this life.
And like everyone else, I will eventually pay the price of existence.
If all is lost none is known
If everything is lost, then nothing is certain.
And how could we lose what we've never owned?
If we never truly possessed anything, how could we lose it?
Oh, I'd search out every knowledge that I could find,
I would seek out every piece of knowledge if given the chance.
Unravel all the mysteries of mind,
And try to understand the workings of the human psyche.
If I only had time,
If only there were no time constraints.
If I only had time,
If only there were more time to live.
But soon my time is ended.
But alas, my time on this earth is limited.
Lyrics © O/B/O APRA AMCOS
Written by: PETER HAMMILL
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind