Roaring Forties is the real gem in the basket here, that is something which cannot be denied, but each album here has its moments of brilliance which makes it essential to own for the Hammill devotee. In the 1990s, Peter Hammill set up his own label imprint, the oddly named Fie! (named after the archaic..
Peter Hammill – Incoherence (2024 Remix) (Esoteric)
This is probably the only “song” that’s ever had a yes/no interlude in Greek and Japanese as the lyrics of a chorus… Peter Hammill I breathed a sigh of relieved contentment at roughly the midway point of my first listen to the newly remixed edition of Incoherence, Peter Hammill's 30th studio album first released an..
VAN DER GRAAF GENERATOR – Still Life: Vinyl Reissue (Esoteric / Cherry Red)
All told, this is an album which not only repays repeated listening, but ultimately makes you profoundly grateful to have made that investment of effort, as it has the potential to enrich the soul in the way only the very finest music can do. Sometimes albums come up for reissue which you've always liked. Sometimes..
Peter Hammill – In a Foreign Town/Out of Water 2023 (Esoteric)
These songs are cast in a new light... or is it the same light but through a different window? Of all the musicians I'd be surprised to see reference Taylor Swift in their liner notes, Peter Hammill is at the absolute top of the list. Or he was, at least, until this morning when I..
VAN DER GRAAF GENERATOR – Interference Patterns: The Recordings 2005-2016 (Esoteric / Cherry Red)
As a reminder – or even a realisation – of just how much great material the band have produced in this twilight portion of their career, this set is an absolute treasure. There are pieces of music produced by the band in this post-reunion, post-Millennial era which are good enough to stand shoulder to shoulder..
Van Der Graaf Generator – 14 disc boxed set out 23 Sep
Van der Graaf Generator were one of the most original and inspiring bands of the 1970s. When Peter Hamill, Hugh Banton, Guy Evans and David Jackson announced their reformation in 2005 to perform concerts and to record a new album, it took many by surprise, but the group proved they were still making relevant and..
VAN DER GRAAF GENERATOR – Bridgewater Hall, Manchester (22 Feb 2022)
Every time I go to see a Van Der Graaf Generator show, I almost fear the worst, as sustaining that level of seemingly telepathic timing and multi-instrumental precision seems that eventually the spinning plates must fail and drop to the floor. And every time I come out of the venue proved wrong again, as this..
VAN DER GRAAF GENERATOR – Upcoming lavish 20-disc ‘Charisma Years’ box set
A lavish 20-disc Box — 'The Charisma Years Box' comprising 17 CDs and 3 Blu Ray discs — covers Van Der Graaf Generator's entire recorded works for Charisma Records, including previously unreleased tracks and previously unreleased footage. And brand new Stereo and Surround Sound remixes. Single releases — Refugees (Single Version), Killer (New Stereo Mix),..
Peter Hammill – In Translation (Fie! Records)
I was once referred to as “the Shirley Bassey of the Underground”. Then and now I’m happy to live with that. Curious was the news that P.J.A. Hammill, esteemed and prolific British songsmith, had announced at the age of 72 that he was releasing an album consisting entirely of other people's compositions. What should not..
ISILDUR’S BANE & PETER HAMMILL – In Amazonia (Ataraxia)
One that (almost) got away... You know how sometimes a particular album can somehow pass you by when it really should have registered strongly on your radar? This is one of those cases, and the reason for this is the fact that, when this appeared last year, things were rather heavy on the plate-spinning front..