You know remember it’s like, you’re 15, it’s 1976 and think you’re pretty sophisticated drinking your lager and lime. You’ve already got a good collection of records and you like to think you’ve got good taste compared to those people in the pub that put pop music on and not obscure b-sides by bands they've never heard of. I’m talking about myself obviously.
Into this world came Van Der Graaf Generator. Founded in 1967. They weren’t really like any other prog band, eschewing the electric guitar in favor of a heavy reliance on keyboards and saxophone. The band's music could be fairly characterised as dark, intense, and often philosophical lyrically, primarily written by frontman Peter Hammill.
After a few lineup changes, the classic formation solidified around the core members:
Peter Hammill** (vocals, piano, guitar)
Hugh Banton** (organ, bass pedals)
Guy Evans** (drums)
David Jackson** (saxophone, flute)
This was definitely older brother or sister’s music. Not for mere teenage striplings
Van der Graaf Generator's sound stood apart.Instead of relying on long guitar solos, their music was driven by Banton's dramatic organ and Jackson's multi-tracked, often heavily distorted saxophones. Hammill's highly expressive and theatrical vocals, combined with his dense and poetic lyrics. The band's lyrical themes often explored complex topics like mortality, solitude, and psychological distress, inspired by science fiction writers and Hammill's own introspective nature. It was, in the truest sense of the word, heavy.
But as I got a bit older, the music stopped frightening me and it intrigued me.
The band's career can be divided into distinct phases:
The First Phase (1969–1972): This period saw the release of their seminal works, including the oddly named H to He, Who Am the Only One (1970) and Pawn Hearts (1971), which became a massive hit in Italy -home of great prog - despite limited commercial success in the UK. The band's relentless touring, particularly in Italy, contributed to their eventual burnout and breakup in 1972.
The Second Phase (1975–1978) The classic lineup reformed and released highly acclaimed albums like Godbluff (1975) and Still Life (1976), further cementing their reputation for dark, challenging music. Lineup changes followed, and the band eventually disbanded again.
By the time I was in 6th Form and a Literature student, VDGG albums were de rigour and showed you were a Serious Person, concerned with Serious Things. The band kept tourists at bay. You had to search them out. Most probably heard them on the Friday Rock Show intro playing ‘Theme One’ originally written by George Martin. It was a #1 single in Italy y’know
As a bit of a pretentious kid, they were pushing at an open door with me. The song titles were great like ‘A Plague of Lighthouse Keepers’, ‘Orthenthian St (Parts I & II), ‘Aerosol Grey Machine’, ‘Whatever Would Robert Have Said?’ ,and many more. They were the musical equivalent of a slim book of difficult poetry.
And they are still doing it audiences to of beard-strokers
