News of two Van Der Graaf Generator Esoteric reissues has landed here this cold January morning, both Still Life and the live album Vital are to be released as remastered vinyl and CD editions on March 29th 2024. Both albums are to be remastered from the original master tapes. Sounds like these are to be remasters rather then new mixes, information is minimal, here’s what we know (and yes, remasters and reissues of old material isn’t really what we’re about here but this is Can Der Graaf and VdGG are and always will be important…
Vital was the final release of the 1970s by Van der Graaf Generator, who by 1977 had abbreviated their name to Van der Graaf and featured a line-up of Peter Hammill (vocals, piano, guitars), Guy Evans (drums), Nic Potter (bass), and Graham Smith (violin) who added Charles Dickie (cello) to the band mid-way through the year. Following a long year of touring and recording the album The Quiet Zone / The Pleasure Dome, the band greeted 1978 with two concerts at the Marquee Club in London on the 15th and 16th January which were recorded. The concerts featured a guest appearance by former member David Jackson on saxophone and flute. Vital was a brutal sonic assault and featured Van der Graaf at their most powerful and impassioned. The record proved to be their swansong of the 1970s, as by the time of the album’s release in July 1978, the band had broken up due to financial difficulties.
TRACK LISTING
DISC ONE
1 Ship of Fools
2 Still Life
3 Last Frame
4 Mirror Images
5 Medley: A Plague of Lighthouse Keepers /The Sleepwalkers
DISC TWO
1 Pioneers Over C
2 Sci-Finance
3 Door
4 Urban / Killer / Urban
5 Nadir’s Big Chance
Released in April 1976, Still Life is one of the band’s finest works and was the second release by VdGG following their hiatus from 1972-1975.
In June 1975 Peter Hammill (vocals, piano, guitar), Hugh Banton (keyboards, bass), David Jackson (saxophone, flute) and Guy Evans (drums) reunited at Rockfield Studios to record material which would initially appear on the album GodBluff. The sessions were so productive that two further tracks were recorded, Pilgrims and La Rossa which did not appear on the album.
The material was so strong that both of the additional tracks would feature on the band’s next album, Still Life. The record would prove to be one of VdGG’s finest and most enduring albums.
This new vinyl edition of this classic album has been remastered from the original tapes and was cut at Abbey Road Studios. It fully restores the original LP artwork.
TRACK LISTING
Side One
1 Pilgrims
2 Still Life
3 La Rossa
Side Two
1 My Room (Waiting for Wonderland)
2 Childlike Faith in Childhood’s End
Previous coverage – Van Der Graaf Generatot / Peter Hammill
Meanwhile on with the new…
ORGAN: Our best 43 albums of a very musically busy 2023. Who did we rate?
THE ORGAN 