Van der Graaf Generator

Pawn Hearts - remaster + bonus

Label: Virgin (UK) Country: UK

Van Der Graaf Generator's 3rd proper release is perhaps the most lasting and effective of their catalog. Peter Hammill wrote all of the songs on the original release, his writing prowess expanding into longer songs with more powerful themes. The music on all tracks are dynamic journeys that take the listener through powerful compositions of virtuosic playing, using an unusual combination of operatic shrieks, groans contrasting with lovely and subtle passages, ultimately resulting in strongly melodic music that understood the modern use of electro-acoustic approaches. The extensive use of sax and reed instruments sets the band apart, as does the literate nature of Hammill's lyrics - this was a band with a lot to express and a great ability to do so. Occasional collaborator Robert Fripp plays on this release, which helped earn the album cult status; his contributions include some beautiful guitar work that offsets the turbulent nature of the music. The opening "Lemmings" is a monumental song of rage against complacency and a treadmill existence, with it's pointed demand "What cause is there left but to die?" "Man-Erg" with its arpeggiated sections is another demanding piece that balances the killer and angelic instincts of the vocalist, reflected in the conflicting grinding and sublime musical moments. The magnum opus of the album is "A Plague of Lighthouse Keepers," which took up the original second side of the LP release. This a work in sections similar to Genesis' "Supper's Ready" but with a more connected quality that distinguishes the piece, with surreal bridges between sections. The songs connect themes in a search for existence and relevance through images of storms, lighthouses and lost ocean waters, ultimately declaring that "all things are a part, all things are apart." This fully remastered edition of the album includes five early works, including the original mix for their theme. Essential and enduring rock that combined progressive and electronics tendencies without pandering to the listener.