Author: Peter Podbrežnik
Artist: Hammill, Peter
Label: Naive Records
Release: 1982
Running time: 42:34
Rating: 4/5
With the album »Enter K«, Van Der Graaf Generator’s legendary vocal thunderer Peter Hammill opened a new chapter in his incredibly prolific and turbulent career, in which this ‘post-apocalyptic poet’ has been through just about everything. It was Hammill’s first album for Naive Records, the label founded and run by Gordian Troeller, a former VDGG manager who had a hit in the eighties as the manager of new wave act Orchestral Manoeuvres in the Dark. It was also Peter’s first album in a longer run (right up to the end of the eighties) where he fronted his own band called K Group, which he put together in 1981 for a concert tour.
The quirk of Hammill’s band was that every member had a special title: Hammill was K, drummer Guy Evans went by Brain, bassist Nic Potter became known as Mozart, while lead guitarist John Ellis answered to the name Fury. »Enter K« was Hammill’s first collaboration with guitarist Ellis, who had already made a name for himself as the guitarist for another hugely important Peter from the prog rock world, Peter Gabriel, on the album »Peter Gabriel IV« (1982). David Jackson only appeared as a guest saxophonist this time, on the tracks »The Unconscious Life« and »Don’t Tell Me« and the bonus track »Seven Wonders«.
On »Enter K« Hammill carried on in the stylistic direction of his previous three studio albums, which means he occasionally slipped in elements of new wave as well. This time he gave the keyboards a bit more attention than usual. Even with a lead guitarist around, he still didn’t hold back on the occasional, distinctive electric guitar improvisation. Production-wise, apart from the sonic ‘imprint’ of the keyboards, you’d have a hard time guessing that »Enter K« was recorded in the early eighties. Peter didn’t pay much attention to the musical trends of the day and made only minimal changes to his traditional ‘post-apocalyptic’, gloomy approach to songwriting.
The lead ‘instrument’ on every composition was once again Hammill’s distinctive voice, which he used to glide effortlessly from heavenly heights to hellish depths. »Paradox Drive«, shot through with new wave influences, makes for a great album opener. After a slightly funky intro it shifts into a raw section with punchy guitar variations, while the thunderer’s furious vocal-cord shredding grows in direct proportion to Evans’ uncompromising drum fills. The funk motif on guitar sounds wonderfully witty and is the only ray of light in an otherwise extremely dark, almost fatalistic atmosphere, while the closing synth solo brings a hint of the eighties pulse.
»The Unconscious Life«, with Jackson chipping in with saxophone acrobatics, is a thoroughly characteristic Hammill piano ballad with a distinctly melancholic, gloomy mood, so it’s no surprise he loved playing it ‘live’ so many times. »Accidents«, which also has traces of new wave, features a chaotic pulse with irritated guitar effects and dynamic tempo changes under Evans’ uncompromising drum dictation, while the ‘sharp-tongued doctor’ once again delights with his ‘chameleon-like’ singing performance. On the relatively punchy »The Great Experiment« the keyboards bring out more of a new wave atmospheric flavor, while the dramatic twist is, as expected, delivered by the ‘thunderer’ himself, backed by deranged guitar passages.
»Don’t Tell Me« is another excellent piano-driven ballad, with Jackson’s guest saxophone and the vocal master at the peak of his melodramatic delivery, reflecting his resignation over a crumbling romantic relationship. The melancholic merry-go-round »She Wraps It Up« wins you over with its devastating mood, as Peter uses vocal acrobatics and moving piano arrangements to tell yet another sad story about ‘energy vampires’, or rather an ‘energy vampiress’.
The complex »Happy Hour«, at almost ten minutes long, is on the edge of a prog rock epic, even though it opens as a gentle ballad with an unusually serene mood. Over time the maestro Hammill builds an epic atmosphere with his vocal artistry, in which empathy, sarcasm and rage mix in stark contrast, while acoustic guitar variations add a generous dose of subtlety. The bonus track »Seven Wonders«, where you can once again revel in Jackson’s saxophone artistry, is a rather unusual stylistic experiment with its funky guitar phrases, while the cult singer, songwriter and poet quickly ‘puts things in their place’ with thunderous vocal salvos, so that this melodic song doesn’t accidentally sound too commercial.
»Enter K« was yet another superb Hammill studio achievement, one that still shakes you to the core today with its extraordinary emotional power and enviable atmospheric depth. The influence of eighties synth technology on Peter’s traditional approach to songwriting and arranging was minimal, so the occasional flirtation with new wave elements came off in great taste. The fact that three former VDGG bandmates, namely Evans, Potter and Jackson, play with Hammill on »Enter K« meant that certain songs, especially those featuring Jackson’s saxophone, occasionally recall that cult English prog rock band. Unlike most musicians who, after successful stints with a band, eventually went their own way, Hammill never tried to ‘escape’ his musical past and stayed unwavering in following his own utterly distinctive compositional visions.
Lineup
Peter Hammill – vocals, guitar, keyboards
John Ellis – lead guitar
Nic Potter – bass guitar
Guy Evans – drums
David Jackson – saxophone on “The Unconscious Life” & “Don’t Tell Me”
Production
Peter Hammill
Track list
1. Paradox Drive (4:36)
2. The Unconscious Life (5:07)
3. Accidents (4:39)
4. The Great Experiment (5:14)
5. Don’t Tell Me (4:46)
6. She Wraps It Up (4:24)
7. Happy Hour (9:18)
8. Seven Wonders (4:27) (bonus track)
