Author: Peter Podbrežnik
Artist: Van Der Graaf Generator
Label: Fie! Records
Release: 2007
Rating: 5/5
“Real Time” is the long-awaited double live recording of a historic show, marking the magnificent return of one of the best and most revered prog rock bands of all time, Van Der Graaf Generator. The recordings, which cover most of their finest work, come from the band’s first live show in this lineup in 27 years, when they got back together and presented their new studio album “Present” (2005). It was a one-of-a-kind experience that none of the lucky ones who were there will ever forget, one of the biggest events in the history of progressive rock. Fans’ expectations for this all-important, you could even say groundbreaking show for VDGG were undoubtedly huge, and above all the big question was how they’d fare live after so many years, and whether the band that created timeless masterpieces like “Pawn Hearts” (1971), “Godbluff” (1975) and “Still Life” (1976) would still be worth watching in the new millennium and keep carrying on their magnificent legacy. Personally, I had a slightly odd feeling before listening, given that this is actually only their third official live album after “Vital” (1978) and “Maida Vale” (1994), so I was all the more on edge about whether the mighty VDGG would live up to their reputation, after their resurrection, as a band that sounds even more intense live than in the studio.
All doubts vanished like soap bubbles in an instant, though, as the classic and best-loved VDGG lineup, made up of Peter Hammill on vocals, guitar and piano (a charismatic genius about whom plenty has already been said and plenty more surely will be), Hugh Banton on organ, Guy Evans on drums and David Jackson on woodwinds, pulls us straight into their post-apocalyptic world, where brutality, madness and pain constantly mix with beauty, grandeur and new hope. The recording opens with a ferocious version of “The Undercover Man” (Godbluff, 1975), which makes for a practically perfect intro. Even though they follow the original closely, it sounds strangely fresh, as if it had been written yesterday. Apart from the fact that their music is simply relevant for all time (and that goes doubly for the times we live in), the “modern” touch comes mainly from the massive sound of Banton’s organ. “Scorched Earth” (Godbluff, 1975) follows superbly. These two pieces have always been tied together, so it’s a real joy that they played them in the original order. On top of that, “Godbluff” is regarded by many fans as the peak of their discography, although with a band like VDGG it’s extremely hard to pick a winner. On “Refugees” (The Least We Can Do Is Wave To Each Other, 1970), the master Hammill pulls off something wonderful. With even more pathos in his vocals than on the original version, he upgrades one of their best pieces. What follows is a splendid rendition of a song that feels especially relevant to the current state of the world. “Every Bloody Emperor” (Presenet, 2005) always hits the nail on the head, with no compromises, on the question of “what’s wrong with our ‘valiant’ rulers?” What especially thrills me about this performance is Banton’s keyboard playing and the extra improvisation they throw in somewhere in the middle. This very rendition shows best how Hammill has managed, over the years, to keep his unique singing talent and an almost undiminished vocal power, which is incredible. “Lemmings” (Pawn Hearts, 1971) was one of the more demanding pieces they played on this recording, so I was all the more enchanted to hear this excellent version. Hammill picks up the electric guitar here, too. Before its official part even starts, they play a short jazzy improvisation to warm up, and then, as if it were nothing, they tear into one of their most complex and unusual pieces. A big surprise is without a doubt the performance of the excellent “(In the) Black Room”, which is actually a Hammill solo piece, written for a planned but never released VDGG album that was supposed to come out between “Pawn Hearts” and “Godbluff”, had they not gone their separate ways for three years in between. Instead, with the help of the other VDGG members, it ended up on Hammill’s album “Chameleon In The Shadow Of Night (1973). Over the years fans have embraced it as a lost VDGG piece, as the rapturous ovations on this recording make clear. In my opinion, the version here is noticeably better than the one on Hammill’s album. Then they play the relatively fresh “Nutter Alert” (Present, 2005), which is already destined to become a classic. The deciding factors in its brilliant performance are Jackson’s saxophone and Hammill’s vocals, which shake the listener from head to toe in a way only a master like that can. Next comes one of their best pieces, “Darkness 11/11” (The Least We Can Do Is Wave To Each Other, 1970), which Hammill’s vocals take to an even more brutal level than we’re used to from the original. The band sounds like they’re playing over a white-hot fire, and the result is one of the best live performances of this masterpiece.
The second disc opens, somewhat unexpectedly, with an excellent version of “Masks” (World Record, 1976), which still gets overlooked today, even though it’s one of their most emotional pieces. After that comes a practically dreamlike selection of treats, each a winner in its own way. There’s no fan of the band who wouldn’t hit nirvana during yet another masterpiece of incredible proportions and one of the most magnificent pieces in the history of progressive rock, “Childlike Faith in Childhood’s End” (Still Life, 1976), which is one of the highlights of the whole recording and the only piece they picked from the inimitable “Still Life. And just as I’m left speechless by how phenomenal that performance is, they floor me with one of the best versions of “The Sleepwalkers” (Godbluff, 1975) I’ve ever heard. “Man-Erg” (Pawn Heatrs, 1971) follows, with one of the most recognizable piano intros in prog rock history, played under Hammill’s direction. The excellent middle section especially impresses me in this performance. They haven’t forgotten their classic “killer” either, and that is of course none other than the legendary “Killer” (H’ To He Who Am The Only One, 1970), which could easily have been a superb closer, if they hadn’t made an even better call. So they finish with “Wondering” (World Record, 1976), which in my opinion is the best possible ending and is hugely symbolic, since it’s the last piece on the last album recorded by the classic lineup, and it held that status until 2005. Apart from the pieces from the first album “The Aerosol Grey Machine” (1969) and from the last one before the second breakup, “The Quiet Zone/The Pleasure Dome” (1977), which this lineup didn’t record and which not many fans will miss, VDGG present all the chapters of their varied career on “Real Time”: from the old days to the new and back again.
“Real Time” delivers more than two hours of pure gourmet pleasure for all lovers of post-apocalyptic musical visions, brought to life through the vocal cords of the poet of tomorrow, a great opponent of every kind of organized institution, and the instruments of his crew, who (ironically) sound even more convincing today than in the ’70s, which is a hallmark of their timelessness. What’s more, in my opinion this superb recording is even the best live album they’ve released so far, since it’s the first to truly manage to capture almost all the important pieces of their career. On top of that, they add incredible magic and a constant glow, which is surely at least partly the result of the intense emotions fired up by such an important show. Another noticeable difference from the past is that the band radiates noticeably less nervousness and chaos than they used to, which, in their case, you can take as either a plus or a minus. “Real Time” is also a document in its own right that more than justifies (to my heart and soul, a hugely welcome one) the band’s decision to get back together after such a long time and carry on their mission of exploring fantastic, unconventional musical forms through their traditionally gloomy glasses on the future, in which a ray of hope and of a new beginning is always hidden. Whenever I listen to this embodiment of live perfection, I’m sorry I wasn’t there at the scene and time of the “crime”. This VDGG lineup was, in my opinion, inseparable, since every member was an integral part of a well-oiled machine and, in their own way, key to its success. So it’ll be very interesting to see what the consequences of the recent split with David Jackson will be. No matter what the future brings, VDGG remain a musical phenomenon without equal, “live” too.
Lineup
Peter Hammill – vocals, guitar, piano
Hugh Banton – organ
Guy Evans – drums
David Jackson – saxophone, flute
Production
Hugh Banton
Track list
CD 1 – 70:10
1. The Undercover Man (8:29)
2. Scorched Earth (10:05)
3. Refugees (6:01)
4. Every Bloody Emperor (7:36)
5. Lemmings (13:20)
6. (In The) Black Room (11:16)
7. Nutter Alert (6:05)
8. Darkness (7:20)
CD 2 – 58:36
1. Masks (6:47)
2. Childlike Faith In Childhood’s End (12:34)
3. The Sleepwalkers (10:44)
4. Man-Erg (11:36)
5. Killer (9:55)
6. Wondering (7:01)
Running time: 128:46
