Release date: September 1, 1969
Label: Mercury Records
Production: John Anthony
Length: 60:20
Genre: progressive rock
Rating: 7/10
The first album by the cult English prog rock band Van Der Graaf Generator started out as a solo project for Peter Hammill, already a instantly recognizable singer and occasional guitarist, who wanted to realize his musical and philosophical visions, which were way ahead of the lyrics of most musicians of the day. Hammill’s lyrics were marked above all by his flirtation with the line between science and fiction, reason and intuition, apocalyptic visions and existentialism. Even though all of this was still very much in embryonic form on “The Aerosol Grey Machine,” many of the fruits of his later masterpieces (and the same goes for the band as a whole) were already showing right from the start.
Under Hammill’s leadership, the band, which had already broken up once before recording began, got back together and set out on its new musical mission. Over the following years, Hammill would constantly split his time between Van Der Graaf Generator and his no less astonishing solo career. The difference between the two projects was often barely noticeable, since Peter frequently used the very same musicians for both, but Van Der Graaf Generator had a special aura from the very beginning, which made them so appealing to many prog rock fans. The band had already been through plenty by the time this album came out. Hammill founded the group in 1967, while still a student at the University of Manchester, together with Chris Judge Smith on drums and winds and organist Nic Pearne.
After moving to London, they started recording music. They even managed to sign their first deal with Mercury at that point. Hammill’s biggest achievement up to then was putting together their first proper lineup, with Hugh Banton arriving on organ, Guy Evans on drums and Keith Ellis on bass, and striking up a collaboration with the head of Charisma, Tony Stratton Smith, who also had Genesis under his wing. Still, bad luck dogged them right away. Judge left the band as soon as they recorded their first single “People You Were Going To” (the B-side features the song “Firebrand”), and after a few gigs their gear got stolen, which indirectly caused the band to fall apart.
As mentioned, Hammill starts recording a solo album, when he suddenly realizes he needs the help of his old friends, and Van Der Graaf Generator are reborn. Most of the material on “The Aerosol Grey Machine” is far from their later, often complex, symphonic, epic and mostly gloomy compositions, but the album still has plenty of interesting pieces that give the listener a good look at the band’s evolution. Alongside the psychedelic-leaning creations, there are also a few more complex and ambitious pieces that set the course for their future albums. It’s a shame that when it came out in 1969, the album was only released in the US. Some slick maneuvering by Stratton was enough for the band to tear up the Mercury contract and move over to his label Charisma, where, alongside Genesis and Lindisfarne, they became one of its main aces.
The opening “Afterwards,” psychedelic and fairly naive in tone, already reveals the band’s hidden potential. Mood-wise it’s a calm, pretty, relaxing number, the kind VDGG wouldn’t exactly record in abundance in the years to come. It introduces listeners above all to Hammill’s unique voice (here its gentler, brighter side), which is at least as recognizable as his lyrics. Although it doesn’t show its true potential yet, it undoubtedly hinted even then at why he was always one of the best singers in prog rock. The very good melody on Banton’s piano is also worth a mention.
After the mellow start, both parts of “Orthenthian” whisk us off into Hammill’s often dark and spooky world of post-apocalyptic visions, which would really come to life on their next album. Although the piece still lacks the real energy that later marked most of their work, it’s a very good creation and the first real showcase of what the band is capable of and where their sound is headed. Evans’ delicate drumming and Banton’s majestic use of the Hammond organ would, alongside Hammill’s vocal and lyrical genius, become the band’s main trademarks, while Ellis, with his often rhythmic and thin bass, would be ‘out of the game’ after this album.
“Running Back” is generally a pretty mellow piece with a melancholic mood. It’s distinguished above all by Hammill’s emotional vocal, which is full of poetry, and by the flute of guest member Jeff Peach, which indirectly adds to its freshness and lightness. It’s without a doubt one of the better pieces on the album, though the band still had plenty of unused room. David Jackson on sax would fill that in successfully on later albums.
The acoustic guitar intro in “Into The Game” is excellent and slightly reminiscent of The Who classic “Pinball Wizard.” The bass is very distinct and up front here, which is great to hear, since after this album VDGG pretty much wouldn’t have a proper bassist for their whole career. Banton would cover the bass lines on his keyboards. It wraps up with a jazzy jam that never gets boring the way they usually tend to. This seven-minute piece already hints at how complex this band was going to get. The title track is a joke less than a minute long that would fit better in some 1950s radio comedy.
The next track, “Black Smoke Yen,” is a short, repetitive instrumental. These two pieces are there more to pad out the running time than because they boast any great quality. The band clearly allowed themselves a few minutes during recording to unwind and recharge the batteries. Interestingly, it’s the second half of the album that holds the best material, which already points toward their later, much more complex, obscure, epic and dark sound. “Aquarian” is a true forerunner of later masterpieces like “Darkness” from their next album. It has an obscure lyric, an outstanding rhythmic foundation with the spotlight on Ellis’ bass, and great vocals from Hammill.
On the epic and mysterious “Necromacer,” VDGG are pretty much already in their true form. The piece is distinguished above all by Peter’s creepy and mysterious lyrics, of which he’d write plenty more in his career (where does all that dark inspiration come from, anyway?), and by an epic, marching rhythm line of the kind they’d love to use on later works.
The closing “Octopus” is another piece that can be counted among the album’s highlights. It’s also one of the band’s first signature pieces, with Banton’s outstanding organ solos, Ellis’ distinct bass and Hammill’s trademark, shifting swings of emotion on vocals all shining. His singing here sounds like his very survival is at stake, and he’d treat himself to performances like this many more times in his career. The unstable construction of the composition is further ramped up with a short jam (something they’d love doing in the future too). The whole thing ends in a chaotic way, just like most of their later works would.
The bonus tracks on the current reissue are both sides of their first single, “People You Were Going To” and “Firebrand,” plus “Giant Squid” and “Ferret & Featherbird.” Worth singling out are “People You Were Going To,” a short, pop-leaning attempt that seems rather atypical for them today, and “Ferret & Featherbird,” a folk song with some good flute that even leans a bit toward Jethro Tull in that department.
The trademark sound of the legendary band hadn’t been developed yet on “The Aerosol Grey Machine,” but unlike the debuts of some of their peers, the direction they’d take was already hinted at. With their next album, VDGG would make such a remarkable leap forward that hardly anyone would remember their beginnings. Even though their first record shows only a little of their true potential, which would later launch them among the main players of British prog rock, the seeds for that progress had already been sown.
“The Aerosol Grey Machine” is by no means a revolutionary debut, and it’s even the least conspicuous record in their history, but it’s more mature than many a first album from their peers, which says a lot about the remarkable consistency and all-around quality of the Van Der Graaf Generator discography. It’s a very good start, one that tells you Van Der Graaf Generator were ready to take the first step that would crown them as some of the main innovators and visionaries in the world of rock music.
Review by: Peter Podbrežnik
Track list:
1. Afterwards (4:58)
2. Orthenthian St. (Part I) (2:23)
3. Orthenthian St. (Part II) (3:53)
4. Running Back (6:32)
5. Into a Game (5:56)
6. Aerosol Grey Machine (0:56)
7. Black Smoke Yen (1:18)
8. Aquarian (8:27)
9. Necromancer (3:30)
10. Octopus (7:41)
Bonus tracks from the reissue:
11. Giant Squid (3:19)
12. Ferret & Featherbird (4:34)
13. People You Were Going To (2:44)
14. Firebrand (4:08)
Van Der Graaf Generator:
Peter Hammill – vocals, acoustic guitar
Keith Ellis – bass guitar, backing vocals
Hugh Banton – piano, organ, backing vocals
Guy Evans – drums, percussion
Guest musicians:
Jeff Peach – flute on “Running Back”
Chris Judge Smith – slide saxophone and harmony vocals on “People You Were Going To”, choir vocals on “Firebrand”
