Author: Peter Podbrežnik
Artist: Van Der Graaf Generator
Label: Charisma Records
Release: 1976
Duration: 53:01
Rating: 5/5
Van Der Graaf Generator were among the increasingly rare prog rock pioneers who managed to keep their studio output enviably strong even in the second half of the seventies, and when the time came for the (temporary, though lengthy) breakup, they could say goodbye with satisfied smiles on their faces. »World Record«, which stayed the classic Van Der Graaf Generator lineup’s last album for almost thirty years (until 2005), came out right before the punk explosion, the rise of new wave and the birth of the NWOBHM scene.
Chameleon-like vocalist and visionary composer Peter Hammill, who was by then devoting more and more energy to his equally prolific solo career, brilliant organist Hugh Banton, woodwind wizard David Jackson, greased with every virtuoso trick in the book, and drumming heavyweight Guy Evans used »World Record« to tell the world (and not just the music world) that their dark, post-apocalyptic visions were, sadly, coming true at an accelerating pace. This was the middle of the increasingly cynical seventies, when the last illusions of the rather naive sixties had fallen away, and just before the greedy, materialistic eighties, which saw the birth of neoliberalism.
Their second record of 1976, following the masterpiece »Still Life«, was yet another prog rock classic in every sense of the word. It also contained numerous sonic elements that already foreshadowed all the musical movements listed above, further cementing the visionary status of this cult band. Much as with »Still Life«, some of the compositions that ended up on »World Record« had been written in embryonic form the year before, back when they were recording the classic »Godbluff« (1975). The band members, having returned from the dead once again, found themselves in the middle of a veritable creative explosion as songwriters.
»World Record« opens in a fairly agitated and slightly chaotic fashion with the cynically seasoned »When She Comes«. Amid bristling organ and sax onslaughts, vocal chameleon Hammill doesn’t hold back his fiery rage at women’s ‘chameleonism’, a theme that would mark his excellent solo album »Over« (1977) a year later. Some brilliant, jazz-leaning improvisations and bombastic rhythmic shifts in the middle section set the stage for a thunderous continuation, which peaks in a passionate chorus where the singing ‘thunderer’ is practically torn apart by fury.
His wrath calms down for a moment on »A Place to Survive«, where the dark, post-apocalyptic atmosphere builds from second to second, while the organ, sax and drums soon launch into a wild battle dance. Over it all rules the vocal thunder of the ‘sharp-tongued doctor’, shaking with rage, while Evans keeps firing off fiery drum fills that crank up the hellish mood even more. Here too, the band members show remarkable inventiveness and spontaneity at just the right moments, coming up with witty improvisations. Someone once said that the devil’s band would sound a lot like VDGG when playing in hell, which isn’t far from the truth at all.
»Masks«, another brilliant composition full of unpredictable twists, ties in lyrically with the ‘masks’ that people in the ‘developed’ world put on in public every day to ‘play’ their socially assigned roles. It also touches on the very common phenomenon of comedians, clowns and jesters, who keep everyone roaring with laughter day in, day out, yet are privately often the unhappiest people, once the show is over and they take off their masks with tears in their eyes.
The centerpiece of »World Record« is the epic, 20-plus-minute magnum opus »Meurglys III (The Songwriters Guild)«, one of the best chapters not just of the whole VDGG career but of the entire seventies prog rock movement. The odd title of this super-epic is actually the name of Hammill’s electric Guild guitar, which the lyrics describe as his only friend, the only one he can trust. The character in the lyrics isn’t autobiographical, though. It’s a fictional musician who has completely shut himself away in his own world, so alienated from humankind that he only talks to animals, plants and his guitar.
The post-apocalyptic atmosphere of this epic saga of alienation starts swelling from the very first second, as wild sax passages weave around sharpened electric guitar phrases and ominous organ variations. The passion and pathos Mr. Hammill pours into his vocal performance are once again in a class of their own, while on his electric guitar he coaxes out quite a few cunning and original riffs. The long instrumental section in the middle, with its turbulent improvisations that ramp up the ominous atmosphere, is a chapter of musical adventure all its own. The mood takes another interesting turn with a completely unexpected but bold and witty switch into a long instrumental reggae section, which is surely one of the strangest moments in the history of these visionary prog legends.
For the grand finale, VDGG serve up an epic evergreen, »Wondering«, one of the most magnificent moments of their career and, so to speak, the perfect farewell to their most prolific creative period. A gorgeous organ arrangement superbly supports Peter’s extravagant vocal performance, into which he pours all his poetic fervor, while the lyrics, through skillful use of various metaphors, vividly predict that VDGG will one day make a triumphant return in their classic lineup. The triumphant yet balmy chorus with its multi-part harmonies lodges in your ears long after this splendid album ends.
Even though »World Record« often gets looked down on a bit next to its predecessor »Still Life«, it was hardly a weaker effort. With it, the classic Van Der Graaf Generator lineup delivered its last studio masterpiece for a long, long time. Minimal sonic innovations and stylistic changes only worked in their favor, which means the band members once again pulled the best of their compositional and instrumental talents out of themselves. Quite a few critics at the time also gave »World Record« a warm reception, and some even predicted that VDGG would open up commercially with it. Sadly (or luckily, depending on your point of view), that never happened.
Soon after the release of »World Record«, VDGG crossed the Atlantic for the first time in their career and played in Canada and the USA, but the tour was a financial flop. By then Banton had grown fed up with grueling tours and also wanted to spend more time with his family. Jackson, too, wanted a bit more of a break, and that led to the premature breakup of the classic VDGG lineup. The following year, Hammill and Evans decided to carry on under the shortened band name ‘Van Der Graaf’, and for the next studio project they invited back a former member, bassist Nic Potter, along with violinist Graham Smith (ex-String Driven Thing). The episode under the shortened name and in a changed lineup lasted only a year, but that was long enough to record another studio album (»The Quiet Zone/The Pleasure Dome«, 1977) and a double live album (»Vital«, 1978). What followed was an unexpected silence of more than twenty-five years, during which Hammill’s solo albums were the closest you could get to the astonishing world of VDGG.
Lineup
Peter Hammill – vocals, guitar, piano
David Jackson – saxophone, flute
Hugh Banton – organ, mellotron
Guy Evans – drums, percussion
Production
Van Der Graaf Generator
Track list
1. When She Comes (8:03)
2. A Place to Survive (10:05)
3. Masks (6:57)
4. Meurglys III (The Songwriters Guild) (20:52)
5. Wondering (6:36)
