Live in London, September 23, 1971. FM Tks 1-3 from BBC - 00:00 Man-Erg 10:36 - 10:36 W 5:09 - 15:45 Killer 8:07 Broadcast October 5, 1971 FM Tks 4-5 from Pilgrimage - mono. - 23:52 Theme One 3:08 - 27:00 Dambusters March 1:19 Gitarre, Keyboards, Gesang - Peter Hammill Orgel, Klavier, Bass - Hugh Banton Saxophon, Querflöte - David Jackson Schlagzeug - Guy Evans The sound quality is bruising, but that's how it should be. One of the earliest complete VDGG's performance in circulation, this BBC radio broadcast captures the band on the eve of the release of Pawn Hearts, the original lineup's last album for four years, and still the acid test for anybody who thinks progressive rock is somehow synonymous with tortured classical music, and overlong, noodle-drenched guitar solos. Just one number here, the opening convolutions of "Man Erg," is drawn from that album (the seething "W" is an out-take that later appeared as a b-side), but it is more than enough to set the scene. The original BBC broadcast featured just three songs, with an energetic "Killer" spiraling from H To He to give the listeners something they might recognize. One final cut, apparently, was erased from the performance by the BBC's own censors - George Martin's "Theme One" was in use as the company's own theme tune at the time, and the powers that be were afraid Van Der Graaf's mighty mangling of it may confuse people into thinking the day's broadcasting was at an end. Anybody who did do that, of course (apart from being extremely stupid), would also have missed the spellbinding segue into "the Dambuster's March," the so-stirring theme to the war movie of (almost) the same name. It's only a brief snatch, but it works wonderfully, and you depart the disc wishing that the band could have played for another hour, at least. - Dave Thompson . 1969 -- The Aerosol Grey Machine 1970 -- The Least We Can Do Is Wave to Each Other 1970 -- H to He, Who Am the Only One 1971 -- Pawn Hearts 1975 -- Godbluff 1976 -- Still Life 1976 -- World Record 1977 -- The Quiet Zone/The Pleasure Dome (als Van der Graaf) 2005 -- Present 2008 -- Trisector 2011 -- A Grounding in Numbers 2012 -- Alt Livealben 1978 -- Vital Records from 1978, als Van der Graaf) 2004 -- Maida Vale BBC Radio Sessions (Aufnahmen von 1971-75) 2007 -- Real Time (Aufnahmen von 2005) 2009 -- Live at the Paradiso (Aufnahmen von 2007) 2012 -- Recorded Live in Concert at Metropolis Studios, London (from 2010, 2CD + DVD) Kompilationen 1972 -- 68--711982 -- Time Vaults (Demos, Pawn Hearts Godbluff ) 1986 -- First Generation: Scenes from 1969--1971 1986 -- Second Generation: Scenes from 1975--1977 1993 -- I Prophesy Disaster1994 -- Maida Vale -- BBC Sessions 2000 -- The Box 2000 -- An Introduction: From the Least to the Quiet Zone

• published: 18 Feb 2015
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