uDiscover

Van Der Graaf Generator; musical pioneers, boundary pushers and visionaries, born in the creative maelstrom of late 1960s Britain, seemingly laid to rest in 1977 and re-born with new vitality in 2005. Theirs ranks as some of the most experimental, enduring, savage and beautiful music ever created, inspiring a host of musicians of varying styles, notably including John Lydon and Mark E. Smith.

This collection draws together their superlative sessions for the BBC, including five previously unavailable tracks, all beautifully mastered by Paschal Byrne.

As founding member, driving force and song writer Peter Hammill states: “I think our music has stood the test of time because we always made the music we were driven to make without paying any attention to what anyone else was doing. We certainly didn’t write music with an eye on what might or might not be successful, even though this was a recipe for absolute commercial disaster. We were very lucky to have maintained such a loyal audience. Everything we have ever done has been true and loyal to some bizarre Van Der Graaf ethos. That’s the key to our longevity in my opinion.” The wonderful sessions are testament to that.

Tracklisting

Disc One
1. People You Were Going To (Top Gear session – 18th November 1968)
2. Afterwards (Top Gear session – 18th November 1968)
3. Necromancer (Top Gear session – 18th November 1968)
4. Darkness (Top Gear session – 20th January 1970 / Nic Potter: Bass Guitar)
5. After the Flood (Top Gear session – 20th January 1970 / Nic Potter: Bass Guitar)
6. Man Erg (Sounds of the Seventies session - 10th June 1971)
7. Theme One (Sounds of the Seventies session - 10th June 1971)
8. Vision (Sounds of the Seventies session - 10th June 1971)(previously unreleased)
9. Darkness (Sounds of the Seventies session - 10th June 1971)
10. Man-Erg (BBC Radio One John Peel Concert – 23rd September 1971)(previously unreleased)
11. W (BBC Radio One John Peel Concert – 23rd September 1971)(previously unreleased)
12. Killer (BBC Radio One John Peel Concert – 23rd September 1971) (previously unreleased)

Disc Two
1. Refugees (John Peel session - 14th December 1971)
2. Scorched Earth (John Peel session – 3rd July 1975)
3. Sleepwalkers (John Peel session – 1st April 1976)
4. Still Life (John Peel session – 1st April 1976)
5. La Rossa (John Peel session – 1st April 1976)
6. When She Comes (John Peel Session – 11th November 1976)
7. Masks (John Peel Session – 11th November 1976)
8. Cat’s Eye / Yellow Fever (John Peel session - 24th October 1977)
9. The Sphinx in the Face (John Peel session - 24th October 1977)
10. (Fragments of) A Plague of Lighthouse Keepers / Sleepwalker’s End (John Peel session - 24th October 1977) (previously unreleased)