Monday, February 22, 2010

Van Der Graaf Generator-H to He Who am the Only One

I always feel like there's an under-representation of classic prog rock here. It's a shame since it's a genre that I listen to often. And while I've got a million obscuro one offs, I have to go with one of the genre's all time best. This is a band that people who despise prog can still get into. It's heavy, and dark, but there's much fragile beauty as well. I think so much of this is due to the fact that Peter Hammill is a super badass who wrote simply amazing songs. All of their work is great, so this post could have been any album of theirs. It just happens that it's the one I saw first, and "The Emperor in his War-Room," is a fucking classic song. Sneer if you want at the prog genre (though you'd be an idiot to do so), but don't miss this.

Here

2 comments:

  1. I did a search for vdgg thinking you must have posted something by them here but it came up with nothing. Found this snuck away though. I actually think they are in a league of their own leaving other prog bands washed up in their wake. Genius songwriting and as much pretension as you could ever want from a performer.

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  2. Of course, there has to be some Peter Hammill here. What a true original. I think the reason they trounced so many of their peers is not only their cleverness (which can often become masturbatory with other bands) but they just seemed so much sinister to mine ears. Moments can be downright terrifying.

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