Van der Graaf - The Least We Can Do...(1969)(Remaster Edit 2005)
Peter Hammill has always had an abiding interest, it seems, in the
blurred boundary between the mystical and the scientific, and between
the rational and magical mind; this is certainly evident on the debut
Van Der Graaf Generator album, even though Hammill had yet to really
begin focusing himself on what it was that was driving him (despite
the fact that the band's very name referenced a device that resembles
a bastard mix of scientific apparatus and shamanic totem). The Least
We Can Do Is Wave to Each Other brings those concerns to the fore with
ferocity, with time out for a couple of more personal pieces
("Refugees" and "Out of Our Book"). Hammill's lyrics, delivered with
all the passion and intent he can muster, reference mysticism,
numerology, astrology, various religious pantheons, the Malleus
Maleficarum (leading Hammill to conclude, a bit too hopefully,
that magic needs to be gray to be balanced), Robert van deGraaf
himself (in "Whatever Would Robert Have Said?"), the future of
humanity, and surviving ecological catastrophe. This being the
start of the 1970s, the hopeful notes are drowned out by the tidal
wave of fear, sadness, and despair, despite which, the music does
tend to be rather uplifting, thanks to the undercurrent of barely
restrained majesty VDGG tended to have (possibly thanks to Hugh Banton,
who had been rather used to communicating with God via church and
cathedral organs; he brought that expertise to a position more normally
occupied by determined B-3 thumpers engaged in battle with show-horse
guitarists). [The 2005 remastered edition of the album contains two
bonus tracks: the single version of "Refugees" and "Boat of Millions
of Years."]...S. McDonald
Codec: mp3
Bitrate: 320 kB/s
Size: 122 MB
Genre :prog. Rock
Tracklist:
01 Darkness (11/11) 7:30
02 Refugees 6:25
03 White Hammer 8:18
04 Whatever Would Robert Have Said? 6:09
05 Out of My Book 4:06
06 After the Flood 11:36
07 Boat of Millions of Years( Bonus) 3:54
08 Refugees (Bonus / Single Version) 5:18
LINK: the least we can do
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