History Music / VanDerGraafGenerator

Three albums; ''The Least We Can Do Is Wave To Each Other'', ''H to He Who Am The Only One'' and ''Pawn Hearts'' (the latter is considered their MagnumOpus). In 1970 they began to forge their original sound and garner significant attention. Problematic European touring, especially in Italy, caused considerable stress (due to things like neo-fascist organisations turning up at their concerts) and eventually the band decided to temporarily split in order to prevent lasting damage.

Three more albums; ''Godbluff'' (second contender for best album) ''Still Life'' and ''World Record''. This period featured a re-emergance of the previous sound. This era was marked by the debut of a slightly more accessible and aggressive sound, and the departure of Jackson & Banton at the era's closing.

This period was a marked departure to [=VdGG=]'s established style and a sound that wouldn't really be revisited by the band. The saxophones & organ were replaced by violins, prominent guitar and other electronic gimmickery. After the band split this time, they became dormant for over two decades.

* BreakupBreakout: partially averted in that the members of [=VdGG=] regularly play on Peter Hammill's solo album; often the entire lineup will play on a Hammill solo album, blurring the line between band and solo artist.

* CutSong: The CD re-release of ''Pawn Hearts'' includes the material that was recorded in order to make ''Pawn Hearts'' a double LP, before they changed their minds.

* AGoodNameForARockBand: Van der Graaf Generator is a misspelling (but not by much) of Van de Graaff Generator, the static electricity machine that is ofen used in schools to make people's hair stand on end.

* LargeHam: If you don't "get" them, they will most likely come off as this.

Three more albums; ''Godbluff'' (second contender for best album) ''Still Life'' and ''World Record''. This period featured a re-emergance of the previous sound. This era was marked by the debut of a slightly more accessable and agressive sound, and the departure of Jackson & Banton at the era's closing.

* GreatestHitsAlbum: Not quite averted, despite a previous claim to the cotrary, ''First Generation'' and ''Second Generation''.

* GreatestHitsAlbum: Averted, in that they've never had one. More famous prog bands such as Music/{{Yes}} and Music/PinkFloyd have had several, but not [=VdGG=]. Funnily enough they ''have'' had their songs turn up on Prog compliation albums, though.

* BritishAccents: Hammill has a distinctly english (pretty much Received Pronunciation English) vocal delivery, a holdover from his days as a Jesuit chorister.

* EpicRocking: Each of the classic [=VdGG=] albums had at least two, but ''everything'' on ''Pawn Hearts'' qualifies.
* AGoodNameForARockBand: Van der Graaf Generator is a mispelling (but not by much) of Van de Graaff Generator, the static electricity machine that is ofen used in schools to make peoples hair stand on end.

* MohsScaleOfRockAndMetalHardness: [=VdGG=] manage to pull off a heavy sound almost entirely without using guitars, which is quite rare. Their range is fairly broad, though: "My Room (Waiting for Wonderland)" is at most a 2, while certain passages from "Lemmings", "Man-Erg" and "A Plague of Lighthouse Keepers" border on 8.

* EpicSong: Each of the classic [=VdGG=] albums had at least two, but ''everything'' on ''Pawn Hearts'' qualifies.
* EpicRocking

* NewSoundAlbum: ''The Quiet Zone/The Pleasure Dome'' wasn't well recieved by [[TheyChangedItNowItSucks die-hard fans of the classic VdGG sound.]]

* ChorusOnlySong, CommonMeter, CommonTime: As with most ProgressiveRock bands, these tropes are normally averted HARD.

* LyricalDissonance: Averted as hard as you can possibly imagine.

* MohsScaleOfRockAndMetalHardness: [=VdGG=] manage to pull off a heavy sound almost entirely without using guitars, which is quite rare. Their range is fairly broad, though: "My Room (Waiting for Wonderland)" is at most a 2, while certain passages from "Man-Erg" and "A Plague of Lighthouse Keepers" border on 8.

* MohsScaleOfRockAndMetalHardness: [=VdGG=] manage to pull off a heavy sound almost entirely without using guitars, which is quite rare.

* MetalScream: Hammill made treading the fine line between song and scream an art form, but the best example of a full-on Hammill scream is, well, most of "Arrow". No wonder Johnny Rotten was a fan...

* NewSoundAlbum: "The Quiet Zone/The Pleasure Dome" wasn't well recieved by [[TheyChangedItNowItSucks die-hard fans of the classic VdGG sound.]]

** "White Hammer" deals with the rise and fall of the Inquisition, and though it's influence wanes, the marching feedback at the end suggests that something like it still exists in the modern age.

* GreatestHitsAlbum: Averted, in that they've never had one. More famous prog bands such as Yes and Pink Floyd have had several, but not [=VdGG=]. Funnily enough they ''have'' had their songs turn up on Prog compliation albums, though.

The classic lineup reunited on stage duing a Peter Hammill solo concert in 2003 for a one-off performance, in 2004 they began recording in studio and then released a new album of all-new material in 2005, ''Present''. Soon after Jackson quit, and [=VdGG=] continued on without him, releasing the live album ''Real Time'' in 2007 and the studio albums ''Trisector'' in 2008 and ''A Grounding In Numbers'' in 2011. They continue to tour.

!!{{Van der Graaf Generator}} contains examples of:

Three albums; ''The Least We Can Do Is Wave To Each Other'', ''H to He Who Am The Only One'' and ''Pawn Hearts'' (the latter is considered their MagnumOpus). In 1970 they began to forge their original sound and garner significant attention. Problematic european touring, especially in Italy, caused considerable stress (due to things like neo-fascist organisations turning up at their concerts) and eventually the band decided to temporarily split in order to prevent lasting damage.

Three albums; ''The Least We Can Do Is Wave To Each Other'', ''H to He Who Am The Only One'' and ''Pawn Hearts'' (the latter is considered their magnum opus). In 1970 they began to forge their original sound and garner significant attention. Problematic european touring, especially in Italy, caused considerable stress (due to things like neo-fascist organisations turning up at their concerts) and eventually the band decided to temporarily split in order to prevent lasting damage.

One album released (''The Aerosol Grey Machine''), it was meant to be a Peter Hammill solo record but contractual obligations meant that it has to be released under the [=VdGG=] name. [[ExactlyWhatItSaysOnTheTin They were a typical psychedelic band during this era]].

Van der Graaf Generator are an unusual ProgressiveRock band in that they focus on dark, dreary themes (such as the invasion by the Spanish Inquisition or isolation atop a lighthouse with CosmicHorrorStory undertones) and feature very little guitar/electic guitar in their music. Instead, the sound is dominated by ominous organ work, frenetic screeching saxophones, frenzied jazz drumming and dynamic singing ranging from a crooning whisper to a death metal-esque scream.

-->--"The Undercover Man", from ''Godbluff''

-->''"Here, at the glass, all the usual problems, all the habitual farce''
-->''You ask in uncertain voice, what you should do- as if there were a choice''
-->''But to carry on, miming the song''
-->''And hope that it all turns out right"''

http://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/vdgg.jpg [[caption-width:345:''Not'' your average band.]]

* WhatDoYouMeanItWasntMadeOnDrugs

For some reason this was the recipe for massive success in [[GermansLoveDavidHasselhoff Italy]].

* DeadHorseGenre: For a Prog band, this is inevitable criticism. However, [[PublicImageLtd Johnny]] [[SexPistols Rotten]] was a big Hammill fan, so...

* FaceOfTheBand: Peter Hammill has had a illustrious solo career as long as the history of the band that he is the heart of. Whenever the band split, he carried on. His 1975 solo album ''Nadir's Big Chance'' contains proto-''punk'' songs before punk was popular.

* NightmareFuelUnleaded: A veritable mine. Don't listen to ''Pawn Hearts'' in the dark with headphones on. Bad idea...

** "White Hammer" combines this trope with OrIsIt; the song deals with the rise and fall of the Inquisition, and though it's influence wanes, the marching feedback at the end suggests that something like it still exists in the modern age.

* SurprisinglyGentleSong: "Refugees", "My Room (Waiting for Wonderland)".