Line #111 Music/VanDerGraafGenerator


1	[[quoteright:345:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/vdgg.jpg]]
2	[[caption-width-right:345:''Not'' your average band.]]
3
4	->''"Here, at the glass, all the usual problems, all the habitual farce''
5	->''You ask in uncertain voice, what you should do- as if there were a choice''
6	->''But to carry on, miming the song''
7	->''And hope that it all turns out right"''
8	-->--"The Undercover Man", from ''Godbluff''
9
10	Van der Graaf Generator (sic) is an English ProgressiveRock band (although they would deny that) originating in the late 1960s. They operated in four distinct periods and are currently in their fifth, all featuring Peter Hammill, who is the primary songwriter. Their name is often shortened to [=VdGG=].
11
12	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/electric guitar in their music. Instead, the sound is dominated by ominous organ work, frenetic screeching saxophones, frenzied jazz drumming and dynamic singing ranging from crooning whispers to a {{death metal}}-esque scream.
13
14	For some reason this was the recipe for [[GermansLoveDavidHasselhoff massive success]] in UsefulNotes/{{Italy}}.
15
16	!!!1967-1969: Band Formation and Psychedelic Era
17	-->Peter Hammill, Guitar & Vocals
18	-->Nick Pearne, Organ ('67-'68)
19	-->Hugh Banton, Organ ('68-)
20	-->Keith Ellis, Bass Guitar ('68-'69)
21	-->Chris Judge Smith, Drums & Wind Instruments ('67-'68)
22	-->Guy Evans, Drums ('68-)
23
24	One album released (''The Aerosol Grey Machine''), it was meant to be a Peter Hammill solo record but contractual obligations meant that it had to be released under the [=VdGG=] name. [[ExactlyWhatItSaysOnTheTin They were a typical psychedelic band during this era]].
25
26	!!!1970-1972: Original Sound and Initial Success
27	-->Peter Hammill, Vocals & Piano
28	-->David Jackson, Saxophones & Flutes
29	-->Hugh Banton, Organ
30	-->Nic Potter, Bass Guitar ('70)
31	-->Guy Evans, Drums & Percussion
32
33	Three albums; ''The Least We Can Do Is Wave to Each Other'', ''H to He Who Am the Only One'' and ''Pawn Hearts''. In 1970 they began to forge their original sound and garner significant attention. ''Pawn Hearts'' is one of two albums most frequently cited as the band's best. 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.
34
35	!!!1975-1976: First Reunion & Second Period of Success
36	-->Peter Hammill, Vocals, Clavinet & Piano
37	-->David Jackson, Saxophones & Flutes
38	-->Hugh Banton, Organ & Bass Guitar
39	-->Guy Evans, Drums & Percussion
40
41	Three more albums; ''Godbluff'' (second contender for best album) ''Still Life'' and ''World Record''. This period featured a re-emergence of the previous sound. This era was marked by the début of a slightly more accessible and aggressive sound, and the departure of Jackson & Banton at the era's closing.
42
43	!!!1977-1978: New Wave Experimentation
44	-->Peter Hammill, Vocals & Guitar
45	-->Graham Smith, Violin
46	-->David Jackson, Saxophones ('78)
47	-->Charles Dickie, Cello, Electric Piano, Synthesizer ('78)
48	-->Nic Potter, Bass Guitar
49	-->Guy Evans, Drums & Percussion
50
51	Two albums; ''The Quiet Zone/The Pleasure Dome'' & the live album ''Vital''.
52	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 gimmickry. After the band split this time, they became dormant for over two decades.
53
54	!!!2003-present: Second Reunion and Beyond
55	-->Peter Hammill, Vocals & Keyboards
56	-->David Jackson, Saxophones ('04-'05)
57	-->Hugh Banton, Organ & Bass Guitar
58	-->Guy Evans, Drums & Percussion
59
60	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 , ''A Grounding In Numbers'' in 2011, ''Alt'' in 2012 and ''Do Not Disturb'' in 2016. They continue to tour.
61	----
62	!!Tropes in VDGG's music:
63	* AcCENTUponTheWrongSylLABle: Intentional - Peter Hammill's singing has to be heard to be believed.
64	* AndIMustScream: The fate of the astronauts in "Pioneers Over C":
65	-->''Doomed to vanish in the flickering light\
66	disappearing to a darker night\
67	doomed to vanish in a living death\
68	living antimatter, anti-breath''
69	* TheBandMinusTheFace: The members of [=VdGG=] (minus Hammill, of course) got together to record an album of instrumental music titled "The Long Hello" in 1973. This was followed up in 1981 by "The Long Hello Volume Two", in 1982 with "Long Hello Volume Three" and then "Long Hello Volume Four" in 1983. The album Gentlemen Prefer Blues (Jackson, Banton, Evans, 1985) is sometimes regarded as a sort of Long Hello Volume Five.
70	* BreakupBreakout: partially averted in that the members of [=VdGG=] regularly play on Peter Hammill's solo albums; often the entire lineup will play on a Hammill solo album, blurring the line between band and solo artist.
71	* BSODSong: Oh boy... A fair portion of [=VdGG's=] material, especially the epic "A Plague of Lighthouse Keepers", which fits this trope to a tee. The song "House with No Door" is about a mental patient who desperately wants to be cured, but just can't no matter how hard he tries.
72	* CarefulWithThatAxe: Not always solely due to Hammill's singing.
73	* ConceptAlbum: Averted, funnily enough. All [=VdGG=] albums have common themes, such as despair on ''Pawn Hearts'', but they've never explicitly tackled a concept album.
74	** Pah! Who needs a concept album when you have 23-minute concept ''tracks'' like the much-talked-about "A Plague of Lighthouse Keepers"
75	* CosmicHorrorStory: "A Plague of Lighthouse Keepers" can be interpreted as having elements of this.
76	* CoverVersion: [=VdGG=] recorded a cover of a BBC theme. [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WWcJ7WeAK78 Holy Hell]].
77	* DarkerAndEdgier: moreso than any other band of their time, except perhaps Music/BlackSabbath and Music/KingCrimson (whose Robert Fripp actually contributed a few guitar parts to ''H to He'' and ''Pawn Hearts'').
78	* DeathByChildbirth: "Killer" is (partially) about a shark whose mother expired this way.
79	-->''On a black day in a black month at the black bottom of the sea\
80	Your mother gave birth to you and died immediately\
81	'Cos you can't have two killers living in the same pad\
82	And when your mother knew that her time had come\
83	She was really rather glad''
84	* DoesThisRemindYouOfAnything: "The Sleepwalkers" sounds a ''lot'' like it's about some kind of zombie apocalypse, even though WordOfGod says it really is about [[ExactlyWhatItSaysOnTheTin sleepwalking]].
85	* DrivenToSuicide: The narrator of "A Plague of Lighthouse Keepers". [[MindScrew Possibly]].
86	* EpicRocking: Each of the classic [=VdGG=] albums had at least two, but ''everything'' on ''Pawn Hearts'' and ''Godbluff'' qualifies.
87	* GoMadFromTheIsolation: More or less the subject of "A Plague of Lighthouse Keepers".
88	* GreatestHitsAlbum: Compilation releases ''First Generation'' and ''Second Generation''.
89	* GriefSong
90	* HyperspaceIsAScaryPlace: The subject of "Pioneers Over C.".
91	* {{Improv}}: Disc 2 of ''Present'' (2005) is all improvs.
92	* IncrediblyLongNote: Hammill is capable of impressive sustain, showcased on songs like "Killer", "After the Flood", "The Undercover Man", "Arrow" and many more.
93	* IndecipherableLyrics: Naturally, considering the strange timekeeping and Hammill's penchant for oddly phrased words and [[AcCENTUponTheWrongSylLABle aforementioned syllabic rhythm placements]], the lyrics can get... somewhat muddled. Deciphering the lyrics for "The Sleepwalkers" by ear is considered to be virtually impossible.
94	* LastNoteNightmare: At least once per album. Particularly well done ''in the middle of'' "After the Flood", when Peter Hammill suddenly goes [[Series/DoctorWho Dalek]] and the music descends into complete dissonance before restarting.
95	** "White Hammer" deals with the rise and fall of the Inquisition, and though its influence wanes, the marching feedback at the end suggests that something like it still exists in the modern age.
96	* LargeHam: If you don't "get" them, they will most likely come off as this. Possibly even if you do... (arguably it's a large factor in their appeal).
97	* LarynxDissonance: A lot of songs have Hammill singing with a feminine tone at one point of another, including "Afterwards", "Refugees", "House with No Door", "Pioneers over C", "Lemmings" and "A Plague of Lighthouse Keepers".
98	* LighthousePoint: "A Plague of Lighthouse Keepers".
99	* ListSong: "The House with No Door", aka "The House with No Door/Roof/Bell/Sound/Light".
100	* LonelyPianoPiece: "Man-Erg". At least, to begin with...
101	** Hammill has performed some [=VdGG=] songs as a Lonely Piano Piece on his solo shows to great effect. "My Room" and "House With No Door" are good examples of this.
102	*** "House with No Door" was kind of an example in its original form anyway.
103	* LoudnessWar: The remasters got hit with this pretty bad, as they are audibly clipped. Strangely, though, the bonus tracks are often immune. This is also a case of KeepCirculatingTheTapes as the original issues of the albums (on both vinyl and CD) aren't clipped at all.
104	* LyricalDissonance: Averted.
105	** Played with in the opening of "Man-Erg" - sad music set to disturbing lyrics.
106	* 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 [[Music/SexPistols Johnny]] [[Music/PublicImageLtd Rotten]] was a fan...
107	* MinimalisticCoverArt: ''Godbluff'' & ''World Record'' being the most obvious.
108	* MindScrew: A given for a band like this, but some ambiguous moments certainly stand out as this. For example, in "A Plague of Lighthouse Keepers", it is left deliberately unclear as to whether the protagonist is DrivenToSuicide after all the deaths he's experienced, or if he learns to live with it. And that's without all the undertones of a CosmicHorrorStory.
109	* MyspeldRokband: Van der Graaf Generator is a misspelling (Only in a one-letter sense) of Van de Graaff Generator, the static electricity machine that is often used in schools to make people's hair stand on end.
110	* NewSoundAlbum: ''The Quiet Zone/The Pleasure Dome'' wasn't well received by [[TheyChangedItNowItSucks die-hard fans of the classic VdGG sound.]]
111	* NonAppearingTitle: "Man-Erg". Also, the name of the album rarely crops up in any of their songs, and, except for "The Aerosol Grey Machine" and "Still Life", there's never been a 'title track'.
112	* OurFounder: "Pioneers Over C" contains the line "We are the ones they're going to build a statue for, 10 centuries ago..."
113	* ProgressiveRock: Although they don't think so, everybody else does.
114	* SanitySlippageSong: "A Plague of Lighthouse Keepers" is probably the best example of this ever recorded.
115	* SopranoAndGravel: Hammill pulls this off ''all by himself''.
116	* {{Spoonerism}}: ''Pawn Hearts'' owes its name to a spoonerism Steve Jackson once made in the studio, referring to recording "porn harts" instead of "horn parts".
117	* StopAndGo
118	* SurprisinglyGentleSong: "Refugees", "House with No Door", "Out of My Book".
119	** "My Room (Waiting for Wonderland)" was this in its studio incarnation, but when Peter Hammill performs it live as a LonelyPianoPiece, it has a surprising tendency to be a bit... [[CarefulWithThatAxe louder]].
120	* UsefulNotes/TheSpanishInquisition: The subject of "White Hammer".
121	* UncommonTime: Since they're a prog rock band, this appears all the time.
122	----
123	--> ''I am the one who pressed through space''\
124	''Or stayed where I was''\
125	''Or didn't exist in the first place.....''

Context Music / VanDerGraafGenerator