Hammill, Peter - 1998 - This

Even if the gang of the pH quartet are supporting Peter, he wanted this album to be a very much personal matter (at least he said so).

But, as usual, it is the more band oriented songs that I will prefer. "Unrehearsed" has the indefinite Graaf feeling I like so much. Mighty Jackson is as great as ever and Stuart's violin is just remarkable. When you would combine these elements with a passionate vocal part, you just have to acknowledge that this song is outstanding.

Same perspective for "Since the Kids" which is another highlight from "This". More tranquil but same passion. These moments are pure joy. During his long and (too) prolific career, Peter has dotted his albums with such wonderful songs.

I wasn't really enthusiast about Peter's output in the nineties and "This" might well be his best work since "Roaring Forties" or "Out Of Water". The delicacy of "Nightman" or "Fallen" is so moving. Hammill at his best. Like he should have always been. Stuart being a very good add-on of course.

Some less inspired songs here and there ("Stupid", "Always Is next") bring the listener back on earth again. The long and closing epic is more on the experimental and atmospheric side.

About this song, Peter said: "This was entirely improvised as far as music is concerned. I began playing one morning in a completely open - if somewhat anxiously reflective and somber - frame of mind. Just I'm making music, in a free sense. I played my parts...my performance...in one continuous pass, adjusting the various sound sources I was using as I went.

Again, a process of editing brought the piece into (admittedly long) shape. By this time the vocal line, theme and lyrics were well under way. David and Stuart's contributions were made under strict rules: they were allowed only two passes each. The first was without having heard the music at all; the only reference points I gave them were It's 14 minutes long and it's Antarctic. I remain really happy with this piece".

My feeling is probably more mixed, but "This" remains a good album in the man's discography. Three stars.

1 Frozen In Place [Fragment] Hammill 0:47
2 Unrehearsed Hammill 7:01
3 Stupid Hammill 4:26
4 Since the Kids Hammill 5:57
5 Nightman Hammill 6:16
6 Fallen (The City of Night) Hammill 5:36
7 Unready [Fragment] Hammill 0:42
8 Always Is Next Hammill 3:58
9 Unsteady [Fragment] Hammill 1:02
10 The Light Continent Hammill 14:00

¡Aquí!

Hammill, Pater - 1997 - The Union Chapel Concert

A one-time event stemming from an offer to percussionist Guy Evans to do anything he wanted at the Union Chapel in London. An idea to collaborate with Peter Hammill on a variety of semi- improvisational material partly built on samples of Hammill's music soon expanded to incorporate more traditional performance ideas as well as connections to Evans' own colleagues in the Echo City troupe. By the time the planning stage was over, Hammill and Evans had decided to bring in members of Echo City, regular Hammill collaborator Stuart Gordon, drummer Manny Elias, and, to cap things off, longtime Van Der Graaf members Hugh Banton (who had retired to a life of organ-building) and David Jackson, who not only turned up with sax and flute in hand, but with his Soundbeam rig as well.

The resulting live album, spread over two discs, is an impressive document. It is certainly Evans' show all the way, with some of the best drumming Evans has ever captured on record, though Hammill gives a good account of himself -- as Evans says in his sleeve notes, Hammill instantly took up the gauntlet that Evans threw down. As a result, the album includes some of Hammill's best live playing, including a ferocious reading of "Accidents." For some, though, the highlight will most likely be the rousing, 15-minute performance of "Lemmings," which amounts to a Van Der Graaf Generator reunion. There is, however, far more to recommend this two-CD set. By far one of the most powerful Hammill showings to date.

Disc 1
1 Introduction
2 Fireworks
3 A Forest of Pronouns
4 Anatol's Proposal
5 After the Show
6 Roger and Out
7 Accidents
8 Four Kinds of Rice/Hello/Resolution
9 Women of Ireland
10 Ship of Fools

Disc 2
1 Hamburg Station
2 Seven Wonders
3 Adagio for Strings
4 Red Shift
5 Lemmings
6 Outroduction
7 Traintime

¡Aquí!

Hammill, Peter - 1997 - Sonix

1 Emmene-Moi Bare Theme
2 A Walk in the Dark
3 In the Polish House
4 Dark Matter
5 Hospital Silence
6 Four to the Floor
7 Exercise for Louis
8 Labyrinthine Dreams
9 Emmene-Moi Full Theme

¡Aquí!

Hammill, Peter - 1997 - Everyone You Hold

Everyone You Hold is one of Peter Hammill's better latter-day albums. Although he hasn't changed his style much to speak of, the washes of keyboards, expansive tempos, clattering percusssion and loud, processed guitars are filtered through better compositions this time around, resulting in his most focused and engaging album in years.

1 Everyone You Hold Hammill 5:59
2 Personality Hammill, Hammill, Heusen 6:04
3 Nothing Comes Hammill 3:56
4 From the Safe House Hammill 6:13
5 Phophorescence Cosentino, Hammill 5:12
6 Falling Open Hammill 6:14
7 Bubble Hammill 6:30
8 Can Do Hammill 6:49
9 Tenderness Hammill 4:51

¡Aquí!

Hammill, Peter - 1996 - X My Heart

Longtime fans of Peter Hammill know that his recorded output is very unpredictable. He's released some of the finest albums in thinking-man's rock (1973's Chameleon in the Shadow of the Night, 1986's And Close as This, etc.), as well as a few that were directionless and/or self-indulgent (1983's Loops & Reels, 1988's In a Foreign Town, etc.). In the early '90s, Hammill fans' patience was tested by a string of ineffective albums (Roaring Forties and others), and they feared that Hammill would never return to the quality of his past triumphs. So they must have been relieved when Hammill released one of his best and most consistent albums ever, X My Heart, in 1996. It features one of his most beautiful ballads, "Earthbound," which features heartfelt vocals and a gorgeous string accompaniment. "Narcissus (Bar & Grill)" will delight fans with its classic Hammill style, while "A Better Time" shows that he's one of the more underrated vocalists in rock music today. Definitely one of his finest, and a good place to start for newcomers to the unpredictable and challenging world of Peter Hammill.

1 A Better Time [Acapella] Hammill 5:14
2 Amnesiac Hammill 5:36
3 Ram Origami Hammill 5:28
4 A Forest of Pronouns Hammill 5:18
5 Earthbound Hammill 5:23
6 Narcissus (Bar & Grill) Hammill 6:45
7 Material Possession Hammill 6:09
8 Come Clean Hammill 5:02
9 A Better Time Hammill 5:33

¡Aquí!

Hammill, Peter - 1994 - There Goes The Daylight

"There goes the Daylight" offers 72 minutes of a live concert at The Grand, London, on April 29th, 1993. Peter Hammill, singing and playing the guitar, staffed an unconventional rock band ("The Noise") for this evening with his exquisite fellow musicians Stuart Gordon (violin, guitar), Manny Elias (drums) and Nic Potter (bass). No keyboards, no saxes here. The concert was recorded by David Lord, mixed and produced by Peter Hammill in an excellent way.

The 12 songs are taken from Peter Hammill's solo albums "Over" (1976), "Sitting Targets" (1981), "In a Foreign Town" (1988), "Fireships" (1991), "The Noise" (1992) and the Van der Graaf album "The Quiet Zone, the Pleasure Dome" (1977).

The concert must have been rehearsed well, the musicians play with enthusiasm, but still sound very relaxed. All concert long "The Noise" act as a band and there's no focus an any of the musicians on the stage.

The intonation of the songs mainly reminds to the sound of "The Quiet Zone" or "Vital" (1978) and so is not every Peter Hammill's fan's taste. But there are two tracks here for which it is worth owning the album.

The first of these songs is "Sign". The Noise play a stunning version of this tune from "Sitting Targets" (1981), also published by Peter Hammill and the K Group on "The Margin" (1985). Stuart Gordon uses his violin here as a rythm guitar and produces a funky rythm section together with drums and bass. It's most interesting to compare the three released versions. The interpretations are totally different on the basis of the same song.

The other track is "Lost and Found" from "Over". One of my all time favourites. Peter Hammill plays a marvellous guitar on this live version. I could listen forever to the heavenly swinging chords at the beginning of the song. The guitar solo at the second part of the song is as breathtaking as on the studio version.

The booklet shows five pictures with most expressive portraits of the band and it's members.

A most rewarding album for Peter Hammill listeners, no must for others.

1 Sci-Finance (Revisited) Hammill 5:21
2 The Habit of the Broken Heart Hammill 6:34
3 Sign Hammill 7:58
4 I Will Find You Hammill 5:22
5 Lost and Found Hammill 7:58
6 Planet Coventry Hammill 6:25
7 Empress's Clothes Hammill 5:05
8 Cat's Eye/Yellow Fever (Running) Hammill, Smith 6:10
9 Primo on the Parapet Hammill 12:17
10 Central Hotel Hammill 5:33

¡Aquí!

Hammill, Peter - 1994 - Roaring Forties

From the cutting edge of "Sharply Unclear," athrough the insistent, throbbing "Talk Turkey," across the gentle instrumental bridges and into "A Headlong Stretch" (a twenty-minute, seven-part tempestuous journey through life) and all the way to the peaceful, gently-beautiful "Your Tall Ship," this album is an example of Hammill's musical, poetical and inspirational best.

1 Sharply Unclear Hammill
2 The Gift of Fire Hammill
3 The Gift of Fire (Talk Turkey)
4 You Can't Want What You Always Get
5 A Headlong Stretch
6 Your Tall Ship Hammill

¡Aquí!

Hammill, Peter - 1990 - RoomTemperatureLive

With his 1990 in-concert, two-CD set Room Temperature: Live, Peter Hammill took an approach similar to his earlier The Margin: Live -- it contained few overdubs and very little audience applause. Recorded during a month-long winter tour (which included the United States, Canada, and England), the band consisted of Stuart Gordon (violin), Nic Potter (bass), and Hammill on keyboards, guitar, and vocals. The performances are, for the most part, stark and haunting, no doubt due to the absence of a drummer. But this may be the closest the listener will ever get to the heart and soul of Peter Hammill, since there is nothing for him to hide behind on such bare tracks as "The Wave" and "Something About Ysabel's Dance." Also, the stunning emotion contained in Hammill's vocal delivery has been captured on tape flawlessly throughout (perhaps this album provides the ultimate showcase for Hammill's vocals). Other standouts are "Cat's Eye/Yellow Fever (Running)," "Hemlock," and one of Hammill's best-known songs, "The Future Now." Each disc runs over the 70-minute mark, while the intensity and consistency of the performance never dips. Certainly one of the more unconventional live albums in recent times, Room Temperature: Live is sure to please just about any Hammill fan.

Disc 1
1 The Wave Hammill 3:40
2 Just Good Friends Hammill 5:16
3 Vision Hammill 4:51
4 Time to Run Hammill 5:01
5 Four Pails Hutchinson, Smith 6:19
6 The Comet, The Course, The Tail Hammill 9:45
7 Ophelia Hammill 4:12
8 Happy Hour Hammill 9:16
9 If I Could Hammill 5:57
10 Something About Ysabel's Dance Hammill 7:38
11 Patient Hammill 10:02

Disc 2
1 Cat's Eye/Yellow Fever (Running) Hammill, Smith 6:04
2 Skin Hammill 5:31
3 Hemlock Hammill 8:20
4 Our Oyster Hammill 7:12
5 The Unconscious Life Hammill 5:57
6 After the Show Hammill 11:01
7 A Way Out Hammill 8:46
8 The Future Now Hammill 4:07
9 Traintime Hammill 5:53
10 Modern Hammill 10:51

¡Aquí!

Maestoso - 2007 - Caterwauling

14 years passed between Wooly Wolstenholme's solo debut and his second set, and another decade was gone before a third album appeared, credited to the artist's new solo moniker Maestoso. 2004's One Drop in a Dry World, was swiftly followed by Grim, and a mere two years went by before Caterwauling landed on the shelves. While One Drop was an exuberantly diverse musical affair and Grim a wildly creative concept set, Caterwauling neither explores new musical territory nor presents an overarching theme. A far more introspective affair, here Maestoso seems intent on solidifying his musical ideas. There again, the artist is not immune to current events or their antecedents, tracing the long historical trek of the "Soldier of Fortune" across a free-form jazzy, prog rocker. Flipping the coin, Maestoso then follows a patriotic young enlistee down "The Road to Nowhere." The latter's a perfect pop/rocker, and almost reminiscent of the Jam at their epic heights. Maestoso's sympathetic portrayal of both these characters is belied by the heavy-hitting "Shoes," a requiem for war's multitudinous innocent victims, that begins in quiet beauty, then explodes into progressive metal-laced rock. This triptych of death is the set's only concessions to current climes, bar the sarcastic expose of our "Pills"-popping culture, with the rest of the album given over to more personal affairs. There's a trio of moody, yearning numbers in the center of the set -- the revelatory "Closure," the emotive rocker "Always," and the introspective "I Don't Like You." One can draw one's own conclusions that the group is book-ended by "The Collector" and "Tonight Could Be the Night," electrifying numbers both, but representing death and beginnings respectively. The lilting "Matilda Yarrow," in contrast, is a gentle lullaby, "Strange Worlds" a succinct sci-fi story set to a grandiose pop backing, and "Blossom Hill" a return to simple pastoral pleasures. Joined once again by Kim Turner, Steve Broomhead, and Craig Fletcher, alongside a guesting Geoffrey Richardson and Jake Fletcher, the music and arrangements are magnificent, the quieter numbers glistening, the rockers spectacular. Not as immediately mind-blowing as One Drop, nor as cohesive as Grim, Caterwauling, instead strengthens the links to Wolstenholme's own past with Barclay James Harvest.

1 Caterwauling 0:49
2 Soldier of Fortune 11:36
3 The Road to Nowhere 4:08
4 Matilda Yarrow 5:04
5 The Collector 4:04
6 Closure 2:44
7 Always 4:06
8 I Don't Like You 3:33
9 Tonight Could Be the Night 4:10
10 Shoes 3:43
11 Strange Worlds 2:16
12 Quicksand 5:30
13 Blossom Hill 3:53
14 Pills 3:11

¡Aquí!

Hammill, Peter - 1988 - Spur Of The Moment

1 Sweating It Out Evans, Hammill 6:40
2 Surprise/Little Did He Know Evans, Hammill 9:34
3 Without a Glitch Evans, Hammill 3:33
4 Anatol's Proposal Evans, Hammill 4:06
5 You Think Not? Evans, Hammill 4:33
6 Multiman Evans, Hammill 8:11
7 Deprogramming Archie Evans, Hammill, Ridout 1:52
8 Always So Polite Evans, Hammill 5:28
9 An Imagined Brother Evans, Hammill 5:26
10 Bounced Evans, Hammill 5:20
11 Roger and Out Evans, Hammill, Ridout 1:37

¡Aquí!

Hammill, Peter - 1988 - In A Foreign Town

Although not considered one of Peter Hammill's best by longtime fans, 1988's In a Foreign Town does contain some worthwhile material. Produced by Hammill himself, the album is far more upbeat than most of his past work, and sounds like mid-'80s Genesis at times. But it may be one of Hammill's most musically varied albums; just give a listen to the new wave sound of "Invisible Ink" (one of the album's catchiest and strongest tracks), the Talking Heads-like "Sci-Finance (Revisited)," and the Adrian Belew/King Crimson sound of "Auto." But the anemic '80s production of the material tends to take away from the compositions; it's the complete opposite of earlier Hammill releases, where he kept things more straight-ahead. The song "Under Cover Names" contains completely un-Hammill-like, cheesy Miami Vice keyboard sounds. The only track where the Peter Hammill-of-old resurfaces is on the stark piano/voice composition "The Play's the Thing." If the one-dimensional production was replaced with more interesting sounds, In a Foreign Town would have turned out better, since there was still plenty of strong Hammill songwriting present.

1 Hemlock Hammill 6:30
2 Invisible Ink Hammill 4:18
3 Sci-Finance (Revisited) Hammill 4:19
4 This Book Ameli, Columbo, Hammill 5:11
5 Time to Burn Hammill 5:11
6 Auto Hammill 3:57
7 Vote Brand X Hammill 4:01
8 Sun City Night Life Hammill 4:31
9 The Play's the Thing Hammill 4:52
10 Under Cover Names Hammill 4:17
11 Smile Gronemeyer
12 Time to Burn Hammill

¡Aquí!

Hammill, Peter - 1986 - And Close as This

Peter Hammill seems to alternate between releasing unpredictable work (the rock opera The Fall of the House of Usher, the electronic, experimental Loops & Reels, etc.), and his trademark style (straight-ahead arrangements for voice and one other instrument, usually guitar). And Close as This would fall into the former category, since it's comprised exclusively of pure arrangements (in this case, voice and keyboard). It's hard not to be impressed by the emotion in Hammill's voice on the songs "Other Old Clichés" and "Beside the One You Love." And like all of his past work, Hammill will often unite gentle music with sometimes overtly intense vocals ("Too Many Yesterdays"). The keyboards on the album have been filtered through a computer, updating the classic Hammill sound laid-down on his earlier (and best) work, Chameleon In the Shadow of the Night. But Hammill would unfortunately not pursue this style for a while -- his next album, In a Foreign Town, would be the complete opposite of And Close as This, containing overblown production, and an extremely dated '80s sound. And Close as This, however, is one of Hammill's finest.

1 Too Many of My Yesterdays Hammill 4:47
2 Faith Hammill 4:27
3 Empire of Delight Emerson, Hammill 4:43
4 Silver Hammill 5:31
5 Beside the One You Love Hammill 5:12
6 Other Old Clichés Hammill 4:07
7 Confidence Hammill 6:37
8 Sleep Now Hammill 4:42

¡Aquí!

Hammill, Peter - 1984 - The Love Songs

This odd collection delves, seemingly at random, into the corpus of Peter Hammill songs that, inasmuch as they discuss the fraught path of romantic entanglements, can be construed as "love songs" -- although anybody picking up a copy as a Valentine's gift for his or her own significant other might well regret it. And not only because the sentiments and emotions expressed are often a long way from love itself. Re-recordings and remixes dominate, but that cannot disguise the album's failings. The ten songs here date, in the main, from the sequence of albums Hammill cut for the Charisma label during the 1970s, and that is where they are best experienced. Although the revisions have certainly tightened some hitherto loose arrangements (most noticeable on Over's "(This Side Of) The Looking Glass"), the frail immediacy of the original recordings has been surrendered in favor of a lush homogeny that disguises the songs' roots beneath a uniformity that, frankly, grows a little wearing after a time. Unleashed within the proto-punk apocalypse of Nadir's Big Chance, for example, "Been Alone So Long" emerged a shocking oasis of spellbinding longing. Sandwiched between the never-especially-great "My Favourite" and the drab "Ophelia," it simply sits and scratches itself. "Again" (from In Camera) similarly loses impact within its new surroundings, while the two cuts from Hammill's Fool's Mate debut, "Vision" and "The Birds," sound positively maudlin when divorced from the earnest poetry that once surrounded them. And so forth. In terms of the actual songs, The Love Songs is an excellent digest of one side of Hammill's mighty muse. Lumped together on the off chance that the emotions they share might bind them as a musical experience, however, they instead emerge a one-dimensional and ultimately dispiriting collection of moans.

1 Just Good Friends Hammill 3:55
2 My Favourite Hammill 3:04
3 Been Alone So Long Smith, Smith 5:03
4 Ophelia Hammill 3:11
5 Again Hammill 3:38
6 If I Could Hammill 5:04
7 Vision Hammill 3:18
8 Don't Tell Me Hammill 4:43
9 The Birds Hammill 3:43
10 (This Side Of) The Looking Glass Hammill 6:59

¡Aquí!

Komputer - 1997 - The World Of Tomorrow

Consciously retro in an electro-pop kind of way, The World of Tomorrow succeeds because the group doesn't try to sidestep their obvious debt to Kraftwerk. The analog synthesizers, vocoderized singing, and lockstep beats all point to the godfathers of techno, and Komputer does a good job of it. They even manage to push the envelope a bit farther, with commentary -- albeit superficial -- on tracks like "Bill Gates" and "More Automation." As a tribute LP, The World of Tomorrow is delicious fun; as a standalone work, however, it fails to add much to the Kraftwerk legacy.

1 The World of Tomorrow Komputer 4:11
2 More Automation Komputer 5:07
3 Bill Gates Komputer 4:26
4 Valentina Komputer 4:53
5 Looking Down on London Komputer 4:14
6 Terminus Interminus Komputer 7:40
7 Singapore Komputer 4:50
8 The Perfect Pop Band Komputer 4:09
9 Komputer Pop Komputer 5:17
10 Motopia Komputer 3:04
11 Valentina [Phobos Mix] Komputer 7:15
12 Valentina [Probe Mix] Komputer 6:03
13 Looking Down on London [Metroland Mix] Komputer 8:19

¡Aquí!

Peter Hammill - 1983 - Patience

Rock, roll, dance, sorrow, bewilderment, sadness...the classic, gentle love song "Just Good Friends": the unmistakably-Hammill time signatures, rhythms and vocal of "Jeunesse Doree"; the perfectly-timed silences of "Comfortable," with its almost-churchlike acoustic backdrop, and the human frailty of "Patient" make this another excellent offering from Peter Hammill.

1 Labour of Love Hammill 5:55
2 Film Noir Hammill 4:19
3 Just Good Friends Hammill 4:28
4 Jeunesse Dorée 4:53
5 Train Time Hammill 4:24
6 Now More Than Ever 5:38
7 Comfortable 4:54
8 Patient Hammill 6:12

¡Aquí!

Hammill, Peter - 1983 - Loops & Reels

Peter Hammill fans should be warned that Loops & Reels is a bit of an experiment, and not comparable to any of his other releases (Hammill himself calls this album an abnormal work). Originally an inadequate-sounding, tape-only release in 1983, it has since been remastered as a CD, which obviously helped clear up the muddy sound. And although it contains some interesting compositions, a few too many self-indulgent tape experiments keep the album from becoming anything more than an oddity. The first track on the album, "A Ritual Mask," features Hammill's voice accompanied by a foreign stringed instrument called a kora, with primitive drumming being added later in the tune. And "The Moebius Loop" turns out to be a successful experiment, with Hammill singing over a repetitive loop of simple piano and unearthly backing vocals. But it's pointless and overtly long tracks like "An Endless Breath" and "My Pulse" that test one's patience after awhile, since they contain no real music, just sonic scraps and buzzes. Loops & Reels is of interest only to the Peter Hammill completist; casual fans should begin with one of his "proper" albums.

1 Ritual Speak
2 Critical Mass
3 Moebius Loop
4 Endless Breath
5 In Slow Time
6 My Pulse
7 Bells, The Bells

¡Aquí!

Peter Hammill - 1982 - Enter K

The usual Hammill combination of musical excellence and the deepest emotions this side of hell. Shades of David Bowie in "The Great Experiment" and "Happy Hour." Dramatically moody "Don't Tell Me" (which also appears, rearranged, on The Love Songs) contrasts with the upbeat, tongue-in-cheek "Paradox Drive." The centerpiece has to be "The Unconscious Life": the vast, full range of Hammill's vocal gymnastics coupled with David Jackson's soulful sax make this song unforgettable.

1 Paradox Drive Hammill 4:36
2 The Unconscious Life Hammill 5:07
3 Accidents Hammill 4:39
4 The Great Experiment Hammill 5:14
5 Don't Tell Me Hammill 4:46
6 She Wraps It Up Hammill 4:24
7 Happy Hour Hammill 9:18
8 Seven Wonders Hammill 4:27

¡Aquí!