Customer Reviews

Chameleon in the Shadow of the Night

5 star:		(6)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

I've never had an experience with an album to the oddity i've had with this one. When i first heard this album, (with only Pawn Hearts to prepare me for Hammill's unique vocal stylings) i literally felt sick because the music on this album was so plain to what i was expecting. And after i listened to the first couple songs i was ready to play frisbee with Chameleon in the Shadows...(CitSotN), i've always had patience with albums and giving them time to grow on me. This time it was different i felt violated that an artist would put something on the market this horrible. Ok so now you understand my first impression of the album. Now at about 8-9 listens later i consider this album to be one of the most original, artistically expressive works i've ever came across. And i'm not just speaking for CitSotN, Hammill's works as a whole are diamonds that few people know about, and i'm guessing few people will want to digest. I can't say for certain that anyone will come to love Peter Hammill, personally i find his works to be beautifully expressive, sincere, musically it's very raw and plain (many songs consist of only voice and guitar or voice and piano) but it's a quality that i appreciate most, and can be compared to John Lennon's "Imagine" that showed the world simple pop music can butt heads with some of the greatest classical compositions.. good art is good art no matter how easy it was made.

This was Peter Hammill's second solo album and first after the demise of Van der Graaf Generator in 1972. The recording contains performances from all members of Van der Graaf as it appears that some of the songs were intended for use by the band. The album contains a variety of excellent music; psychedelic (German Overalls), folk (What's it Worth), ballad (Easy to Slip Away) and one of the darkest progressive rock tunes ever written (In the) Black Room. Very sinister, indeed. Lyrically, Hammill is extremely introspective. These lyrics are generally bleak, however the album ends (somewhat) positively with the final verses of Black Room, although Hammill admits that there are still choices ahead of him. Great lyrics, great songwriting and one of the most impassioned vocalists in Rock Music.

With its sense of alienation, overiding regret, and feelings of isolation in a world made strange by behavior, hunger, drugs and an overwhelming need to comprehend one's own existence, Hammill delivers some of the bleakest, starkest and disturbing realizations to ever be recorded. Perfect music for your late teens and early twenties, because if you get it then, you can keep this music in mind for the rest of your life. Forget the middle-class whining of most of the angry young men on MTV today, offering nothing more than some huge, distorted major chords, which by their nature deliver a complete disconnect with the wailing and impassioned vocals so desperately in need of at least one significant lyric. Instead, listen to Hammill's ability to transform the immediate impressions of life into long-lasting markers, reference points for a moral and spiritual compass in a world that seems to value neither. On Chameleon, he accomplishes this with only an acoustic guitar and piano, only occassionally accompanied by the lads from Van Der Graaf. And of course, by his writing and his voice. I think on the original vinyl release, instead of his typical "vox" credit, he phrased the singing credit as "tesseraschizoid warbling" or some such thing. Let's just say the singing is tough to classify. And the lyrics alternately illuminate and then conceal, demanding the listener to look to his or her own experience in acheiving some semblance of understanding. Out of all this, and all these years, one thing is certain. The pain is real. And so, gratefully, is the redemption.

With its sense of alienation, overiding regret, and feelings of isolation in a world made strange by behavior, hunger, drugs and an overwhelming need to comprehend one's own existence, Hammill delivers some of the bleakest, starkest and disturbing realizations to ever be recorded. Perfect music for your late teens and early twenties, because if you get it then, you can keep this music in mind for the rest of your life. Forget the middle-class whining of most of the angry young men on MTV today, who offer nothing more than some huge, distorted major chords, which by their nature deliver a complete disconnect with the wailing and impassioned vocals so desperately in need of at least one significant lyric. Instead, listen to Hammill's ability to transform the immediate impressions of life into long-lasting markers, reference points for a moral and spiritual compass in a world that seems to value neither. On Chameleon, he accomplishes this with only an acoustic guitar and piano, only occassionally accompanied by the lads from Van Der Graaf. And of course, by his writing and his voice. I think on the original vinyl release, instead of his typical "vox" credit, he phrased the singing credit as "tesseraschizoid warbling" or some such thing. Let's just say the singing is tough to classify. And the lyrics alternately illuminate and then conceal, demanding the listener to look to his or her own experience in acheiving some semblance of understanding. Out of all this, and all these years, one thing is certain. The pain is real. And so, gratefully, is the redemption.

A truly remarkable album that, 30 years on, has as much power as when I first heard it. I bought the vinyl version just days before my school buddy Colin and I set out on a long hike for weeks crossing the misty and sodden moorlands of Northern England. Our time was our own - that dislocated temporal gap between school and College. Nothing, it seemed, but opportunities in the far distance. In the immediate future, more hills, rain and dry stone walls snaking into the murk. Crossing the high peaks of Kinder and Bleaklow I couldn't get Hammill's songs out of my head. The starkness of the landscape married perfectly with "Slender Threads," "Easy to Slip Away" and, most often, the deceptively simple, almost minimalist "Dropping the Torch." Nothing has ever come close save, perhaps, for Hammill's The Silent Corner and the Empty Stage or, more recently, Mark Hollis's stunning amalgam of silence and minimal melody. Contemplative songs with a Euro edge like "German Overalls," chunky saxophone-driven riffs in "Rock and Role, and the passionate "In the End.' The finale takes us from the "Black Room," up the steps to the "Tower" and back again to more of life's choices, as though part of some musical wanderings through a fantasy landscape that only Hammill knows where. Personally, I still think it is up there in Britain's high Moorland, where the mysteries are. A stunning and essential work of art. Completely unique and a tribute to a prolific, gifted and alternative song writer with great heart and depth.

A timeles piece of work. This is a great example of what an anti-commercial artist is all about. It involves opposition in tune and beat. Progressive, yet meaningfull and bleak. "In The Dark Room" is the most progressive darkest, yet uplifting song,at the end of it. "German Overalls" provides the listener with a taste of "out-of-the-ordinary" music in a Hammill'ian and peculiar way. From distorted guitar sounds to the magnificent free deep-voice of Peter Hammill. A good example of the driving force Peter was, to Van Derr Graff Generator. If one is unfamiliar whith the genre, or Hammill for that matter, I recommend to listen to the whole disk various times before deciding on it. Great piece of musical, and poetic at times, work.

Chameleon in the Shadow of the Night isn't quite in the same league as Peter Hammill's very best album (The Silent Corner & the Empty Stage) but it does have its share of sincere moments, and of course, like always, the lyrics are really intelligent and the vocal melodies are beautifully and passionately performed with Hammill's trademark emotional range in full swing. There's only one Peter Hammill, that's clearly obvious to me by this point.

By FAR the best song is the 11-minute closer "(In the) Black Room/The Tower". Listen to me carefully- if you love Van Der Graaf Generator classic early 70's albums such as H to He Who Am the Only One and Pawn Hearts, you might be able to pick up on the fact that this song would fit in perfectly on either of those albums. It's because the song is written like a mini epic of sorts, similar to "A Plague of Lighthouse Keepers" but obviously not as lengthy or as imaginative musically. Still, Peter goes through enough vocal range shifts (in addition to some wonderful flute work scattered throughout the piece) that makes me believe anyone who appreciates Van Der Graaf Generator's classic years would absolutely admire the heck out of this track. Plus, Peter hits a range on one particular part that is about as high as I've ever heard him sing, and it sends shivers through my body.

Other tracks like "In the End" perhaps go a little *too* far with the emotional sincerity, sort of making the vocal melody feel like a chore to sit through, but it's alright. I suppose I don't prefer when Peter Hammill refuses to let up at ALL on the highest possible degrees of sincerity that the man can express, so as a result, it becomes more like overkill instead of a real tear-jerker.

"German Overalls" is another highlight because it reminds me of something from The Silent Corner & the Empty Stage, specifically "Modern". In fact, if one's not willing to pay extremely close attention to the lyrics, getting the two songs confused seems entirely likely. Both "German Overalls" and "Modern" justify Peter Hammill having a solo career that stands apart musically from Van Der Graaf Generator's discography, and by that I mean, neither of these two songs resemble VDGG's work in the slightest and feel totally suitable for a Peter Hammill solo album.

"Slender Threads" is a relatively simple folk/rock song with honest lyrics and an easy to appreciate vocal melody. I absolutely LOVE this line- "We start out together, but the paths all divide, when there are no more crossroads, I open my eyes, and find I'm walking on alone, through the snowy cold, and I wonder if I'll make it through the night".

"Easy to Slip Away" tries to be exceptionally emotional, but never quite achieves the effect because musically it's not interesting enough. Peter goes a little overboard on a few occasions too, and it's honestly a bit much for me to handle.

Still, I hear enough incredible moments (especially during the 11-minute closer) that makes owning Chameleon in the Shadow of the Night a worthwhile decision.

The music on this album shows Peter Hammill at its best. Complicated melodies resembling VdGG Pawn Hearts and very strong (mostly personal) lyrics touch a listener on the raw. The best tracks are Rock And Role, In The End, Easy To Slip Away (PH traditionally starts his concerts from this song) and (In The) Black Room. This album and its successor, The Silent Corner And Empty Stage, are probably the strongest Hammill offerings.