Customer Reviews

In a Foreign Town

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

 

 

Don't listen to the critics who pan this disc. It is excellent and marks a significant shift in Hammill's work. Some call it over-produced, but often that's what critics fall back on when they don't really understand musical direction. If you're still clutching your copy of "Silent Corner" and refuse to consider Hammill's later work, then I guess you can forget it. However, if you like a range of Hammill's work, do not forgo this selection. My favorite tracks are: "This Book" and "Time to Burn" which alone would make this disc worthwhile. All the songs are good. I can imagine "Sci-Finance (revisited)" resonates a little too strongly for many people right now: "You got a fortune on paper,/ how it shines on the VDU!/ The simple truth is that sooner or later/ the market plays you./ There goes the daylight!" It's no surprise that Hammill sees the truths that blind us!

For those of us who make Midi-music, this album was an early inspiration and example of composing and arranging expressively with samplers & sequencers, combined with live guitars. It has some wonderful song-writing, including biting political satire (Hemlock, Vote for Brand X) and lovely ballads (Time to Burn). The only drawback is the the overuse of a loud snare drum sample, a typical flaw of the new Midi music of the late 80's (see Kate Bush), but NEW WAVE it ain't! As Mozart says to Harry in Hesse's "Steppenwolf" (about Wagner's over-orchestration) "it was a fault of the times".

Only 1 Star for the album. 5 Stars for Peter Hammill. `In A Foregn Town' isn't a representative album.The real problem here are the arrangements.Very poor and repetitive in `new wave' style. Listen others versions of `Hemlock',`Time To Burn' ( Room Temperature Live ),and `Sci-Finance ( Revisited ) from `There goes to the Daylight'live in London 1993.Sounds Very Better !!! If you don`t Know Peter Hammill`s work,don`t start with this. It`s a disappoint album,but have a little `pearl' here called `The Play`s the thing',piece for piano and voice,the best song of the album. `In A Foregn Town' is only for Hammill's collectors. Don`t miss these Hammill`s Masterpieces- `Over',`Chameleon in the Shadow Of The night',`The Silent Corner & The Empty Stage',and `In Camera'. All albuns are of the 70`. In 1997 Hammill released `Every One You Hold',remind me the 70's stuff.

A very weak uninspired album by hammill. One of the 2 or 3 bad albums by Hammill. Try other of his musical gems.