Customer Reviews

Pawn Hearts

5 star:		(59)
4 star:		(6)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

I berate myself for waiting ten odd years after I heard of these guys for buying an album. After twenty years of being an on-again, off-again prog fan (to be "prog" is an ambivalent phenomenon in this world!), I broke down and checked these guys out. Know what? There has never been an album like this by any band. This captures a band at the height of their powers and emotions. Peter Hammill sounds like he's going to crawl into your skin. David Jackson is the Rahsaan Roland Kirk of rock. Millions upon millions of people who think they know rock (including myself) have been missing out on something without comparison for years and years now (with the exception of the Italians and the French who propelled this to number one in their countries in the day).

If you are a progressive rock fan, you will lose your mind over this one. As good as anything King Crimson ever did, if not better. A whole different experience than Yes (the lyrics are about obsession instead of transcendence, the music fit-inducing instead of euphoria-inducing). They share the prolonged keyboard excursions of ELP, but Hammill & Co. actually do free jazz whereas ELP were a little too "polished" for that. Jethro Tull, Genesis, Hawkwind . . . all the bigger prog names. _Pawn Hearts_ surpasses most anything any of them ever did.

I've bought three other of their albums on an impulsive week-long spree. None of them live up to the manic magic of this one, but still VDGG will stick in your head no matter what you hear of them. They are completely their own entity.

Released in 1971, this album is regarded by many fans as the finest material VDGG ever recorded. I certainly share this enthusiasm and Pawn Hearts ranks right up there with my top ten prog albums of all time. Ever. This is difficult listening however, and themes of despair and paranoia abound, which are wonderfully brought to life in all of their twisted glory with Peter Hamill's anguished lyrics.

The members of the band at this point included the classic VDGG lineup: Hugh Banton (Hammond E&C organs, Farfisa professional organ, piano, mellotron, ARP synthesizer, bass pedals, bass guitar, and vocals); Peter Hammill (lead vocals, acoustic and slide guitar, electric piano, and acoustic piano); superb drummer Guy Evans; and David Jackson (flute, tenor/alto/soprano saxophones). All of the musicians are very good with Guy being an exceptional drummer - just like all of the other remastered VDGG albums, the subtle intricacies of his drumming really come across. The ensemble work is also pretty good too. Before I forget, Robert Fripp (of King Crimson) contributed a tiny bit of electric guitar here and there - it's barely noticeable though.

Now for my favorite part - the music. The album is comprised of two longer pieces (11'39" and 10'22") with the massive 23'05 multimovement suite A Plague of Lighthouse Keepers as the centerpiece. The music is, for the most part, harsh and unyielding with only the briefest moments of reprieve. Hugh's alternately twisted and churchy organ work really drives each piece along, with Dave's angular and jagged sax work slashing through each piece like so many shards of broken glass. OK, maybe that last bit is a little over the top, but it is not far from the truth. Although the music is very heavy, there are a few quieter and haunting moments. The introduction to Man Erg comes to mind as the best example, although those moments (albeit fleeting moments) are pretty much scattered across the album. Last but not least, is Peter Hammill's incredible and very distinctive vocal delivery. He had developed a vocal style over the course of three albums that ranged from a heavy metal rasp to a high pitched falsetto "choir boy" vocal style and it is brought to perfection on this album. He also screams/rants during certain frenzied passages on the feverish closing track, A Plague of Lighthouse Keepers. Although some people feel that his vocal style is overly theatrical I have to admit that I absolutely love it - In fact, I am of the opinion that VDGG would not be VDGG without Peter Hammill.

The EMI remastered album is incredible and features restored cover art and band publicity photos/live shots along with an extraordinary improvement in the sound quality. The improvement is so great that it is like listening to a completely different recording - every nuance is brought out and you can even hear subtle synthesizer effects and percussion parts that had previously gone unheard. The liner notes include all of the lyrics along with a ton of informative liner notes. The bonus tracks are also really good too (well, maybe the dinner time jazz of Ponker's Theme is not so great) and are outtakes from the 1971 Pawn Hearts sessions. I think that of all the bonus tracks, Diminutions is the most interesting because it is so unlike VDGG. It is very spacey and consists simply of long, drawn out passages on synthesizers and organ over a period of six minutes or so - in fact it sounds more like electronic artists such as Tangerine Dream or Klaus Schulze.

Well I have gushed over this incredible album long enough, although I could easily go on for another 20 pages. Suffice it to say that this is VDGG's finest recorded moment and is very highly recommended along with H to He, He who am the Only One (1970) and Still Life (1976).

One more thing - this was the last album VDGG released before regrouping and releasing Godbluff in 1975.

VDGG offered up a unique blend of "regular" symphonic prog, like labelmates Genesis, and a much harder, almost metallic-edged version of prog more akin to King Crimson. One minute the acoustic guitar, piano and Peter Hammill's dramatic vocals are lulling you into bliss and the next minute Hugh Banton's ferocious Hammond and Dave Jackson's skronking multi-tracked (and sometimes multi-played!) saxes are blasting you out of your seat.

Pawn Hearts was their first full album without a full-time bass player, which goes virtually unnoticed given Banton's fluency with the bass pedals of his Hammond, and the skill of drummer Guy Evans in filling in the rhythms. Often cited as VDGG's best record, Pawn Hearts does not in any way disappoint. Several years before Yes did Close to the Edge, VDGG set the template here with two long songs and one huge, glorious side-long epic, "A Plague of Lighthouse Keepers," one of the must-have prog epics. This re-issue has 20 minutes of bonus material, including alternate takes of the "Theme One"/"W" single. The wonderfully concise "Theme One", written by Beatles producer George Martin, is a real keeper. In an era when things like "Classical Gas" and "Hocus Pocus" could be hit singles, it's amazing to me that this tight, tuneful little prog instrumental wasn't a huge hit.

The rest of the bonus tracks are culled from an aborted second album that was supposed to make Pawn Hearts a 2-record set, as is "Squid/Squid/Octopus" on the H to He reissue. Mostly experimental tracks by the band members who didn't get much chance to write, they are interesting but prove just how invaluable Hammill's writing and vocals were to the band.

VDGG could be very harsh and aggressive and just plain loud, and some people find Hammill's vocals overly melodramatic (those people would be wrong) but to me, this band epitomized prog at it's best. Their musicianship, awesome sense of dynamics and headstrong experimentalism put them at the top of the prog heap. Then there was the band's "signature," when Hammill would phrase along directly with the band. They did this often and those are my favourite moments on their albums. Listen for it here, on "Plague of Lighthouse Keepers" during the "Presence of the Night" section! While this band's entire discography is recommended, this one may just live up to the hype as their very best (just don't ask me when I'm listening to H to He!)

This reissue series was personally supervised by the group, and all contain scrapbook-style booklets with liner notes, pictures and lyrics. My one complaint is that the vintage magazine articles are printed so small that you can't read them. The remastering is revelatory given the dodgy original production of these early-70's recordings. Pawn Hearts is outstanding and highly recommended.

Pawn Hearts was a challenging listen on its release back in the early 70s, and it is no less today.

Though they are generally associated with the Euro-Prog camp, Van Der Graaf Generator were definitely (and definedly) their own sort of group. Unlike Yes, Genesis, ELP, etc, the emphasis was more on expression than instrumental virtuosity. Musically they did employ a unique approach to song structure, but the execution was more loose, more raw, maybe not so pleasing much of the time. Given the nature of Peter Hammill's agonized lyrical visions, as well as the conflict-ravaged history of the group itself, these dark, chaotic elements somehow work in this release's favor, producing a most extraordinary and unforgettable listen ..... if you can take it.

Closer to the aesthetic viscera of King Crimson (but not as blatantly experimental), the album even features a brief appearance by Robert Fripp (on "Man-Erg"), lending sonic divergence to a lineup that otherwise features no lead guitar to speak of. The themes of the songs mostly concern death, societal ruination, personal duality, self-doubt and neurosis, with maybe a dim shimmer of hope breaking through. Songwriter/vocalist Hammill sounds almost like a tortured David Bowie (not a criticism), fluctuating between tender melodic mastery and shamelessly baring his inflamed tonsils to the world in performance. The words themselves are introspective, emotional, mostly dark and cut very deep, betraying a vulnerability few singers would want to reveal. As stated earlier, not the easiest listen at times, but a damn good exorcism in its own way.

This band nearly broke up before their very first studio release, "The Aerosol Gray Machine", and by all reports was in constant danger of dissolvement all through their career. The fact that they managed to release what they did (some 7-8 albums) is a testament to their determination to overcome adversity as well as to the support of just enough hard-core enthusiasts. Though later releases exhibited a tad more polish, I would have to call Pawn Hearts the defining VDGG work, in terms of both vision and execution ..... one of the most musical primal screams you could squeeze from your speakers. Brace yourself and enjoy.

I first bought this album about ten years ago. It blew me away then and it still blows me away today. I have followed the band's leader, Peter Hammill, religiously ever since.

Along with King Crimson (Robert Fripp makes a guest appearance), VdGG sits on the darker edge of the Progressive Rock musical spectrum. This explains the noted influence of Peter Hammill/VdGG on Johnny Rotten. Minor keys certainly prevail.

"Lemmings" has got to be one of the most violent rock compositions ever written both musically and lyrically ("young minds and bodies on steel spokes, impaled"). The song, however, ends with a glimmer of hope - "What cause is there left but to live in hope of saving our children's children's little ones?"

"Man-Erg" is more orchestral with a shocking, stark middle section of staccato sax and organ that is truly jarring. In a good way!!

The second side of the album "A Plague of Lighthouse Keepers" is widely regarded as VdGG's finest moment. A journey through the mind of a lonely, isolated human (Hammill himself?), the piece is equal parts beautiful and disturbing. Brilliantly, the piece never truly resolves, again, both musically and lyrically ("All things are apart/a part") over a fading, baffling choice of a chord.

As a musician and songwriter, this album had a huge influence on me and I have turned many young listeners onto Hammill and Progressive Rock, in general, with this album.

All in all, very extremely recommended!

I know, this isn't their first album -- it isn't even the one I heard first. A few months before I heard PAWN HEARTS, a friend of mine who was already a huge fan play H TO HE for me -- I guess I just wasn't ready yet. When I heard PAWN HEARTS for the first time, it all came together -- the music, the arrangements, the incredible lyrics of Peter Hammill, his one-of-a-kind voice. I think, after years under the bridge, that this is their first really mature album. The earlier ones have their moments, but this one is complete -- they had found their sound and, with the able help of producer John Anthony (also responsible for several early Genesis albums, their best work), managed to get it across to the listener in all its power and glory. Every member of the band contributes such strength and taste to the whole -- Hugh Banton's surging keyboard work, David Jackson's alternately whispering and snarling saxophone spirals, Guy Evans supplying the heartbeat, and Peter's songwriting/vocals (as well as some fine piano). Guest Robert Fripp's guitar lines at the end of 'Plague' is some of his most stirring work -- it never fails to bring tears to my eyes to hear it. The album can be both delicately beautiful and frighteningly jarring -- always to perfect effect. The last lines of 'A plague of lighthouse keepers' are permanently etched into my musical soul: 'All things are apart/all things are a part...' This theme of the unity of all things in the universe came back to me again recently upon my first reading of THE ALCHEMIST by Paolo Coelho. Inspired, I sent the author a copy of Peter's lyrics, which he replied, 'are truly magical'. Nuff said.

I rediscovered this ancient classic during a clear out of the record cabinet. It was one of the half dozen records that I gave a spin to decide if they were worth keeping, and the only one of them to make it safely back to the cupboard (rather than the bin). More than that, it was a moving experience. Although some of the instrumentation and production sounds a little dated, this is a strangely up-to-date work of art that out-achieves many fine recent offerings (e.g. Radiohead) on their home turf.

The most remarkable aspect of all VdGG's work was the lyrics. Peter Hammill was (and remains) an accomplished and visionary poet in his own right (how many other rock lyricists have had their work published in book form?) whose prophetic insight has stood the test of history. When he was actually putting pen to paper in the swinging sixties and early seventies his words seemed too black, too preoccupied with social fragmentation, too pessimistic. We still thought we were going to carve out some kind of hippy utopia here on earth.

If only New Wavers of the later seventies had listened to Van der Graaf (and Hammill's solo albums) instead of slagging them along with the other glam and prog behemoths of the era, they might have recognised kindred spirits (although no new wave band ever approached Hammill's clarity or beauty of expression). Hammill could have been to New Wave what Neil Young was to Grunge - a sort of grandfather in arms - and who knows we might have escaped the horrific excesses of New Romanticism.

Hammill takes the alienation and sorrow and doubt and loneliness that in my adolescent years were mainly confined to the experience of socially retarded individuals, and imagines . . . what if these pains were felt not just by lonely individuals, but collectively by a whole lonely civilisation? ("A Plague of Lighthouse Keepers")? What would happen if a whole society developed suicidal tendencies ("Lemmings")? What will society be like when we are so dehumanised that men and women are thought of as no more than units of work ("Man-Erg")? And of course those nightmarish pictures, which were once so much on the fringe of our artistic consciousness, are now mainstream. Sadly, the price of bringing these patterns within the grasp of a wider audience is that to present-day listeners they no longer seem prophetic . . . merely realistic.

The most remarkable thing of all - the aspect that makes Hammill's work into art rather than mere science - is that he is not afraid to find a glimmer of hope in the darkness. And he does so with the finesse that only a wordsmith of genius could pull off: "What course is there left but to die" all on its own means little today - that sort of thing has become the staple diet of Norwegian metal headbangers. But switch the final verse to this: "What cause is there left but to live . . . (falsetto croon) in the hope of saving our children's children's little ones" and you have a call to redemption that will bring string men out in goose-bumps.

The final lyrical flourish is to alternate a statement of despair ("All things are apart") with a statement of transcendent unity ("All things are a part"). The fact that you might never spot this subtle exchanging of pain for acceptance without reading the lyrics in print is a measure of the composer's rugged integrity.

Imagine this awesome lyrical freight carried by a group of virtuoso musicians unafraid to experiment. The fact that some of the experiments don't quite work is part of the work's radical beauty. Steel yourself for moments of jarring noise and dissonance alternating with moments of melting sweetness. It is arguable that Hammill at his peak had the most beautiful voice in rock, and almost beyond argument that he possessed the greatest musical and dramatic range. Add the searing brilliance of Robert Fripp out of King Crimson, playing the sort of guitar that nobody else can copy even today (although Radiohead have tried once or twice). You end up with a statement unequalled in the history of rock music.

No compromise, just art. Easy listening it isn't, but truth and beauty are rarely pretty and never bland.

Pawn Hearts is the finest album in Van der Graaf Generator's catalog for a number of reasons. The previous three VdGG albums all have excellent moments and strong material which foreshadows this album, but Pawn Hearts is the album which ties all the innovations and experiments together.

Perhaps the most prominent difference between prior albums and this one is the prescence of an immaculate production. Use of stereo effects, panning and unusual juxtapositions of instrument volumes all contribute to the seamless whole of this album. Another advantage to Pawn Hearts is the frequent use of Robert Fripp on electric guitar; his playing here is quite different from his work with King Crimson.

All three songs have an indescribable quality that separates them from all other progressive rock; though "Man-Erg" begins as rather straight- forward prog, it deteriorates into a schizophrenic 13\8 saxophone-guitar riff with stereo panned screams of "Am I really me, or am I someone else?" All songs take the listener on a little trip into Peter Hammill's mind...both the lyrics and the music are written primarily by him, and only a singular vision such as his could make an album like this work.

Though there truly is no comparison to an album of this calibre, albums on a similar intellectual progressive level would be Rush's _Hemispheres_ and King Crimson's _Lark's Tongue In Aspic_.

Not since the King Crimson remasters by Caroline has there been this great of a re-master; not one thing is wrong with it. Liner notes now are hugely plentiful, even the packaging just makes you proud to own it again. The re-master of course sounds great, but when I say that, I mean it really sounds perfect. Perfect as in La Boheme perfect. This is one re-master that even gives the orginal LP a run for it's money.

Best re-master of '05 by a long, long shot.

I've had the old Caroline CD of "Pawn Hearts" in my collection for easily five years. I'd put it in the player once in a while trying to get into it, but it just never clicked. Then a few weeks ago, I decided to pick up "H to He, Who Am the Only One," figuring maybe I just needed to hear some other VdGG material first, to ease my way into this challenging album. It seemed to do the trick ... because when I went back to "Pawn Hearts," all of its layers of brilliance suddenly started to reveal themselves. It kind of felt like cracking a Zen koan that you've been meditating on for years. The release from finally "getting it" was incredibly exhilarating, and some two weeks later, I can't stop playing this amazing work from the early '70s.

I share that little story to encourage you not to write off this album if you, too, don't get it the first time around -- or even the 10th time around! Even by prog-rock standards, it's not easily accessible. It makes some parts of "Tales From Topographic Oceans" seem lightweight by comparison! But stick with it, because eventually, you'll be richly rewarded.

I've heard VdGG's early music referred to as "jagged." That's a pretty good description for a lot of what you'll hear here. There are some light and transcendently beautiful moments, including some absolutely irresistible vocal melodies from Peter Hammill, but most of the record will probably remind you of the harsh, manic, claustrophobic cacophony of King Crimson's "Lizard" album, with all of its demented jazziness, twittering percussion, and honking woodwinds. Add in some prominent keyboard work that calls to mind both Deep Purple (the heavy, grinding organ work) and McDonald & Giles (no joke -- you'll hear swatches on here that call to mind the "Suite in C" piano and the "Birdman" organ), and you've got a fairly good handle on what to expect.

I know that Peter Hammill is a rather polarizing artist. Me? I take his voice as just another very quirky instrument in an already bizarre band. And I simply can't imagine this music without his voice over the top of it. But are the lyrics really the profoundly penetrating blasts of human-condition poetry that Hammill's hardcore fans say they are? Well, I can say that I do find a certain level of genuine emotional depth here that I don't hear in a lot of other prog bands from this era. Ian Anderson was sarcastic and cynical; Peter Gabriel was spinning Victorian fantasies; Jon Anderson was lost in the mystical ether; Peter Sinfield was a flower child. Hammill, meanwhile, was certainly earnest and serious about what he had to say, and he seemed to focus more on existential Everyman concerns -- rather like Roger Waters, but not as acerbic, and certainly more varied than Waters' well-worn themes of madness and war. Where Waters seemed to draw from Syd Barrett and his father's death as lyrical reference points over and over, Hammill isn't so insular -- the entire human race and its trials and tribulations are the canvas on which he paints. And he does it all in a theatrical, nearly operatic delivery, with his voice sliding seamlessly from piercing choir-boy heights to exasperated growls and lots of unpredictable points in between. He has a very pronounced and distinctive vibrato, a polished falsetto that only Freddie Mercury could rival in the world of rock, and an unbelievable amount of control over his delivery. You'd expect a few clinkers with these kinds of vocal acrobatics, but he seems to hit the notes perfectly every time. Even more intriguing, there are a few points near the end of "A Plague of Lighthouse Keepers" where he strongly conjures up the stylings of David Bowie and "After the Gold Rush"-era Neil Young. Pretty amazing.

There's not a weak track among the three here. "Lighthouse Keepers" will probably take you the longest to penetrate, just because there's so much going on. Sometimes, the music seems to be on the verge of flying out of control, and before you know it, it's been reined back in and ready to fly off somwhere else. The whole thing pretty much teeters on the edge of chaos. To top off the perversity of it all, the piece builds up at the end rather majestically en route to a musical resolution, to give us a much-needed release from our 23-minute journey, but instead of the resolving chord your ears expect, the band goes slightly off-kilter at the very last minute. Jarring and jagged, just like the rest of this incredible album. You never know what to expect next; the music keeps messing with your expectations. That's a good indication that we're dealing with some masterful and very brave musicians here. Had this band received more popular acclaim in its day, it might not have been as willing -- or able -- to take so many musical chances. So maybe its relative obscurity was a blessing in disguise -- it meant the band never had to compromise what it did. And that was to every listener's benefit.

Whatever you do, get this remastered version of the CD. The bonus tracks are so-so, but the three songs that make up the original album sound light-years better than they did on the Caroline disc. This version brings out lots and lots of nuances that were hidden before -- luscious details that make this music all the more deep, rich, challenging, and ultimately very satisfying.