Customer Reviews

Present

5 star:		(11)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(3)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(2)

 

 

Aah, life is good. The most unique-sounding band ever is back and better than ever. Having been a fan of Hammill and company since 1970, it's so refreshing to hear new material. The first disc alone is worth the price of admission. Like others have said here, the opener "Every Bloody Emperor" has to rank up there with the best stuff ever done by the guys. This track would have been great even if Hammill had done it accapella. The words alone carry it. Add in the great arrangement behind it and you've got a new VDGG classic.
The rest of the first disc contains other high points, most notably "Nutter Alert" and "Abandon Ship". The second disc, devoted to improvisations, is, for me, a little harder to get into. I need a little more structure in the songs, but I'm not complaining. It's just great to have them back. Maybe this time around, they'll get the attention they so richly deserve.

Nearly thirty years since their last studio project "World Record", the classic line-up of Van Der Graaf Generator have reuinited on this double disc release. CD 1 consists of new songs, CD 2 of jams and improvisations. From the opener "Every Bloody Emperor" Peter Hammill's take on the geo-politics of the day, it is evident that the classic sound of albums like 1971's "Pawn Hearts" has returned. The CD is recorded in lively under-produced manner that peserves all the energy of these songs. Hugh Banton's organ, Hammill's frantic vocals, Guy Evans propulsive drums and David Jackson's distorted saxes sound as if they are being played right next to your ear, the spirit and excitemant of the recording never leaves you. They liken it to being locked in a room with the band, those unacustomed to the unique sound of this band (that was both demandingly Progressive and a precurssor of Punk in the early seventies) might need to leave the room after small dosages but those of us who have missed the the conglomeration of these musicians will want to linger.

Being a fan since the "H to He" days, it is wonderful that Peter Hammill and the original gang can still put out such a great collection of new material. As I've found with most of their past compositions, their new tunes take some getting used to. Unless you are a diehard VDGG fan their stuff isn't "many people's cup o'tea."

I'm pleased that the "Present" isn't a watered-down version of a PH set of slow ballads (jeez, the band is getting near 60 years old!). I only wish they knew how to market themselves so that they could justify trips to the USA and Canada.

The fact that Peter Hammill and VDGG aren't popular and can still take the time and generate gems like "Present" gives us all who don't care for popular pop music hope that music and talent can coexist! I'd suggest that VDGG/Sofasound improve their web site presence. Another suggestion is to publish a book on PH's lyrics with artwork since there is no doubt that Peter's words drive their musical direction.

Well, enough of these comments -- for those of you Mum, King Crimson, and Peter Gabriel fans DO YOURSELF A FAVOR AND BUY "PRESENT."

I am amazed by this recording. Suddenly I am whisked back to the GODBLUFF / STILL LIFE era, and it's as if the the intervening 30 years have never happened.

Normally when a band breaks up, most of the members go off and lead a life of luxury or stack shelves at Wal-mart (depending on how well the band did), and they are never heard of again, musically. The reality of child-rearing tends to take the edge off many a genius.

But somehow all four members of the classic VdGG period have kept their musical skills, attitude and preferences intact. Even the most vulnerable and visible element -- Peter Hammill's voice -- is in pretty good shape here. (Contrast that with the vocal changes in pitch and strength of say, Joni Mitchell and Steely Dan's Donald Fagen, both still recording.) The members haven't been idle -- Hammill continued his solo career, Hugh Banton started his organ business and recorded an intriguing version of Bach's 'Goldberg Variations', and Jackson got involved in musical education. (I even saw him perform at a very poorly attended sideshow at an open-air evening near Esher a few years ago.)

CD#1 is classic studio Van der Graaf, but the jams on CD#2 are perhaps even more intriguing. I would imagine that the old Van der Graaf would not have released them as they are, but kept working on them at gigs and in further jams until sufficiently perfected for Hammill to write some lyrics for them. Then they would have released them on LP. But in truth, the tunes as they stand are a darn sight better than the finished items that many artists slave for months to create. And I prefer them to the murky bootleg recordings released on the 4-CD BOX set. and if you really don't like them, just ignore them -- the Amazon price is still good, even for a single CD.

It's also nice to see that Virgin were happy to re-hire VdGG. The icing on the cake would have been if they had resurrected the Charisma label for this CD!

Really a great album for returning "Nutters" Van Der Graaf!

Yes ,some cool songs....Nutter Alert,and Every Bloody Emperor are clear stand outs...but so is Abandon Ship....Ah HELL the whole first disc is really fine!

Now here's the rub,the second disc is fun for fanatics...but was it really needed to include in all copies? Disc two is a large dose of the band getting all Jam-y...some of which really smokes,and some of which is just interesting.I would have LOVED to see a live re-union disc instead myself!

Over all though the whole thing is nice to see. The band seem like they are taking-off straight from their Godbluff era into our modern(dark) times!

So,yeah,it's great to have 'em back! Who else could write a song like Every Bloody Emperor? Remember they did "Lemmings",and "The Emperor In His War Room" too,and they aren't far from comments on our times today either!

All sorts of darkness has returned...(sigh)

This album has been in our CD player for about a week now, and it definitely grows on me. The tracks that stand out at first listening are "Every Bloody Emperor" and "Nutter Alert", but as usual with Van der Graaf Generator or Peter Hammill one has to listen several times. The first CD alone would be worth the money, but the second CD of studio improvisations really gives an insight how a band like VdGG works. And it is incredible music, even if it is very weird at times.

I played this for a friend of mine and he thought it sounded just like "World Record" which I hadn't considered. But I dont think thats a bad thing - Hugh Banton comes off as the evil mad scientist on this album and when I went back to prior VDGG albums I realized he was ALWAYS an evil mad scientist!
Without him, Peter Hammill is just a singer/songwriter (sorry Pete). "Present" is a lovely album indeed and anybody who has followed VDGG already has it, so whats the point of this review?

THIS IS IT THE RETURN OF THE ONLY BAND THAT REALLY EVER MATTERED IN THE FIRST PLACE! VAN DER GRAAF GENERATOR HAS RETURNED WITH A VENGENCE! This record harkens back to the glory days of old wile staying in the "Present".
The first track "Every Bloody Emperor" and "Nutter Alert" stand out, but the entire cd is strong! Having just seen the show in London on 6th of May, The band was in top form and the set list was meticulously appropriate . The first studio"lp" since 1977's "Quite Zone"/Pleasure dome" this double album if full of surprise. We get on disc 2 of sort of "long hello" only with PH this time. Track 3 stood out on the second side..still lisening but when Ive digested it enough i will re-write this review! *******

This is album of the year material. Wonderful, amazing, moving.
It's as though they hadn't skipped a beat. No concessions here either to modern day (save some lyrics) as the music wouldn't be out of place on a VDGG release of 30 years ago. I couldn't be more pleased with this release and I hope there's more to come. Disc 2 is alone worth the price of admission and if "Every Bloody Emperor" (the 1st track of disk 1) doesn't stick in your head for days, you're not human!

i did not like this work for a number of reasons. The first thing i hated was the sound. Too much echo or reverb. Unlike past albums were the sound was up-close and warm. The other thing i noticed was the poor attention to structure of songs. Most of these songs sound like rock improvisations . Obviously some were taken and worked into more structured songs but they all have this 'jam' feeling to them.
Also the aproach is more in the late Hammill compositional style than what we've come to know as the VDGG style.
Of course this is my opinion but if you compare this to any of the best works from the past you will know what i am talking about.