Customer Reviews

Real Time (Royal Festival Hall)

5 star:		(9)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

I can't believe this concert is not coming out on DVD. This double cd is a must for any VDGG fan. Hammill has lost very little of his treasured instrument/voice. The band sounds fantastic. "Sleepwalkers" and "Arrow" have a harder edge to them, making classic tunes even better. The rest of the cd is equally as good. "Nutter Alert," "Every Bloody Emperor," "Man-Erg," and "Childlike Faith in Childhoods End" will make you stand-up and cheer as if you were there in Great Britain. BUY THIS CD then PLAY IT VERY LOUD. David Jackson will amaze as will Hammill.

I own all the other live vdgg records, and each one has its own 'feel'. Vital is so unique and brutal that stands on other category, and Maida vale, which is also excellent, in my opinion will be outdated by Real Time in sound quality.

This new CD has its own personality, sound and passion. These 4 musicians still play incredibly good. For VDGG fans this is a real trip, a dream come true for many of us. It is unbelievable that they still have this special musical gift and can deliver it so strongly.

FOR ME, THERE IS NO GROUP NOWADAYS THAT GETS CLOSE TO THEM MUSICALLY. THEY SHOULD HAVE MADE IT BIG TIME, but were too deep and non-commercial for their own good. Imagine, Genesis, another of the great ones, opened for them when they were struggling too in England ¡ but Genesis managed to be more melodic and finally broke through. VDGG never sold out their musical integrity.

I saw peter Hammill play live in mexico city some years ago, just him and violinist Stuart Gordon, and they blew off the stage the other italian prog groups that were supposed to be quite good. He had IT and still does. Banton, Evans and Jackson play beautifully along the record, although Hammill has announced Jackson will not play withe them any more, what a pity. David Jackson: please reconsider... Any way, LONG LIVE VAN DER GRAAF ¡

VDGG! One of the wonders in the world of Rock/Prog music. Not easy listening, not easy to like, most people will never get there. But the effort is rewarding to the few that make it. I was really impressed with this live recording. Not only is it an amazing "comeback" it could be one of the best things in their entire catalog. I am so impressed with the way they play here after 30 years. The record sounds great to my ears and its an ace selection of tunes. Highly recommend this even as a starting point to the band.

On Oct.11 2008, I had a dream come TRUE!; THE"Peter Hammill" came to Pittsburgh,PA!. In a little "beatnik' pub called "CLUB CAFE",on the SouthSide... There were NO MORE, than 60 effemoral 'Peter' Fans... I waited 30 years to see this 'GENIUS of words, and melody'!. His voice and 'embolimsitic' voice ...IS THE SAME! GRAND, ! and the opening song of "Childshood End" {from Still Life!}, I almost got MISTY!..
So the point of this review; Being so inspired by the DREAM of meeting him{which I did after the show!},I proceeded to come home and play the latest Peter/VDGG cd's I have accumulated the past 3 years; 'Real Time', Singularity'Union Chapel', Clutch, And 'What Now'...
THUS! I MUST agree with the '5 stars';THIS recording is SO BEAUTIFUL for the Van Der Graff FAN! //great!!!!!,?{and I played in enough bars and clubs for 21 years as a musician to know The beautiful KICKS of Eastern Acoustic and JBL PA. Systems~!}... Sorry...
All I can share with you IS; PLEASE!>>>'Buy It'!. If you have followed the 'Quatro of Prog Beauty'!, THE TIMELESS QUALITY!...comrades... IT IS WELL Worth the 'pitance' of $24.00!!!
"...The walls are thin as tissue; and if I talk; "I'll CRACK THE GLASS"!

I was speachless listening to this record. I have not fallen out from my chair, but I made sure my reclining stop was firmly engaged. After all the "revival" acts from the great prog history that had come on stage to please the old fans, this VdGG record is undeniably real. Not to mention that they play as good being 60+ as they were more than 30 years ago, this live record holds together very well, and seems to hold the audience captive for the whole duration. Fantastic. I could not believe the clarity (at times) of Hammill's voice. Too many of his contemporaries cannot do on stage what they were able to when in their prime. He can, and then add some. I'll stop here with praises, as enough has been posted in comments.
Regarding the sound quality. I find this record (I have the UK double CD) excellent. I have pretty good equipment (Marantz 8001/Cayin tube headphone amp/Sennheiser HD650 phones) that will tell a good record from the not-so, and the soundstage fill, instrument / voice balance, drive, and the overall "sense and spirit" of the concert are captured extremely well. It does feel and sound like a live concert (drums for example sound different in studio with multi-miking).
Do not hesitate to buy this one. I got mine from Amazon, and given it's a UK CD, this is an extremely good deal for the price.

You've got to admit, VDGG is a very brave band. They didn't play live for close to 30 years and decided to record and release their first night back on the stage. Any mere mortal band would have probably chosen a later performance so that they could have gotten comfortable playing again. That's what's so great about these guys, they take chances, in their lives and in the music. This collection is pretty much a greatest hits and well worth the money to any fan of the band. The musicianship, not unexpectedly, is stunning at times. I'll admit there a few rough spots, mostly towards the front of the show, but hey give the guys a break. They're not playing normal 4/4 time rock. Hugh Banton is the glue that holds everything together. He's so proficient at playing bass on the pedals that you don't miss a "true" bass-player. Hammill's always a joy to listen to (at least for me). David Jackson, who unfortunately is no longer with the band, plays his butt off. And Guy Evans is still a powerhouse. The sound quality is fine throughout. England can be proud of having produced such an extraordinary band.

I have been to the Van der Graaf reunion tour and the concerts have been amazing. Excellent musicianship and I have nothing more to add to the reviews allready posted here.

However, the most dissapointing thing about this CD that I have not seen mentioned in the reviews is the appalling recording / sound quality of the CD. I have bought official soundboard recordings at concerts (which is quite a standard thing these days) that sound better!

I am a new fan of VDGG, and have their studio albums. If you ever needed a "GREATEST HITS" album from VDGG, this track listing could be it. I really love this group, and every track from them. However, if you do not mind a live record and just want to sample them, this is not a bad place to start. I would still buy the big 5 albums first: Godbluff, Pawn Hearts, Still Life, H to He Who Am the Only One, and The Least We Can Do Is Wave To Each Other. If you are a fan, this is a must buy. Every Bloody Emperor, as others have reported, is an excellent song. It is an amazing song that is performed well live. The sound quality and performance is top notch, so I do not think their age is a factor.

Finally their reunion has come to reality!! The present live witnesses a recent gig in London, where They have performed a lot of classics, as well the most complex stuff, belonging to a golden era. Branton, Hammill, Jackson and Evan are in top form here, but after all they are the authors of immortal dark progressive works such as "Pawn Hearts" or "H to He Who Am The Only One" and their skill live on stage has never been changed! In a few circumstances Peter repeats the same verse, cause He has not been playing his own old songs from the VDGG era for a long long time (except on tracks such as "Man Erg", often played live during his solo performances in the recent gigs...), nevertheless He's still able to run all the colours of their immortal music, as from the most dark and psychedelic tones to the sweetest mood at the piano, like in a kaleidoscopic "music circuit"!! Sometimes their music is too harsh and experimental as well - and for this reason if you're not in a good mood it's better to listen to some easier tracks, but at the end their imprinting is so impressive and able to make some complex passages less harsh...it's essential for the old fans and it could be the best manner to initiate the others to their particular melancholy and dramatic style.

As a group that was completely obscure in their day, 30 years ago, and even more so now, it's only die-hard fans like myself who buy VdGG disks and write reviews on Amazon. So essentially every album gets 5 stars.

This is a very good recording of a historically important (for VdGG fans) concert, so it's a must-have, etc. etc. But I think it needs to be mentioned that, somewhat surprisingly, Peter Hammill flubs the lyrics from time to time - he forgets where he is and skips/repeats a verse or a line, on several occasions. Given the complexity of the material, it's forgiveable, and consistent with when I've seen him perform over the years. But it's annoying if you happen to know the lyrics by heart, as I'm sure a disturbing number of us do. So I only give it four stars.