Genre: progressive
Rating: *** (3 stars)
Title: Vital
Company: PVC
Catalog: PVC 9901
Year: 1978
Country/State: Manchester, UK
Grade (cover/record): VG+ / VG+
Comments: double LP; gatefold sleeve; minor ring wear
Available: 1
Catalog ID: 6128
Price: $14.00
Recorded at a January 1978 date at London's Marquee Club, "Vital" was a ten track, double album live set. Credited to 'Van der Graaf' (note the missing 'Generation'), musically the set's always struck me as 'challenging' given Peter Hammill and company seemed intent on showing the world they were as capable of being as snotty and in-your-face raw as any punk band. That attitude combined with Hammill's hyper-aggressive vocals (check out the opener 'Ship of Fools'), gave the album a dark, brooding, and slightly ominous feel (only enhanced by the crystal clear sound thanks to producer Guy Evans). Anyone thinking they were going to hear live versions of some of the band's more melodic catalog (stuff like 'Darkness (II/II)', 'Refugees', or 'Killer'), was going to be disappointed. These ten tracks (including three catalog rarities - 'Ship of Fools', 'Mirror Image' and 'Door'), showcased a band far 'heavier' than you would have imagined having grown up on their studio albums - Nic Potter's heavily fuzzed bass frequently sounded like a weapon, while original sax player David Jackson (playing on about half of the set), seemed to delight in adding a discordant edge to much of the material.
- Opening up with some tasty Hammill lead guitar and what may be the heaviest fuzz bass guitar I've ever heard, 'Ship of Fools' was hard rock at it's most molten ... Anyone who thought these guys were a bunch of progressive patsies needed only check out this track to see how wrong that assertion was. If you'd ever heard the studio version, this take was slowed down and stripped of whatever excesses the original had, leaving this one as a raw, sledgehammer. Love to know what the lyrics were about: "The nurse in black seamed stockings, she's already on patrol for fake fur starlets panicked by the watering-hole; everybody's waiting for the drama to unfold ..." rating: **** stars - Hammill has always had the ability to turn his voice into one of the creepiest instruments ever recorded and 'Still Life' stands as a perfect example of that characteristics. The song itself started out as a dirge and just kind of crept along leaving you in a fit of desperation, which only seemed appropriate given the lyric seemed to be about life in a miserable marriage. rating: ** stars
- Opening up with some eerie Graham Smith violin and heavily phased bass guitar, 'Last Frame' got even weirder when Hammill's half spoken/half sung vocals kicked in. They were certainly enough to scare the crap out of young children. As for the song's oddball lyrics, I've always thought it was about a photographer's voyeuristic fascination with a woman ... the title and lyrics seemed to have something to do with photographic darkroom technology. Who knows ... Needless to see, this one was pretty dark and disturbing. rating: *** stars
- Starting out sounding like a slightly out of tune high school band, 'Mirror Images' started out at a dirge pace, got better when Hammill's voice kicked in. rating: *** stars
- 'Plague of the Lighthouse Keepers' (don't you love the title) started out with Hammill pounding out some pretty keyboard chords and then grew progressive tougher and colder as the song went along. Coupled with Hammill's snarling vocals and the freak-out jazzy interlude, this wasn't exactly the kind of ballad you were going to slap on the turntable in order to cuddle with your honey. rating: ** stars
- Lifted from the "Godbluff" album, 'The Sleepwalkers' captured the band at their most progressive, growing in intensity and menace as it progressed. The song almost comes off as an aural threat. You also got to hear David Jackson at his best and worst. rating: *** stars
- 'Pioneers Over C' started out with a chilling bass and guitar pattern; got a little more intense when Hammill's dry vocal kicked in, and then became nightmarish when the song kicked into gear - Potter's bass lines sounded like they'd been lifted from some 'B' grade horror flick. Science fiction's seldom given me nightmares, but this track routinely does. And clocking in at 17 minutes there are times when it feels like an endless flight to a far off planet. rating: *** stars
- 'Sci-Finance' found Hammill turning his full venom on the financial system. Guess he wasn't heavily invested in the stock market. rating: *** stars
- So Hammill introduced 'Door' with 'This song's a little odd." Was it really about some drunk a**holes trying to figure their way out of a room? Regardless, complete with more of Potter's uber heavy fuzz bass, Graham Smith's squealing violin, and a plateful of Charles Dickie's bleeping and burping synthesizers this one quickly went into hyper drive with the band sounding like they'd ingested a week's worth of amphetamines in an hour. Cool track. rating: **** stars
- 'Urban' started out with a surprisingly funky groove built around a nifty Hammill guitar figure and was actually one of the album's more accessible tracks. rating: **** stars
- 'Nadir's Big Chance' was worth hearing if only for the chance to witness Hammill at his most sarcastic. rating: **** stars
Not an album for a VDGG newcomer, or the faint of heart to start with ...
"Vital" track listing:
(side 1)
1.) Ship of Fools (Peter Hammill) - 6:43
2.) Still Life (Peter Hammill) - 9:42
3.) Last Frame (Peter Hammill) - 9:02
(side 2)
1.) Mirror Images (Peter Hammill) - 5:40
2.) Medley - 13:41
a.) A Plague of Lighthouse Keepers (Peter Hammill) -
b.) Sleepwalkers (Peter Hammill) -
(side 3)
1.) Pioneers Over C (Peter Hammill - David Jackson) - 17:00
2.) Sci-Finance (Peter Hammill) - 6:25
(side 4)
1.) Door (Peter Hammill) - 6:00
2.) Urban (Peter Hammill) - 8:20
3.) Nadir's Big Chance (Peter Hammill - Smith) - 3:40
