Godbluff - Van Der Graaf Generator

A Little About Van Der Graaf Generator

I am not sure when I first heard Van Der Graaf Generator. I had seen one in school physics lessons to demonstrate creating lightning in the school laboratory. I think I remember seeing the surreal cover of “Pawn Hearts” and noticing the title of the piece that took up side two “A Plague of Lighthouse Keepers”.

The personnel for this album was:

Peter Hammill – lead and backing vocals, piano, Hohner pianet, acoustic and slide guitar

David Jackson – tenor, alto and soprano saxophones, flute, vocals

Hugh Banton – Hammond E & C and Farfisa Professional organs, piano, Mellotron, ARP synthesizer, bass pedals, bass guitar, psychedelic razor, vocals

Guy Evans – drums, timpani, percussion, piano

When I saw them live there were no guitars and you don’t really hear any on “Pawn Hearts” even though they are listed, rather for effet than anything else. THis was very unusual for a British Progressive rock band in the 1970s.

Bit now onto the album

Godbluff

Released in 1975, the lineup for this, their fifth album, was the same as its predecessor “Pawn Hearts”, and again there is very little guitar on the album. Most of the music is keyboards, bass pedals, drums and saxophone, led by band leader Peter Hammill’s absolutely threatening voice.

The album cover was minimal, consisting of a band logo and "stamped" red album title on an otherwise black sleeve. The band logo that first appeared here was designed by John Pasche; it would also be used on the next two albums, Still Life and World Record.

The original album consisted of four songs, three by Hamill, and one with David Jackson. When the NME reviewed it they said that it needed a format where the album could be played without interruption, obviously vinyl split it in two, but you could put this on to a C90 cassette to make that happen.

Melody Maker said that "in a very real sense, Godbluff is the sound of the mid-seventies: uncomfortable, coherent, unremitting, courageous". Geoff Barton of Sounds deemed Godbluff "simply, an essential buy".

This was the first self-produced album, for a lighter pared-down sound, but in my opinion, it is anything but that. They said that they would bever work with a producer again, I am not sure where that is true.

The songs are:

Side one

1. "The Undercover Man" 7:32

2. "Scorched Earth" Hammill, David Jackson 9:44

Side two

1. "Arrow" 9:48

2. "The Sleepwalkers" 10:40

When the album kicks off you are immediately thrust into a post-apocalyptic scorched world, with a very black and white feel. That is just the impression that I get from the music. This is very uneasy listening.

The angular riff of “The Undercover Man” is distinctly unsettling, stamping in after the quiet echoey flute intro with Hamill almost just talking the intro but still holding that threat in his voice.

You feel you are being led through a wasteland onto “Scorched Earth”, and you almost don’t notice that the songs have changed the overall mood is so similar, and you can hear echoes of “Pawn Hearts” in the overall sound and riffs that you can hear.

“Arrow” is even more threatening as we stray further into this nightmare world, almost recalling Dante’s “Inferno” before straying into “The Sleepwalkers” until the final run-off leaving you wondering what you have been hit by and where you are.

A Godbluff Conclusion

A stunning album, the CD has bonus tracks which are, in my opinion, superfluous. Nice to have but Godbluff is its own entity,