Peter Hammill

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Ealing, West London, England (1948 – present)

Peter Joseph Andrew Hammill (born 5 November 1948, in Ealing, West London, England) is a , and a founding member of band Van Der Graaf Generator. Most noted for his vocal abilities, his main instruments are guitar and piano. He also acts as a record producer for his own recordings, and occasionally for other artists.

With an extensive solo career spanning dozens of albums, Peter Hammill is certainly more than just the front-man and leader of Van Der Graaf Generator (VdGG). His literate, soul-examining lyrics and his often-anguished vocal delivery make his music perhaps an acquired taste, but his uncompromising artistic vision has shone since his first release, Fool’s Mate, back in 1971.

Stylistically, he has forged his own path, touching on , (before it was even called that), experimentation, intimate settings, and even /musical theatre (with his adaptation of Poe’s The Fall of the House of Usher).

Hammill’s solo career has coexisted with VdGG’s activities. The band was offered a contract by Mercury Records in 1968, that only Hammill signed. When VdGG broke up in 1969 he wanted to record his first solo-album. In the summer of 1969 Hammill had a residency at The Lyceum and played weekly solo-concerts there. Eventually the intended solo-album was released under the VdGG-banner as their first album (The Aerosol Grey Machine).
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  • Fool's Mate
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  • In Camera
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  • The Storm (Before The Calm)
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  • Nadir's Big Chance
    Peter Hammill Play
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  • ProgShine

    http://progshine.com/2012/05/10/peter-hammill-e-seu-novo-disco-consequences/

    19 days ago

  • Led_Zayatts

    Well I've given Pno Gtr Vox Box plenty of listens, and it's an excellent release! Especially the VdGG songs - they still sound tense and powerful even in this ascetic format. Also interesting are the solo songs not otherwise present at all or in this format in his live releases, like The Unconscious Life and Sitting Targets. There are a few disappointing performances, some minor blunders and plenty of mixed up lyrics (not surprising, considering how much songs he keeps ready in his memory at his age), but generally it's great material, still has the spirit. Looking forward to the upcoming studio album!

    last month

  • yhwh6666

    ░░░░█░░░░░█████░██████░░░█████░██░░░█░█████░░░░░ ░░░░█░░░░░█░░░░░█░░░░░░░░█░░░░░█░█░░█░█░░░░█░░░░ ░░░░█░░░░░█████░█░░███░░░█████░█░░█░█░█░░░░█░░░░ ░░░░█░░░░░█░░░░░█░░░░█░░░█░░░░░█░░░██░█░░░░█░░░░ ░░░░█████░█████░██████░░░█████░█░░░░█░█████░░░░░

    March 2012

  • Led_Zayatts

    Well it actually turned up when I finally got tired of listening to PH, so I only tried the disk with VdGG songs, which was definitely interesting. A couple of songs were disappointing - I didn't like Darkness, and he can do The Siren Song a lot better, but the rest was good. I'm waiting for a different mood to give the whole thing a spin.

    March 2012

  • pauldove

    @Led_Zayatts, saw you as a listener for some of the PNO GTR VOX BOX tracks. So your copy did turn up in the end. Did it live up to your expectations?

    March 2012

  • Led_Zayatts

    Still waiting for my copy, I hope there weren't any problems with the postal service. All the positive feedback is making me really anxious to hear it!

    February 2012

  • pauldove

    It's too early for me too to tell yet which of the PNO GTR VOX BOX tracks are my favourites. But I agree with Trimus about the solo versions of the VdGG songs, especially Every Bloody Emperor. I was also very impressed by the CD 7 version of The Habit of the Broken Heart, being both a solo VdGG version and a alternative version; there's another version of this on CD 4. Before I'd listened to these I wouldn't have believed that they could be performed as well as this with only guitar or piano. There are a few places were the sax or violin are obviously missing but mostly they work surprisingly well.

    February 2012

  • TrimusDA

    Just listened to the 7CD PNO GTR VOX BOX set. Some excellent variations on the familiar. The 'alternate' versions of Comfortable and Shingle Song possibly my favourites at the moment but no doubt that will change the next time I listen. The solo versions of the VdGG songs are also very good esp. Every Bloody Emperor.

    February 2012
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