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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 singer-songwriter, and a founding member of progressive rock 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 progressive rock, punk (before it was even called that), electronic experimentation, intimate singer-songwriter settings, and even opera/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).

Tagged as:

progressive rock, singer-songwriter, art rock, experimental, progressive
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Fool's Mate
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Nadir's Big Chance
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The Silent Corner and the Empty Stage
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Over
Peter Hammill
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Top Tracks

1	The Birds full track	62
2	Vision full track	53
3	Nadir's Big Chance full track	52
4	Happy full track	48
5	Wilhelmina full track	47
5	Autumn full track	47
7	Crying Wolf full track	40
8	Been Alone So Long full track	38
9	Again full track	37
10	Modern full track	35
11	Candle full track	33
12	Imperial Zeppelin full track	31
13	Lost And Found	27
14	Time Heals full track	26
14	Open Your Eyes full track	26

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MaciekWobbler wrote:
Tuesday afternoon

Czy ktoś z Polski wybiera się na koncert w Dreźnie?

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Anhtoc wrote:
last month

3000 plays with Peter Hammill! ILY!! <3

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Clashnroller wrote:
last month

Get some Skeletons of Songs.

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Anhtoc wrote:
September 2009

Well I guess that answered your question Didacvs, girls DO listen to Peter Hammill :)

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idas15 wrote:
September 2009

and me too! I'm a girl too! :D (and I can't imagine someone whose singing would impress me more than the Hammill's one. if you know a more expressive singer, tell me!)

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tin_jones wrote:
September 2009

...some of girls do :) he's in my top-10

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han3nah wrote:
September 2009

Of course they do.He is one of my favourite artist.

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-273C wrote:
September 2009

You are wrong. They do.

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Didacvs wrote:
August 2009

WTF!!! Girls doesn´t listen to Hammill?

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TheMusicalVito wrote:
August 2009

God

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klapwokkel wrote:
August 2009

If Peter Hammill existed, what would his name be?

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TheMusicalVito wrote:
August 2009

If God existed, his name would be Peter Hammill.

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Anhtoc wrote:
August 2009

"Nadir's Big Chance" is epic ! But "Over" is my all time favourite, that's for sure.

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rottmadgers wrote:
August 2009

"Silent Corner" is great, but I still think it is "Nadir's Big Chance" ftw.

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Maz1982 wrote:
July 2009

PH is more creative than all gods combined. Silent corner is one of my all time favourites.

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LiquidEternity wrote:
June 2009

Just below this is me being confused. Also of note of the stellar variety are Undone and The Mercy. It's not as strong as Incoherence, but there's a good chance it'll soon easily rival Singularity.

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LiquidEternity wrote:
June 2009

I'm liking Thin Air, but I'm not loving it as much as the last couple. Of course, I did supplement that purchase with Typical, which I'm finding downright fascinating. Either way, If We Must Part Like This and Your Face on the Street are stellar tunes.

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retuow wrote:
June 2009

Thin Air is a great album...

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Scottoostrum wrote:
June 2009

I just love Autumn :3

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Led_Zayatts wrote:
June 2009

He has something slightly crazy about him, but it's brilliant)

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Videos

Events

Dec 8 Peter Hammill Teatro Palamostre, Udine, Italy
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Dec 10 Peter Hammill Club Il Giardino, Lugagnano di Sona, Italy
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Jan 14 Peter Hammill Fabrik, Hamburg, Germany
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