Although not on par with his best albums (1977's Over, 1978's The Future Now, etc.), this solo debut, Fool's Mate, shows Van der Graaf Generator's Peter Hammill taking his first steps toward later prog rock perfection.
What makes Fool's Mate different than VdGG's material is that it's more mainstream, and for the most part, piano and acoustic guitar-based.
But Hammill is still able convey the grandness of classic VdGG, as heard in the sweeping sounds of "Re-Awakening." And Hammill never grows predictable.
The tracks "Sunshine" and "Imperial Zeppelin" show that he doesn't take himself as seriously as many of his then-contemporaries (an important reason why Hammill's music has held up far better over the years than some other prog rockers).
But Hammill's lyrics weren't as sophisticated and developed as they would later come to be, which is understandable, since it is his very first solo outing, after all.
And the album's closing song, "I Once Wrote Some Poems," hinted at the style Hammill would pursue more thoroughly on future releases (venomous vocals set against contrasting music).
Fool's Mate is not as bad as some Peter Hammill purists make it out to be, but casual fans should check out Over or The Future Now first.
| Title/Composers | Performer | Listen | Time | Size | Size | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Imperial ZeppelinPeter Hammill | Peter Hammill | Play | 03:38 | 8 MB | 0 MB |
| 2 | CandlePeter Hammill | Peter Hammill | Play | 04:16 | 9 MB | 0 MB |
| 3 | HappyPeter Hammill | Peter Hammill | Play | 02:37 | 5 MB | 0 MB |
| 4 | SolitudePeter Hammill | Peter Hammill | Play | 04:56 | 11 MB | 0 MB |
| 5 | VisionPeter Hammill | Peter Hammill | Play | 03:13 | 7 MB | 0 MB |
| 6 | Re-AwakeningPeter Hammill | Peter Hammill | Play | 04:01 | 9 MB | 0 MB |
| 7 | SunshinePeter Hammill | Peter Hammill | Play | 03:56 | 9 MB | 0 MB |
| 8 | ChildPeter Hammill | Peter Hammill | Play | 04:25 | 10 MB | 0 MB |
| 9 | Summer Song in the AutumnPeter Hammill | Peter Hammill | Play | 02:13 | 5 MB | 0 MB |
| 10 | VikingPeter Hammill | Peter Hammill | Play | 04:44 | 10 MB | 0 MB |
| 11 | The BirdsPeter Hammill | Peter Hammill | Play | 03:38 | 8 MB | 0 MB |
| 12 | I Once Wrote Some PoemsPeter Hammill | Peter Hammill | Play | 02:57 | 6 MB | 0 MB |
| 13 | Re-AwakeningPeter Hammill | Peter Hammill | Play | 04:01 | 9 MB | 0 MB |
| 14 | Summer Song in the AutumnPeter Hammill | Peter Hammill | Play | 02:13 | 5 MB | 0 MB |
| 15 | The BirdsPeter Hammill | Peter Hammill | Play | 03:38 | 8 MB | 0 MB |
| 16 | SunshinePeter Hammill | Peter Hammill | Play | 03:56 | 9 MB | 0 MB |
| 17 | HappyPeter Hammill | Peter Hammill | Play | 02:37 | 5 MB | 0 MB |
| 61 mins | 139 MB | |||||
| 0 mins | 0 MB | |||||
| Artist | Job | |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | John Anthony | Audio Production, Producer |
| 2 | Hugh Banton | Main Personnel, Organ, Piano |
| 3 | Kathy Bryan | Transfers |
| 4 | Robin Geoffrey Cable | Audio Engineer, Engineer |
| 5 | Rod Clements | Bass, Bass Instrument, Main Personnel, Violin |
| 6 | Guy Evans | Drums, Main Personnel, Percussion |
| 7 | Robert Fripp | Guitar (Electric), Main Personnel |
| 8 | Peter Hammill | Composer, Guitar (Acoustic), Liner Notes, Main Personnel, Piano, Primary Artist, Reissue Producer, Remastering, Vocals |
| 9 | Dave Jackson | Alto, Flute, Main Personnel, Saxophone, Tenor (Vocal) |
| 10 | Ray Jackson | Harp, Main Personnel, Mandolin |
| 11 | Nic Potter | Bass, Bass Instrument, Main Personnel |
| 12 | Martin Pottinger | Drums, Main Personnel |
| 13 | Phil Smee | Packaging |
| 14 | Paul Whitehead | Cover Design |
| 15 | Paul Whithead | Main Personnel, Tamtam |
| Quality | Format | Encoding | Description |
|---|---|---|---|
| Standard | MP3 | 320kps 44.1kHz | MP3 is an audio coding format which uses a form of lossy data compression. The highest bitrate of this format is 320kbps (kbit/s). MP3 Digital audio takes less amount of space (up to 90% reduction in size) and the quality is not as good as the original one. |