Somehow this combination made sense: a revised band (with Nic Potter returning on bass and the addition of Graham Smith, formerly of String Driven Thing, on violin) with a shortened name, and an album that was named twice, with different cover art for each name.
What also made sense was the focus on shorter songs and a change of musical attitude.
While Hammill could never entirely shake off his approach to songwriting, he was able to modify it somewhat.
Working with the new band, he was able to generate considerably more energy than on World Record.
"Lizard Play" and "Cat's Eye/Yellow Fever (Running)" are wonderfully gymnastic songwriting exercises, yet remain engaging by dint of their forcefulness.
Written and performed at the top of Hammill's game, this album is a delight.
| Title/Composers | Performer | Listen | Time | Size | Size | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Lizard PlayPeter Hammill | Van der Graaf Generator | Play | 04:28 | 10 MB | 31 MB |
| 2 | The Habit of the Broken HeartPeter Hammill | Van der Graaf Generator | Play | 04:36 | 10 MB | 30 MB |
| 3 | The Siren SongPeter Hammill | Van der Graaf Generator | Play | 06:06 | 13 MB | 40 MB |
| 4 | Last FramePeter Hammill | Van der Graaf Generator | Play | 06:17 | 14 MB | 42 MB |
| 5 | The WavePeter Hammill | Van der Graaf Generator | Play | 03:20 | 7 MB | 21 MB |
| 6 | Cat's Eye/Yellow Fever (Running)Peter Hammill, Graham Smith | Van der Graaf Generator | Play | 05:19 | 12 MB | 35 MB |
| 7 | The Sphinx in the FacePeter Hammill | Van der Graaf Generator | Play | 06:00 | 13 MB | 45 MB |
| 8 | Chemical WorldPeter Hammill | Van der Graaf Generator | Play | 06:10 | 14 MB | 45 MB |
| 9 | The Sphinx Returns | Van der Graaf Generator | Play | 01:17 | 2 MB | 8 MB |
| 43 mins | 99 MB | |||||
| 43 mins | 301 MB | |||||
| Artist | Job | |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Guy Evans | Drums |
| 2 | Peter Hammill | Composer, Guitar, Keyboards, Producer, Vocals |
| 3 | David Jackson | Keyboards, Wind |
| 4 | Nic Potter | Bass |
| 5 | Graham Smith | Composer, Keyboards, Violin, Vocals |
| 6 | Van der Graaf Generator | Primary Artist |
Van der Graaf Generator
| 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. |
| CD Quality | FLAC | 16bit 44.1kHz | FLAC is an audio coding format which uses lossless compression. Digital audio in FLAC format has a smaller size and retains the same quality of the original Compact Disc (CD). |