Since bootleggers were fetching high prices for Van Der Graaf Generator rarities compilations from fans, VDGG leader Peter Hammill decided to compile ten of the best tracks and give them an official release.
Since some of the tracks were never even completed, some present-day overdubbing was required, but according to Hammill in the liner notes, "all dubbing was completed in nine hours, in order to stay true to the spirit of the venture." And although the listener is warned that these are not studio quality recordings, the overall sound is consistently good.
Besides, most of the people who would buy this album in the first place are the VDGG fanatics, who will be happy just to acquire this material.
Most of the material is worthwhile and deserves to be heard, such as "The Liquidator," "Rift Valley," and "Coil Night" (why these strong compositions were never put on an album is a mystery).
But a few tracks will test casual fans' patience, such as the overly long title song, which quotes musical phrases from the Christmas standard "Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer.".
| Title/Composers | Performer | Listen | Time | Size | Size | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | The Liquidator | Van der Graaf Generator | Play | 05:24 | 12 MB | 33 MB |
| 2 | Rift Valley | Van der Graaf Generator | Play | 04:40 | 10 MB | 29 MB |
| 3 | Tarzan | Van der Graaf Generator | Play | 02:09 | 4 MB | 15 MB |
| 4 | Coil Night | Van der Graaf Generator | Play | 04:13 | 9 MB | 27 MB |
| 5 | Time Vaults | Van der Graaf Generator | Play | 03:33 | 8 MB | 22 MB |
| 6 | Drift (I Hope It Won't) | Van der Graaf Generator | Play | 02:39 | 6 MB | 14 MB |
| 7 | Roncevaux | Van der Graaf Generator | Play | 06:57 | 15 MB | 43 MB |
| 8 | Faint and Forsaken | Van der Graaf Generator | Play | 02:46 | 6 MB | 19 MB |
| 9 | Black Room | Van der Graaf Generator | Play | 08:51 | 20 MB | 48 MB |
| 10 | It All Went Red | Van der Graaf Generator | Play | 04:07 | 9 MB | 30 MB |
| 45 mins | 103 MB | |||||
| 45 mins | 284 MB | |||||
| Artist | Job | |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Hugh Banton | Bass, Group Member, Organ |
| 2 | Guy Evans | Drums, Group Member |
| 3 | Peter Hammill | Bass, Editing, Group Member, Guitar, Mixing, Organ, Piano, Treatments, Vocals |
| 4 | David P. Jackson | Group Member, Piano, Saxophone |
| 5 | 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). |