| | Van Der Graaf Generator Pawn Hearts CD Van Der Graaf Generator Discography of CDs
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Van Der Graaf Generator includes: Hugh Banton, Guy Evans, Peter Hamill, David Jackson.
Additional personnel: Robert Fripp (electric guitar).
Van Der Graaf Generator's third album, Pawn Hearts was also its second most popular; at one time this record was a major King Crimson cult item due to the presence of Robert Fripp on guitar, but Pawn Hearts has more to offer than that. The opening track, "Lemmings," calls to mind early Gentle Giant, with its eerie vocal passages (including harmonies) set up against extended sax, keyboard, and guitar-driven instrumental passages, and also with its weird keyboard and percussion interlude, though this band is also much more contemporary in its focus than Gentle Giant. Peter Hammill vocalizes in a more traditional way on "Man-Erg," against shimmering organ swells and Guy Evans' very expressive drumming, before the song goes off on a tangent by way of David Jackson's saxes and some really weird time signatures -- plus some very pretty acoustic and electric guitar work by Hammill himself and Fripp. The monumental "Plague of Lighthouse Keepers," taking up an entire side of the LP, shows the same kind of innovation that characterized Crimson's first two albums, but without the discipline and restraint needed to make the music manageable. The punning titles of the individual sections of this piece (which may have been done for the same reason that Crimson gave those little subtitles to its early extended tracks, to protect the full royalties for the composer) only add to the confusion. As for the piece itself, it features enough virtuoso posturing by everyone (especially drummer Guy Evans) to fill an Emerson, Lake & Palmer album of the same era, with a little more subtlety and some time wasted between the interludes. The 23-minute conceptual work could easily have been trimmed to, say, 18 or 19 minutes without any major sacrifices, which doesn't mean that what's here is bad, just not as concise as it might've been. But the almost operatic intensity of the singing and the overall performance also carries you past the stretches that don't absolutely need to be here. The band was trying for something midway between King Crimson and Genesis, and came out closer to the former, at least instrumentally. Hammill's vocals are impassioned and involving, almost like an acting performance, similar to Peter Gabriel's singing with Genesis, but the lack of any obviously cohesive ideas in the lyrics makes this more obscure and obtuse than any Genesis release. ~ Bruce Eder
Additional Tracks
Mojo (Publisher) (5/02, p.64) - "...Grotesque, deranged, a classic and an essential purchase..." Van Der Graaf Generator Pawn Hearts Songs Pawn Hearts Music Review Average Rating: (4.2 out of 5 stars)   List All Reviews Masterpiece
This is with no doubt one of the 70s prog rock masterpiece. The remastered version sounds like heaven and I am pretty sure that this is one of the best remastered CDs that I've ever heard. The bonus tracks worth the purchase, not counting the three master pieces. Lighthouse Keepers is along with Supper's Ready my favorite suite from the prog rock golden era.
Submitted by raul2bonilla (San José, Costa Rica) 
Was This Review Helpful? Yes No 3 of 3 found this helpful.
I'm with Herb - it's a masterpiece made even better!
Jeff is certainly entitled to his opinion, but I have to wonder if we are listening to the same remaster...I am ecstatic about the sound on mine!
In my 35+ years of musical listening, collecting and playing, Pawn Hearts has been the only album, out of many thousands that I've owned & heard, that I've ever called my favorite - to me, it's the finest example of what rock (and music, for that matter) can be. So it's important to me to "get the word out" here.
I couldn't wait for the USA release of this gem (scheduled on Caroline Records for 10/04/05, by the way), so I purchased the import, knowing I would pay more - and it was worth it. It's like renewing a deep friendship after many years of absence.
Having owned the original USA vinyl, UK vinyl and UK CD, I can say with confidence that this is, by far, the best sound quality of the bunch. Like Herb, I am hearing things I've never heard before (after G-d knows how many listenings over 34 years!). The "die-out" on the cymbals and piano are awesomely restored - they sound like you're in the room with them. All the other versions sound as if the band were playing behind a wall of cotton compared to this.
Van der Graaf relied on bass pedals instead of electric bass, so, yes, the bass sound can be a bit "boomy" at times, but this release balances that out better than all the other versions put together.
Considering this album was originally recorded in 1971, I am awed at how clear and balanced this CD sounds - and I'm overjoyed to have my fave restored in such a way. Thank you, PH!
Submitted by Leo F. (Houston, TX)
Was This Review Helpful? Yes No 1 of 1 found this helpful. Matter of Opinion
First and foremost, the orginal Charisma/Buddah vinyl pressing of this album was a classic example of how bad cheap pressings could be. So comparisons to the original are moot. The album on this CD was remastered by Mr. Peter Hammill himself. It's a sonic maelstorm and sounds absolutely to eleven. There's detail that I've never noticed before, and a low end that really accentuates Banton's bass pedals. Yes, it's over the top, yes, it's loud and yes it's digital. But the CD is also Van Der Graaf Generator, and I'd expect nothing less from them. Great packaging and liner notes courtesy Mark Powell, and an album side's worth of bonus tracks that were never released before.
Submitted by Herb Atlas (Chicago, IL)
Was This Review Helpful? Yes No 1 of 1 found this helpful. Horn Parts By Another Name
"Pawn Hearts" is a massive exploration into existential themes hardly ever probed into in great detail at the time. It seems a shame that "Pawn Hearts" was successful mainly in Italy...where it went to number one...but was ignored for the most part elsewhere. Peter Hamill proved himself an adept lyricist and philosopher (if you will) and the instrumentalists (Dave Jackson, Hugh Banton, Guy Evans, and Robert Fripp) perfected an oddly appealing and terrifying set of diamonds, the edginess further amplified by the sparse guitar and overabundance of keyboards and saxophones. The original three lengthy pieces are progressive rock at its most compelling and innovative. "Pawn Hearts" belongs in every prog rock fan's collection but, as a crucial caveat, don't listen to it after dark with the lights out.
Submitted by Will-T (Lawrenceburg IN)
Was This Review Helpful? Yes No The best of the best !!!
Without question,Hammill,Banton,Evans& Jackson (w/R.Fripp)are the best incarnation of V.D.G.G.and this is their best effort made better by this remastering.Banton's keyboards & Jackson's horn work sound incredible behind "The Jimi Hendrix of vocals"* P.Hammill.This disc is a must for any fan of the British Art Rock bands.
*R. Fripp
Submitted by D.R. Smith (Baltimore MD, USA)
Was This Review Helpful? Yes No 0 of 1 found this helpful. List All Reviews | Have you heard this album? |  |
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