PRESENT

It's taken me an age to get around to reviewing this record. The reason for this is quite simple I didn't want to do a knee jerk job on it. Frankly when I first got the CD home I was very disappointed by the music. However I had felt the same when Godbluff came out, only for it to grow on me. The trouble is Present hasn't, if anything it is more disappointing today as when I first played it. To me it sounds exactly like a Peter Hammill record and lacks the polished finish of a proper VDGG set. It sounds rushed and half finished. The Jams disk is simply awful with only a few interesting moments. I cannot understand what all the fuss is about. I would have described myself as a very big fan of VDGG but this record doesn't seem to be a band effort at all despite the credits. Peter Hammill has been less inspired for at least 15 years and this record seems to be more about putting money away for retirement than a restating of the very real musical passion that used to make this group so good. The best track is the instrumental otherwise there is nothing here that comes close to their best work. Trisector is another story though and is far stronger but that's another story.