VDGG, why the world loves them or hates them?

BaldFriede wrote: First there is Hammill's voice, which is an acquired taste, and many will never like it. He really lives his songs, which make Hammill or VdGG concerts so very special.

I loved them from my first listen of Pawn Hearts, and that one is still my favorite of all their albums (though Still Life comes very close).  It's hard for me to explain why, because when I listen to Hammill sing I always think that it would be very easy to dislike the band because of his voice. And yet, I love it.  I love the lyrics, being mostly introspective angst ridden type stuff..........which is not too different from my own lyric writing.  The wild and sometimes cacophonous music really works for me (even though I'm a symph prog lover primarily, I've always enjoyed the more avante side of prog as well).  Honestly the lack of solos never really registered for me until other people pointed it out.  My own music always contains guitar solos (I'm a guitarist, after all ) , yet for some reason I never really notice the lack of it........though there is a good amount of acoustic guitar, and I assume the songs are mostly based on that since Hammill wrote 98% of the material.

The other thing is that VDGG just sounds SO 70's.  Even their 2000's albums!



 

rushfan4 wrote: ... I haven't acquired the taste yet.  I think it is partly that I don't like Hammill's voice.  I think that it is partly I don't like the saxophone playing at times when it sounds like they are strangling a cat.  And I think that the lack of guitar and solos is probably another big factor for me, since I come to prog from the hard rock/heavy metal arena, and thus I am probably addicted to the sound of the guitar.

Some of the songs on World record, Still life, Godbluff, H to he, Quiet zone are excellent. VDGG are a pretty fun witty band from 1975-1978. Enjoyable jazzy prog band. Their early 70s are more serious. H to he is very good. Pawn hearts is ok. Lighthouse keepers seems to drag on alot after the great first 5 minutes, but I find half the album to sound like filler. Man erg is the album highlight and theme one is a cool bonus track

I love them because of:

Edited by Moogtron III - July 15 2009 at 15:34

KingCrimson250 wrote: Honestly I think that a lot of the problems people have with VDGG stem from the fact that it is a very unorthodox way of doing music. Most of the prog bands of the 70s were Prog Rock bands, and even though they were very much progressive bands they had a fairly evident inheritance from straight-up rock as well. When you listen to Genesis and Yes there's a lot of complexity but also a number of moments that anyone can dig. It might take repeated listenings to really "get" an album but there are usually a few catchy, more straight-forward bits that lure you in until you reach that point. VDGG never really had those qualities. They haven't really really got any guitar at all, which is obviously a huge stroke against them in such a guitar-dominated medium. Also from what I've heard they generally seem to lack that ability to reel people in. There usually isn't a whole lot to "bait" the listener, as it were, or ease them in gently, but rather they're just plunged into a world of intensity and chaos, which can be quite intimidating to the casual listener. In short, I think the reason why VDGG is often disliked is because they are unapologetically anti-mainstream and really haven't got any interest in building bridges to make themselves more accessible. I love them, but it is very easy for me to see why other people wouldn't enjoy their music.

I think you are right, I can't think of many songs that "go easy" on the listener. There are a lot of things that can either turn you off of them or catch you instantly. If you happen to dig the saxophone (guilty) then it gives you something to hold on to until you are used to the rest, the same could be true  for the drums or keyboard, and to some people, Hammill's vocals, they are addicting after getting into VdGG.

I think they are one of  those bands that, if you do not like it after listening to a few records, you should leave alone for a while. You can't force yourself into liking them.

PROGMONSTER2008 wrote: Guitar isn't important. Not many bands have a nice guitar and style anyway. VDGG have several great melodies. If they had albums in 72, 73 and 74 and 78, 79 etc they'd probably be the best prog band ever imo. The only album i don't care much about is pawn hearts, but the other have some great tunes. Hamills voice is awesome and way better than Gabriels imo.

I'd disagree. Guitar is basically the hallmark of rock music; I'd say that it's an incredibly important factor, at least as far as people's tastes are concerned. I guess that was kind of the point of my post: VDGG aren't really a progressive rock band so much as they are just a progressive band. At least, in the earlier days. When you listen to albums like Still Life they've got a bit of a rockier, more mainstream feel (though still not much of one). I think that what you say makes sense if you're coming at it from a prog perspective, but I was thinking more of a "Why do people in general dislike VDGG? Why could they never match the popularity of their contemporaries?"

They do have some amazing melodies and upon repeated listenings probably have some of the catchiest vocals of any prog band, but I find it usually takes a couple of listens to get at them. Most of their melodies aren't things that grab the listener right away because he/she is too overwhelmed with what's going on to pick it out, or is too busy trying to compute Hammill's vocals. If you've listened to a fair bit of prog it might grab you at first but if you're coming from a less experienced angle you probably won't be able to take it in. Again this applies more to earlier stuff than later stuff. The anthemic Pilgrims, for example, might be the band's most accessible song, or at least one of them.

Oh I agree with you completely (except for Pawn Hearts... that one's brilliant, man ). They are by far one of the top prog acts out there IMHO. I just don't have any difficulty in understanding why most people wouldn't be fans.

KingCrimson250 wrote: Oh I agree with you completely (except for Pawn Hearts... that one's brilliant, man ). They are by far one of the top prog acts out there IMHO. I just don't have any difficulty in understanding why most people wouldn't be fans.

Agreed. While it is hard for me to understand how anyone couldn't like Genesis or Jethro Tull, I can completely understand why they wouldn't like VDGG or Gentle Giant. They are just completely off the wall compared to most pop/rock music.


Edited by Kestrel - July 16 2009 at 02:15

One of my favorite prog bands, its hard to say why one love em so much thire music is yust perfect for me, i got all thire album and they are all great, toghter with KC the ultimate prog band.