SITTING TARGETS

Peter Hammill's tenth solo album sees him once again playing in the New-Wave style popular at the time and used on his late 70s work. Following the dissolution of his band 'Van Der Graaf Generater', Hammill's solo output had increased and this was one of many solo albums released during the 80s. People wanting something similar to Van Der Graaf Generater's material will be disappointed as all the gothic-prog for which they were known for is absent here. Instead, we have a far more aggressive, raw sound. The exception to this is 'Ophelia', this being one of Hammill's slower ballads. I won't go into detail about every track but I will just mention a few stand out tracks. I already mentioned 'Ophelia' being something of a slower ballad. This is one of the prettier songs of Hammill's output. Glue is the nearest to Van Der Graaf's well known gothic-prog sound but that is still quite a strenuous link. The title track is in a similar New-Wave vein to the rest of the album and so is pretty forgettable but still a good song. The stand out track for me is 'Sign'. It's not that different from anything else on the album but for someone reason it just appeals to me. The album then ends on two more tracks that are similar. Perhaps that's this albums weakness, it's all a bit samey. Hammill's vocals do add something extra as they are just so odd. His almost shouting on some tracks gives it raw edge that breaks it away from other New-Wave albums of the same time. The band Hammill palled together for this is impressive. Both Guy Evans (drums) and David Jackson (Sax, flute) return from Van Der Graaf. They are joined by Morris Pert and Phil Harrison who add Percussion and Synths. Together they create a very solid sound which doesn't falter throughout the whole album. However, this doesn't detract from the fact that it's difficult to listen this whole album without getting a little bored, particularly in the middle. There are some very good individual songs here, I've already mentioned 'Sign' and 'Ophelia', but they don't add up to make an all round interesting album. I would recommend for people who are interested in seeking to learn a little more about Peter Hammill's solo stuff and for those tracks just mentioned. However, it's not an essential buy.