AND CLOSE AS THIS

Not one of Hammill's best known albums and not mentioned among his greats usually either, but a real "hidden gem" if you like. In fact I have recently rediscovered this cd lying at the back of a cupboard having forgotten about it for five or six years, and it was a pleasure to find that it is much greater than I remember it (not that I disliked it), but over time other albums get purchased and others forgotten.

A strangeish album in that it is taken in one complete run through (one pass of the hands, as Hammill himself called it), just voice and piano, with virtually no overdubs, maybe a bit of synth here and there, and it gives you a feeling of Hammill live.

It has all the Hammill trademarks, impassioned playing (even if it is just piano), strong lyrics, beautiful melodies, interspersed with the impassioned singing are some truly remarkable songs, which are normally overlooked when talking about Hammill's canon.

Strongest songs in my opinion are the opener Too Many of My Yesterdays, along with Empire of Delight, Beside the One You Love and Other Old Cliches, which mix the parts mentioned memorably, that's not too say the others are weak, no way, Silver and Confidence are sung with gusto and, funnily enough, confidence and a beautiful lullaby Sleep Now is sung to his children at the end.

So probably not essential to a proggers collection but certainly worth purchasing if you are into Hammill, and, hey it's just been digitally remastered, so maybe I'll buy it again myself.