TRISECTOR

Being a big fan of VdGG, I had relatively high hopes for Trisector. Since it's almost four decades since the formation of the group, I don't expect a complete change or totally new soundscape. After all, who's to blame Mozart for sounding like Mozart? VdGG have the right to be faithful to their style.

Problem is, they do sound quite how they did, but with the exclusion of David Jackson's saxophones, the things that are left are their compositions, Peter Hammill's voice and lyrics. That's 25% off, and more. Only when he isn't there, I really do appreciate how huge, and important, Jackson's influence in the VdGG sound really is.

All other things still work quite well: Hammill is his old self. He isn't a remarkable guitar player, and probably is the first to admit that himself, but his singing is great and colourful in the best Hammillesque way. Hugh Banton and Guy Evans are as reliable as ever. The compositions, however, aren't of the high quality of the gone times. The opener The Hurlyburly is a meaningless Schlager ohne Worte, but there are some quite nice tries, as and Over The Hill. The latter wouldn't sound too out of place on some VdGG's album of the seventies.

I know I may sound a bit harsh here, but this album doesn't add to the high quality of Van Den Graaf Generator's overall fantastic output, and might as well have been left undone. Yet - I stress - it is not a bad album.