REPEAT PERFORMANCE

'Repeat Performance' is a compilation of Van Der Graaf Generator and was released in 1972. It belongs to a series of budget compilation albums issued by Charisma Records in 1980. 'Repeat Performance' comprises six tracks which were originally released on four studio albums of Van Der Graaf Generator and two tracks which were never released on any studio album of them. So, we have two tracks from their debut studio album 'The Aerosol Grey Machine', released in 1969, two tracks from their second studio album 'The Least We Can Do Is Wave To Each Other', released in 1970, one track from their third studio album 'H To He, Who Am The Only One', released also in 1970, one track from their fourth studio album 'Pawn Hearts', released in 1971 and two rare tracks previously unreleased on any studio album.

'Repeat Performance' has eight tracks. The first track 'Afterwards' was released on their debut studio album 'The Aeerosol Grey Machine'. This is a great opener to that album. It's a very simple and na've song, very beautiful, one of the most beautiful and simple songs composed by Hammill in his entire and fantastic musical career. It's one of the best tracks on that album. The second track 'Refuges' was released on their second studio album 'The Least We Can Do Is Wave To Each Other'. It represents the most sentimental moment on that album. This is a very beautiful song, very melodic and peaceful with a nice flute work by Jackson. It's a song that reminds me very much 'Running Back', the third track of their debut studio album 'The Aerosol Grey Machine'. This is one of the most beautiful songs ever written by Hammill. The version on this compilation is the single version. The third track 'Boat Of Millions Of Years' was never released on any studio album of them. It was written in 1970, the time when they released 'The Least We Can Do Is Wave To Each Other'. It was probably made to be part of that album but it was only included later on that album, as a bonus track. It was released as the B side of the single 'Refugees'. This isn't a bad song, but as a leftover, it doesn't represent one of their best moments. Still, it represents a great rarity. The fourth track 'W', as happened with 'Boat Of Millions Of Years', was never released on any studio album of them. 'W' was released as the B side of the single 'Theme One', in 1972. It was included later on 'Pawn Hearts' as a bonus track. It was probably made to be part of that album, as a bonus track. This is another leftover. It's a soft song with some interesting lyrics. Musically, it's a good song with atmospheric darkness and great vocals by Hammill. The fifth track 'White Hammer' was also released on their second studio album 'The Least We Can Do Is Wave To Each Other'. This is an intense dark song about the torture and the crimes of the Inquisition in the fifteenth century. It's a song dominated by powerful saxophone and great keyboard works with good dark lyrics. The music in the end is very aggressive, dissonant and disturbing, providing us a dramatic final. The sixth track 'Necromancer' was also released on their debut studio album 'The Aerosol Grey Machine'. It's a very bizarre, obscure and deep song with scary lyrics. This is a song with a superb Hammill's voice and with a good and melodic chorus. I think this is another very interesting song on that album. The seventh track 'The Emperor In His War- Room' was released on their third studio album 'H To He, Who Am The Only One'. It's a track divided into two parts: 'The Emperor' and 'The Room'. This is another very dark song, which is about the consequences of living a life of war and death and describes the act of a tyrant with torture and the dying of the emperor, with some very violent lyrics. It's the fear and aggression that speaks here. This is another brilliant piece of music with great lyrics and with a magnificent flute work by Jackson. Here we can listen to the guitar work of the master Robert Fripp who plays guitar as a guest as he also did on their next album 'Pawn Hearts'. The eight track 'Man-Erg' was released on their fourth studio album 'Pawn Hearts'. It's a track sung by Hammill in a more traditional way that is usual. This is a song with a beautiful piano introduction and is followed by Hammill's voice. On the track we can hear Banton's organ work accompanied by Evans' very expressive drumming, great Jackson's saxophones works and some very pretty acoustic and electric guitar works made by Hammill and Fripp. It's the most beautiful track on that album.

Conclusion: 'Repeat Performance' is the second compilation of Van Der Graaf Generator released in 1972, from what I know. The other was '68-71', already reviewed by me on Progarchives. Despite both have some common points, both are two really nice compilations from this band, indeed. They have some of the best tracks recorded by Van Der Graaf Generator that belong to their first musical phase, from 1969 to 1971, the period when they released their first four studio albums. Bu,t in the case of 'Repeat Performance', it still has an extra interest. I'm talking about the two previously unreleased tracks, at the time. Despite they aren't properly two of their best tracks, they're good and were almost unavailable till they were released as bonus tracks on the remastered versions of 'The Least We Can Do Is Wave To Each Other' and 'Pawn Hearts'. So, due to the quality of the tracks and of the two rare tracks, I give to it 3 stars.

Prog is my Ferrari. Jem Godfrey (Frost*)

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