H TO HE, WHO AM THE ONLY ONE

The rock effervescence of the late 60's and early 70's inspired many bands to express themselves incontinently, and the progressive side was a clear catalyst for this. Albums followed one after another, even within the same year. King Crimson with "In the Wake of Poseidon" and "Lizard" (1970), or Yes with "The Yes Album" and "Fragile" (1971), are a couple of examples of this. VDGG was no stranger to this contagious phenomenon, and after the release of "The Least We Can Do Is Wave to Each Other" at the beginning of 1970, they hit the road again towards the end of the same year with another fundamental work of their discography, "H To He, Who Am The Only One".

With their particular style, VDGG continues to experiment between the earthy and the fantastical, always with a deep somber look. As with the rabid "Killer", the story of the ruthless and troubled shark condemned to solitude by his own murderous nature, crudely narrated by Peter Hammill and accompanied by David Jackson's stormy saxophone; or the reflective "House With No Door", with Hammill's nostalgic whisper that towards the end becomes a lure; or the dark "The Emperor In His War-Room", and Hugh Banton's timeless Hammond.

But it doesn't stop there, "H To He, Who Am The Only One" reserves for the end two extensive instrumentally demanding themes: the sorrowful "Lost" a poem that develops between tension and despair, and the fictional "Pioneers Over C" that floats in the space between melodic harmony (the delicate acoustic guitars and keyboards, impeccable) and bewilderment (the detail of Jackson's hesitant and dysphonic saxophone abandoned to its fate in the middle of the song is only comparable to the Crimsonian ramblings of Robert Fripp).

A final not minor detail, the 2005 remastered edition includes the remarkable "Squid 1 / Squid 2 / Octopus", a huge gift from the "Pawn Hearts" recording sessions, accompanied by the interesting first version of The Emperor In His War- Room".

Excellent album.

4 stars