WORLD RECORD

It is a true world record, creating three albums within a span of eighteen months. The idiosyncratic British band Van Der Graaf Generator (VDGG) achieved this feat with the albums "Godbluff","Still Life" and "World Record" around '75-'76. Moreover, all these albums have become classics within the progressive genre.

After this productive but primarily creative period, saxophonist Jackson and organist Banton left the band, making "World Record" the last album in the classic VDGG lineup consisting of Peter Hammill, Hugh Banton, David Jackson and Guy Evans. Under the shortened name Van Der Graaf, the band continued for a few more years with a rough-er, guitar-oriented sound, but the magic of the past was no longer there. That is extremely unfortunate because "World Record" is a phenomenal record that deserved an equally sensational successor.

"World Record" overwhelms you and as always with VDGG, the music either speaks to you or repulses you. "World Record" is a hurricane of persuasion. If you are open to it, hold on tight because the five songs here will truly blow you away. Not so much with physical force but with an unprecedented wealth of creativity.

The creative points lie in Hammill's immense voice and the interplay between the organ and saxophone. Hammill sways from emotion to emotion, from grand to subtle, from tender to raging. The saxophone plays highly thematic parts that are so different from the norm. At times punctuated, at others extended, but always full of expression. This is not a case of randomly throwing in a saxophone. In my opinion, this is the ultimate saxophone playing. Banton's organ playing is like a Siamese twin linked to the saxophone, both supporting and playing alongside each other. One cannot exist without the other, a perfect symbiosis.

The A-side (and why should we stop talking about an A-side and a B-side with an album of such a title) consists of three songs dominated by vocals and the organ-saxophone combination. These songs, When She Comes, A Place To Survive and Masks, each deserve to be played on repeat. They bear some resemblance to each other. They all start relatively calmly and evolve into mid-tempo songs with strong themes and plenty of resolving organ chords that guarantee the typical VDGG atmosphere. However, I feel that "World Record" shines a bit brighter than its predecessors.

In When She Comes the keys take on a triumphant edge and Jackson delivers a satisfying solo. At one point Hammill introduces the piano which shifts the atmosphere. The theme of A Place To Survive is joyously repeated by the saxophone at 2:51 minutes. The enthusiasm bursts forth. It comes across quite accessible. The same cannot be said for the cacophonic minutes at the end of this song. On the other hand, Masks is the mildest of the three. It was released as a single back then for a reason, although the song also carries an unmistakable VDGG signature in terms of complexity.

The electric guitar only assumes a significant role in the fourth song: the twenty-minute-long Meurglys III (The Songwriter's Guild). By that time, in the era of LPs, the album would have already been flipped. This album lacks a bass guitar, but there is no cause for concern. The foot pedals that Banton has extracted from his modified organ are top- notch and with Guy Evans being such an infectious drummer, the foundation leaves nothing to be desired. Even the reggae rhythm towards the end of Meurglys III is acceptable. It is astonishing how the band creates an enjoyable piece of music here. Attention is drawn to Hammill's guitar antics and although he knows how to strike the right chord, he is far from a guitar god. No, let Hammill stick to singing because he can do that in an impressively remarkable way. Just listen to the beautiful Wondering, co-written by Banton. Hammill's falsetto is chilling, incredibly chilling. Banton, who comes from an organist background, showcases his skill in this song with pastoral chord progressions.

David Jackson also makes a significant contribution to the beauty of this song with his flute. At times, I can't help but be reminded of Genesis' I Know What I Like, but no, Van Der Graaf Generator is an entirely unique band and on "World Record", it is at most a bit of a copy of itself.

Van Der Graaf Generator has influenced many and an album like "World Record" has not gone unnoticed by me as a prog-obsessed teenager. Especially the saxophone work of Mr. Jackson has been a guiding thread in my development as a novice amateur saxophonist. It goes without saying that I awarded this album a gold medal back then.

Originally posted on www.progenrock.com

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