GODBLUFF

Van Der Graaf Generator is that kind of band you will probably not enjoy in the first place. This one in particular is a bit hard to get into but in time I learned to appreciate it at his true value. I don't consider it their best but it is a classic and has for sure that VDGG flavor and elegance I like.

We have 4 songs. All of them are good but the last one "The sleepwalkers" is probably the best and most inspired. It contains probably the most amusing piece of music ever written by VDGG sometime around third minute of the song. Being a sleepwalker is not amusing but I find that particular piece in the way I mentioned.

Another interesting fact here is the jazzy start up from the third song "Arrow". A bit unusual for them. Some great jazz fusion albums were already released at that time after their '75 reunion and must have had some influence on their songwriting approach. David Jackson is one of my favorite sax player from the progressive genre and this song has some really nice sax interludes. Peter Hammill's voice is great, unmistakable and theatrical as always. He is keeping the flag up on this one for sure.

The reason I don't give 5 stars for this one is that the songwriting didn't evolved as I would expect considering the big gap in between. As I mentioned there are some changes but pushing a little the boundaries would have been better.If you are not familiar with VDGG music than probably is not a good idea to start with this one. Some of their earlier release are more appropriate.