VITAL

If any band could combine the raw emotive power of punk with the complexity, polish and bombast of progressive rock, it was Van Der Graaf generator. Nowhere was this more evident than on this brilliant live recording. Mix King Crimson or early Genesis with MC5 and you get the picture...almost. Words simply can not do this justice. Perhaps VDGG is an acquired taste, but if you have an open ear and an open mind give "Vital" a listen. I dare you to listen to "Pioneers Over C" or " A Plague of Lighthouse Keepers" and not be beguiled. Rather than simply try to reproduce the brilliance of their studio albums, they present a stripped down, rawer version of VdGG with all the complexity, power and darkness on display.