THEME ONE / W

As a big fan of Tommy Vance's "Friday Rock Show" I managed to track down this great piece of music eventually, i'm not sure how rare the single is today but i noticed neither track appears on any early VDGG albums on vinyl, though the two songs have managed to find their way onto remastered CD. After I obtained this single I checked out some early VDGG albums - "At Least..", "H to He" and "Pawn Hearts" hoping to find some more gems like this but was disappointed, as I remember feeling the albums were way over my head at the time, and nothing with the instant appeal of "Theme One".

According to the label, the instrumental track "Theme One" was written by George Martin, and starts with a swirling organ intro leading into the extremely catchy main theme, then building up to a crescendo of swirling mellotrons and organs, which I could describe as an aural firework display! Unfortunately a very short piece, though definitely no damp squib, something they could really have built upon as an extended album track. The 'B' side "W" drifts in with a much more relaxed atmosphere, and though Peter Hammill's interesting vocal style is reputedly an acquired taste generally, he seem very accessable on here. The song drifts around with some interesting atmospheric effects, with otherworldly flutes, piano and acoustic guitar.

An excellent little gem to any Prog collection - do I wanna sell it? - not on your nelly!

PS - this version is much better than the one on "The Box"!

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