VdGG Profile: Van der Graaf Generator IVb

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VdGG Profile

Van der Graaf Generator IVb [Late July - August 1969]
Personnel
Name Peter Hammill: voc, gtr, kbds Hugh Banton: kbds, voc Guy Evans: drums Keith Ellis: bass Guest: Jeff Peach: flute Gordian Troeller: vocals John Anthony: vocals Ines ?: vocals Nick ?: vocals Sheila ?: vocals	ex VdGG IVa VdGG IVa VdGG IVa VdGG IVa VdGG I	to VdGG V VdGG V Misunderstood VI Juicy Lucy I [VdGG and PH manager]

Discography
1969	Aerosol Grey Machine	US Mercury	lp

History

Peter Hammill planned a studio session for a solo album. He brought along 3 finished songs and his old pals. After 6 hours of rehearsals, 12 hours of recording and 8 hours of mixing, they had finished 9 songs. Along with Afterwards and Necromancer recorded the previous January, the The Aerosol Grey Machine was completed. Before it was released (in Nov. 1969), Stratton Smith had persuaded Mercury to free PH from the rotten contract signed one and a half years earlier. In return the album was released under the VdGG banner. The band had after all some reputation in Britain in contrast to PH. But at first it was only released in the USA where VdGG was as unknown as PH and consequently the sales were low. It was imported to the UK in some quantity, though, and eventually released in Europe.

In 1997 we were blessed with two different CD versions of the album. The German Repertoire version includes Necromancer but not Squid. The single by VdGG III was added as bonus tracks. A little later the album was released by PH's Fie! It comprises the complete Aerosol sessions, taken from the master tapes, including both Necromancer, Giant Squid and the previously unreleased early version of Ferret & Featherbird (later to surface on PH's 1974 album In Camera).

The foursome might also have recorded a BBC session on 26 August. A mystery!