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Van der Graaf Generator V
[September 1969 - August 1970]

xxx Personnel xxx
Name
 
Peter Hammill: voc, gtr, piano
Hugh Banton: kbds, bass, voc
David Jackson: sax, flute, voc
Guy Evans: drums, perc, voc
Nic Potter: bass, gtr
 
Guests:
Robert Fripp: gtr
Mike Hurwitz: cello
Gerry Salisbury: cornet
ex
 
VdGG IVb
VdGG IVb
Heebalob II
Misunderstood VI
Misunderstood VI
 
 
 
 
 
to
 
Van der Graaf Generator VIa
Van der Graaf Generator VIa
Van der Graaf Generator VIa
Van der Graaf Generator VIa
Peter Hammill II / Rare Bird III
 
 
King Crimson / VdGG VIa
[sessions]
Bakerloo, [sessions]

xxx Discography xxx
1970
1970
1970
The Least We Can Do Is Wave To Each Other
Refugees / The Boat Of Millions Of Years
H To He Who Am The Only One
Charisma
Charisma
Charisma
lp
single
lp

xxx History xxx

The Aerosol session eventually made them reform. Guy brought Nic along, and Peter hired David after hearing the Heebalob demo (Jon Anderson of Yes didn't like it, though!). They shared a flat in London and played and composed all day. Tony Stratton-Smith had recently put up his record company Charisma, and VdGG was one of the first bands to sign the new label. They recorded their first real album The Least We Can Do in four days in mid-December 1969. The first of the the classics! After its release they started touring heavily in England to promote the album.

During spring 1970 they met filmproducer Albert 'Cubby' Broccoli (of 007 fame) through Tony S.-S. and started recording loads of stuff for his film Eyewitness (also called Sudden Terror, directed by John Hough and starring Susan George). Most of the recordings were considered 'too sinister' and never used. Only a few of Jaxon's saxophone squeaks might be heard in the movie. There was no soundtrack-album and the recordings remain unreleased to this very day. Some elements might have inspired the making of A Plague Of Lighthouse Keepers (of 1971's Pawn Hearts), though. At least the title (clue: check the title of part one and three of A Plague!). [London-band Fairfield Parlour (called Kaleidoscope in the 60s) also provided music for the film and can to some bigger extent be heard in the filmscore.]

The next album H To He was recorded in between gigs. Nic left autumn 1970 after Killer, The Emperor In His War-room and Lost had been recorded. Nic: "It wasn't a case of musical differences. It was a desire to explore. But also, during the making of H To He, there was something about the music that freaked me out, and I felt I had to get out. It was just one of those odd things. I just sort of knew 'bang, I have to go... now'. So I left and that was that. I think in a way it was probably the right thing to do, because I was only seventeen, and in view of all the horrendous stuff that happened in Italy (see VdGG VIa), I'm not sure I would have been ready for that, age-wise." (Pilgrims no. 19)

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