Van Der Graaf Generator - A Plague Of Lighthouse Keepers (HQ)

[@ilanlilo9423]

“I don’t want to hate,I just want to grow; why can't I let me live and be free?..but I die very slowly alone. I know no more ways, I am so afraid, myself won't let me just be myself and so I am completely alone..”no more say,VDGG in one of the great textual and musical climax of the 20th century!!! Peter Hammill is one of the gifted and musical genius ever

[@leonardocapponi7131]

Am I the only one that can't make it to the end without crying? This is one of my favorite tracks of all time, the lyrics and the music are just so powerful and emotional, and they also hit closely to me. Peter Hammill is one of the greatest musicians of all time and him having almost not recognition at all feels so wrong

[@ПигляСвантесон]

Same emotions here❤

[@neilparnell967]

Better to have recognition from a small band of diehard acolytes than from millions of fairweather butterflies that flit from flower to flower.

[@karimebutte3628]

You are not the only one...

[@philseida5238]

Same Here as well. The Human Emotion if there ever was one😢

[@monicafortin1641]

Nono non sei affatto da solo!

[@enzogalli5506]

un vero autentico CAPOLAVORO!!! Peter Hammill un genio con una voce unica e incredibile, una creatività immensa e i VDGG un gruppo STRAORDINARIO!!!

[@ettorealbertogelli8893]

SIIII!!!

[@alistairdrumbeat183]

I genuinely think this is the best track of all time. I have listened to so much in the past fifty years, yet I still come back to this track. It is epic.

[@tomt5745]

Epic is just the foreword. It is a monster :)

[@garri5108]

Listen to more music

[@alistairdrumbeat183]

@@garri5108 I listen to music 10 hours a day. I have seen every big band except The Doors. How much more do you want me to listen to?

[@garri5108]

@@alistairdrumbeat183 then how this song (really good song btw) is your favorite ? Really the best song? Seems strange to me. Either you are biased or listened not so many songs.

[@alistairdrumbeat183]

@@garri5108 I love all types of rock. From the Allman Bros to ZZ Top, Floyd & ELP to Porcupine Tree & the Pineapple Thief. Greenslade & Wishbone Ash to Tool & Frumpy. I could carry on.

[@raybrown2608]

I love the 'first time hearing' and 'How did I miss this' comments, gives me hope for music. I've been listening to this for 45 years, most of my friends didn't have the attention span for it, so mostly I listened whilst I was "COMPLETELY ALONE!"......

[@The-Autistic-Rat]

I got most of my family and friends listening to these guys after first hearing them about a year ago, there's hope lol

[@jamie49868]

You are correct. It's not a party album, better alone so you can just enjoy it without interruption.

[@Fittyshow]

Yea.... so sad that ppl are so retarded. This and moon. In June by soft machine are my favorites songs but i can hardly think about a single person capable of enjoying them

[@raybrown2608]

@@Fittyshow Daevid Allen comes to mind as another "hard sell" with my friends. His album Good Morning is a fave.

[@neilparnell967]

As it should be done. In the spirit of solidarity with all other lone lighthouse keepers. All things are a part.

[@KRATOSLIVES22]

Still waiting for my saviour Storms tear me limb from limb My fingers feel like seaweed I'm so far out, I'm too far in I am a lonely man My solitude is true My eyes have borne stark witness And now, my nights are numbered, too I've seen the smiles on dead hands The stars shine, but they're not for me I prophesy disaster And then, I count the cost I shine but, shining, dying I know that I am almost lost On the table, lies blank paper And my tower is built on stone I only have blunt scissors I only have the bluntest home I've been the witness and the seal of death Lingers in the molten wax that is my head When you see the skeletons Of sailing-ship spars sinking low You'll begin to wonder if the points of all the ancients myths Are solemnly directed straight at you No time now for contrition The time for that's long past The walls are thin as tissue And if I talk, I'll crack the glass So, I only think on how it might have been Locked in silent monologue, in silent scream I am much too tired to speak And as the waves crash on the bleak Stones of the tower, I start to freak And find that I am overcome "Unreal, unreal", ghost helmsmen scream And fall in through the sky Not breaking through my seagull shrieks No breaks until I die The spectres scratch on window-slits Hollowed faces and the mindless grins Only intent on destroying what they've lost I crawl the wall 'til steepness ends In the vertical fall My pain has sailed into the sea No joking hopes at dawn White bone shine in the iron-jaw mask Lost mastheads pierce the freezing dark And parallel my isolated tower No paraffin for the flame No harbour left to gain "Alone, alone", the ghosts all call Pinpoint me in the light The only life I feel at all Is the presence of the night (Would you cry if I died?) (Would you cry if I died?) Would you catch the final words of mine? Would you catch my words? I know that there's no time I know that there's no rhyme (false signs find me) I don't want to hate I just want to grow Why can't I let me live and be free? But I die very slowly alone I know no more ways I am so afraid Myself won't let me just be myself And so I am completely alone The maelstrom of my memory Is a vampire and it feeds on me Now, staggering madly Over the brink, I fall Lighthouses might house the key But can I reach the door? I want to walk on the sea So that I may better find a shore But how can I ever keep my feet dry? I scan the horizon I must keep my eyes on All parts of me Looking back on the years It seems that I have lost my way Like a dog in the night, I have run to a manger Now, I am the stranger I stay in All of the grief I have seen Leaves me chasing solitary peace But I hold experience in my head I'm too close to the light I don't think I see right For I blind me Where is the God that guides my hand? How can the hands of others reach me? When will I find what I grope for? Who is going to teach me? I am me, me are we, we can't see Any way out of here Crashing sea, atrophied history Chance has lost my Guinevere I don't want to be one wave in the water But sea will drag me deep One more haggard drowned man I can see the lemmings coming But I know I'm just a man Do I join or do I founder? Which can is the best I may? Oceans drifting sideways I am pulled into the spell I feel you around me I know you well Stars slice horizons Where the lines stand much too stark I feel I am drowning Hands stretch in the dark Camps of panoply and majesty What is freedom of choice? Where do I stand in the pageantry? Whose is my voice? It doesn't feel so very bad now I think the end is the start Begin to feel very glad now All things are a part All things are apart All things are a part

[@splabbity]

The way the song portrays loneliness and regret slowly eating you is perfect.

[@Mel_ilm]

Work of genius. Just like all great music, this will never get old.

[@Burt472]

Agreed

[@ettorealbertogelli8893]

Agreed

[@richardhodges992]

When you grew up with this music your mind was changed forever---for the better

[@rickg2683]

It took three engineers to master this masterpiece, and one Peter H to dream it up. Advanced genius

[@123agidee_2]

This is so groundbreaking for 1971

[@neilparnell5712]

Still is !

[@lucasgarcia-lm4pr]

Es una locura!!! Hay de todo acá. SpaceRock sobretodo.

[@marisaelenenadiejamusiccom3974]

I don’t know words describe this artistic masterpiece

[@jossuemartinez6875]

All that remains is to enjoy it.

[@saskiakroonsberg]

During times of dispair or grief I always return to this song. It comforts me.

[@flannelsykes0]

All things are apart

[@neilparnell5712]

As do I and being a VdGG fanatic I understand completely. To anyone else you would appear as mad as the lighthouse keeper in his strange sources of comfort. What do they know ?

[@WocklessGamingforAnimeMoms]

I don't understand at all,this shit is distressing as fuck lol. I fucking love it though. Super brutal sounding. You can tell these guys both really did understand and care about music theory and also really were quite nerdy with the fantasy/sci-fi stuff but it all comes together in this way that feels surreal and glistening and almost alien which I would say most good progressive rock does. It's a wild intense and incredibly articulated ride with virtual no sexual themes and tons of psychological subtext which stands in stark contrast to much of more commercial music even if these bands oftentimes did actually end up being quite financially and commercially successful at times.

[@neilparnell5712]

@@WocklessGamingforAnimeMoms You certainly do understand Sir and seem very well suited to ''Keeperdom'' evermore to return to the Epic that is unlistenable to mere humans. Welcome aboard.

[@max-hy1fm]

I've been listening to this song for over 40 years but when he sings "the parallels...." at 7:59, I still get the chills

[@pegjames188]

Me too

[@tomt5745]

amen to that

[@emilyaversa1327]

the most sophisticated, literate rock band of all time.

[@flyingspaguettmonster8738]

You fucking right, they sound like nobody else as well

[@antonismanis5649]

I mean yeah. But there is Genesis too!

[@123letsgopokemon]

and King Crimson

[@JohnShadeLIVES]

And CARDIACS!

[@Eduheep]

Gentle Giant is the more sophisticated of all!

[@deadmanwithpitchforkarms8376]

11:01-11:09 and 11:17-11:24 are some of the craziest vocal lines I ever heard!

[@jackal59]

For me, it's 17:48 and "One more haggard DROWNED MAN...." Well, and everything else after that.

[@Schwertfisch13]

Playing this section on the electric guitar is awesome

[@carlosmiguel-ld4rz]

I always loved that part!

[@prosoloist]

surely I have heard those sections many times over the past 43ish years. Waiting to see what parts they are. I just paused it at about 10:38 ("would you cry if i died" whisper) so I am guessing it's the "UNREAL UNREAL..ghost helmsmen sream" part or whatever he says ;) EDIT --- no, I was wrong ;)

[@jonathanhenderson9422]

That key change at 12:15 is just brilliant. The song had already been building up so much tension and longing before then, a desire to resolve, to find some kind of hope and optimism, and that change just instantly launches it into abyssal nightmare territory. Considering the song is about a lighthouse keeper going mad, that's about as affective a musical means of conveying that as I could imagine anyone inventing. HP Lovecraft would be proud.

[@mauroscaravelli1197]

Un capolavoro senza tempo...ha corollato l' intera mia vita. Dalle prime note dell' intro...fino al finale ' epico' con un Robert Fripp sublime .

[@Narcissa_XX]

scrolling until i see particular individuals from a particular community of scholars who all recently endured a great amount of pain at the hands of this very song (i will not elaborate until 24 hours have passed like a good kid)

[@channpreetkular680]

im still crying internally

[@danielvesga2836]

Pain will we endure, community or not, we still suffer, we will bond.

[@ottocastillo8891]

The least we can do is wave to each other.

[@teresaribeiro9886]

I'm sorry but I don't understand what you mean, maybe because I'm from Portugal. What happened?

[@iminagonizingpaincenturiesago]

elaborate? please

[@brianparks2039]

This track, along with Supper’s Ready, Close to the Edge, Thick as a Brick, Song of Scheherazade, I just have no words for the experience, I love this shit, this is all I listen to, I should have been born in the 50’s.

[@SaladPizzaRestaurant]

I am actually glad that I was born in 2002 because I can easily listen to all the great old bands and also all the great new bands like Sigh, Opeth and Porcupine tree

[@axelord4ever]

Pawn Hearts isn't my favorite VDGG album, lyrics-wise (that would be Still Life) but this is still pretty high up the ladder.

[@johnroberts3723]

Apparently prof is thinking mans music!.

[@PAULLONDEN]

*@Brian Parks* There was nothing funny to have been born post second world war. The few musicians who managed to put their anguish into art were few and far between .....the most of us were condemned for the treadmill or sought relief in opiates.

[@Fittyshow]

AlSo moon in June 🌙

[@fernandomarques3064]

Superb work of Peter Hammill and the likes. A stunning voice carrying all the necessary emotion (as if you were there in the lighthouse). The reeds are incredible for Jackson interacts with Evans´s drums and ALL the keys, like it was the last thing he had to say in his life . To top all of this, only one of the most inspired poems you can find in a prog-rock composition. To think that this has seen the light in 1972!!! is absolutelly stunning. The end of this masterpiece is, by far, the most compelling and inspired they have ever done. Back then, the first time I heard this in 1972, I was speachless; I still get goosebumps in the present. Enjoy!

[@vdggmouse9512]

1971.

[@asmallwhitedog0479]

First time I heard this was my first week in collage, 1977. It just gets better, and never old. Amazing piece.

[@RetroVzqz9313]

The Mellotron at the end alone in this is beyond demented Pretty sure that's a mix of some truly creative playing And some very crafty edits And with how hard it is to pull anything tuneful out of one those temperamental proto synths, just shows the skill and mastery on display here Truly a twisted prog masterwork for the ages Sublime

[@BoRaXiN72]

Regular humans cant create such masterpiece. They are either above-human or aliens...

[@tripittidy3815]

I can guarantee you that Van Der Graaf Generator have transcended humankind

[@BoRaXiN72]

Approved

[@quollosuru]

Peter Hammill is a alien

[@BoRaXiN72]

@@quollosuru Approved

[@vasilislakerdas]

​@@tripittidy3815❤

[@ArenaNath]

Una de las mejores canciones que el rock progresivo ha dispuesto a nuestros oídos.

[@richardhouse9813]

8 mins 20 to 10 mins 30 - one of the most beautiful 2 minutes in the history of rock music. Hammill the incomparable.

[@custodioguimaraes9981]

And Robert Fripp is the (guest) guitarist on this trippy album!

[@micheleocchialini]

70s prog rock gave us stuff like in the court of the crimson king, fragile, n other good albums but the dark painted in this album is amazing. best of prog rock

[@micheleocchialini]

yeah! first of all CAN , they are wonderful but i think that krautrock is not so similar to prog rock

[@Joe-ut3sz]

@@micheleocchialini Court was 60's

[@micheleocchialini]

@@Joe-ut3sz true, it was october '69 if i remember right, so not properly but practically 70's

[@Joe-ut3sz]

@@micheleocchialini Yeah. Recording started June, so exactly half a century ago the boyz were dishing out some sassy flute solos

[@micheleocchialini]

@@Joe-ut3sz Yeah, amazing! im gonna see them next week at Palmanova btw

[@waitingforwonderland6036]

I remember the first time hearing this song the 16:36 part scared the shit out of me!

[@Hal9000ize]

Sounds like a dalek

[@waitingforwonderland6036]

@@Hal9000ize agreed

[@alexpieri9926]

absolutely a masterpiece ......the best suite of prog with "echoes" of pinky,"tarkus" of Elp ,"moon in June " of Wyatt n "Valentyne Suite" of Colosseum after me ....

[@giovannigrazzini7786]

Vero Ascolta anche "Good Bluff" del 1976 circa 4 anni dopo

[@elisabettaclemente7258]

godbluff...

[@Fildoggy]

dont forget suppers ready

[@gavv9457]

"Lizard" of King Crimson

[@YouCantDeleteDenzelL]

Bruce Dickinson brought me here. Holy shit, this song is absolutely extraordinary and unlike anything ever. It's basically manic episode put to music. It's pure depressive, disturbing insanity and I love it. It stays with you from the very first listen.

[@riccardomatteini1472]

Scott Baldwin Did you read his autobiography?

[@YouCantDeleteDenzelL]

@@riccardomatteini1472 yep! That's how I'm here.

[@YouCantDeleteDenzelL]

You can also hear where the majority of Bruce's vocal influences come from here! Especially the high notes about 10 minutes in.

[@waitingforwonderland6036]

agreed

[@BaldJean]

Bruce Dickinson actually was at the reunion concert of Van der Graaf Generator on May 6th 2005 at the Royal Festival Hall in London.

[@GeorgePiazza]

Finally - I 1st heard this song in 1984 when I went to my high school friend's house to form my prog rock band. I never forgot the hooky triplet part. But years later, he couldn't recall the song, even after I hummed it to him - & he was the Hammill - Van der Graaf expert.. Well now I know.. 34 years later!

[@robertoavila5024]

Despues de medio siglo de lo mejor del rock progresivo. Por siempre van der graaf generator! Saludos desde Mexico.

[@atlasparis3702]

Que obra de Arte, primera vez que escucho está canción (2021) y me está volando la cabeza. Genial!!!

[@MarioMendezCaldeira]

Bienvenido al Rock Progresivo

[@jayechristian9697]

Absolute masterpiece

[@laredolenny682]

Hello all. Well, I've read most of your comments. It's still 2020. I was introduced to Van Der Graaf Generator by Allison Steele from WNEW - FM in NYC many years ago. I think it was 1973. It was 72 or 73. I've gotten to see them Live as well. I know people like to say; Bowie, Lou Reed and Iggy Pop are the magic triangle. And, I DO agree to some degree. I always felt Peter Hammill, Roy Harper and Peter Gabriel were the same way. This does remind me of Henry Cow/Slapp Happy to a degree. VDGG were very under rated. I fell into Prog about 1974. Sabbath and Zep were my mainstay's previously to that. The Canterbury Scene, VDGG, Early Genisis, Hawkwind, and a host of others, Soft Machine, and others, Blood Rock, so many make up my Record collection. I stopped listening to commercial Radio around 1977. It was only College radio after that. Or, I'd just go buy more Albums. Nektar, Kraftwerk, Crimson, Eno, and so on. I back tracked from album sleeves. They used to advertise other Bands on the sleeves. So, I just started buying albums based on that. Fusion is good too. Peter Hammill is really a Genius. They all are that contributed to the musics we so dearly love. Be well. Peace.

[@vintagerumors]

Every time I see the album cover I click and think 'ok I just listen the beginning' but then I can no longer detach myself from it till the end

[@Fittyshow]

This and moon in June by SM are the best prog songs ever. YeAh also crimson king etc but these 2 are just pure musical poetry

[@leonakita]

Hammill, Jackson, Evans with an awesome dose of Fripp = MAGNIFICENCE !!

[@leonakita]

The Fripp epic sustain slowly drifts in at 20:20... hitting hard at 21:15! Enjoy...and thanks for uploading this awesome work.

[@leonakita]

The final movement begins at 19:13, entitled : 'We Go Now'

[@leonakita]

maybe 19:14

[@leonakita]

my bad... 20:20 is synth keys but totally sets the tone for where things are going at 21:15 with Fripp's treated sustained guitar work.

[@leonakita]

my bad...BANTON too !

[@giuseppeliucci5340]

So many feelings in one song..

[@АндрейЦуркаленко-и8ч]

I`m so in love with this band, you just can`t run away from reality listening to it. That`s real art, what it should be!

[@charlotte.sometimes]

All time favorite.

[@HammondDER]

There are many bands that performed more harmonically, rhythmically etc. sophisticated music, more beautiful and even music after all, but there is no band with such psycho power, with such extreme ability to astound and give goosebumps...

[@michaelsalisbury1477]

Brilliant masterpiece of prog.

[@hervemertes2524]

au delà de tout ce qui existe........au delà de la musique.....l'expression du génie....

[@tomt5745]

Absolutely amazing. This piece is beyond description

[@barakcohen3612]

Think ! P.H was only 23 when this was created .. just mind-boggling masterpiece chiseling the depths of my soul .

[@neilparnell5712]

True. 23 years old, 23 minutes long, so is 23 a new magic number ?

[@TheBRBvideos]

Life long favourite.

[@ericsguitar8029]

This blew my 15 year old mind when I first heard it

[@hughcoulter8313]

Me to,I am 65 now...

[@neilparnell5712]

I was 12 and I still don't think I've recovered ! Once infected with the Hammill / VdGG virus there was no hope for me. Doomed to be a Sleepwalker forever more trapped in the cycle of needing my VdGG injection on a regular basis.

[@Tenkvandool]

absolutely brilliant!

[@robertmitchell9123]

This incredible piece of music is up there with the likes of 'Supper's Ready' as one of the greatest prog rock masterpieces

[@BacchusAurelius-yj4mb]

8:51 The Cow by Westside Gunn sample 🔥🔥🔥

[@gaetanlelu1499]

Thanks for mentionning it

[@salim5394]

Man

[@RodLD]

Legend says if you make a 23 minute long song It becomes immediately a masterpiece

[@lemmykay]

It's not the length, it's the quality!

[@RodLD]

@@lemmykay I know but my point is that many of the greatest songs of all time coincide in lasting about 23 minutes.

[@stavrosplatanas7390]

@@RodLD Maybe because each one of the sides of the vinyl record was around 23 minutes

[@radityatricahyarynaldi4318]

@@RodLD with lizard, supper's ready, and this as an example. i can agree with that

[@benijager1372]

Welp u kinda were uncapable of doing longer than that and keeping the song together, the person had to change the side of the vinyl, classical music does get longer than that cuz it was always presented live

[@pattardn]

Lovecraft would have undoubtedly called it "eldritch". I'll just say it's stunningly beautiful.

[@papinjoris881]

A lovecraftien song for sure

[@ettorealbertogelli8893]

Totaly agree

[@moresnqp]

he also called his cat- never mind...

[@TheAndrej30000]

Truly great music. Thanks for sharing!

[@bernardocasarin5022]

ONE OF the best álbums of the GREATEST "rock" band in human history....PERIOD!

[@PumaTwoU]

While often overlooked - this is one of the most outstanding progressive bands of the 60's/70's and those of us who came of age then, knew it.

[@ariacurva]

Quest'album è incluso nei 5 album che più amo in modo assoluto! Meraviglioso Peter!

[@Fittyshow]

Idem! Insieme a Third dei soft machine. Gli altri tuoi quali sono?? Sono curioso!

[@ariacurva]

@@Fittyshow In the Court of the Crimson King Selling England by the Pound The Wall Abbey Road

[@RodSummers]

This whole album is a masterpiece

[@jackal59]

21:15 is one of the best arguments that Fripp does his best work on other people's records (the other argument being all of Eno's "Baby's on Fire" on Here Come the Warm Jets).

[@brucebeasman192]

Fripp is the thread that weaves together most of the early 70s prog rock.

[@robertklouse3868]

jackal59 baby on fire is lukewarmness and non-existant regards to vg, however.. now, maybe roxy music's work.. "for your pleasure"

[@MyJakeyd]

Dont forget Paul Rudolph's contribution to 'Babys On Fire'. 😉

[@BaldJean]

That is, however, not Fripp at all; it is Hugh Banton on the organ. Don't worry, I was of the same opinion until I read the VdGG book.

[@hyf6845]

Welp, that first time listening through it was something special

[@michaelcraig9449]

Listening to this band for the first time now.

[@MegaCirse]

At this dark hour of the night, it remains for me to put my helmet on my head to listen religiously this record. There are works that only support the heavy silence of the post-twilight under the benevolent gaze of the stars. From the back of the room, a delicate arpeggio of dry guitar wrapped in silky flute drowns in the roar of a scorching wind. And it's as if I entered a parallel universe, in the center of a desert first arid but gradually covered with lush swamps in the middle of which I pushed to half my legs. On an arid plateau, I do not know which path to follow so many! Some seem vaguely threatening, so I rely on my instinct! Returning then after a few hesitant steps, a valley extends to my amazed look, lit by a flashing and gibbous moon, I perceive the rattling of the arms of a black and spidery army. It is not possible for me to turn back. Stumbling I fall on the gleaming rails of an abandoned railway belt surrounded by tares of wild and hostile vegetation. A plaintive melody with a curiously metallic resonance closes my eyes. When I reopen it appears to me an ocean purple and epileptic and between two waves monstrous and roaring, rises like a rostrum a lighthouse all white! Then this clamor rising from the depths, louder and louder, that twists my eardrums and tears me away with sobs of rage and deliverance. A piano mixed with the sepulcher organ finishes my journey and I reappear in reality, trembling, my face covered with tears

[@cosmojairzinho14]

2:24. This is beyond music

[@gianniskatsios8033]

the clot thickens 16:30-19:13 is so chaotic, i love it so much Having exprerienced those kinda thoughts the lighthouse keeper is having, i honestly find the song to be quite an accurate depictions of how your mind limbos between romantic and intense thoughts. Don't know if there was any intention for that. But this is a true masterpiece.

[@kimtimms614]

.me two so much so so thank full to sort of helps my mental health take care 🌹

[@emilioaladwhosintheinterne8421]

This is "The Lighthouse" but as a song.

[@kosovoblues5019]

How i miss my burnt out turntable and amplifier,to play this albums and feel mesmerized again while watching the night fall outside my window

[@bjrnrichardsen9151]

Sorry, - ment to say "this is music" and a very good one. Have listened to the group since the late 60s, and love them stilll

[@JollyJumbuk]

Haven't listened to this for years yet I still remember most of the lyrics. Truly masterful works. My favourite is My Room(Waiting for Wonderland).

[@pegjames188]

Just dug this out of the back of a store cupboard along with In Camera and Yes , Genesis, Neil Young,etc,etc,etc.Giving them to the granddaughter. Forgotten the weight of albums, now it coming out of a speaker the size of my spectacle case; wonderful.

[@chandrakristian6602]

Best part of this song is 00.00 - 23.24

[@stefanobetti6768]

Masterpiece.

[@whogotasprite587]

his voice is the definition of prog rock

[@anniegog]

This is not prog rock.

[@davidhaag02]

@@anniegog What genre would you call it?

[@Lellos_]

@@anniegog this is undoubtedly prog rock.

[@d.unknown3388]

Too bad Hamill can't sing.

[@Lellos_]

@@d.unknown3388 then you didn't even listen to a full song of his.

[@Aqua_Bargus]

Peter hammill my beloved ❤❤❤

[@davidmascarenhas2608]

best song of VAN DER GRAAF GENERATOR

[@Age_of_Apocalypse]

There are several masterpieces in progressive music, but this piece is right up there with the best of the best of them: stunning! 👍👍👏👏😍😍

[@polki802]

Been far too long since i heard this. I key part of my musical growing and, if anything, it means even more than it did 50 years ago (really?). I'd be hard pressed to think of a more powerful piece of music. It was magnificent then and it still is. This is the music our grandchildren will still revere and how privileged are we to have been there at the start?

[@Dremeli]

"One more haggard DROWNED MAN"

[@annakimborahpa]

The lighthouse keeper's 'plague' appears to be a 23 minute examination of conscience that ultimately resolves ambiguously and which must be read in the lyrics to be understood: "ALL THINGS ARE A PART. ALL THINGS ARE APART. ALL THINGS ARE A PART." The paradox of VdGG is that they are able to communicate to their listeners aspects of the human condition which in and of themselves are non-communicable: The individual's estrangement, isolation and alienation within themselves and from external social and physical contexts. VdGG often gets lumped in the category of prog rock, but the other paradox about them is that their overall sound of keyboards, sax, drums and Peter Hammill's theatrical vocals at the service of his artistic vision is quite different from the prog mainstream which focuses heavily on instrumental virtuosity. To paraphrase the lighthouse keeper: 'VdGG stands apart.'

[@enedinopadilla7867]

Wow

[@stettan1]

Well spoken🖖

[@gorblimeyguv]

Staggering genius......different every time, and yet it is the same....nothing else is remotely like it.....their finest hour

[@ai.201]

Beautiful beautiful beautiful Peter hammil.

[@Phoebedumplings]

The stars shine, but they’re not for me,,,,that’s the saddest line I’ve ever heard

[@neilparnell5712]

I constantly sing this line to myself in my head, as well as ''I'm too close to the light, I don't think I see right, for I blind me'' I wish I knew what doing this meant but I just love those lines. Oh just remembered, ''would you cry if I died'' as well. Unforgettable.

[@butenator6668]

11:01 is the Iron Maiden Part. Van der Graaf Generator were one of Bruce Dickinsons greatest influences.

[@luanajoohyun6261]

Sounds like the intro of CAFO by Animal As Leaders

[@fiorentinodario]

colonna sonora per la quarantena

[@Burt472]

Another overwhelming work of music...As usual with VDGG

[@antoniofontana4170]

from 'would you cry if I died?' to 'so I am completely alone' is the best composition in music, ever.

[@philseida5238]

One of my favorite Long Epic Prog Masterpieces along with Close to The Edge and Awaken by Yes, Supper’s Ready and Firth of Fifth by Genesis, Atom Heart Mother and Echoes by Pink Floyd, Thick as a Brick Pt 1 and Pt. 2 from the Jethro Tull Album of the same name, Crime of The Century and Aries by Supertramp, Snow Goose Album by Camel and Epitaph and Starless from King Crimson. The Atlantis Agony Epic from Eloy is quite good as well and not Sci-Fi as Atlantis and it’s advanced Civilization around 10,000 years ago of Human and E.T. Hybrids did exist, despite very minimal archaeological evidence, but that’s another topic for a different subject. Other Groups like Focus, Egg, Caravan, Soft Machine, etc have Epic classics as well. This one by VDDGG is up there with the best and quite sophisticated and dark, which I love.

[@petergrossett6763]

Epic work.

[@davidhorner5655]

I first listened to this when I was maybe 10, it makes much more sense now that I have some life under my belt. It’s still a bit mystic, but it ties together much better now.

[@RGMORRONE]

I first heard this great classic, I tnink, back in 1990/1991, because of a recorded show from French TV I got in a VHS tape. Really very avant garde for the beginning of the 70's. First time I heard Van der Graaf was in 1982, I was 15. VdGG is not so famous in Brazil, the land of some lousy tunes. In the 90's I got the CD, and it's one of my all time favorites until now. Unfortunately, never got the luck of seeing Van der Graaf or Peter Hammiil live. We're in South America. Back in 5 or 6 years, I could see Renaissance, Magma, Stick Men and King Crimson live. I am very happy for listening to good Rock Music! I would love to play this classic, as possible, on guitar. It's really difficult.

[@giannisalustri7848]

I had live and felt this sound on my young skin .... strong sensation never forget ....pride of my eve !

[@MegaCirse]

A cette heure sombre de la nuit, il ne me reste plus qu’à poser mon casque sur ma tête pour écouter religieusement ce disque. Il est des œuvres qui ne supportent que le lourd silence de l’après-crépuscule sous le regard bienveillant des étoiles. Du fond de la pièce, un arpège délicat de guitare sèche enrobé de flûte soyeuse se noie dans le grondement d’un vent brûlant. Et c’est comme si j’entrais dans un univers parallèle, au centre d’un désert tout d’abord aride mais peu à peu recouvert de marécages luxuriants au milieu desquels j’enfonce jusqu’à mi jambes. Sur un plateau aride, je ne sais plus trop quel sentier emprunter tellement ils sont nombreux ! Certains me paraissent vaguement menaçants, alors je me fie à mon instinct! Me retournant alors après quelques pas hésitants, une vallée s’étend à mon regard ébahi, éclairée d’une lune clignotante et gibbeuse, je perçois le cliquetis des armes d’une armée noire et arachnéenne. Il ne m’est pas possible de rebrousser chemin. Trébuchant je tombe sur les rails luisants d'une voie ferrée abandonnée ceinturée par l'ivraie d'une végétation sauvage et hostile. Une plaintive mélopée à la résonance curieusement métallique me clôt les yeux. Lorsque je les rouvre m’apparaît un océan violet et épileptique puis entre deux vagues monstrueuses et rugissantes, surgit comme un rostre un phare tout blanc! Puis cette clameur qui monte alors des Tréfonds, de plus en plus forte qui vrille mes tympans et m’arrache des sanglots de rage et de délivrance. Un piano mêlé à l’orgue sépulcral pose un point final à mon voyage et je ressurgis dans la réalité en tremblant, le visage couvert de larmes.

[@neilparnell5712]

Here again ! This is the song that keeps giving. Just realised that ''I've seen the smiles on dead hands'' refers to dead sailors (e.g. all hands on deck) and I have only been listening to it for nearly 50 years ! How did I miss that ? Now just need to work out what ''White bone shine in the iron-jaw mask'' actually means. Any ideas anyone ?

[@karimebutte3628]

An incredible work

[@emilysongs.]

I think that along with "Supper's Ready" this song, has the most epic ending ever written in pop music

[@emilysongs.]

Yeah I know ... they are not so popular :)

[@kovvvas]

I don't know if pop is a style.

[@emilysongs.]

Pop is the largest matryoshka :)

[@Keskinkeskinoglu]

+echoes and close to the edge. they're not only great epics, they all have incredible endings.

[@josejuliosuarez]

Keskin Keskinoğlu Echoes ending is lovely! I worship that "talking" between the guitar and the piano.

[@amwarmax477]

the most sophisticated...Gentle Giant & King Crimson ,PF,Yes,EL&P&first Genesis...too.

[@opisthokonta]

I don't want to be one wave in the water But sea will drag me deep

[@Syfoll]

16:35-19:13 my god. this part is actually scarring

[@julyccg117]

yes, sounds perfect for a videogame boss fight

[@antoniomelillo6274]

excellent

[@revo1337]

This fuckin shit is so freaking awesome i want to set myself on fire and melt into the waves of pure excellance this piece of art is emitting

[@rainerschulz7372]

Absolutley wonderful music! Not from this earth!