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- CLASSIC ALBUM OF THE
WEEK
- Van der Graaf Generator "H to He, Who Am The Only One" 1970 (UK)
- This
is one of the greatest British prog-rock albums, made even greater by
its relative obscurity. VDGG was never a popular group (except
possibly in Italy, where they went nuts for prog in the 70's), but
Peter Hammill's protean voice and intellectually challenging songs,
along with the band's unique musicianship (favoring electric sax &
organ over the guitar) have inspired a cult following to rival
that of any of their prog peers. VDGG's fourth album "Pawn
Hearts" (1971) is often held up as their masterpiece, but I find this,
their third, to be at least as good. The title is a reference to
nuclear fusion ("hydrogen to helium"), and the album's centerpiece
"Pioneers Over c" is a tribute to the first humans to travel faster
than the speed of light (which, according to modern physics, is impossible!)
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