The Least We Can Do Is Wave to Each Other
― stirmonster, Wednesday, 5 December 2007 23:33 (sixteen years ago) link
Louis, I'm sure I gave you some zips of VDGG before.
― Herman G. Neuname, Wednesday, 5 December 2007 23:35 (sixteen years ago) link
guys he just worked out how to get zip files working!
― chaki, Wednesday, 5 December 2007 23:36 (sixteen years ago) link
i knew how to download them but they kept on deleting themselves from my itunes!
― Just got offed, Wednesday, 5 December 2007 23:39 (sixteen years ago) link
CLEARLY IT WOULD BE WRONG TO TRADE ZIP FILES ON ILM AMIRITE?
― Noodle Vague, Wednesday, 5 December 2007 23:42 (sixteen years ago) link
it's precisely the sort of anti-authoritarian stand that would delight peter h
― Just got offed, Wednesday, 5 December 2007 23:44 (sixteen years ago) link
The Least We Can Do Is Wave to Each Other is the first one I bought and the ending of "White Hammer" is easily as heavy as Sabbath.
I honestly own and love them all though. Thanks to Away from Voivod for getting me into VDGG.
And an additional big thanks to my bizarre personal filters that allow me to like Peter Hammill's voice!
(The studio jams on disc 2 of their latest album are really cool too)
― Nate Carson, Thursday, 6 December 2007 00:17 (sixteen years ago) link
I hope "Godbluff" wins but it'll prob'ly be "Pawn Hearts"
― Tom D., Thursday, 6 December 2007 10:07 (sixteen years ago) link
Yeah I went for Pawn Hearts over Godbluff, but only just. Peter Hammill's vocals and lyrics : C/D? I can just about stand him these days, but only just.
― Matt #2, Thursday, 6 December 2007 10:10 (sixteen years ago) link
Well, I tried that "Nadir's last chance" or whatever it's called. "Ooh, you'll like that" they said.
Naah.
It's not *terrible*, it's more the mediocre that suggests taking it off and putting something else on.
― Mark G, Thursday, 6 December 2007 10:14 (sixteen years ago) link
Nadir's Last Chance I like a lot. I think Pawn Hearts probably will win this though, but who can tell with ILM these days.
― Herman G. Neuname, Thursday, 6 December 2007 13:27 (sixteen years ago) link
I don't think Pawn Hearts is all that. The 75-76 incarnation are better and wilder musicians all at once. PH has great moments but flatter stretches than Godbluff or Still Life.
A Hammill poll wd be a much more unpredictable and uncomfortable proposition, but I'd have to confront my guilt at not knowing many of his post-85 records very well.
― Noodle Vague, Thursday, 6 December 2007 14:25 (sixteen years ago) link
srsly, listening to H to He at the moment, can there be much of a more awesome song than Killer? this album is very, very good. not going to vote for it yet though.
― Just got offed, Thursday, 6 December 2007 15:08 (sixteen years ago) link
"Killer" is almost slightly silly, and the fact that it's still great is testament to VdGG's ability to rock the fuck out.
― Noodle Vague, Thursday, 6 December 2007 15:11 (sixteen years ago) link
It's very silly. It always reminded me of The Stranglers for some reason.
― Tom D., Thursday, 6 December 2007 15:12 (sixteen years ago) link
Louis, just wait until you hear Arrow
― Herman G. Neuname, Thursday, 6 December 2007 15:12 (sixteen years ago) link
xpost The keyboard riffing and the vocal's got a bit of "Peaches" about it, maybe? Mentalist lovelorn giant killer squid Peaches, obv.
― Noodle Vague, Thursday, 6 December 2007 15:18 (sixteen years ago) link
Godbluff. A no-brainer choice, even though I <3 them all. It's unfuckable with from beginning to end
― Pashmina, Thursday, 6 December 2007 15:20 (sixteen years ago) link
The other tracks (I'm just finishing 'Lost') are also wonderful! There's actually a good deal of space on this record (even though it does 'rock the fuck out' on occasion), which I like.
― Just got offed, Thursday, 6 December 2007 15:21 (sixteen years ago) link
OMG "LA ROSSA"
― Just got offed, Thursday, 6 December 2007 15:59 (sixteen years ago) link
Hehehehehe. Yes. That is definitely an emotionally turbulent young man's song.
― Noodle Vague, Thursday, 6 December 2007 16:02 (sixteen years ago) link
Even without taking the lyrics into account it's a fucking storm of a song.
― Just got offed, Thursday, 6 December 2007 16:04 (sixteen years ago) link
Yes, that song is great. Don't like the second side of "Still Life" however or the latter tracks on "H to He" and "The Least We Can Do". Don't like the last track on "Godbluff". First album = MEH. "World Record" = not bad but for that one criminally boring track that goes on forever. "Pawn Hearts" is the most consistent album.
― Tom D., Thursday, 6 December 2007 16:04 (sixteen years ago) link
Oh wow seeing them play "Childlike Faith in Childhood's End" was some kind of system restore point in my life. For a long time that was a song I wanted played at my funeral until it dawned on me that that'd be a bit maudlin for the poor sods that had to be there. But it isn't maudlin. Sombre maybe.
― Noodle Vague, Thursday, 6 December 2007 16:11 (sixteen years ago) link
Haha, you're timing these comments now. That song is currently being awesome in my earspace. The album isn't dropping off in the second half at all!
― Just got offed, Thursday, 6 December 2007 16:13 (sixteen years ago) link
1st side of Pawn Hearts + 1st side of Godbluff = their best album
But since that doesn't exist, Least We Can Do Is Wave to Each Other is their most consistently enjoyable for me
― Joe, Thursday, 6 December 2007 16:27 (sixteen years ago) link
Tom D - go re-listen to the end few minutes of side 2 of "Least We Can Do..."
― Nate Carson, Saturday, 8 December 2007 05:09 (sixteen years ago) link
Automatic thread bump. This poll is closing tomorrow.
― ILX System, Wednesday, 12 December 2007 00:01 (sixteen years ago) link
Automatic thread bump. This poll's results are now in.
― ILX System, Thursday, 13 December 2007 00:01 (sixteen years ago) link
i love every second of still life
― chaki, Thursday, 13 December 2007 00:21 (sixteen years ago) link
Yay team. That's a good order, although I think H to He... could have ranked a bit higher. It's so good.
But I even like Present and that go 0 votes (for obvious reasons).
― Nate Carson, Thursday, 13 December 2007 11:29 (sixteen years ago) link
i love every second of still lifei love every second of still lifei love every second of still lifei love every second of still lifei love every second of still lifei love every second of still lifei love every second of still lifei love every second of still lifei love every second of still lifei love every second of still lifei love every second of still lifei love every second of still life
― J4gger Dynamic Pentangle (Just got offed), Tuesday, 30 September 2008 15:12 (fifteen years ago) link
still need to get the others mind
Yes you do. If you like Still Life, you'll probably like them all.
― Nate Carson, Wednesday, 1 October 2008 03:18 (fifteen years ago) link
time for a re-run jim!
― pfunkboy (Herman G. Neuname), Saturday, 20 June 2009 12:37 (fourteen years ago) link
"the price of admission" on present. holy shit
― kamerad, Friday, 11 September 2009 13:55 (fourteen years ago) link
it's *okay* i guess...not really focused enough to completely win me over
― a chick I wanted to pursue on OkCupid (country matters), Friday, 11 September 2009 14:11 (fourteen years ago) link
drugs help
― kamerad, Friday, 11 September 2009 15:33 (fourteen years ago) link
no argument there.
― Nate Carson, Saturday, 12 September 2009 09:14 (fourteen years ago) link
the early stuff is underrated imho. "running back" sounds like a presentiment of current 93
― kamerad, Tuesday, 5 October 2010 17:40 (thirteen years ago) link
weird, I was listening to + liking Afterwards the other day but I quickly averted the next track
maybe that album deserves a relisten - after all its follow-up is jawdropping so it must have SOMETHING more to recommend it
― acoleuthic, Tuesday, 5 October 2010 17:42 (thirteen years ago) link
the debut's more mellow and subdued than what's to come. it's almost like they did a conventional brooding psych so well right out of the gate, hammill felt a license to unleash himself subsequently. give it a listen and see what you think
― kamerad, Tuesday, 5 October 2010 19:22 (thirteen years ago) link
I just did! All the way through! I guess Aquarian, Octopus and Into A Game are all pretty neat, maybe Octopus the neatest - some lovely chord progressions. IAG was awesomely clusterfucked and doomy (by the standards of this album). Will relisten.
― acoleuthic, Tuesday, 5 October 2010 19:26 (thirteen years ago) link
Yeah, Afterwards and Octopus are stunning, Running Back really not bad either - the whole first side would be amazing sans Orthentian St - fortunately the boys learned to edit later on
― acoleuthic, Sunday, 10 October 2010 00:54 (thirteen years ago) link
organ chords in Octopus from like 3.20 onwards are just heart-stoppingly beautiful
― acoleuthic, Sunday, 10 October 2010 00:57 (thirteen years ago) link
Oh also can we discuss World Record here? Because it's like 60% brilliant, 40% wtf.
When She Comes - this is VdGG's shittest song and a completely abysmal rehash of past glories that goes on for 8 minutes too long
A Place To Survive - this is *fucking awesome*, like, really intense and gleaming, right up until the point, about 7 and a half minutes in, when you realise it is going to dissipate all of that tension in a really lame jam-out finale. With some focus this really could have been something.
Masks - absolutely goddamn brilliant, as good as any VdGG song.
Meurglys III - the opening 3.40 are quite honestly some of the best music this band ever did - simply fucking staggering. Then it turns out the band is in expansive mood. This doesn't REALLY matter so much in this song - there's quite a bit of down-time in the first half, until it all kicks off again just after 8 minutes - and even then this bit, while cool, still takes a teeny bit too long to make its admittedly neat point (guitar separating from sax, descending riff atop ascending, dischord etc - could have been done in 8 bars, not 892840) and then there's a cool chaotic bit that also jams for too long and then there's 7 minutes of reggae, which is actually more acceptable than the above flaws because it's done as a backdrop to quite a cool solo-off between Hammill and Jackson. Anyway, this song could have been 9 minutes long and truly fucking great. I know it's intended as a jammy sorta thing about alienation and being lost in a vast and uncaring universe but seriously guys.
Wondering - slays me with love. Should by rights be installed in the New English Hymnal on page fucking one.
― acoleuthic, Sunday, 10 October 2010 02:11 (thirteen years ago) link
Couldn't disagree more on "When She Comes", the way it erupts into the last few lines of each verse is epic. Also it probably contains the only reference to Edward Burne-Jones in popular song and should be treasured for that reason alone.
― margana (anagram), Monday, 11 October 2010 07:49 (thirteen years ago) link
The bit where the organ bursts in is cool, but it's kind of a melodic rehash of Scorched Earth without that song's inspired intensity - plus the middle really drags and when the cool bit comes back it hasn't changed or gotten more fiery
― acoleuthic, Monday, 11 October 2010 09:08 (thirteen years ago) link