| Track: | Rating: | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. Lizard Play | | | | | |
| 2. Habit Of The Broken Heart | | | | | |
| 3. The Siren Song | | | | | |
| 4. Last Frame | | | | | |
| 5. The Wave | | | | | |
| 6. Cat's Eye/Yellow Fever | | | | | |
| 7. The Sphinx In The Face | | | | | |
| 8. Chemical World | | | | | |
| 9. The Sphinx Returns | | | | | |
It can generally be agreed on that the late 1970s weren't as good for progressive music, and particularly for the major progressive bands, as were the early 1970s. The reasons for this will be fairly well-known to those who have studied the genre in any detail: simplified music was becoming profitable again, radio was becoming homogenized, many of the leading artists had stopped really caring, etc. etc.
While some of the major groups experienced a decline in artistic quality between 1976 and 1977, however, Van Der Graaf Generator managed to reverse the pattern, and come up with one of the best albums of their career during the year in which punk achieved notoriety in Britain. As against this, they weren't actually Van Der Graaf Generator anymore.
In 1975, VdGG reformed following four years of fragmentation ... sort of. In actually, every member of VdGG had continued appearing on Peter Hammill's solo albums -- the balance of control had clearly shifted more in PH's direction than before, but the lineup was basically the same. With the balance of power having been somewhat re-established, the group first released the amazing Godbluff, then faltered somewhat on subsequent releases. Still Life showed the group still in fairly good form, but World Record was clearly a step down in quality.
The departure of Banton following the World Record album allowed (forced) the group to do a rethink of sorts. This keyboardist had designed his own instruments, and specialized in deep, thick sonics that worked especially well within extended instrumental movements. This served the group extremely well on, say, Pawn Hearts and Godbluff, but had become somewhat of a burden by World Record -- too many of the tracks here were extended without any real purpose, and Banton's playing had become rather less than experimental. With his departure, the group was able to liberate some of their better tendencies with a clearer, more concise sound. Some might argue that QZ/PD is too far removed from the epic suites of VdGG past, but the fact of the matter is that the group wasn't making the best use of such suites in the first place.
Banton's departure wasn't the only personality change between the two albums -- longtime member David Jackson departed the group as well, to be replaced by violinist Graham Smith. The practical result of this switch was rather less cataclysmic, however -- Smith's string adventures occupy much the same dynamic range as Jackson's trademark saxophone lines, and the difference in timbre is enough to keep things interesting for a convinced fan. Bassist Nic Potter was also returned to full "band member" status for this album.
For legal reasons (relating to Banton's absence), the group was compelled to shorten their name to "Van Der Graaf". In most histories and discographies, however, The Quiet Zone/The Pleasure Dome is listed with the other VdGG releases.
The premise behind this album is that the two sides are supposed to represent different artistic motifs -- the first being The Quiet Zone, the second being The Pleasure Dome. In practical terms, however, these distinctions sometimes seem somewhat arbitrary -- it's rather difficult to justify "The Wave" on the Pleasure Dome side and "Habit Of The Broken Heart" in the Quiet Zone, for instance. Regardless, the music is fairly good throughout the work, and the divisions don't hinder the flow of the music.
The album begins with one of the best short songs that Hammill has ever come up with. "Lizard Play" focuses on Hammill's obsession with a distant-yet-clearly-intelligent woman ... which, in and of itself, isn't terribly unusual -- his lyrics here transcend even his normal levels of articulation, however, weaving in references to desert plains (where the lizards play, of course) throughout the course of the number. Musically, it's about as "progressive" as a four-minute pop song can be -- Guy Evans (who must surely be one of the most underrated prog drummers ever) is incredible here, and Potter's heavy bass tones match the music quite well. The violin has something of a fusion element in parts, but integrates with the rest of the music quite well. If some of the track is a bit wordy, it's easily forgiveable. A clear statement that the group had returned to the peak of their skills.
"Habit Of The Broken Heart" also features very good music, but is hindered somewhat by the rather burdensome (and somewhat cliche) lyrical theme -- of Hammill attempting to convince a friend not to "take the veil" after a ruined love affair (Hammill's own role in the situation is never made explicitly clear). The phallic/religious references are somewhat into the range of artistic overkill, despite the occasional clever reference (the Leonard Cohen reference in the opening line -- "Oh, the sisters of blindness ..." -- doesn't quite work as well as it could have either). To its credit, the track does have a good instrumental section, with Hammill imitating Banton's sound proficiently enough -- the bass/violin spotlight is fairly interesting too, and the melody of the track bursts through to fruition fairly well by the end. Not totally successful, this is still fairly good.
Starting with a minimal piano-ballad setting and some clunky lyrics ("as heavy as lead, as dated as carbon"????), "The Siren Song" doesn't make the strongest first impression -- thankfully, though, it improves considerably by the end. The emergence of the entire band into the music mix improves things significantly; in terms of lyrics, moreover, the song remains a "ballad" throughout, but actually tells something of a story rather than falling into the dire cliches normally associated with this term. Hammill's portrayal of obsessive love is fairly chilling in its detail, and the ship-metaphors here as fairly well-integrated (especially towards the end). Musically, the song seems to feature more melodic development than usual (especially on Smith's part).
"Lost Frame" may be the most non-descript track on the album, but is still fairly impressive -- moving from a distorted musical intro to soliloquy, "messiah of isolation" lyrics, the portrayal of obsession reaches something of a logical conclusion here. Musically, this number partakes somewhat in the darker, heavier VdGG of earlier times (with Frippish sonic effects being inserted in the mix at one point), and hence seems a bit less "formed" than the rest of the release. Not the most memorable track on the album, but still good enough.
Side two begins with "The Wave", a beautiful lyrical tracks which probably features the best singing on the album (somewhat similar to "The Comet..." in Hammill's combination of natural and mental phenomena). Musically, the melancholia of the track might perhaps be a tad on the ordinary side at first -- it clearly isn't the focal point of attention, though, so this may be somewhat forgiveable.
"Cat's Eye/Yellow Fever" is another highpoint of the album, featuring a driving lead melody from Smith and disturbing military/mind-control lyrics from Hammill. The music is probably more overtly "progressive" here than on the rest of the release, and both the music and lyrics carry a strong sense of urgency which befits Hammill's natural skills. The Hammill has continued to perform this track live in recent years speaks well of his aesthetic tastes regarding this album.
"The Sphinx In The Face" begins with a vaguely "classic-rock" feel which, given the nature of the lyrics, may be a deliberate effect. The song concerns a 30s-ish figure within the corporate world, still adopting a "business playboy" persona after some time in the field; the first verse concerns the banal details of his life, and his desire to escape to a Dionysian vacation in the near future. Midway through the song, he shifts to pondering over his activities, "confronting the sphinx", as it were, shifting into a general sense of paranoia, isolation, angst, etc. If the midlife crisis motif isn't quite original, it's at least fairly coherently done. The fuzz-tone bass and metronome spotlight may be the most absurd moment of the track, musically -- the classic rock elements seem to disappear by the end, with the more typical progressive ideals reasserting themselves. Evans is as good as always, and the combination of Smith with Jackson at the end is a nice touch. The most memorable aspect of this track, however, is the high-vocal conclusion, which remains even as the music fades out.
"Chemical World", in a sense, continues the trend set with "Two Or Three Spectres" on Nadir's Big Chance, as Hammill considers the position in which his characters have entrapped themselves, generally from more than one vantage point. Singing alternately from the perspectives of tempter, victim and judge, Hammill's references run the gamut from long-term alcoholic cultures, corrupt business practices, and sudden market shifts which abruptly dissolve the protagonist's dream world (could the timing of this track have been more ironic...). Musically, it follows the general VdG arrangement -- good performances throughout, even if the second half drags a bit. This seems an appropriate end statement for the album.
... but, of course, we still have the brief coda of "The Sphinx Returns", a glance towards the past with Jaxon assuming a more prominent role within the mix. This is essentially just the proper conclusion to "The Sphinx In The Face", and has little purpose without it.
This album was the final VdG(G) studio venture -- the band drifted apart following the tour for the album, and Hammill resumed his solo career (with various other group members remaining on as his sidemen) accordingly. Despite occasional reissues and one bonafide reunion, Van Der Graaf Generator have not recorded any albums as such since 1977.
As the group's final legacy, however, The Quiet Zone/The Pleasure Dome must be regarded as one of the most underrated albums of the progressive field. This album would be a decent introduction to both VdGG and Hammill's solo works (though Pawn Hearts would probably work better for those exclusively interested in the former), and is recommended accordingly to progressive fans.
(review originally posted to alt.music.yes on 21 May 1998)