ONE OF THE 5 BEST ALL TIME PROG LP'S
Victor F. Tripaldi | Planet Earth | 03/01/2005
(5 out of 5 stars)
""Fools Mate" by Peter Hammill was released in 1971, arguably one of the all time great records of its time.
It was not recoded to make a contemporary musical statement but recorded as a collection of songs that time was not allowed to forget. Virgin finally remastered it in 2004. The Japanese gate fold cd is the best way to go for this one although very expensive it captures the true essence and feeling of the record.
A hauntingly beautiful record. It also has one of the best covers in rock history by Paul Whitehead. In this viewers eyes , a better cover than any of the Genesis lp's that Mr whitehead had done.
Peter Hammill called on the entire VDGG to help him with the recording also Bob Fripp of King Crimson and several other prominent musicians, such as Van Der Graaf bassist Nic Potter and Martin Pottinger from Lindisfarne played flawlessly and with passion and diligence ...Viking, witch was co written by Chris Judge Smith is a classic , so is The Birds, Child, I Once Wrote Some Poems, each song will last in your memory forever.
Truly one of the all time great masterpieces of our generation."
PETER'S FIRST SOLO OUTING...
Larry L. Looney | Austin, Texas USA | 06/11/2004
(5 out of 5 stars)
"Released in 1971, and described by Peter as made up of songs that didn't fit the Van der Graaf mold, this recording nevertheless gives the listener a clear example of both the lyrical and musical talents and imagination of a performing songwriter whose work would stretch - and burst, on occasion - the envelope on many occasions over the ensuing years. Made up of short (all under 5 minutes) songs that fall more into a `pop' vein than the work he did with the group - and most of his later solo work - Hammill aptly demonstrates his powers of expression, both introspectively and outward-looking.Hammill is joined here by all of his Van der Graaf bandmates (Guy Evans, David Jackson, Hugh Banton, Nic Potter), plus some other fine players: Rod Clements and Ray Jackson of Lindisfarne (along with VdG and PH, also Charisma artists), along with guitar great Robert Fripp (of King Crimson), a friend and admirer of Hammill who also appears on a couple of VdG albums (H TO HE, WHO AM THE ONLY ONE and PAWN HEARTS). Despite the presence of Evans, Jackson, Banton, Potter and Fripp, the sound on FOOL'S MATE never gets dark or heavy - these players are stellar, and capable of widely varied styles and moods.Peter's poetry/lyrics are, as always, the centerpiece of his music - even in the case of these `lighter' songs. His insight, intellect and honesty, coupled with his clarity and power of expression, elevate his work to a level far above that inhabited by most writers working in the general area of `rock' music. This sort of statement might very well embarrass Peter, or at the least cause a bit of eye-rolling on his part - but after listening to his work for 35 years, I've yet to find many who can come close to the literacy and depth of his writing.This release - as is, thankfully, the case in most of his CDs - is true in content to the original LP, unencumbered by `extra' tunes deemed `essential' or `marketable' by a record company. It's fortunate that the great majority of his releases have been on labels that have afforded him a large degree of freedom. Most of what he's done since the early 80s has been independently released by Peter on his own label, so the question of artistic control has been settled long ago.It's wonderful that Caroline has made this - and several other CDs by Peter as well as Van der Graaf - available at a midline price, but I wish more of them included the lyrics. This is admittedly a small complaint, since Peter's Sofa Sound website (one of the most well-maintained artist sites I've seen) has all of his lyrics and much more available for the interested listener."
Great solo start
William R. Nicholas | Mahwah, NJ USA | 06/26/2008
(5 out of 5 stars)
"It is interesting that Peter Hammil, lead screamer for one of England's most dark prog-rock bands, Vander Graff Generator, decided to make his first solo album a singer-songwritter pop juggernaut.
"Candle," could be from a early Elton John LP, and "Sunshine," has Donovan's DNA transplated into Hammil. The rest of the album consists of other balads, and well-written early 70s pop numbers.
Fool's Mate's backing band consists of Van Der Graff memebers, and other English art-rock cohorts. The playing is simple, but fits the material beautifly.
This is a wonderful album, for both Van Der Graff fans and lovers of exquisitely written pop music."
