Audio CD review:
Peter Hammill - Over

Peter Hammill - Over

Band: Peter Hammill Title: Over Rating: Release Date: 1992-09-23 Media: Audio CD Tracks: 1: Crying Wolf 2: Autumn 3: Time Heals 4: Alice (Letting Go) 5: (This Side Of) The Looking Glass 6: Betrayed 7: (On Tuesdays She Used to Do) Yoga 8: Lost and Found

Over With the various themes of resentment, denial, reflection and hope surrounding such a dismal ending, this album is not exactly the kind of music you can pop in any old time. Over, released in 1977, known mostly as Peter Hammill's divorce album was written during the breakup of his marriage. The music itself has an interesting mix straight forward rock (Crying Wolf), simi-progressive rock (Time Heals/ Lost And Found), art rock (Yoga), and gorgeous ballads with only a string section backing him (Autumn/. . . Looking Glass). Over was in some ways the first of it's kind, being so bare and introspective, approaching such a private matter as the dissolution of a marriage. The only other "divorce album" I can think of before or around that time is Marvin Gaye's equally excellent Here My Dear which came out a year later, and started out as a contractual obligation rather than an inspired revelation. Peter Hammill is one of the more deftly insightful and introspective singer/songwriters of the last 40 years; the type of thoughtfulness, brilliant wordplay and expression is certainly a rarity of art in this day and age, let alone in the world of rock. As the songwriter and leader of Van Der Graaf Generator as well as numerous solo efforts, Hammill wrote songs that asked all the searching questions about God, existence, relationships, and anything else one might question because of it's seemingly dual nature. Introspective art does not lend itself easily to mass appeal; sometimes too extreme, Hammill's music is not always pretty or agreeable but the integrity and honesty comes out in all it's substance, and purely shows an experience in the human condition. Over was recorded around the same time as the final VDGG studio album of the 70's, The Quiet Zone/The Pleasure Dome. So there are quiet a few similarities to the sound of those two albums; most notably is the use of Graham Smith's violin, and there is a production sensibility that is familiar to both as well; although Over's sound is a great deal more lean than that of The Quiet Zone/The Pleasure Dome. Every song on Over is superb. The real standout is the cinematic This Side Of The Looking Glass with it's chilling string section and amazing ebb and flow of emotions; Peter Hammill's voice had never sounded so vulnerable as it did on this track. Autumn is a tearful realization of the shock of the end of the relationship- all the concerns of splitting their lives in two and the people it will effect- a very moving piece. Betrayed has a great vocal performance and quickly builds into a helpless rant with the violin aiding PH's "caught-between-yearning-and-angst" lyrics/singing. Yoga is another highlight with its continuing power chord "gonging" and the aloofly disillusioned guitar solo slowly whizzing in and out of a pretty folk structure. The final song, Lost And Found has a progressive-rock structure and uses the theme of La Rossa (from the VDGG album Still Life) as an interesting reference in a part of the song. Lost And Found puts all the troubled emotions and memories to the past, and sees hope and learned lessons, but leave with a statement that doubles as a question about the future of his life. The new re-mastered albums (both of Hammill and VDGG) sound amazing, clearing up details and showing the fullness of the music. Include with that some great bonus tracks the new re-mastered Over is well worth the purchase. Highly Recommended. Some other albums of Peter Hammill I would recommend are pH7, Nadir's Big Chance, The Future Now, Fool's Mate, and The Silent Corner And Empty Stage; as for VDGG stuff all the albums are superb but some are very different than others- Pawn Hearts or Still Life are pretty good places to start. . Dark and painful, but good for the soul. Hammill's pain and misery, but on its own, it's still quite enjoyable. This CD hits close to home, meaning I share with Mr. It's strange how this entire CD can mirror an entire good-to-bad relationship so well, then give hope to all who have endured a heartbreak. Incredible. 4.5 Stars... heartbreaking, personal album from VDGG frontman Van Der Graaf Generator, the prog-music band he headed, was in the middle of its famous "second phase", and its critical and commercial heydays. Peter Hammill was a busy man in the mid-to-late 70s. "Over" (8 tracks, 46 min. ) was released in 1977, and recorded in a 2 week period. It captures Peter Hammill's feelings following a recent hard-to-take relationship break-up. The opening track "Crying Wolf" throws down the gauntlet, a musically agressive track that would have fitted nicely on any Phase 2 VDGG album, yet showing clear bitter feelings about what has gone wrong. Many of the following tracks are much more mellow, introspect, even sad (and clearly make this a solo album, not some VDGG-clone), check out "Autumn" and "This Side of the Looking Glass", with orchestral instrumentation, or the epic 8+ min. "Time Heals" (the title speaks for itself). The closing track "Lost and Found" thankfully ends this dark and emotional album on an up note. I have loved this album for almost 30 years, and it still resonates with me as much today as it did when it came out in 1977. For another such bare and personal album that really works well (even if musically it is totally different), check out Over the Rhine's 2005 release "Drunkard's Prayer". . BARING THE SOUL IN ORDER TO HEAL IT... While Hammill is a (thankfully) prolific artist, with some of the most revealing self-analytic lyrics ever written, his personal life has always been kept private ? a difficult task for a performer, but one that has meant enough to him that he has managed to do it. Stepping back from the more complex arrangements typical of his work with his band, Van der Graaf Generator ? as well as those utilized on some of his recent solo outings (CHAMELEON IN THE SHADOW OF THE NIGHT [1972], THE SILENT CORNER AND THE EMPTY STAGE [ALSO 1972], and IN CAMERA [1973]) ? Peter Hammill delivered OVER to the world in 1976, one of the most painfully honest and soul-baring albums of his career. That being said, it's pretty evident from the lyrics on OVER that he was going through an extremely painful and emotional period in his life ? and what better catharsis to expedite and enable the healing process than his music? Joined here by Van der Graaf bandmates Guy Evans (drums), Nic Potter (bass) and Graham Smith (violin), Hammill frames these intensely personal songs brilliantly with his expressive piano and guitar ? and every bit of the emotion contained in the lyrics is carried perfectly by his unique and powerful voice. Pain, loss, self-doubt ?and, ultimately, hope ? are portrayed here in such a naturally vivid fashion that the listener cannot help but experience some degree of the feelings that inspired these works. It's a breathtakingly intense journey ? and one that connects the artist with the listener at the most human level possible. The album begins with 'Crying wolf'. As the song is introduced by Hammill's choppy rhythm on electric guitar, then joined by the bass and drums, then the vocals, the listener might believe that the rest of the album is going to be in more of a 'rock' vein than is actually the case. The song's lyrics are accusatory, addressing the singer himself, decrying the self-pity and wallowing in anguish at being left alone: 'Is this what makes you happy? Is this what brings you joy? Your excuses are so crappy. . . silly boy!' The song goes on to berate the singer as self-centered, pushing him to stand up and take the steps needed to rebuild the life that is seen as destroyed. 'Autumn' addresses the loneliness and change that come in a long-term relationship, when the parents have raised their children and seen them move away to make their own way in the world. It's hard for parents to let go, to understand the ways of their offspring, to trust in the upbringing they've given them to guide them as they go out to find lives of their own. Hammill describes the feelings of being left alone, of being '. . . discarded, of no further use. . . ' ? and winds up wondering how long it will be '. . . till this song is sung by our own sons and daughters', recognizing the cyclical nature of the lives we lead. 'Time heals' looks back at a fractured relationship - and wonders, as is a natural process at such a time, how things might have been different, and how they came to be like they are. People who love each other deeply and honestly sometimes grow apart through no fault of anyone involved ? but that doesn't make it any easier to accept traumatic changes. Time heals, as Hammill notes, '. . . but I still bear the weals' ? the pain might get easier to bear and to understand, but it never really goes away completely. It remains as a shadow to remind us of our humanity, of our folly, and ultimately of our ability to feel ? not just pain, but love as well. 'Alice (letting go)', 'This side of the looking glass', 'Betrayed' and '(On Tuesdays) she used to do yoga' are some of the most painful songs of loss and letting go I've ever heard ? and some of the most beautiful in their power and clarity of expression. The singer remembers incidents, habits and idiosyncrasies of the departed partner ?healing through the experience of the pain. In the album's final track, 'Lost and found', the images of the wolf and sheep from 'Crying wolf' and the themes of loss and loneliness from the other songs are brought together and reconciled with the knowledge that life goes on ? something that's hard to see and accept when one is in the throes of the awful pain of love lost, of the feeling of abandonment and betrayal, of helplessness and hopelessness. The song ends with the hope brought by a new love: 'I'm free at last, I'm in love at last. . . I'm lost and found. . . ' This is a hard album to listen to and not feel the pain expressed in the songs ? but it's a marvel for that very power: the power to reach out and touch the heart of the listener with the pain and loss (and ultimately, the hope) felt by the artist. It's one of Peter's most beautiful, honest and moving albums ? it's a masterpiece. Still Life Revisited The opening track 'Crying Wolf' could easily have found a place on say, STILL LIFE, or WORLD RECORD. For those of us who lament the shortage of phase-two Van Der Graaf material, the discovery of Peter Hammill's solo albums from the period is an utter joy. The use of VDGG members Nic Potter and Guy Evans only adds to the ambience of the album. So, when composing, how did Peter Hammill decide whether he would use it for another solo album or submit it for use by the band? (In my professional life, I write a solo newsletter and contribute to a group newsletter, and I know something of the dilemma of placing new material. ) For this album, the decision may have been easier. It's a highly personal chronicle of the breakdown of his marriage. 'Soul-baring and maudlin, beautiful and self-indulgent, in pretty much equal measures' as one reviewer of the time wrote. I particularly like 'Autumn', which features a gorgeous string orchestration that you never got on a Van Der Graaf record. I know little of Peter's repertoire, so all I can do is refer the new listener back to Van Der Graaf: if you like this, you should be bowled over by both GODBLUFF and STILL LIFE. You can see a complete list of all Peter Hammill discography, or go back to the Peter Hammill tabs