Audio CD review:
Peter Hammill - Margin

Peter Hammill - Margin

Band: Peter Hammill Title: Margin Rating: Release Date: 2002-06-10 Media: Audio CD Tracks: 1: The Future Now 2: Porton Down 3: Stranger Stil 4: Sign 5: Jargon Kng 6: Empresss Clothes 7: The Sphinx In The Face 8: Labour Of Love 9: Sitting Targets 10: Patient 11: Flight 12: The Second Hand 13: My Experience 14: Paradox Drive 15: Modern 16: Film Noir 17: The Great Experiment 18: Happy Hour 19: Central Hotel 20: Again 21: If I Could

The Margin and a Big Plus Which is a shame as, on the latter, you get a virtually complete K Group set, with tracks such as 'The Siren Song', 'Just Good Friends', 'Losing Faith in Words', amongst other classics, unavailable elsewhere, not even on this, The Margin + , on Hammill's Fie!, the remastered, crystalline version which strikes a balance between the original official recordings on CD1; and audaciously steals back ( and quite right too) from the bootleggers, virtually all the illegal 'The Secret Asteroid Jungle' recording to make up CD2. Which version of The Margin would you like, sir? The original 1985 double vinyl version on Foundry (FONDL 1); or the Virgin single CD reissue (CDOVD 345) which omitted 'The Second Hand'; or the German Date single CD reissue (DACD 9005790) which omitted both 'The Second Hand' and 'The Sphinx in the Face'; or the illicit bootleg version, 'The Secret Asteroid Jungle'; or the other illicit bootleg version, 'A Stranger Still'? These last two feature hardly sparkling audience recordings and are unavailable and not to be purchased even if they were as they are illegal. By the way, for the completist, it restores, albeit in a different version to the original LP version, 'The Second Hand'. It's a secret asteroid jungle out there, Margin fans. Hammill also adds some illuminating and atmospheric liner 'your correspondent on the spot' notes that take us back to the German beat-club space-time continuum in which the K Group performed. . . . Amazingly Contemporary......... The Margin follows on as a representation of the magic they produced together in a live setting. One of Hammill's many interestingly creative periods, The Margin represents his K period 82-85 with Nic Potter, Guy Ellis and VDGG original Guy Evans, one of my very favorite periods that produced studio efforts "Enter K" and "Patience". Recently reissued as a two disc expanded set (2002) with additional liner notes from Hammill this is a must own set for any collection that contains VDGG or Hammill material. Upon revsiting in it's new format I'm taken back at how amazing this set really is with an over the wall version of "Future Now", the impactfull and reflective "Porton Down" while the 20+ minutes of "Flight" from "A Black Box" is stunning. A must own piece of music that never dates by a truly inventive and creative soul that refuses to give into the fame machine. Awesome stuff experienced by the few who know. Not the best intro to his music; essential for Hammill fans Extraordinaire ex Van der graaf drummer guy evans, Nic potter, also former VDGG on bass, and a very good ex- Stranglers axe man. The players: the great HAMMILL on vox and piano. Their chemistry is perfect and the material is way deep. The sound is that of a very acceptable remastered, clean, Bootleg. You can see a complete list of all Peter Hammill discography, or go back to the Peter Hammill tabs