Audio CD review:
Peter Hammill - Clutch

Peter Hammill - Clutch

Band: Peter Hammill Title: Clutch Rating: Release Date: 2002-10-29 Media: Audio CD Tracks: 1: We Are Written 2: Crossed Wires 3: Driven 4: Once You Called Me 5: The Ice Hotel 6: This Is the Fall 7: Just a Child 8: Skinny 9: Bareknuckle Trade

Wonderful throwback to his classic 70s sound Musically, this guitar-heavy affair is up there with "What, Now" and "This" as one of his best in recent years. Keeping up on Peter Hammill's vast output can be a bit overwhelming, but "Clutch" is definitely one of the newer titles fans should add to their collections. Hammill sings and plays massed acoustic guitars backed up by considerable sax and violin from David Jackson and Stuart Gordon, and the results, though not quite an album's worth of "The Comet, The Course, The Tail," are very satisfying. The production is dense, the musicianship rich, and Hammill's voice is in top form as his trademark layered and dueting vocal lines deliver the usual introspective lyrics. Once past the uplifting "We Are Written" (with its "Hard Day's Night" opening chord) and the folksy, vaguely Tullish "Crossed Wires" (featuring a fiddlin' Gordon violin line), the songs are moody, melancholy, and even topical in places. "Skinny" and "Just a Child" address anorexia and child molestation in a style that recalls "Handicap & Equality" from "Ph7," while "Once You Called Me" is a beautiful, even commercially viable (!) ode to his daughter that echoes "Autumn" from "Over. " "Driven" is perhaps the most typically Hammillian of the songs, a dark prog-folk number where David Jackson's sax part nicely haunts Peter's cynical lyrics. The closer, "Bareknuckle Trade," sounds like an unplugged version of "Happy Hour" from "Patience," while "The Ice Hotel" and "This Is the Fall" would have been well placed on "Silent Corner. . . " or "In Camera. " "Fall" especially, with Hammill screaming his acerbic attack on organized religion, comes closest to that "Comet-Course-Tail" standard. "Clutch" is one of those albums that grows exponentially in quality with each listening and will surely please any Hammill-head. An added treat: my copy, at least, comes with seven bonus tracks, drawn from Van der Graff Generator's several BBC performances. None of them are from the "Maida Vale" set, by the way; instead you get earlier recordings and one late surprise. Specifically, the tracks are "People You Were Going To," "Afterwards," & "Necromancer" from the original line-up; "Refugees," "Darkness," and the rare "W" from the "Least We Can Do" period, & a cooking "Sphinx In the Face" from the final "Quiet Zone" line-up. Needless to say, the performances and production are excellent, if a little dated and thin on the "Aerosol Grey" numbers. At a glance, the package is no different but says simply "Bonus: Live at the BBC" on the back cover; the extra tracks are listed on the disc itself. . The Immortal One A true immortal walks behind it all, seeing everything & documenting it in a most artistic manner. While so many of us in the world get lost in the pointless, corny, soul-less music of our new so called "Youth". CLUTCH, as well as all of his releases, is a fine example of what I'm touching on here. Peter Hammill, long may you live! Know this, we are listening. BLOOD ON THE FRETS It's just one of many remarkable records written, performed and produced by Mr. Let's start by saying that I still play "Chameleon in the Shadow of the Night" a few times each year, every year, ever since it was released. Hammill and "Clutch" is another. Like parts of "Chameleon", "Clutch" is grounded by acoustic guitar and voice. But if you remember Hammill's voice and guitar chasing a tape echo at the end of "German Overalls", you'll have some clue as to what's in store. "Clutch" is an extremely powerful record. Even after listening to Mr. Hammill's work for more than thirty years, "Clutch" has moments that will turn you inside out. Part of that is due to the clarity -- the distilled core -- of the approach to the music here. With some of the abstractions Hammill has played with on previous recordings gone, "Clutch" radiates a youthful intensity, shaped by decades of experience. The music and lyrics are frank, stark and delivered with such conviction that they sometimes seem shocked at their own pronouncements. Many of the songs transmit a new kind of anguish. And the accompaniments support that anguish with remarkable resolve, because the musicians are playing with sound as well as music. Intrusions of violin, viola, sax and flute are, at times, so heavily treated that the resulting sounds are clearly something extra-musical. Few musicians can match music and mood and words as well as Peter Hammill. His ability to play with meaning and context are, to my knowledge, unmatched in contemporary rock. As a lyricist he has no peers. In his dedication to work, he sets an example that should -- as the music industry continues to try to bury us in disposable personality-oriented product -- become the standard for integrity in music. "Clutch" is probably the best thing you'll hear for quite some time. POSSIBLY HIS BEST IN YEARS... . . and that's saying a lot, coming from me - I've been a fan of Peter's work since the early 1970s. As lead vocalist and lyricist with the UK progressive band Van der Graaf Generator, Peter opened my ears - as well as my mind's eye - to the possibilities open to talented wordsmiths in music. Van der Graaf released only nine albums over their amazing career - but Peter has released dozens of solo albums, utilizing many combinations of instruments and techniques, that showcase the full range of his incredible talents. The release of CLUTCH shows that he is far, far from running out of ideas - or the ability to execute them. The album is built around Peter's acoustic guitars - he's an accomplished pianist as well - with contributions from Stuart Gordon (who has collaborated with PH in the past in fine fashion) on viola and violin, and David Jackson (a Van der Graaf alumnus and another frequent PH collaborator) on saxes and flutes - but, as the note on the back cover warns (to those unfamiliar with his work): `This was not intended to be and has not turned out as any kind of folk or roots collection. The palette is restricted, but the canvas is broad. ' The results - both to the ears of his fans and those who are new to his music - are stunningly powerful. Utilizing multi-tracking skillfully, Peter layers his guitars into a sonic wash that conveys much more power and force than one might imagine when thinking `acoustic guitars'. The additions to the mix by Gordon (on five selections) and Jackson (on three) are perfectly in tune with the spirit and form envisioned by Hammill - and, as is the case throughout his career, the music and arrangements complement and frame his lyrics exquisitely. There are absolutely no drums, keyboards, or bass on this album - and believe me, it's none the weaker for that. Oh yes - the lyrics. After listening rather passionately to many forms of music for over 40 years, I have to say that Peter Hammill has no equal in my book - there are many talented writers who come close, but no one speaks to my heart and soul and mind like Peter. He addresses several of his favorite themes here - fate, and the patterns it throws upon our lives, and our ability to exercise free will (`We are written', `Bareknuckle trade'); communication in relationships (`Crossed wires'); alienation and impermanence (`The Ice Hotel'); the pull of religion/faith on our lives, including the hypocrisy of those who would `lead' us spiritually (the scathing and moving `This is the fall'). He also addresses a couple of issues that are less common in his work: the pressure felt by young women to conform to the impossible images they see in photographs of models in magazines (`Skinny'); and an issue that is very close to my heart, the sexual abuse of children (`Just a child'). It's heartening to me - and to others, I'm sure - to see Peter continue to release recordings of such powerful content and quality. He has - counting his recordings with Van der Graaf - nearly 50 albums to his credit, with nary a dud among them - an astonishing output for someone who's not interested in being a rock star, or becoming a `household name'. He's an artist of stunning scope and abilities - and one (thankfully) with a burning need to continue to create. May he do so for many years to come. . . HIGHEST RECOMMENDATION. Great Acoustic CD from Hammill! The decision to make an album based mainly around the acoustic guitar with touches of violin, sax and flute, has had an interesting effect, opening up the soundscape somewhat and putting more attention on the lyrics and Hammill's guitar playing. This album contains some of Hammill's best work for some time. After listening to this I've decided that Hammill is a far better guitarist than I'd previously thought. The contributions from Stuart Gordon on violin and viola and David Jackson on sax and flute are wonderful and complement the songs perfectly - neither overwhelming the songs or staying too much in the background. As for the songs, Hammill's legendary skill as a lyricist is displayed on songs such as Once You Called Me, The Ice Hotel, This is the Fall and Just A Child. This is one of the best CD's Hammill has released in the last ten years. If you're a fan of his work then you owe it to yourself to add this to your collection!. You can see a complete list of all Peter Hammill discography, or go back to the Peter Hammill tabs