Peter Hammill: The Silent Corner and the Empty Stage (1974)

What happened to Van der Graaf Generator between the release of Pawn Hearts (1971) and Godbluff (1975)? Well, simple, Peter Hammill recorded some solo albums with help from his former bandmates, giving the other guys something to do. The Silent Corner and the Empty Stage is Hammill’s third solo album, the second after VdGG’s hiatus (Fool’s Mate, his first solo album was recorded and released between H to He Who Am the Only One and Pawn Hearts). Aside from Hugh Banton, Guy Evans, David Jackson, and Nic Potter, you get none other than Randy California on guitar, he of the band Spirit (we all know that band from the hits “I’ve Got a Line On You” and “Nature’s Way”, as well as albums like their self-entitled 1968 debut, The Family That Plays Together, Clear, and most of all, Twelve Dreams of Dr. Sardonicus). Well, if you’re a VdGG fan, this is a no-brainer: you need some of Hammill’s solo efforts, and this is a great one to start with! I have to say this album screams “Peter Hammill” all the way. It’s even more personal and in your face than what VdGG would come up with. This album is truly up the alley of everyone who enjoys the intense drama. The first cut, “Modern” is a truly mindblowing and mindbending cut, with some truly amazing Mellotron work as well. There’s more Mellotron on this cut than all of VdGG’s recorded output (for VdGG, there’s only a little tron on Pawn Hearts, Still Life, and World Record and that’s it, on “A Plague of Lighthouse Keepers”, “Pilgrims”, and “Wondering”). This is the kind of Mellotron work even King Crimson fans would simply drool over. It’s the closest to Crimson I ever heard Hammill/VdGG sound like. Next is the more mellow, piano dominated “Wilhelmina”. The Mellotron rears its head again, this time both strings and brass, and it’s quite obvious the brass sound is that of the Mark II model, meaning it’s one of the few 1974 recordings I know to use one (the 400 model pretty much replaced the Mark II, even King Crimson and Genesis were using the 400 by this point). It’s too bad the Mellotron don’t get used any further on this album. “The Lie (Bernini’s Saint Teresa)” is another ballad, but this time in much more dramatic fashion. “Red Shift” is another great highlight for me, with some nice jazzy passages and distorted lead guitar from Randy California, while “Rubicon” is an acoustic piece, and for some reason sounds like an outtake from The Least We Can Do is Wave to Each Other. I almost got a feeling Hammill wrote this piece around that time (late 1969, when that album got recorded) but never got around to it until now, but I don’t know. “A Louse is Not a Home” is the closing epic number, very much dominated by Hammill’s vocals, but with very interesting arrangements and instrumentation. I really can’t think of anything bad to say of this album. Like VdGG, this album takes many listens to let it soak in, but after a few listens, I was simply blown away. The Silent Corner and the Empty Stage shows how Van der Graaf Generator might have sounded were they still around in 1974, but also points to the direction that band would head with Godbluff, their reunion album.

This is a prime example, right there with Steve Hackett’s Voyage of the Acolyte, and Anthony Phillips’ The Geese & the Ghost, of a solo artist recording an album that’s every bit as good as the band they’re usually associated with! You can’t usually say that about too many other artists who go solo. Your Van der Graaf Generator and Peter Hammill collection just isn’t complete with The Silent Corner and the Empty Stage!