Van der Graaf Generator: The Aerosol Grey Machine (1969)
The Aerosol Grey Machine was the debut album from Van der Graaf Generator, although some people don’t regard it as really a VdGG album (usually the detractors), which I’ll explain. It actually wasn’t meant to be a VdGG album, rather a solo album from Peter Hammill. The band broke up briefly around this time period, then the band members got together again as Hammill was recording an album, and so released as a Van der Graaf Generator album. Unfortunately the album was originally released only in the United States on Mercury, but a few years later (around 1973) it received a release in Europe, in Germany on the Fontana label, and in Italy and Holland on Vertigo (the Italian version was on the spiral Vertigo label). When The Least We Can Do is Wave to Each Other came out early the following year (1970), the British press considered that album to be their debut! It was obvious they weren’t aware of The Aerosol Grey Machine.
Yes, this is a bit different from the VdGG albums to follow. For one thing, David Jackson is nowhere to be found, so none of his trademark sax and flute playing. But they have some anonymous figure named simply Jeff on flute. But at least Peter Hammill, Guy Evans, and Hugh Banton are here, plus Keith Ellis, future Juicy Lucy bassist. It is not a bad album at all, I really think this is very much like Genesis’ Trespass, Gentle Giant’s self-entitled debut, or the first two albums from Yes (1969’s Yes and 1970’s Time and a Word), a band just dipping their feet in, and needing a couple more albums to really show what they’re really made of.
Here, you have a stronger psychedelic feel, with folk elements, emphasizing Peter Hammill and his acoustic guitar playing. “Afterwards” is a rather soft psychedelic number, with some piano playing. But one thing can’t be denied is Hammill’s voice is still unmistakable here. “Orthenthian Street”, which is divided into two parts can be thought of as proto-progressive. I really like the drumming in this piece. “Running Back” has more of a darker tone, showing a direction that this group would soon follow. It emphasizes Hammill’s acoustic guitar playing, and there’s some really nice flute playing from Jeff to go with it. The title track is just about the only case of the band showing their sense of humor. A short piece with a jazz/swing influence, with Peter Hammill saying at the end, “Buy yourself an aerosol grey machine, today!” It’s basically a joke song. “Aquarians” is a bit odd for VdGG. It’s a rather psychedelic number with perhaps the closest thing to flower power VdGG ever got. And any VdGG fan out there knows how much Hammill & Co. avoided flower power like the plague, as they tended heavy to dark subject matter. “Necromancer” is a weird little piece with strange electronic effects. “Octopus” is the epic closer and is a great piece demonstrating where these guys were quickly heading to, with more sinister subject material than most of the rest of the album, and by far the most aggressive piece on the album.
Public service announcement: there are versions of this album that has “Giant Squid” in place of “Necromancer”. The CD reissue luckily also includes that song. But I simply have the German LP on Fontana that has “Necromancer”, so I’m unable to comment on “Giant Squid”.
Overall, this is not a bad start for this band. The band disintegrated but quickly came together again, with Keith Ellis exiting the band for Juicy Lucy (apparently a bluesy hard rock band) and a new bassist, Nic Potter coming in, plus David Jackson for sax and flute (and a deal with a new label called Charisma, so their music could easily be available in the UK), with even better albums to come. For newcomers, it’s obvious to start with H to He Who Am the Only One and Pawn Hearts, but The Aerosol Grey Machine is a great place to explore the roots of this band.