Peter Hammill gives a lesson in the art of redux.

Release Date: 24th November 2024

Label: Esoteric Recordings

Format: digital / 2CD

George Roger Waters’ recent attempt at ‘reduxing’ the iconic Dark Side Of The Moon had fan reactions that ranged wildly from hailing a new masterpiece to running for their lives in horror. The shows at the London Palladium also had mixed responses. Moving swiftly on, there’s a doubt as to whether fans of Peter Joseph Andrew Hammill will judge their hero in quite such extreme terms.

He’s reworked two of his ‘landmark’, although not ‘essential’, albums originally released in 1988 and 1990. Minor landmarks amongst several major landmarks, both solo and with Van Der Graaf Generator. The redux is the alternative to the more common remaster and reissue notion. The question of how would these songs sound now if we re-did them. Natural evolution really. Different picture, same frame sort of thing. It’s easy to slap a ‘product of their time’ sticker on the package, yet Peter Hamill is an artist whose canny and astute observations have placed him constantly at the forefront of Prog godfathers if not being able to break into the mainstream.

Over the years the reaction to the original versions of both albums has been mixed; the enjoyment of many fans countered with finding the 80s production style not quite to their taste. The uncertainty surrounding the rights of both these original albums has prompted ‘The Ham’ to revisit both works in the studio, reworking and re-recording whilst also using elements of the original material. The finished results provide an interesting perspective – try listening side by side if you can source the originals.

Here it comes….

You’ll find no sprawling and challenging Prog epics here; Van Der Graaf has moved on, but on 1988’s In A Foreign Town, the political agenda that’s been a constant companion and fruitful subject for Hammill is to the fore from the off. “Here it comes, up on screen, propaganda of the military-industrial machine,” he declares within the opening few moments of atmospheric big brother Hemlock. If it hasn’t already been referenced, here’s more than sufficient evidence for the influence of the man Steven Wilson and Tim Bowness refer to as ‘The Ham’ on the likes of fellow musical conspirators and so sharp they’d cut you, cutting-edge lyricists such as Fish. Vote Brand X indeed!

Peter has referred to this album as having strong songs as well as being “a crucial set of recordings in terms of my musical development.” Brought right up to date, it sits on a familiar and chillingly apt bed of observation. Some of the 80s vibe is unavoidably retained. Auto combines a muted Hammill vocal with an electronic dash and synthesised brass stabs and Under Cover Names is similarly ‘guilty’. As such, it’s the more stark arrangements that stand out – like many of his contemporaries, sounding at his most potent when his distinctively committed vocal is accompanied by guitar or piano. See The Play’s The Thing – the desolation hitting the open wound – and a loping Time To Burn with “the prodigal caught at the border” might be Hammill the romantic and regretful.

Phosporous gleaming….

1990’s Out Of Water saw a change of direction – no surprise there – with more of a band focussed approach. Having said that, the pair of albums sit relatively seamlessly together. Evidently Goldfish sets a tone of the weird with snaking electronic textures, John Ellis’ spiky guitar and the crisp drums of the era marking the context.

The original presence of Dave Jackson on Green Fingers and No Moon In The Water might pass many by; certainly no right-up front wood or wind to blow the cobwebs away. In fact, it takes some careful listening to see if his contribution has made the redux! The finale of A Way Out and On The Surface redress the balance and see the songs taking on an extended format. The ‘pained and passionate’ phrase comes to mind as the elements of discordance reappear on the former accompanied by a repetitively disturbing and equally maddening keyboard line and all manner of musical contributions. The challenge is back with a vengeance.

There’s a strong Gabrielesque quality about the latter two that carries them into the stratosphere. Again, the minimal instrumentation of A Way Out makes for a thrilling and intimate experience. And having said that, the subtle strings and understated guitar solo add texture before the “Out of depth, out of tune, out of sight, out of mind…” verse and the final desperate thought of “I wish I ‘d said ‘I Love You‘” A piece that many have acknowledged as the one that carries Out Of Water and makes it essential. Worth the admission price alone territory.

Two albums that, despite what some may think, might be/probably are a pair of outliers in the Hammill legacy, certainly when coming up against In Camera and The Silent Corner And The Empty Stage. The Foreign…Water pairing certainly benefits from the redux, allowing for a reappraisal. Maybe not one that will elevate their status, but more of an interesting exercise in how The Ham of 2023 sees some of his less essential work.

Peter Hammill online: Website / X – formerly Twitter

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