Peter Hammill live recordings

All comments are entirely subjective.

For some recordings a ManErg seal of approval, is awarded, for more or less arbitrary reasons!

The cover is a bizarre and somehow enigmatic black and white photo of cattle behind a barbed wire fence. There are apparently 500 of these (copies, not cows). The songs are all piano songs, taken out of sequence from the complete concert. Basically good sound is slightly marred by hiss, occasional drop-outs and peak level distortion.

This is a limited, numbered edition of 300 which originally came in a flimsy yellow slip-cover with black printing. The sound is good although not outstanding. Most notable is the inclusion of "The Cut," a rarely performed song not on any other vinyl boot. The cover fails to list "The Comet.".

An excellent double LP set featuring most of one of the few concerts PH performed in 1984. The first two songs are solo, the next two with John Ellis only. Sound quality is superb, with just a hint of peak distortion, but otherwise what you'd expect from a board recording. The glossy black and white cover steals a photo from the "Nadir" LP. Beware: some copies contain mispressed (or filed?) LP containing something else besides the intended contents.

An excellent double CD set featuring most of one of the few concerts PH performed in 1984. The first two songs are solo, the next two with John Ellis only. Sound quality is superb, with just a hint of peak distortion, but otherwise what you'd expect from a board recording. The glossy black and white cover steals a photo from the "Nadir" LP. The sound quality is excellent, the transfer is well done with just a bit of peak distortion as on the LP. A minor complaint: At only 93 minutes over two CDs, the value could have been better, as there were more songs played at this show. However the spirit is all there. This is one of my favorite live K recordings

There were apparently 200 LP copies made of this one. Now available as a Japanese CD transfer. As you can see, it's a collection of clips from various eras. Sports a nicely conceived four colour cover. PH's reading of a commercial for the "Rocky Horror Picture Show" in one of the KROQ clips is hilarious. The version of "Still Life" is not, shall we say, particularly inspired. The version of Epidemic appears to be the one used on Time Vaults!

"Condor" was later recorded on Graham Smith's second solo LP, "Kalinka" (released only in Iceland!). It's a great performance, with PH on electric guitar, many consider it to be one of the best available.

The cover is printed in a lovely shade of pink, and contains much misinformation with regards to tracks and sources; Hammill is misspelled "Hamill," etc. BUT, the sound is excellent for the era (Says Pawn Hearts, I can't tell on my tape), the performances are inspired and there's nearly an hour's worth of music. Definitely worth tracking down.

Pawn Hearts contribution to the unofficial sweepstakes. The concept was originally something for private listening pleasure, but it grew into a monster which took months to put together. A labour of love, of course. Twelve cassettes, 18 hours, all with black and white printed covers with photos, artwork, advertisements, liner notes, etc, limited edition of 100 copies, a massive compilation of almost every song performed live by the band and PH solo from 1971-1986. Listening to the songs sequentially like this is a revelation! Highlights include Tapeworm, This is me dreaming, etc, etc ,etc.

A three record set which came in a white box with a single photocopied black on orange insert listing song contents (but not sources) which also reproduces an M.C. Escher painting ("Bond of Union," 1956). There are apparently 100 copies only. It's also a European pressing despite the mis-appropriation of the TAKRL label. Disc one is "Ophelia." Disc two is "Naked Songs, Out of My Book." Disc three is disc two of "What the Stars Did Tell Me . . ." See separate entries on these LPs for more source and track information.

Good audience recording, but with lots of noises off. Good performances by the band (which unfortunately includes the pedestian Manny Elias). Band photos for colour cover. Recommended.

Recording is not quite as good as Sydney, and repertoire not quite so challenging, but wonderful performance again. To have played 48 different songs on 4 nights this superbly is a truly staggering achievement. Although of course to have actually written 48 songs this good is even more phenomenal.

Essential. Like Skeletons of Songs, this represents a comprehensive reality check on the entire repertoire. The production is a labour of love. One of the very best live performances available. Taken together with the only marginally less essential Melbourne concert this is the most sustained and brilliant performance conceivable. To be able to play 48 different songs this good, this well on 4 nights defies superlatives. If you only get one boot, this is the one.

LP and two CD versions (at least) available. These are somehow unsatisfactory. The concert I saw on this tour (LSE 26/10) was excellent, and tapes suggest others were too. Yet somehow the production robs the whole thing of excitement. The recordings are stark, with audience interaction excised.

An outstanding set from the RoomTemperatureLive era. A super concert, showing yet again that the taste of the Japanese folks who do this stuff is phenomenal. Technically its first rate too. I never actually liked RoomTemperatureLive until I heard this (and in truth, the reason I bought it was cos it was cheap in a remainder bin, and I have completeist tendencies!), but this set converted me. Now both this and RTL get their Seals of Approval!

"Condor" was later recorded on Graham Smith's second solo LP, "Kalinka" (released only in Iceland!). It's a great performance, with PH on electric guitar, and features "Faculty X" with severely ad libbed final lyrics. A persistent hum from the PA system is distracting in the quiet sections.

I really liked this concert. The Second Hand remains in memory outstanding, Jaxon and Graham Smith ticking away to nothing. Recording reasonable, and nice to have a recording of an unusual line-up. A lot of empathy between the players, although its hard to hear the sax.

Like the first Skeletons, an unusual and revealing set. In this case, early accoustic versions of many "K-band" songs.

A decent-sounding CD release of the well-circulated K-Group video soundtrack. Increadibly irritating electronic drum.

Excellent, clear sound quality with track separation! (a real rarity). The cover photo is taken from "The Love Songs," and overall it's a very professional looking and sounding package, definitely one of the best unofficial releases ever. This was also pressed as a picture disc in a plastic sleeve. The front cover side of the pic disc is colour, the back is black and white.

The cover consists of two unattached 12" x 12" white cardboard panels with black block letter printing in a plastic sleeve. The cover claims there are only 150 copies, and lists incorrect Contents. The pressing and recording are decent but bad peak distortion mars the effect throughout. In other words, a generally undistinguished package. PH forgets the words to "House" and ad libs: "I forget all my lines, though I know them so well!"

Black and white printed cover from the innersleeve of Kaleidoscope's "When Scopes Collide" (US group). Back cover reproduces article from UK magazine "Coup" about where members of VdGG are now. Graz side is soundboard. Foreign Town session is now available on The Peel Sessions

The beautiful colour cover art qualifies this as one of the nicest packages around, but the sound quality of the K-group performances is not outstanding, and the performances are ordinary. Some copies were pressed on multi-coloured vinyl in addition to the basic black. Side one of this LP also appears (in a bizarre case of mispressing) as side one of the Bauhaus double LP boot "The Final Gig," issued by the same company. Does anyone else have a copy of this?

Mixture of live songs and interviews. Somehow the thread is lost. But of course the only official video, and an interesting document. Rarites are Given Time and Usher.

Hammill always seems to come up with great interpretations on the radio. Somehow the medium suits him, and what we get is spontaneous, but controlled. A selection of excellent sets, the impassioned performances often (in the earlier songs) eclipse the album versions.

A simply tremendous anthology. For some reason radio seems to bring the best out of Hammill, and this is contains some great performances. Somehow the medium seems to suit him, and what we get is spontaneous, but controlled. Particularly handy is to get most of the stuff on Searching For Diamonds, which is now unnecessary.

Another tremendous anthology. Radio brings the best out of Hammill, and this is contains some great performances. Somehow the medium seems to suit him, and what we get is spontaneous, but controlled.

Live highlights of the trio tour. I'm rather ambiguous about this lineup, but every now and then they come up with a truly new slant on a song, which makes it worthwhile.

Black and white printed cover with "Future Now" session print on front cover, two "PH7" session photos on back. A numbered edition of 300 copies. Good sound, track separation and some great performances. A nice package, but all these songs and more are now available on the excellent Radio Archives I except the last track, which is on the officialThe Peel Sessions

The cover and booklet photos are from inside of "The Margin," and the editing follows that of the official live release, with only a few bits of applause left in. Many of the songs start and stop without any intro or applause at all. "The Second Hand" appears to be taken from a vinyl copy of "The Margin" (it's the only track which hasn't appeared on any of the three official CD versions). A good selection of songs and great value at over 74 minutes on one CD. Beats The Margin hands down!

By far the rarest, most sought-after of all PH/VdGG boots. The 2LP box set has a glued on cover, includes a 17" x 23" poster (hand on guitar in three different drawings progressing from flesh to skeleton) and two inserts (a photo of the church wall, solarized, and one of the road into Kansas) plus a sheet detailing contents and credits. A limited, numbered edition of 100, and a simply wonderful package.

The complete concert in the original running order, with six tracks not on the LP. Slight background hiss but the recording has remarkable clarity and presence. The cover is the same as the LP, and the package includes reproductions of both photo inserts and a full-size poster. Hope at last for the many who have searched in vain for the LP for years! Note: This set has been reissued on the Italian LLR label without the poster.

Hammill allegedly does backing vocals on the first set, but its the second half that's interesting. A "miniset" with a band apparently consisting of Gabriel, Hammill, Shankar, Rhodes, Fast, Copeland playing weird stuff!

Hammill does Ritual Mask (rather histrionically, of course), and Dog (or maybe Dock) 123 is a stupendous Gabriel song without words.

Enjoyable solo concert, similar in feel to, but not quite as good as (for my money), the excellent Tides. Soundboard recording. Plain Cover

Saw this one, OK but not great. This lineup is for me rather like VdG II (and I didn't like VdG I). So, nice to here some of these perfomed again, and a tenable Primo, but the live record does not contain much substance.

Possibly my favorite solo live Hammill concert recording. This is semi-official, I bought mine at Virgin Megastore in Paris - they own the label. Hammill sadly didn't know and disapproved. The cover is a travesty, but the performance is utterly compelling, the songs fit together perfectly, a reflection on love, death and acting.

Issued at the same tim e, and with the same tacky packaging as "Pilgrims." This one has a white envelope for the discs and a black on grey photocopied insert, and is a numbered edition of 500 copies. The sound is decent except for the distortion in loud passages, and shoddy editing spoils the "Sign/Ophelia" medley which straddles sides two and three.

Best Official live recording ever. Carefully assembled and edited solo performances all from the same tour. Each performance is at once "Typical" and extreme. Surprise encores. Fascinating sleeve notes by PH explaining how he builds a set. But at the end of the day, you might feel that Tides, a single, perfect concert from the same era, is even better.

Disc One
Introduction, Fireworks , A Forest of Pronouns ,Anatol's Proposal, After the Show , Roger and Out Accidents , Four Kinds of Rice/Hello/Resolution , Woman of Ireland , Ship of Fools

Disc Two
Hamburg Station , Seven Wonders , Adagio for Strings, Red Shift, Lemmings , Outroduction , Traintime

Utterly futile, although I suppose it might once have been an act of heroic devotion. This is actually a pirate rather than a bootleg, the material concerned having been released privately on cassette by PH in 1983, and now officially available as the Loops and Reels CD, which renders it irrelevant. It came in a plain brown cardboard sleeve sealed with a glued on piece of blue paper. Some copies had a forgery of PH's signature on the paper, while others had his initials. The release comes from either Mexico or somewhere in South America. There is absolutely no information on the record, save for the title "Urbabel" on the LP labels, along with a graphic design. Interesting, and pretty scarce (which must be a good thing).

Useless cover. First session especially is interesting, and I suppose is actually the earliest live solo available, but neither session is exactly essential.

CD 1:
I Will Find you
Fireships
Given Time
Patient
Stranger Still
CD 2:
His Best Girl
A Way Out
Traintime
The Future Now
Modern

Although this isn't my favourite line-up, actually this is not bad .

The title comes from a Tim Buckley song, and the cover is a nice full colour job with three photos from Stuttgart 11/31/86. Contents and credits are clear and complete. The sound could be better in places: The Berlin recordings are basically good but with the ubiqu