Side one: Don't Tell Me/My Room/The Play's The Thing/Still Life Side two: After the Show/The Mousetrap/Just Good Friends/Stranger Still Recording: 8-9 Source: PH solo, Kleine Komedie, Amsterdam 6/3/88 Comments: 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.
Side one: My Room/Mirror Images/The Mousetrap/Sign Side two: The Cut/Time For a Change/Sitting Targets/Ophelia/The Comet, The Course, The Tail Recording: 8-9 Label: Chamelion CR 0020 Source: PH solo, Bottom Line, NYC 8/24/81 (1st show) Comments: 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."
Side one: My Room/The Siren Song/The Comet, The Course, The Tail/Time For A Change Side two: The Future Now/Stranger Still/Film Noir/Happy Hour Side three: The Jargon King/Porton Down/Empress's Clothes/The Sphinx in the Face Side four: Losing Faith in Words/Labour of Love/Just Good Friends/Sign Recording: 9-10 Source: K-Group, Theatre Caree, Amsterdam 4/8/84 Comments: 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.
Disc one: My Room/The Siren Song/The Comet, The Course, The Tail/Time For A Change/The Future Now/Stranger Still/Film Noir/Happy Hour Disc two: The Jargon King/Porton Down/Empress's Clothes/The Sphinx in the Face/Losing Faith in Words/Labour of Love/Just Good Friends/Sign Recording: 9-10 Label: Three Cool Cats 026/027 Source: K-group, Theatre Caree, Amsterdam 4/8/84 Comments: A double CD reissue taken from the double LP set, with basically the same packaging. The sound quality matches the LP; 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.
Side one: Squid 1 (VdGG studio)/ Refugees (VdGG BBC 5/25/70)/ An Epidemic of Father Christmas (VdGG BBC 4/3/70)/ Theme One (VdGG Milano 2/8/72)/ PH KROQ Los Angeles 3/14/79 interview clips mixed in Side two: Still Life (PH Paris 1/28/80)/ Flight (PH poetry reading Amsterdam 10/18/83)/ Again (PH a cappella Brussels 3/24/85) Recording: 6-10 Comments: There were apparently 200 copies made of this one. 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. Reputedly to be released on a Japanese CD.
Contents: Man-Erg/Darkness/La Rossa/Still Life Recording: 10 Label: Kiss No. 10 Source: VdGG BBC 6/10/71 (1-2) & 4/1/76 (3-4) Comments: A nicely packaged European CD with colour photos and excellent sound quality, probably taken from BBC rebroadcasts. Downside is its under 40 minutes, and now made redundant by -Maida Vale .
Contents: Darkness/Vision/Theme One/Man-Erg/Refugees/After the Flood /Afterwards Recording: 7-9 Source: BBC 6/10/71 (1-4), BBC 5/25/70 (5-6), BBC 5/5/69 (7) Comments: Nice packaging but shaky sound quality in places. The pitch of PH's voice, for instance, sounds decidedly wrong on parts of "Man-Erg." The source information is not quite complete. Identical to Vision-Erg.
Side one: Modern/Time For a Change/Last Frame/Easy To Slip Away/Refugees Side two: My Room/Still Life/Medley: Lighthouse Keepers/Sleepwalkers Recording: 8-9 Label: Enaid 8764 Source: PH solo, Cinema Outremont, Montreal 6/9/78 Comments: The cover is printed in a lovely shade of pink, and contains many misinformations with regards to tracks and Sources, Hammill is misspelled "Hamill," etc. BUT, the sound is excellent for the era, the performances are inspired and there's nearly an hour's worth of music. Definitely worth tracking down.
Side one: Man-Erg/W/Killer/Firebrand Side two: Rubicon/A Louse Is Not a Home/Red Shift/People You Were Going To Recording: 7-9 Label: Takrl 1927 Source: first VDGG single ends both sides, rest of Side one is VdGG BBC 10/5/71, rest of Side two is PH & DJ BBC 1974 Comments: There are two versions of this: one with a printed black and white cover, the other with an attached cover sheet with orange print on pale yellow paper (same info in both cases). Both versions, on all copies I've seen, have skips in "Man-Erg" which seem to have been on the transcription disc used for a master. All the live in the studio performances are quite good, although the sound could have been much better.
Contents: Man-Erg/W/Killer/Rubicon/A Louse is Not a Home/Red Shift/People You Were Going To/Firebrand Recording: 7-9 Label: Chapter One 25136 Source: VdGG BBC 10/5/71 (1-3), PH/DJ BBC 1974 (4-6), first VdGG single (7-8) Comments: Transfered directly from a copy of the bootleg LP. Nice full cover cover which doesn't have anything to do with the band, however. Since the 10/5/71 session appears without the skips in "Man-Erg" on "Lost Live Tapes," (although for my money with slightly less compelling sound) this is only essential for tracks 4-8 (which mean that its essential anyway!). The 90 second instrumental break in Killer represents the all time high point of live VDGG recordings!
Pawn Hearts contribution to the unofficial sweepstakes. The concept was originally something for my own 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.
Contents: A Plague of Lighthouse Keepers (incomplete)/Theme One/ Killer/ W/ Darkness/ Lemmings Recording: 5-9 Label: Microphone 04 Source: Belgian TV 1971 (1-2), BBC 10/5/71 (3-4), Verona, Italy 6/3/72 (5-6) Comments: Nicely packaged with brief liner notes in English and Italian in the CD booklet. "Lighthouse" is missing the first five minutes for some reason. The BBC session is the same one as "Lost Live Tapes" and "Fellow Travelers," without "Man- Erg." Thus the Verona tracks are the only reason to have this; they are terrible sound, but stupendous performances.
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.
Disc one: Easy to slip away, Siren Song, Unconscious Life, Autumn, Comfortable, Shingle Song, I will find you Disc two: Planet Coventry, Primo on the Parapet, A Headlong Stretch, Your Tall Ship, Traintime, A Way Out Recording: 8-10 Source: Peter Hammill Quartet at Grenoble 1975 Comments: 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.
Side one: Theme One/After the Flood Side two: Killer/Lemmings Side three: W/Lost Side four: Darkness/Octopus Recording: 6-7 Label: Transworld VDG 279 Source: VdGG, Cinema Mascotte, Basel 5/6/72 Comments: This is a good representative of the better of the early VdGG live recordings, and is thus utterly essential, although pretty rough in quality compared to present standards. The cover is printed black and white, une femme fatale on the front, lyrics to "Killer" au reverse. The band played their usual set in reverse order!
Contents: Theme One/A Plague of Lighthouse Keepers/Man-Erg/W/Killer Recording: 9 Label: Aulica 106 Source: Belgian TV 1971 (1-2), BBC 10/5/71 (3-5) Comments: Nicely done cover shows lightning, inside of booklet has colour photos of individual band members. The cover incorrectly identifies "Lighthouse" (which is complete) as "Lost," and "Man-Erg" (which doesn't have any skips!) as "Refugees. The best Italian release to date.
Side one: My Room/Condor-Faculty X/The Second Hand Side two: Cat's Eye/Last Frame/Mirror Images Side three: Time Heals/Energy Vampires/Modern Side four: Medley: Lighthouse Keepers-Sleepwalkers/Refugees Recording: 8 Label: Impossible Recordworks 2-12 Source: PH & GS, Roxy, Los Angeles 3/14/79 (parts of both shows) Comments: Deluxe black and white cover with film-sized photos. "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.
Side one: The Undercover Man/When She Comes/Masks Side two: La Rossa/Meurglys III, The Songwriters Guild Recording: 7-8 Label: Armco 24357 Source: VdGG, Quebec City 10/7/76 (Side one) and VdGG, New York 10/18/76 (Side two) Comments: The cover is a simple graphic design, blue print on white. Side two is identical to side two of "New York 78." The cover lists incorrect date, source and contents for side two. Ok quality, but "The Undercover Man" is marred by dropouts and shifting around of the recording microphone.
Contents: The Future Now/Losing Faith in Words/Stranger Still/My Experience/ The Sphinx in the Face/Flight/The Spirit/Door Recording: 8 Label: Aulica A123 Source: K-Group, Essen 1981 Comments: A decent-sounding CD release of the well-circulated K-Group video soundtrack, with a full-colour, nicely designed cover. Irritating electronic drum.
Side one: Just Good Friends/Don't Tell Me/This Side of the Looking-Glass/The Mousetrap/The Future Now Side two: If I Could/Been Alone So Long/Modern/My Room Recording: 10 Source: PH solo, Capitol, Mannheim 3/14/85 Comments: 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.
Side one: The Lie/My Room/Easy To Slip Away/Time Heals/This Side of the Looking-Glass (begin) Side two: Looking Glass (end)/Mirror Images/House With No Door/Still Life Recording: 7 Source: PH solo, Troubadour, Los Angeles 2/4/78 (second show) Comments: Tacky packaging award: 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!"
Side one: When She Comes/Lemmings Side two: La Rossa/Meurglys III, The Songwriters Guild Recording: 8 Label: Reno 5578 Source: VdGG, Beacon Theatre, New York 10/18/76 Comments: The brown on white printed cover sports a suitably scary looking monster (Grover on LSD?), and also lists incorrect contents and date. Side two is identical to side two of "Montreal 77." An interesting early release, and I love PH's triumphant, "Well, at last!" when the band steps onstage for their first American concert.
Contents: Arrow/Faint-Heart and the Sermon/Lemmings/La Rossa/A Louse Is Not a Home/Scorched Earth/Man-Erg Recording: 8 Label: AGM-1001 Source: VdGG, New Victoria Theatre, London 8/30/75 Comments: This was the first unofficial VdGG CD to be released. It takes about 73 minutes of music from the middle of the second VdGG London comeback show. The cover is from the original edition of the book "Killers, Angels, Refugees," while the booklet reproduces two promo photos, two reviews of the gig and an advertisement. A nice package overall, although the booklets were folded sideways (the "KAR" drawing should be oriented properly). There is a bit of hiss, but the performance is great and the sound excellent for the period.
Side one: My Room/Just Good Friends/Ophelia/Modern Side two: Don't Tell Me/Labour of Love/Invisible Ink/Time To Burn/Auto/The Play's The Thing Recording: 10 Source: PH/SG/NP, Graz 10/16/90 (Side one), PH BBC 8/27/83 (Side two 1-2), PH BBC 1/12/89 (the rest) Comments: 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
Side one: The Future Now/Losing Faith in Words/Stranger Still/Sign Side two: My Experience/Modern/The Second Hand/Sitting Targets Recording: 8 Label: Metropol Source: K-group, Kant Kino, Berlin 9/27/81 Comments: 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. 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?
Side one: The Undercover Man/Scorched Earth/Arrow Side two: In The Black Room/Pilgrims (begin) Side three: Pilgrims (end)/Still Life/La Rossa Side four: Childlike Faith in Childhood's End/Gog (cut)/The Sleepwalkers (cut) Recording: 7 Source: VdGG, Roundhouse, London 4/19/76 Comments: Tacky packaging award, part two: The two LPs come in a grey envelope with a single pale-yellow photocopied insert which misspells or completely missnames most of the song titles. It's a numbered edition of 500 copies. Many (all?) copies are poorly pressed, and the editing really sucks. But its the only boot of Childhood s End.
Disc one: When She Comes, Masks, La Rossa, Still Life Disc two: Meurglys III, Gog, Sleepwalkers Recording: 8-10 Label: The Siren Song TSSVD 2005/6 Source:Toronto massey Hall, 15/10/19756 Comments: Pretty good quality recording, performance maybe slightly jaded. The band near the end of its life. Only bootleg CD of Meurglys, Gog. Annoying fade for last minute of Sleepwalkers. Cover unexciting, with standard PR photos of band. Also very expensive. Although actually its much better than my preceeding remarks suggest! The La Rossa is a highlight, a different feel to usual.
Side one: My Room/The Future Now/Mirror Images/Porton Down/Faculty X Side two: Time For a Change/German Overalls/Easy To Slip Away/In The End/ Faint-heart and the Sermon Recording: 8-10 Label: Mediaoevil 11548 Source: PH/DJ BBC 1979 (Side one), PH John Peel 1973 (Side two, 1-4) and PH John Peel 1974 (last track) Comments: 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.
Contents: My Experience/Paradox Drive/Sign/If I Could/Modern/Film Noir/The Great Experiment/Sitting Targets/Happy Hour/Central Hotel/Again/The Spirit/The Second Hand Recording: 8-10 Label: AGM-1003 Source: all K-Group: Theatre der Jugend, Munchen 11/4/82 (1-4), Sinkkasten, Frankfurt 11/5/82 (5-12), Queen's Hall, Edinburgh 10/24/83 (13) Comments: 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!
Side one: House With No Door/Time Heals/This Side of The Looking Glass/Easy To Slip Away Side two: Still Life/My Room/Last Frame Side three: Time For a Change/Been Alone So Long/Modern/The Comet, The Course, The Tail Side four: Medley: Lighthouse Keepers-Sleepwalkers/Man-Erg Recording: 10 Source: PH solo, All Souls Unitarian Church, Kansas City 2/16/78 Comments: 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.
Disc one: House With No Door/Time Heals/This Side of the Looking Glass/My Room/Easy To Slip Away/Still Life/Lizard Play/Time For a Change/Been Alone So Long/Modern/If I Could/Last Frame Disc two: The Comet, The Course, The Tail/The Lie/The Mousetrap/In The End/Medley: Lighthouse Keepers-Sleepwalkers/Man-Erg/Refugees Recording: 10 Source: as for LP Label: AGM-1002 Comments: 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.
Side one: Don't Tell Me/The Future Now/Stranger Still/The Comet, The Course, The Tail Side two: If I Could/Modern/Ophelia/Happy Hour Recording: 8 Source: PH/JE, Kolingsborg, Stockholm 9/29/83 Comments: The black on white cover features Salvador Dali drawings on both sides. There are 150 un-numbered copies, apparently. It's a great duo performance with the sound marred slightly by a constant edge of distortion in the peaks and hiss in the valleys. "Ophelia" is not listed on the cover. Hard to find this one. Also a Japanese CD.
Contents: My Room, Just Good friends, Curtains, I Will Find You, Something About Isobel s Dance,Ophelia, Last Frame, Patient, His Best Girl, Future Now, Central Hotel Recording: 8-10 Label: Mind the Magic 021 Source: Europe 1992 Comments: Solo concert, quite enjoyable . Similar to but not quite as good (for my money) as the excellent Tides. Soundboard recording. Plain Cover!
Side one: Patient/Last Frame/Don't Tell Me/Just Good Friends Side two: Shell/After the Show (cut)/Just Good Friends/Don't Tell Me/My Room Side three: Mirror Images/The Future Now/Time For a Change/Sign Side four: Last Frame/Flight (cut) Recording: 10 Label: Fancy Source: PH solo, Vredenburg, Utrecht 3/19/85 (radio). First six songs are a live-in the studio session, unidentified Comments: The pink tinted cover features a common photo of PH. "Flight" cuts off very close to the end, which is really irritating. Excellent sound and performances, though. Perhaps this would have made a better single disc, with one version each of the repeated songs. There are many (deliberate?) misspellings of song titles and Hammill is again "Hamill."
Side one: Too Many Of My Yesterdays/Other Old Cliches/Just Good Friends/Time To Burn/This Side of the Looking-Glass Side two: The Comet, The Course, The Tail/Vision/Sign (begin) Side three: Ophelia-Sign (end)/Patient/Four Pails/Shell Side four: Stranger Still/After the Show/Refugees Recording: 8-9 Source: PH solo, Zeche, Bochum 5/16/88 Comments: Issued at the same time, 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.
Side one: Critical Mass/An Endless Breath/In Slow Time (excerpt) Side two: My Pulse/The Bells! The Bells! (excerpt) Recording: 10 Source: "Loops and Reels" casse tte, Sofa Sound, 1983 Comments: This is actually a pirate rather than a bootleg, the material concerned having been released privately by PH in 1983, and now officially available as the Loops and Reels CD. It comes in a plain brown cardboard sleeve sealed with a glued on piece of blue paper. Some copies have a forgery of PH's signature on the paper, while others have 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.
Contents: Solitude, Tme for a change,The Birds, Out of my book, Slender Threads, German Overalls, Don t tell me, The future Now, Labour of Love. Recording: 8-10 Label: Siren Song TSS-PH001 Source:1-6 Montreal 21/4/74, 7-9 Lund, 2/10/83 Comments: Useless cover. First session especially is interesting, but neither exactly essential.
Contents: Darkness/Vision/Theme One/Man-Erg/Refugees/After the Flood/Afterwards Recording: 7-9 Label: Lost Rose 03 Source: BBC 6/10/71 (1-4), BBC 5/25/70 (5-6), BBC 5/5/69 (7) Comments: Nice packaging (see review elsewhere) but shaky sound quality in places. The pitch of PH's voice, for instance, sounds decidedly wrong on parts of "Man-Erg." The source information is not quite complete. Identical to Confused Beyond Redemption.
Side one: The Emperor in His War-Room (John Peel, 1974)/Afterwards (John Peel 1977 with GS)/House With No Door/Easy To Slip Away Side two: Still Life/Man-Erg (last four from "Skeletons of Songs") Side three: Just Good Friends (instrumental, studio B-side version)/Tintagel (Playaway TV with DJ, 1980)/Vision/Too Many Of My Yesterdays Side four: Just Good Friends/Four Pails/Refugees Recording: 7-10 Label: Heartland AC 187-10 Source: as listed, rest from PH solo, Quartier Latin, Berlin 11/26/86 Comments: 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 ubiquitous peak distortion problems. The "Skeletons" segments and "Just Good Friends" are taken from other records.
Contents: Afterwards/House With No Door/Easy To Slip Away/Still Life/Man-Erg/ Just Good Friends (instrumental)/Vision/Four Pails/Refugees Recording: 8-10 Label: Living Legend LLRCD 113 Source: same as LP version, with some omissions Comments: With over half of this CD comprising material from "Skeletons of Songs," there is just too much redundancy, and worse yet, more of the original double LP would have fit on the CD, which runs just under an hour. The cover is a nice reproduction of the LP; the inside of the CD booklet lists other Living Legend releases.
Disc one: Louse is not a Home, Faint Heart and the Sermon, In the Black Room, Arrow, Forsaken Gardens, Lemmings Disc two: La Rossa, Pilgrims, Sleepwalkers, Undercover Man, Scorched Earth, Man Erg, Man Erg (afternoon performance) Recording: 8-10 Label: Reel Tapes Source:Rimini L Altr Mondo, 9/8/1975 Comments: Mixing desk tape of Godbluff era, slightly marred by PA hum. Fine performances by the band at its peak. The cover with band photos is nicer inside out!