Progressive music received a contributor to its embryonic style back in the late ’60s with Van der Graaf Generator. Gifted with Peter Hammill throughout its lengthy existence (despite the 25-year hiatus), and blessed with the continued assembly of several other early members (Hugh Banton, Guy Evans), Van der Graaf Generator delivered 13 studio albums including the classic debut, The Aerosol Grey Machine (1969). The band had a loyal but small following (I’m proud to say I was one in the US). With an original active period stemming from 1969 through 1977, and a rejoined lineup from 2005 to the current time, Van der Graaf Generator gave fans much to treasure as well as contributing to the influence of many other musicians.
On September 3, loyal fans will be provided a unique opportunity to recollect the band’s classic Charisma label album releases from their first active period (1970-1978). An ambitious and large-scale approach to those albums will be remembered in a 17CD/3BD Boxed set with seven studio sets and one live package., all newly remastered. To further add to the box, a previously unreleased but complete live radio-broadcasted concert from 1970 is packed in as is a collection of bonus tracks. A bigger collection of bonuses are four albums included with new Stereo mixes. Two of the three Blu-ray discs will contain hi-resolution Stereo and 5.1 Surround mixes of four albums, while the third BD will contain a collection of video footage and a documentary. The Box will be called The Charisma Years 1970-1978.
A 68-page book is provided to offer up a historical remembrance of Van der Graaf Generator and their album releases with notes and writing, photos, memorabilia, and album credits.
The Charisma Years 1970-1978 – Van der Graaf Generator
CD1 (The Least We Can Do Is To Wave At Each Other)
01 Darkness (11/11)
02 Refugees
03 White Hammer
04 Whatever Would Robert Have Said?
05 Out of My Book
06 After the Flood
Bonus Tracks
07 Refugees (A-side single – 1970)
08 Boat of Millions of Years (B-side single – 1970)
BBC Radio One “Top Gear” session – [January 20, 1970]
09 Darkness
10 After the Flood
CD2 (H To He Am The Only One)
01 Killer
02 House with No Door
03 The Emperor in His War Room
04 Lost
05 Pioneers Over C
Bonus Tracks
06 Killer (Version 1 – Previously Unreleased)
07 The Emperor in His War Room (Version 1)
BBC Radio One “Top Gear” session – Previously Unreleased [October 12, 1970]
08 Lost
09 Killer
CD3 (Pawn Hearts)
01 Lemmings (including Cog)
02 Man Erg
03 A Plague of Lighthouse Keepers
04 Eyewitness
05 Pictures / Lighthouse
06 Eyewitness
07 SHM
08 Presence of the Night
09 Kosmos Tours
10 (Custard’s) Last Stand
11 The Clot Thickens
12 Land’s End (Sineline)
13 We Go Now
Bonus Tracks
BBC Radio One “Sounds of the Seventies” session [June 10, 1971]
14 Man Erg
15 Theme One
16 Vision
17 Darkness
CD4 (Bonus)
01 Theme One (A-side single)
02 W (B-side single)
Pawn Heart Sessions Outtakes
03 Squid / Octopus
04 Angle of Incidents
05 Ponker’s Theme
06 Dimunitions
07 W (Version 1)
08 Theme One (Original Mix)
BBC Radio One John Peel Concert – September 23, 1971
09 Man Erg
10 W
11 Killer
BBC Radio One John Peel Session – December 14, 1971
12 Refugees
CD5 (Godbluff)
01 The Undercover Man
02 Scorched Earth
03 Arrow
04 The Sleepwalkers
Bonus Tracks
BBC Radio One John Peel Session – July 3, 1975
05 Scorched Earth
06 The Sleepwalkers
CD6 (Live in Rimini – August 9, 1975)
01 A Louse is Not a Home
02 (In the) Black Room / The Tower
03 Forsaken Gardens
04 Lemmings
05 Scorched Earth
06 Man-Erg
CD7 (Still Life)
01 Pilgrims
02 Still Life
03 La Rossa
04 My Room (Waiting for Wonderland)
05 Childlike Faith in Childhood’s End
Bonus Tracks
Live at the Theatr Gwynedd – Bangor, Wales – May 10, 1975
06 Gog
BBC Radio One John Peel Session – April 1 – 1976
07 Still Life
08 La Rossa
CD8 (World Record)
01 When She Comes
02 A Place to Survive
03 Masks
04 Meurglys III (The Songwriters Guild)
05 Wondering
Bonus Tracks
BBC Radio One John Peel Session – November 11, 1976
06 When She Comes
07 Masks
08 Part One (Approx. 35% of) Meurglys III (The Songwriters Guild) – B-side single
CD9 (Live at Maison de la Mutualité, Paris – December 6, 1976 – Previously Unreleased)
01 Arrow
02 When She Comes
03 Masks
04 Still Life
05 Lemmings
06 Childlike Faith in Childhood’s End
CD10 (Live at Maison de la Mutualité, Paris – December 6, 1976 – Previously Unreleased)
01 Meurglys III (The Songwriter’s Guild)
02 Gog
03 Sleepwalkers
04 Killer
05 Man-Erg
CD11 (The Quiet Zone / The Pleasure Dome)
01 Lizard Play
02 The Habit of the Broken Heart
03 The Siren Song
04 Last Frame
05 The Wave
06 Cat’s Eye / Yellow Fever (Running)
07 The Sphinx in the Face
08 Chemical World
09 The Sphinx Returns
Bonus Tracks
10 Door
11 Ship of Fools (French B-side – September 1977)
12 The Wave (demo version)
BBC Radio One John Peel Session – October 24, 1977
13 Cat’s Eye / Yellow Fever
14 The Sphinx in the Face
15 (Fragments of) A Plague of Lighthouse Keepers / Sleepwalker’s End
CD12 (Vital)
01 Ship of Fools
02 Still Life
03 Last Frame
04 Mirror Images
05 Medley: A Plague of Lighthouse Keepers / Sleepwalkers
CD13 (Vital)
01 Pioneers Over C
02 Sci-Finance
03 Door
04 Urban / Killer / Urban
05 Nadir’s Big Chance
CD14 (H Is He Am The Only One – New Stereo Mix)
01 Killer
02 House with No Door
03 The Emperor in His War Room
04 Lost
05 Pioneers Over C
CD15 (Pawn Hearts – New Stereo Mix)
01 Lemmings (including Cog)
02 Man Erg
03 A Plague of Lighthouse Keepers
04 Eyewitness
05 Pictures / Lighthouse
06 Eyewitness
07 SHM
08 Presence of the Night
09 Kosmos Tours
10 (Custard’s) Last Stand
11 The Clot Thickens
12 Land’s End (Sineline)
13 We Go Now
Bonus Tracks (New Stereo Mix)
14 Theme One
15 W
CD16 (Godbluff – New Stereo Mix)
01 The Undercover Man
02 Scorched Earth
03 Arrow
04 The Sleepwalkers
CD17 (Still Life)
01 Pilgrims
02 Still Life
03 La Rossa
04 My Room (Waiting for Wonderland)
05 Childlike Faith in Childhood’s End
BD1 (H To He Who Am The Only One and Pawn Hearts – High Resolution Stereo/5.1 Surround, Original Stereo Mix)
H To He Who Am The Only One
01 Killer
02 House with No Door
03 The Emperor in His War Room
04 Lost
05 Pioneers Over C
Pawn Hearts
06 Lemmings (including Cog)
07 Man Erg
08 A Plague of Lighthouse Keepers
09 Eyewitness
10 Pictures / Lighthouse
11 Eyewitness
12 SHM
13 Presence of the Night
14 Kosmos Tours
15 (Custard’s) Last Stand
16 The Clot Thickens
17 Land’s End (Sineline)
18 We Go Now
Bonus Tracks
19 Boat Of Millions Of Years
20 Theme One
21 W
BD2 (Godbluff and Still Life – High Resolution Stereo/5.1 Surround, Original Stereo Mix)
Godbluff
01 The Undercover Man
02 Scorched Earth
03 Arrow
04 The Sleepwalkers
Still Life
05 Pilgrims
06 La Rossa
07 My Room (Waiting for Wonderland)
08 Childlike Faith in Childhood’s End
BD3 (The Video Vaults)
Beat Club – June 23, 1970 – Previously Unreleased
01 Darkness
02 Whatever Would Robert Have Said
Pop Deux (The Bataclan Theatre, Paris – March 18, 1972, Broadcast May 27, 1972 on French TV – Previously Unreleased)
03 Lost
04 Killer
05 Octopus
Pop Shop (Broadcast September 21, 1972 on RTBF TV-Belgium)
06 Theme One
07 A Plague of Lighthouse Keepers
Live in Charleroi Palais des Expos [September 27, 1975] Broadcast on RTBF TV-Belgium – April 17, 1976)
08 The Undercover Man
09 Arrow
10 Scorched Earth
11 Sleepwalkers
Charisma Promo Film 1976 – Previously Unreleased
12 Wondering
Charisma Promo Film – Previously Unreleased
13 Cat’s Eye
Van der Graaf Generator in Concert
The Kohfidisch Open Air Festival, Austria on June 17, 1978
Broadcast by ORF TV, Austria 1st July 1978
Previously unreleased