Search - Peter Hammill :: Nadir's By Chance

Overlooked 70s Masterpiece

Bryan Treitler | NYC | 07/05/2005

(5 out of 5 stars)

"This is a fantastic record! Peter Hammill never made another album like this, and it's a shame: not only is it remarkably consistent, well constructed, and thematically coherent, but the entire Van Der Graaf Generator group plays like mad all over the thing, and they play it relatively straight (which for them means still quite off-kilter). It rocks hard as hell, the songs have recognizable pop hooks (that's pretty much never the case with Hammill), and the vocal performances are simply amazing (which is pretty much always the case with Hammill!) It's wonderfully bizarre to consider that Hammill had this record in him, especially when you trace his album releases throughout the seventies, but the fact remains that one of the most influential and ambitious "prog" rockers released a totally accessible hard rock album smack dab in the middle of his prime! It's a totally overlooked treat and highly recommended."

Smash The System With A Song!

Monti Alessandro | Venice, Italy | 06/26/2005

(5 out of 5 stars)

"Peter Nadir & Rikki Hammill...This is one of the essential rock records of the 70's. What still amazes now about this epic recording is the purity of its lyrics and the honesty of its music, so far from the pressures of stardom or fashion: a rare example of intelligent energy in music. In my opinion this concept album was the first and last of the "indie" rock albums. Just Incredible. Hammill's fantastic gift of expression will soon move to different sound worlds and masterpieces like "The Future Now", "PH7" and "A Black Box", all very recommended. One last note: the Track "Nadir's Big Chance" was also the encore on the glorious Van Der Graaf "Vital", one of the most extraordinary live recordings in rock history. Thank you Rikki Nadir, the genius behind the mask, the mirror image, the chameleon, the undercover man!

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