The Aerosol Grey Machine
Occupation
- Hugh Banton: Hammond organ, piano
- Keith Ellis: E-Bass
- Guy Evans: drums
- Peter Hammill: vocals, guitar
- Jeff Peach: Flute ( running back )
The Aerosol Grey Machine (1969 ) is the first album by the progressive rock band Van der Graaf Generator. The original LP included five pieces per side, including Afterwards, which was released as a single, and Octopus, which remained until the dissolution of the band in 1972 in the live repertoire.
The Aerosol Grey Machine arose at a time when the band was formally dissolved. Peter Hammill, who stood at Mercury Records, the former band members took to the studio to record a solo album; Mercury agreed to release him from the (apparently not very advantageous for Hammill ) contract, if in return the plate appeared generator under the name Van der Graaf.
The bulk of the album was recorded mid-1969 within two days with only a few overdubs; compared to the successor The Least We Can Do Is Wave to Each Other instrumentation is accordingly rather sparse, with Hammills guitar often in the foreground. Only Octopus recalls with an extended instrumental passage, Hugh Banton bombastic organ and Hammills wild singing at the "typical VdGG sound ".
The Aerosol Grey Machine was originally released only in the U.S., where the band was almost completely unknown. It was not until 1971, there appeared in England.
Title list
( Some editions of the LP replaced by Necromancer Giant Squid. )
1997 published two CD versions: the first on the German label Repertoire ( with the first single VdGG People You Were Going To / Firebrand as bonus tracks ), the second to Hammills label Fie! ( with Giant Squid and a previously unreleased version of Ferret & Featherbird, a song he recorded for his solo album again in 1974 in Camera. )