The Least We Can Do Is Wave to Each Other
Occupation
- Peter Hammill: vocals, guitar; Piano on Refugees
- Hugh Banton: Hammond organ, piano
- David Jackson: saxophone, flute
- Nic Potter: Bass guitar, Electric guitar
- Guy Evans: drums
Also:
- Gerry Salisbury: Cornet on White Hammer
- Mike Hurwitz: cello on Refugees
The Least We Can Do Is Wave to Each Other (1970 ) is the second album by the progressive rock band Van der Graaf Generator. It includes six pieces: Darkness (11 /11), Refugees and White hammer on the A side, and Whatever Would Robert Have Said? ( with " Robert" Robert van de Graaff is meant ), Out of my Book and After the Flood on the B-side.
After the previous album, The Aerosol Grey Machine was completed, the band formed new: Peter Hammill, Hugh Banton and Guy Evans met as new members bassist Nic Potter ( his predecessor Keith Ellis moved to Juicy Lucy ) and saxophonist David Jackson. This quintet went into the studio in mid December 1969 to record The Least We Can Do ...
After the Flood was one of the first pieces that have been recorded on 16-track tape; the rest of the album was created on 8- spurigem tape. Nevertheless, the band reached a very powerful sound, thanks mainly Banton, who extended his Hammond organ to numerous effects such as echo, reverb and distortion, and Jackson, who at times played two saxophones simultaneously.
The Least We Can Do Is Wave to Each Other was released in February 1970. In April of the same year also a shortened version of Refugees was released as a single.
Title list
The 2005 published on CD Remaster also contains the single Refugees / The Boat of Millions of Years as bonus tracks.