I love La Rossa because it's such an interesting story, and if true gives us a insight into Peter's relationships. La Rossa is the prequel song to his solo album Over which was released at a time VDGG was splitting up and Peter may have also been going through a personal break up. La Rossa is a tale of infidelity and it's consequences while Over is about the loss and loneliness that follows after friendships or relationships end. The La Rossa story continues in the final track on Over - Lost and Found.
"Typical guy syndrome." Haha, yes we can be very dense sometimes! In retrospect these situations had/have a lot more intense emotion than a simple love song can convey so I appreciate PH putting the the extra words and emotion into it. Metaphorically I think it means to not have to look back on life and regret missed opportunities in any situation. The next song is quite the opposite musically, starting with clear DEEP vocals and smooth jazz oriented instrumentation. The last song is what all of this has been building up to. I have seen it mentioned many times in the comments. Childlike Faith In Childhood's End😮⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ Ty Justin!
Interesting reaction. I am asking myself: Can it be that listening to the first side of Magma's "Mëkanïk Dëstruktïẁ Kommandöh" and comparing them to Van der Graaf Generator made you expect they would suddenly become Vander Graaf Generator (forgive my pun) and break into singing something in Kobaïan like "Hortz Fur Dëhn Štekëhn Wešt"?😁
I first heard this song 32 years ago on the Radio 1 Rock Show(UK) as part of a retro session including Still Life, Chemical World and Plague of Lighthouse Keepers / Sleepwalkers . I was a fan and still am.
Personally, "La Rossa" is my favorite on side 1 of the album. Perhaps it's the closest thing here to a "formulaic" VDGG track - it was a leftover from the Godbluff sessions - but it's also freakin great. That funky "If we made love now..." middle section is killer.
I adore this song, it's one of my favorite VDGG's. I agree it's not really breaking new ground, but I see it as a polished gem of this period. Have you given it any more listens since this reaction? Just listen to the way Hammill's scream breaks up an octave in mid-shriek at about 3:01, that has to be one of his best. The scathing barreling jams that dominate the piece give it a gripping velocity, broken by the reflective passages, and the building dark bolero. The opening organ is so choice and tasty, so trademark. The tempo accelerando at about 7:41, Jackson up to his towering par on sax fills and texture, and I think the crescendo in the last minute to be one of their most stirring. The lyrics are not the most moving for Hammill, but the soundscape of the singing is stunning, and the structuring and rendering of the piece make it stand out for me as consistent and potent throughout, and one of their most robust mid-length pieces.
it's an obscene lyric with spiritual longings Take me, take me now and hold me deep Inside your ocean body, Wash me as some flotsam to the shore, There leave me lying evermore! Drown me, drown me now and hold me down Before your naked hunger, Burn me at the altar of the night- Give me life!
I think Pawn Hearts is their best (because of a plague of Lighthouse keepers), but Still life is a close second for sure. La Rossa may be one of my favorites on the record. This is such a deep and dark album, one of the best prog records.
Peter Hammill……the most powerful singer I have ever heard….singing….not incomprehensible growling…his ability as composer…..musician…..boggles everything inside of me in such a good way….the line from a Clockwork Orange……gravity all nonsense now😁😝😊😊😊😊😊🤪😎
Great song. My favorite moment is where Hammill is screaming his lungs out and then it's all quiet with soft guitar and soft singing, "think of me what y9u will", etc. Oh, also, needs more cowbell.
This is one of his very personal songs. Much of his work comes from the "big view", from his existential pondering of humanity's place in the universe. This is about personal relationships. Perhaps it is that flavor you find less attractive. And you make comment of how draining his music can be. I saw him live, SOLO, back in the mid-late seventies. I have never been so drained by a concert. It was positively vampiric. But...we were willing victims. He needed our energy to put forth his energy. It was a phenomenal show, very difficult, extremely rewarding. I'll agree. It's an 8 compared to the 10 of "Childlike Faith in Childhood's End", which returns to the "big picture" existential view that is what is most uplifting and enlightening in Hammill/VDGG's work. Blessings.
I'm in heaven this week with you. Some of my favorites artists. And today one of my top favorite songs. Impatient to see you react… And the last track on this album is as great ! Maybe I'm also touched by the lyrics of this song because I felt that feeling so strongly as a young adult.
I'm so excited for you JP! You still have Aerosol Grey Machine, The Least We Can Do, Silent Corner Empty Stage and World Record to come and there are plenty of gems!
These is my favorite album of van der graaf and LA Rossa is a song that I listen the most in repeat Off course it's,a song that you love more and more after few,time of listening Ty you for great choose and react
I had forgotten about this group......however....this album was playing as background music in several parties in the 70's that I went to....and It was perfect...but I never bought the album.....I may have to do that. Just excellent music!!!!
This song didn't stick with me at first either. But when it did hit me after a few listens I was absolutely blown away. A lot of Hammill's songs definitely takes multiple listens to get into. Would almost be better to do a "third listen" video instead of first, after the song has soaked in a little bit. Stick with this song and you'll see how insane it is. This song is a masterpiece for all time
Superb. Brilliant band. A lot of people don''t like Peter Hammill's vocals. I do. His lyrics are awesome and from the 70s only him and Gabriel had such unique voices that were instantly recognisable
One would say it's just another VdGG song. Other would say it's their definitive song. I would say each of their songs is burdened with similar dillema.
it's a very carnal song emotionally, with little introspection. however, the musicality warrants the usual further listens to learn all of the changes so it opens up :) the composition is just amazing, and drumming, and groove, and soundspace, and vocal performance, and i love the climax... so, yeah, pretty average VDGG but taken in the context of the album, you have it contrasted with Still Life, which is completely devoid of love or even basic attraction, and this is the rebound. Hammill's references can be quite transparent at times, but i think he's expressing real emotions and that comes out in the recording and we are just lucky a mic was there. def keep exploring Hammill's solo stuff! anything from the 70s is gonna be good, he has so many dang albums! while "true" VDGG songs have that extra polish, some stuff that appeared on a solo album is just as good as anything released as the band!
HOWEVER! HOWEVER!.... LOL...I get your point put I think it will have more of an impact on your next listen esp. when listening to the entire album at once! But that's the only way I listen to Prog in general.
I think I finally figured out what VDGG was always missing. They needed a Tony Banks. Not for his playing cause the playing is quite good here. They needed a "Tony" like Genesis had to say "OK, can we cut back the lyrics a bit cuz you're singing over all my juicy instrumentals".
JP, just few more contacts with this song and it also becomes easily 10/10. My first impressions were similiar to yours, and now I consider it to be one of the strongest points of this super strong album.
Compared to their other stuff like Lighthouse, this is more of an easy listening song - compared to VdGG standards, of course (but VdGG is never easy listening). I like this song very much, it is a kind of sing-along and, man, did and do I sing.
What about "The red (hair) one"? I suppose since the 70's vdgg Italian tour Hammill became too close with the country. Check his last album cover, for instance.
Too much going on there to settle on what the final opinion might be, I think. Sometimes a song that seems to have nothing that stands out in it is one that's going to last for years and keep getting better. They definitely set their own bar very high, so yes, it's good to remember that. I quite enjoyed it. (Wouldn't they have loved to hear that from its first audience? "We didn't mind that La Rossa song very much" ... Just the feedback every musician is waiting for.)
Musically it suits me well, lyrically I don't care because generally I'm not attracted to words and their aesthetics and what the lyrics convey, but what causes me problem again, is the scratched voice of Peter Hammill and the fact that the tone of his voice goes all over the place to the point that at times it feels like it's going to break. I don't hate Hammill's interpretation which is one of a kind, but I still can't say that I like it ! I don't know, sometimes I think another singer would have suited this band and these songs better (but maybe not actually !) ....
@@paulhansberry8168 Yes, too much 'gravel', the vocal fry register is overdone and looses its impact. Can hear the 'Canterbury' influence in the music. A bit dated sounding.
It's a pretty "earthy" song for VDGG, with quite a bit of slightly more mainstream rock/funk/rnb elements to its sound - I feel it's deliberate since it talks about lust, sex, yearning for romantic adventure and conquest etc. - the sort of thing which to me seems like a typical 'rock'n'roll' topic which doesn't show many times in Hammill lyrics - and yet it gets a particular Hammill treatment which still makes it pretty special, in my view. La Rossa - I think it means "The Red One" in Italian, the language PH is familiar with.
I love all of Still Life, have done for decades, but this is my least favourite song on it (4/5 where all the others are 5/5) - but still a great song IMHO.
I understand your assessment here. I kind of feel the same way about the album in general, except for my favorite track, My Room (Waiting For Wonderland). My three favorite VdGG albums are Pawn Hearts, Godbluff and The Least We Can Do Is Wave To Each Other. Still Life would seem to be a sequel to Godbluff but for me it falls short, and I've never been able to figure out why.
True story! This great dance tune is a real knee-slapper at weddings. Approaching "No Pussyfooting" in that regard. Sure, it is not their best song, but their worst songs are better than a lot of other bands' best. Also true with most prescient bands from the progressive '60s and '70s, and probably beyond. But what if Yes had been called No? I lucked into this band because an advanced human being from Manhattan had moved to Charlotte, bringing a treasure trove of progressive, world, Nonesuch, ECM, other smart music labels circa 75. Most songs have yet to meet with concerted reaction. Just sayin'. The future is vast. :)
Hi JP. Dave from Blighty. I'm A Believer in your channel, less so this song. It sums up what I have struggled with, having listened to VdGG since the early 70s. Much too wordy lyrics, Peter's angst-ridden vocals which as you say leaves one exhausted, and too little of their excellent instrumental passages (like we get at the end). If this is about a man trying to take his relationship with a woman to the next level, he could be more succinct and romantic about it!
Seeing as no one else has mentioned it yet, 'La Rossa' means 'the red one' in Italian, where 'one' is female. For those interested in the music, the metric sophistication of the middle section is amazing. As much as I love VdGG, there's too much shouting in the vocal.
VDGG are the prog masters but despite lacking the commercialality of others such as Genesis and King Crimson they are IMHO just has good . Check out Pleasure Dome/ Quiet Zone for the track Sphinx in the Face, got a groove to it. Other notable albums are God bluff and of course Still life the best of the bunch.
Glad you are enjoying the LP and this group. Only have listen to two or three tunes and this again had no click... Still not my thing. Almost didn't make it to the reaction. Too many parts I didn't really enjoy and those outweighed the parts I did enjoy... I will try again when you go there, as your reactions are always enjoyed and inform, but your 8 is my 6... I don't have your capability of dissecting the musical talents therefore I just go by my gut and nothing was there for me to seek this out again. Group maybe, this song no...
Fatima Mansions have 5 albums which see them take a vdgg variant and mix it up with ooh, the seattle sound? and alice cooper via scott walker and leonard cohen. Their final album bombarded us to the hilt - similar to today’s song- but to the detriment of vital variety in the guitar lick dept. So La Rossa hits me like the final FM album. Such was the sonic and lyrical intensity it left the listener searching for a Certain Vacuum to allow it to Breathe in between the Vocal Tirades. And guess what! , back in 1995, The FM’s lead single from ‘Lost in the Former West’ was initially a ‘major disappointment’ but now? An Absolute Essential listen. “ Lockdown London! “ sang Cathal Coughlan in ‘the bridge’. It took me 25 years to appreciate it’s awesomeness. 20 years shorter than it took me to Dig VDGG; Your claim to fame , JP. I formally invite you therefore to play the music of Fatima Mansions , Justin to see whether or not it’s just me who Draws Vague comparisons here. Blow yer mind stuff. And Rather funny too. Kind regards HP There are 3 FM bands to check out: Field Music Fatima Mansions and yes The rockist FM Who i have a funny feeling will thrill the 14 year old me who unwisely ignored them in the 80s. Alternatively Try Ed Harcourt’s pop anthems or his piano classic Beyond the End for the Dark Saturday nights when Ur alone with the Cat. Diolch.
I thought I would give VDGG another chance. The track lasted a little bit longer than my interest in it, and I would like to have heard more guitar, but I liked the more overtly aggressive vocal.
@@pentagrammaton6793 The track that introduced me to VDGG was Refugees, which I still love, but I found that was quite atypical of their sound during that period.
How about doing a reaction on Scheherazade and other stories by Renaissance, many regard it as the best Renaissance album and I am pretty sure its their most ambitious and adventurous one. Highly recommend it! :)
He has already listened at least to the Song of Scheherazade on his own. Check the intro comment of the "Northern Lights" video. ☺ Trip to the fair is another great one. Could be my favourite album too, along with Turn of the cards and Novella.... and Ashes...... and Prologue.......
Hi JP. I think you probably need about 6 more listens. Once it gets under your skin I think you'll stick with your original assessment - "a fantastic track by VDGG" and ditch the qualifications. I believe it does hold up exceedingly well in their pantheon.
No, I don't have to be here. The power or Prog. compels me! But what do I know, I've got dain bramage and I cant Generate any resistance, ohm my, watt am I to do? Shock therapy? As always, Peace from a Van down by the river.
I had Pawn Hearts in 1974. They are pretty good. But no Genesis! TRY GAAHLS WYRD. THE SEED! From The Humming Mountain EP album of the year for me. Gaahl is a Norwegian Black Metal elite. This is not Black Metal although I love atmospheric Symphonic Black Metal
It runs out of steam after the first big crescendo. This is risky stuff. A bit like how the second verse in a sex pistols song is just an excuse to keep standing there looking angry. The point had been made. The title track has the same issue. Traces of the unique genius are present luckily.
For me VDGG tend to be a case of the whole being less than the sum of the parts and I don't know why. Technically I know they are good but they just don't connect for me. Some what how Snarky Puppy (whom I really like) doesn't work for some other people. None of us are wrong. We just appreciate different things. I just came across the video of the Metropole Orchestra (prom 53) - Mingus revisited featuring Leo Pellegrino on Bass Sax among others. I am half way through and it is brilliant (but very long at 2 hours).
Correct! La Rossa is a typical VdGG composition in the sense that there's not much we haven't heard in previous albums. Somehow, it lacks the surprise element. And, my personal taste, is too packed with words. Still a 4 star song.
La Rossa and My Room are my two least favorites on the album; they're just not as interesting to me as the first two tracks, but I agree that there's nothing inherently wrong with them. Hyped for Childlike Faith in Childhood's End, though!
Musically, it's a big improvement on the prior two tracks, I enjoyed this. Tons going on, it's a complex tune. And despite the myriad parts etc, I felt it was more melodious, and flowed better as a piece. Vocally, still a bit of a struggle. I don't mind his voice, I just wish he'd 'sing' more. Again, a very wordy lyric (as is oft PH's way), he's obviously a tale to tell. That said, due his asperous delivery, shrieks, and other assorted guttural noises, I missed most of what he's trying to say.
I know when we watch/listen to JP's channel things are different - but when you regularly listen, Jfergs - do you follow along with the lyric sheet that comes with the album? This song is fairly straight forward. Hammill is caught up in the confusion of banging some broad - and their friends now - but if he does bang her would that change their friendly relationship - and of course he concluded it would. He does decide - and does what most eager young males would do!
@@vdggmouse9512 Re reading the lyrics, no I don't, but I think about it occasionally. And I may yet do so as It does get frustrating at times not getting all the words. That said, reading along seems like a kind of cheating to me. If a singer/songwriter's a message, story, or whatever to get across, then why not sing so as to be understood. Seems obvious. Half the time with PH though, feels like he's imitating the vocal stylings of Cannibal Corpse... Now, re your comment on 'Banging' tunes, ie mega repeaters... Yeah, been there, done that :) Here's a few of the tracks that immediately leapt to mind when i read it :) 2 by Bill Nelson. Decline and Fall & Do You Dream in Colour. 2 by Adam and the Antz. Whip in my Valise & Beat my Guest. These pre his highwayman/dandy phase. His 1st album, 'Dirk Wears White Sox', seminal punk, and one of my all time top 10 LP's. The Clash. (White Man) In Hammersmith Palais. New Fast Automatic Daffodils. Big. This from the album pigeonhole, there's various remixes, but none are as good as the original, imho. You say you've not, but i'd say give it a try. One day you've a free afternoon say, get cosy, get in your 'happy place' and let a much loved track just wash over you... and over, and over etc... I've not done it for a while, but i used to find it cathartic, relaxing, really rather enjoyable.
@@vdggmouse9512 No, CC obviously came much later. I didn't say one's copying the other, or anything suchlike. I was making the point that PH, for someone with an awful lot to say, can at times come across as equally unintelligible as the CC guys...
Still Life concept pictorial compositions of longings for life from the juvenil longing for connectedness (pilgrims) to the adult longing for consist (still life) to the rípe longing for livelyness (la rossa) to the disillusionment of human reliability and steadfastness (my room) to the childlike desire for transformation and further development and change (childlike faith) In the end of all human like in the death of mere human Life will start! Pilgrims Call Longing for life (connectedness) through community and empathy Still Life Conclusion Longing for life (eternal earthly consist) through/with the help of biological kybernetic tecnology La Rossa Expression Longing for life (liveliness) through/with the help of sexual exstasy My room (waiting for wonderland) Sorry disappointment, that human relationships cannot provide/grant eternal security/protection Childlike faith in childhoods end Train of thought Longing for life (transformation/ further development) in the stars and in the sense of the rules of the universe Beständigkeit Widerstand resistance
Just woke up and I’m getting yelled at. Not a good start. Didn’t really care for any of it. Grating vocals, the tone of the sax sounds, I don’t know, I don’t like it either. The rest I can take or leave. I am glad I heard it for now I don’t have to do it again. I know some here love this stuff, more power to them, not for me though. I’ll listen to prog jr. like Kansas and actually be able to enjoy it. Peace and jr. Music
I hated it. I thought it was very formulaic. And it wasn't the scratchy voice, it was the nasal nastiness of the tone of his voice. Whatever it was he was singing,he sounded like he was in the mood that backhand someone and was letting them know it.
"Quiet Zone/Pleasure Dome" is the album I listen to the most. Of course I also have a soft spot for violin...
I love La Rossa because it's such an interesting story, and if true gives us a insight into Peter's relationships. La Rossa is the prequel song to his solo album Over which was released at a time VDGG was splitting up and Peter may have also been going through a personal break up. La Rossa is a tale of infidelity and it's consequences while Over is about the loss and loneliness that follows after friendships or relationships end. The La Rossa story continues in the final track on Over - Lost and Found.
Another gem of a band that I missed out on....time to add this to my collection!!! Thanks again JP and all the awesome listeners.
"Typical guy syndrome." Haha, yes we can be very dense sometimes! In retrospect these situations had/have a lot more intense emotion than a simple love song can convey so I appreciate PH putting the the extra words and emotion into it. Metaphorically I think it means to not have to look back on life and regret missed opportunities in any situation. The next song is quite the opposite musically, starting with clear DEEP vocals and smooth jazz oriented instrumentation. The last song is what all of this has been building up to. I have seen it mentioned many times in the comments. Childlike Faith In Childhood's End😮⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
Ty Justin!
Still Life is just that , a perfect moment in time caught on LP
I've loved this songfor years but have only just noticed the day in the life chord at 11:19. Genius.
Ahhh the perils of the friendzone. Haven’t we all had a La Rossa in our lives? This is definitely VDGG’s best album, imo.
Its much more than that
Interesting reaction. I am asking myself: Can it be that listening to the first side of Magma's "Mëkanïk Dëstruktïẁ Kommandöh" and comparing them to Van der Graaf Generator made you expect they would suddenly become Vander Graaf Generator (forgive my pun) and break into singing something in Kobaïan like "Hortz Fur Dëhn Štekëhn Wešt"?😁
It's great, I love it.
I first heard this song 32 years ago on the Radio 1 Rock Show(UK) as part of a retro session including Still Life, Chemical World and Plague of Lighthouse Keepers / Sleepwalkers . I was a fan and still am.
I'm glad to see you continuing with this album, it's one of their best. :)
Personally, "La Rossa" is my favorite on side 1 of the album. Perhaps it's the closest thing here to a "formulaic" VDGG track - it was a leftover from the Godbluff sessions - but it's also freakin great. That funky "If we made love now..." middle section is killer.
Pilgrims and Still Life were leftovers, the other 3csongs were newly recorded.
I adore this song, it's one of my favorite VDGG's. I agree it's not really breaking new ground, but I see it as a polished gem of this period. Have you given it any more listens since this reaction? Just listen to the way Hammill's scream breaks up an octave in mid-shriek at about 3:01, that has to be one of his best. The scathing barreling jams that dominate the piece give it a gripping velocity, broken by the reflective passages, and the building dark bolero. The opening organ is so choice and tasty, so trademark. The tempo accelerando at about 7:41, Jackson up to his towering par on sax fills and texture, and I think the crescendo in the last minute to be one of their most stirring. The lyrics are not the most moving for Hammill, but the soundscape of the singing is stunning, and the structuring and rendering of the piece make it stand out for me as consistent and potent throughout, and one of their most robust mid-length pieces.
it's an obscene lyric with spiritual longings
Take me, take me now and hold me deep
Inside your ocean body,
Wash me as some flotsam to the shore,
There leave me lying evermore!
Drown me, drown me now and hold me down
Before your naked hunger,
Burn me at the altar of the night-
Give me life!
Thanks for another VDGG reaction. Great choice.
Happy to! :D
I think Pawn Hearts is their best (because of a plague of Lighthouse keepers), but Still life is a close second for sure. La Rossa may be one of my favorites on the record. This is such a deep and dark album, one of the best prog records.
Peter Hammill……the most powerful singer I have ever heard….singing….not incomprehensible growling…his ability as composer…..musician…..boggles everything inside of me in such a good way….the line from a Clockwork Orange……gravity all nonsense now😁😝😊😊😊😊😊🤪😎
Great song.
My favorite moment is where Hammill is screaming his lungs out and then it's all quiet with soft guitar and soft singing, "think of me what y9u will", etc.
Oh, also, needs more cowbell.
This is one of his very personal songs. Much of his work comes from the "big view", from his existential pondering of humanity's place in the universe. This is about personal relationships. Perhaps it is that flavor you find less attractive.
And you make comment of how draining his music can be. I saw him live, SOLO, back in the mid-late seventies. I have never been so drained by a concert. It was positively vampiric. But...we were willing victims. He needed our energy to put forth his energy. It was a phenomenal show, very difficult, extremely rewarding.
I'll agree. It's an 8 compared to the 10 of "Childlike Faith in Childhood's End", which returns to the "big picture" existential view that is what is most uplifting and enlightening in Hammill/VDGG's work.
Blessings.
One of the first VddG songs I've heard. Fantastic stuff!! Looking foward to Childlike Faith in Childhood's end!
I'm in heaven this week with you. Some of my favorites artists. And today one of my top favorite songs. Impatient to see you react… And the last track on this album is as great ! Maybe I'm also touched by the lyrics of this song because I felt that feeling so strongly as a young adult.
I'm so excited for you JP! You still have Aerosol Grey Machine, The Least We Can Do, Silent Corner Empty Stage and World Record to come and there are plenty of gems!
Friendzone, the song.
🤣
These is my favorite album of van der graaf and LA Rossa is a song that I listen the most in repeat
Off course it's,a song that you love more and more after few,time of listening
Ty you for great choose and react
Ty Dror!
This song is INSAAAAANE!!
I had forgotten about this group......however....this album was playing as background music in several parties in the 70's that I went to....and It was perfect...but I never bought the album.....I may have to do that. Just excellent music!!!!
This song didn't stick with me at first either. But when it did hit me after a few listens I was absolutely blown away. A lot of Hammill's songs definitely takes multiple listens to get into. Would almost be better to do a "third listen" video instead of first, after the song has soaked in a little bit. Stick with this song and you'll see how insane it is. This song is a masterpiece for all time
Superb. Brilliant band. A lot of people don''t like Peter Hammill's vocals. I do. His lyrics are awesome and from the 70s only him and Gabriel had such unique voices that were instantly recognisable
One would say it's just another VdGG song.
Other would say it's their definitive song.
I would say each of their songs is burdened with similar dillema.
Displays the high quality of the music :D
PH sometimes becomes a victim of his own talent!
it's a very carnal song emotionally, with little introspection. however, the musicality warrants the usual further listens to learn all of the changes so it opens up :)
the composition is just amazing, and drumming, and groove, and soundspace, and vocal performance, and i love the climax... so, yeah, pretty average VDGG
but taken in the context of the album, you have it contrasted with Still Life, which is completely devoid of love or even basic attraction, and this is the rebound.
Hammill's references can be quite transparent at times, but i think he's expressing real emotions and that comes out in the recording and we are just lucky a mic was there.
def keep exploring Hammill's solo stuff! anything from the 70s is gonna be good, he has so many dang albums! while "true" VDGG songs have that extra polish, some stuff that appeared on a solo album is just as good as anything released as the band!
Still life has humor in it
Perhaps my favourite VDGG song from my favourite prog rock group!
HOWEVER! HOWEVER!.... LOL...I get your point put I think it will have more of an impact on your next listen esp. when listening to the entire album at once! But that's the only way I listen to Prog in general.
This and Pilgrims were actually recorded during the Godbluff sessions.
I think I finally figured out what VDGG was always missing. They needed a Tony Banks. Not for his playing cause the playing is quite good here. They needed a "Tony" like Genesis had to say "OK, can we cut back the lyrics a bit cuz you're singing over all my juicy instrumentals".
Also ich finde das Verhältnis total ausgeglichen
JP, just few more contacts with this song and it also becomes easily 10/10. My first impressions were similiar to yours, and now I consider it to be one of the strongest points of this super strong album.
Agreed Macie! This album is my favorite from Vdgg
That’s some quality music there.
You’ll probably continue with this album but also try ‘A Place to Survive’
World Record is a gem.
Compared to their other stuff like Lighthouse, this is more of an easy listening song - compared to VdGG standards, of course (but VdGG is never easy listening). I like this song very much, it is a kind of sing-along and, man, did and do I sing.
Its very easy listening.
What about "The red (hair) one"?
I suppose since the 70's vdgg Italian tour Hammill became too close with the country. Check his last album cover, for instance.
La Rossa: Red (haired) Lady.
Too much going on there to settle on what the final opinion might be, I think. Sometimes a song that seems to have nothing that stands out in it is one that's going to last for years and keep getting better. They definitely set their own bar very high, so yes, it's good to remember that.
I quite enjoyed it. (Wouldn't they have loved to hear that from its first audience? "We didn't mind that La Rossa song very much" ... Just the feedback every musician is waiting for.)
Musically it suits me well, lyrically I don't care because generally I'm not attracted to words and their aesthetics and what the lyrics convey, but what causes me problem again, is the scratched voice of Peter Hammill and the fact that the tone of his voice goes all over the place to the point that at times it feels like it's going to break. I don't hate Hammill's interpretation which is one of a kind, but I still can't say that I like it ! I don't know, sometimes I think another singer would have suited this band and these songs better (but maybe not actually !) ....
I concur, a better vocalist, instrumentally they sound interesting, but that vocalist......
The DRAMZ tho!
The words and their meaning and the range of emotion put into them are what most Peter Hammill fans love about his music. To each his own I guess✌️
It’s definitely an acquired taste
@@paulhansberry8168 Yes, too much 'gravel', the vocal fry register is overdone and looses its impact. Can hear the 'Canterbury' influence in the music. A bit dated sounding.
It's a pretty "earthy" song for VDGG, with quite a bit of slightly more mainstream rock/funk/rnb elements to its sound - I feel it's deliberate since it talks about lust, sex, yearning for romantic adventure and conquest etc. - the sort of thing which to me seems like a typical 'rock'n'roll' topic which doesn't show many times in Hammill lyrics - and yet it gets a particular Hammill treatment which still makes it pretty special, in my view. La Rossa - I think it means "The Red One" in Italian, the language PH is familiar with.
I love all of Still Life, have done for decades, but this is my least favourite song on it (4/5 where all the others are 5/5) - but still a great song IMHO.
I understand your assessment here. I kind of feel the same way about the album in general, except for my favorite track, My Room (Waiting For Wonderland). My three favorite VdGG albums are Pawn Hearts, Godbluff and The Least We Can Do Is Wave To Each Other. Still Life would seem to be a sequel to Godbluff but for me it falls short, and I've never been able to figure out why.
True story! This great dance tune is a real knee-slapper at weddings. Approaching "No Pussyfooting" in that regard. Sure, it is not their best song, but their worst songs are better than a lot of other bands' best. Also true with most prescient bands from the progressive '60s and '70s, and probably beyond.
But what if Yes had been called No?
I lucked into this band because an advanced human being from Manhattan had moved to Charlotte, bringing a treasure trove of progressive, world, Nonesuch, ECM, other smart music labels circa 75. Most songs have yet to meet with concerted reaction. Just sayin'. The future is vast. :)
Hi JP. Dave from Blighty. I'm A Believer in your channel, less so this song. It sums up what I have struggled with, having listened to VdGG since the early 70s. Much too wordy lyrics, Peter's angst-ridden vocals which as you say leaves one exhausted, and too little of their excellent instrumental passages (like we get at the end). If this is about a man trying to take his relationship with a woman to the next level, he could be more succinct and romantic about it!
Not Peter Hammill, no way ;-)
Well I respect your opinion, but for me the lyrics are just perfect. It needed all this to have the strength they have.
👍
Seeing as no one else has mentioned it yet, 'La Rossa' means 'the red one' in Italian, where 'one' is female. For those interested in the music, the metric sophistication of the middle section is amazing. As much as I love VdGG, there's too much shouting in the vocal.
VDGG are the prog masters but despite lacking the commercialality of others such as Genesis and King Crimson they are IMHO just has good .
Check out Pleasure Dome/ Quiet Zone for the track Sphinx in the Face, got a groove to it.
Other notable albums are God bluff and of course Still life the best of the bunch.
Glad you are enjoying the LP and this group. Only have listen to two or three tunes and this again had no click... Still not my thing. Almost didn't make it to the reaction. Too many parts I didn't really enjoy and those outweighed the parts I did enjoy... I will try again when you go there, as your reactions are always enjoyed and inform, but your 8 is my 6... I don't have your capability of dissecting the musical talents therefore I just go by my gut and nothing was there for me to seek this out again. Group maybe, this song no...
I agree with your assessment that this track is an 8, after a couple of 10s.
VDGG were so good at this point of their career that a fantastic song like this feels like just ok......
Fatima Mansions have 5 albums which see them take a vdgg variant and mix it up with ooh,
the seattle sound? and alice cooper via scott walker and leonard cohen.
Their final album bombarded us to the hilt - similar to today’s song- but to the detriment of vital variety in the guitar lick dept.
So La Rossa hits me like the final FM album. Such was the sonic and lyrical intensity it left the listener searching for a
Certain Vacuum to allow it to
Breathe in between the Vocal Tirades.
And guess what! , back in 1995, The FM’s lead single from ‘Lost in the Former West’ was initially a ‘major disappointment’ but now?
An Absolute Essential listen.
“ Lockdown London! “ sang Cathal Coughlan in ‘the bridge’.
It took me 25 years to appreciate it’s awesomeness. 20 years shorter than it took me to
Dig VDGG;
Your claim to fame , JP.
I formally invite you therefore to play the music of Fatima Mansions , Justin to see whether or not it’s just me who
Draws Vague comparisons here.
Blow yer mind stuff. And Rather funny too.
Kind regards
HP
There are 3 FM bands to check out:
Field Music
Fatima Mansions and yes
The rockist FM
Who i have a funny feeling will thrill the 14 year old me who unwisely ignored them in the 80s.
Alternatively
Try Ed Harcourt’s pop anthems or his piano classic
Beyond the End for the Dark Saturday nights when Ur alone with the Cat.
Diolch.
I thought I would give VDGG another chance. The track lasted a little bit longer than my interest in it, and I would like to have heard more guitar, but I liked the more overtly aggressive vocal.
There's a lot more guitar on their next two albums, World Record and The Quiet Zone/The Pleasure Dome. :)
There's no really guitar in VDGG
@@pentagrammaton6793 The track that introduced me to VDGG was Refugees, which I still love, but I found that was quite atypical of their sound during that period.
@@pentagrammaton6793 True, the guitar in World Record especially Meurglys isn't as complex as Fripp's but it still rips your heart out!
How about doing a reaction on Scheherazade and other stories by Renaissance, many regard it as the best Renaissance album and I am pretty sure its their most ambitious and adventurous one. Highly recommend it! :)
He has already listened at least to the Song of Scheherazade on his own. Check the intro comment of the "Northern Lights" video. ☺
Trip to the fair is another great one. Could be my favourite album too, along with Turn of the cards and Novella.... and Ashes...... and Prologue.......
@@monsieurlehigh4912 Ok, thanks for the info. I may have forgotten, I think I saw that.
Hi JP. I think you probably need about 6 more listens. Once it gets under your skin I think you'll stick with your original assessment - "a fantastic track by VDGG" and ditch the qualifications. I believe it does hold up exceedingly well in their pantheon.
Exactly, first reactions for music like this can never be definitive. 3 or 4 minute 80s pop songs, well that's a bit easier...
6 sounds about right ;)
700 and still counting
...times you've listened to this album?
@@lemming9984 watching JP
@@reneelyons6836 O! 👍
Well thank you Renee :)
@@JustJP your welcome :)
Prog at it's best
No, I don't have to be here. The power or Prog. compels me! But what do I know, I've got dain bramage and I cant Generate any resistance, ohm my, watt am I to do? Shock therapy? As always, Peace from a Van down by the river.
Preach it
Listen to too much music and you'll end up in a VAAAAN DOWN BY THE RIVERRR
@@JustJP Is it just by the corner?
I had Pawn Hearts in 1974. They are pretty good. But no Genesis!
TRY GAAHLS WYRD. THE SEED! From The Humming Mountain EP album of the year for me. Gaahl is a Norwegian Black Metal elite. This is not Black Metal although I love atmospheric Symphonic Black Metal
It runs out of steam after the first big crescendo. This is risky stuff. A bit like how the second verse in a sex pistols song is just an excuse to keep standing there looking angry. The point had been made. The title track has the same issue. Traces of the unique genius are present luckily.
For me VDGG tend to be a case of the whole being less than the sum of the parts and I don't know why. Technically I know they are good but they just don't connect for me. Some what how Snarky Puppy (whom I really like) doesn't work for some other people. None of us are wrong. We just appreciate different things.
I just came across the video of the Metropole Orchestra (prom 53) - Mingus revisited featuring Leo Pellegrino on Bass Sax among others. I am half way through and it is brilliant (but very long at 2 hours).
Correct! La Rossa is a typical VdGG composition in the sense that there's not much we haven't heard in previous albums. Somehow, it lacks the surprise element. And, my personal taste, is too packed with words. Still a 4 star song.
La Rossa and My Room are my two least favorites on the album; they're just not as interesting to me as the first two tracks, but I agree that there's nothing inherently wrong with them. Hyped for Childlike Faith in Childhood's End, though!
My room has the most perfect, exact metrics, that I've heard so far. It's a fortress you can't even scratch!
@@Eduardo-Ferreira1982 Fair enough. It's definitely a very well-written track, and I like the subtle mood of it. Just not my favorite, personally.
Musically, it's a big improvement on the prior two tracks, I enjoyed this. Tons going on, it's a complex tune. And despite the myriad parts etc, I felt it was more melodious, and flowed better as a piece. Vocally, still a bit of a struggle. I don't mind his voice, I just wish he'd 'sing' more. Again, a very wordy lyric (as is oft PH's way), he's obviously a tale to tell. That said, due his asperous delivery, shrieks, and other assorted guttural noises, I missed most of what he's trying to say.
I know when we watch/listen to JP's channel things are different - but when you regularly listen, Jfergs - do you follow along with the lyric sheet that comes with the album? This song is fairly straight forward. Hammill is caught up in the confusion of banging some broad - and their friends now - but if he does bang her would that change their friendly relationship - and of course he concluded it would. He does decide - and does what most eager young males would do!
@@vdggmouse9512 Re reading the lyrics, no I don't, but I think about it occasionally. And I may yet do so as It does get frustrating at times not getting all the words. That said, reading along seems like a kind of cheating to me. If a singer/songwriter's a message, story, or whatever to get across, then why not sing so as to be understood. Seems obvious. Half the time with PH though, feels like he's imitating the vocal stylings of Cannibal Corpse...
Now, re your comment on 'Banging' tunes, ie mega repeaters... Yeah, been there, done that :) Here's a few of the tracks that immediately leapt to mind when i read it :)
2 by Bill Nelson. Decline and Fall & Do You Dream in Colour.
2 by Adam and the Antz. Whip in my Valise & Beat my Guest. These pre his highwayman/dandy phase. His 1st album, 'Dirk Wears White Sox', seminal punk, and one of my all time top 10 LP's.
The Clash. (White Man) In Hammersmith Palais.
New Fast Automatic Daffodils. Big. This from the album pigeonhole, there's various remixes, but none are as good as the original, imho.
You say you've not, but i'd say give it a try. One day you've a free afternoon say, get cosy, get in your 'happy place' and let a much loved track just wash over you... and over, and over etc... I've not done it for a while, but i used to find it cathartic, relaxing, really rather enjoyable.
@@jfergs.3302 Cannibal Corpse predates Peter Hammill???
@@vdggmouse9512 No, CC obviously came much later. I didn't say one's copying the other, or anything suchlike. I was making the point that PH, for someone with an awful lot to say, can at times come across as equally unintelligible as the CC guys...
Still Life concept
pictorial compositions of longings for life
from the juvenil longing for connectedness (pilgrims) to the adult longing for consist (still life)
to the rípe longing for livelyness (la rossa)
to the disillusionment of human reliability and steadfastness (my room)
to the childlike desire for transformation and further development and change (childlike faith)
In the end of all human like
in the death of mere human
Life will start!
Pilgrims
Call
Longing for life (connectedness) through community and empathy
Still Life
Conclusion
Longing for life (eternal earthly consist) through/with the help of biological kybernetic tecnology
La Rossa
Expression
Longing for life (liveliness) through/with the help of sexual exstasy
My room (waiting for wonderland)
Sorry
disappointment, that human relationships cannot provide/grant eternal security/protection
Childlike faith in childhoods end
Train of thought
Longing for life (transformation/ further development) in the stars and in the sense of the rules of the universe
Beständigkeit Widerstand resistance
Don't listen to this band. Not for any reason just haven't . Might try me some more.
A subjective reaction
Great song, but a bit too long....
Just woke up and I’m getting yelled at. Not a good start. Didn’t really care for any of it. Grating vocals, the tone of the sax sounds, I don’t know, I don’t like it either. The rest I can take or leave. I am glad I heard it for now I don’t have to do it again.
I know some here love this stuff, more power to them, not for me though. I’ll listen to prog jr. like Kansas and actually be able to enjoy it.
Peace and jr. Music
I'm with you on Kansas, David. One of my all-time fave bands, even though they are relatively unknown here in the UK.
Have some jon n david from 1982 ruclips.net/video/rHgyouURbnE/видео.html
@@HippoYnYrEira
Thank You
I hated it. I thought it was very formulaic. And it wasn't the scratchy voice, it was the nasal nastiness of the tone of his voice. Whatever it was he was singing,he sounded like he was in the mood that backhand someone and was letting them know it.
How hard does your brain hurt Gumby boy.