A Black Box

A Black Box Artist: Peter Hammill
Label: Blue Plate Caroline
Category: Music


Average customer rating: 4.5 out of 5 stars
Media: Audio CD
Number Of Discs: 1


UPC: 017046169028
EAN: 0017046169028
ASIN: B000000HUR


Release Date: 1990-08-20

A Black Box


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General General
Categories | Rock | Styles | Music
Progressive Rock Progressive Rock
Categories | Progressive | Rock | Styles | Music
Pop Rock Pop Rock
Categories | Pop | Styles | Music
Progressive Progressive
Categories | Rock | Indie Music | Stores | Music

Tracks:

  1. Golden Promises
  2. Losing Faith In Words
  3. Jargon King
  4. Fogwalking
  5. The Spirit
  6. In Slow Time
  7. The Wipe
  8. Flight

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Customer Reviews:

5 out of 5 stars I use this CD to punish my pets.......2005-09-09

Contarey to the opinion offered below, Peter Hammill was NOT Van Der Graaf Generator - he was only the singer/songwriter.Hugh Banton owns the name and it really is HE, who IS Van Der Graaf Generator. Now, having said that, a Black Box is a disturbing dissent into madness conjured by Hammill at an odd time in his career. I think it was his first LP for the "Sofa" lable - try "Fogwalking" and you'll never turn your back on anyone in a hospital again. What does that mean?

4 out of 5 stars Proof that Peter Hammill WAS Van Der Graaf!.......2001-11-12

When you buy this CD, go straight to track #4, the excellent 'Fogwalking'. Rarely have I heard a track where the atmospheric music goes so perfectly with the lyrics. Apart from the drum machine -- which is strongly reminiscent of the Bentley Rhythm machine that Arthur Brown supervised on Kingdom Come's JOURNEY -- this could easily be Van Der Graaf Generator, around the classic GODBLUFF period. Even saxophonist Dave Jackson assists with the riff generation.

I'm collecting Hammill albums very late in the day -- I own just three so far. But this is certainly the best of those, and in the VdGG pantheon, it's up there with PAWN HEARTS, GODBLUFF and STILL LIFE.

For me there's only one dud track: 'In the Spirit'. Although the acoustic guitar is crisply recorded, the tune is too conventional (just too unHammillesque, I suppose) to retain my interest beyond a few plays.

It's a great shame that the poetry establishment gets so snooty about the lyrics of popular and rock music songs. (It may just be resentment at the tiny amount of money a poet can make compared to a pop singer.) Peter Hammill comes closer than 99% of rock lyricists to writing superb poetry which can stand on its own, away from the music. And although immensely talented, Peter hasn't made a fortune. So it may well be time for his application to the Poets' Hall of Fame to be reconsidered.

4 out of 5 stars Sparse, dark, brilliant.......2001-10-23

The usual lyrical brilliance from mid-period Hammill, with none of the overwriting of his early material or tiredness of later work. Unusually sparse sound due to absence of the ex-VDGG backing band: just PH with a bit of Jackson on sax and Dave Ferguson supplying synthesiser experimentation. Seven short songs (side A of the record) range from a rocking opener (Golden Promises) to elegiac (Slow Time) to a spooky portrait of post-holocaust Jack-the-Rippersville (Fogwalking) to a tooth-grating ambient wash (the Wipe). In best prog tradition, the rest of the album is the 20-minute suite "Flight", which ranges from contemplative to manic and back through its various metaphors on illusion and predestination. A must.

5 out of 5 stars Brilliant.......1999-12-01

Brilliant solo album. One side of shorter songs, one side-long epic, "Flight", arguably the most well-writen progressive epic of all time. Buy many for all of your friends! The fact that this is essentially a one-person recording, exponentially increases the wonder and amazement of this album. A Black Box should be in every rock music fan's collection!

5 out of 5 stars

Music Album:

  1. Didn't You Used to Be ... ~ David Cassidy
  2. We Love You...So Love Us Too ~ Various Artists
  3. The Return of the Manticore ~ Emerson Lake & Palmer
  4. These Are Good Times ~ The High Strung
  5. Homeless Where the Heart Is ~ Barbara Manning & the Go Luckys
  6. Larger Than Life ~ Freddy Lynxx & The Jet Boys
  7. Venus Trail
  8. 70's Rock ~ Various Artists
  9. I Was Born To Love You ~ Eric Carmen
  10. The Best of the Mission UK ~ The Mission UK

Music Album

Music Album

Music CD

Welcome to the St. James' Club ~ The Rippingtons

Block Chords Parade ~ Milt Buckner

Somethin' Special ~ Richard %22Groove%22 Holmes

Metamorphosis ~ World Saxophone Quartet

United Nations of Messidor ~ Various Artists

Umanamente Uomo: Il Sogno ~ Lucio Battisti

Die Großen Erfolge ~ Gunter Gabriel

Saikai ~ Kei Ogura

Amigos Cantam Lisa: a Tribute to Lisa Ono ~ Various Artists

Ex-Boyfriend ~ Lil'ai