Given there was “The Black Box” in Peter Hammill‘s discography, an appearance of a white one seemed like a matter of time: after all, the English artist’s oeuvre has always been so cerebral that such a visual pun would only feel logical. Not that the forthcoming offering announces its color in any explicit manner: the collection comprising 20 discs – 18 CDs and two Blu-rays – is called “The Charisma And Virgin Recordings 1971-1986”; it includes the 13 albums the former commander of VAN DER GRAAF GENERATOR recorded during the titular period, two of those freshly remixed by Stephen W Tayler in stereo and Surround Sound, and fleshes out this part of the veteran’s catalogue with a few demos and single sides and a plethora of previously unreleased concert material.
To be out in September 26th, it’s aimed mostly at completists, yet Hammill’s fanbase is quite solid, and a similar box set of his erstwhile ensemble’s classics proved successful, which means this super deluxe edition, augmented with a hard-back book and other printed delights, will certainly find its listener.
The Charisma And Virgin Recordings
1971-1986
CD 1 – Fool’s Mate:
1. Imperial Zeppelin
2. Candle
3. Happy
4. Solitude
5. Vision
6. Re-Awakening
7. Sunshine
8. Child
9. Summer Song In The Autumn
10. Viking
11. The Birds
12. I Once Wrote Some Poems
Demo session, January 1971:
13. Re-Awakening
14. Summer Song In The Autumn
15. The Birds
16. Sunshine
17. Happy
CD Two – Chameleon In The Shadow Of The Night:
1. German Overalls
2. Slender Threads
3. Rock And Role
4. In The End
5. What It’s Worth
6. Easy To Slip Away
7. Dropping The Torch
8. (In The) Black Room / The Tower
John Peel session – July 9th, 1973:
9. Rain 3am
10. Time For A Change
11. German Overalls
12. Easy To Slip Away
13. In The End
CD 3 – The Silent Corner And The Empty Stage:
1. Modern
2. Wilhemina
3. The Lie (Bernini’s Saint Theresa)
4. Forsaken Gardens
5. Red Shift
6. Rubicon
7. A Louse Is Not A Home
CD 4 – Live 1974
John Peel session – February 18th, 1974:
1. Rubicon
2. Red Shift
Montreal University Sports Centre – April 21st, 1974:
3. Solitude
4. Time For A Change
5. The Birds
6. Out Of My Book
7. Slender Threads
8. German Overalls
CD 5 – In Camera:
1. Ferret And Featherbird
2. (No More) The Sub Mariner
3. Tapeworm
4. Again
5. Faint Heart And The Sermon
6. The Comet, The Course, The Tail
7. Gog
8. Magog (In Bromine Chambers)
John Peel session – September 3rd, 1974:
9. The Emperor In His War Room
10. Faint Heart And The Sermon
11. (No More) The Sub Mariner
CD 6 – Nadir’s Big Chance:
1. Nadir’s Big Chance
2. The Institute Of Mental Health, Burning
3. Open Your Eyes
4. Nobody’s Business
5. Been Alone So Long
6. Pompeii
7. Shingle Song
8. Airport
9. People You Were Going To
10. Birthday Special
11. Two Or Three Spectres
CD 7 – Over:
1. Crying Wolf
2. Autumn
3. Time Heals
4. Alice (Letting Go)
5. This Side Of The Looking Glass
6. Betrayed
7. (On Tuesday’s She Used To Do) Yoga
8. Lost And Found
John Peel session – April 21st, 1977:
9. Afterwards
10. Autumn
11. Betrayed
CD 8 – The Future Now:
1. Pushing Thirty
2. The Second Hand
3. Trappings
4. The Mousetrap
5. Energy Vampires
6. If I Could
7. The Future Now
8. Still In The Dark
9. Mediaeval
10. A Motor-Bike In Africa
11. The Cut
12. Palinurus (Castaway)
CD 9 – The All Souls Unitarian Church, Kansas City, USA – February 16th, 1978 – pt.1:
1. House With No Door
2. Time Heals
3. This Side Of The Looking Glass
4. My Room (Waiting For Wonderland)
5. Easy To Slip Away
6. Still Life
7. Lizard Play
8. Time For A Change
9. Been Alone So Long
10. Modern
11. If I Could
12. Last Frame
CD 10 – The All Souls Unitarian Church, Kansas City, USA – February 16th, 1978 – pt.2:
1. The Comet, The Course, The Tail
2. The Lie (Bernini’s Saint Theresa)
3. The Mousetrap (Caught In)
4. In The End
5. Medley – A Plague Of Lighthouse Keepers / The Sleepwalkers
6. Man-Erg
CD 11 – pH7:
1. My Favourite
2. Careering
3. Porton Down
4. Mirror Images
5. Handicap And Equality
6. Not For Keith
7. The Old School Tie
8. Time For A Change
9. Imperial Walls
10. Mr X (Gets Tense)
11. Faculty X
John Peel session – September 24th, 1979:
12. Mediaeval / Time For A Change
13. Mr X (Gets Tense)
14. Faculty X
Rikki Nadir single:
15. The Polaroid
CD 12 – A Black Box:
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
9. Flying Bird
10. The White Cave Fandango
11. Control
12. Cockpit
13. Silk Worm Wings
14. Nothing Is Nothing
15. A Black Box
CD 13 – Sitting Targets:
1. Breakthrough
2. My Experience
3. Ophelia
4. Empress’s Clothes
5. Glue
6. Hesitation
7. Sitting Targets
8. Stranger Still
9. Sign
10. What I Did
11. Central Hotel
CD 14 – The Love Songs:
1. Just Good Friends
2. My Favourite
3. Been Alone So Long
4. Ophelia
5. Again
6. If I Could
7. Vision
8. Don’t Tell Me
9. The Birds
10. (This Side Of) The Looking Glass
single:
11. Just Good Friends (instrumental)
CD 15 – Skin:
1. Skin
2. After The Show
3. Painting By Numbers
4. Shell
5. All Said And Done
6. A Perfect Date
7. Four Pails
8. Now Lover
bonus track:
9. You Hit Me Where I Live
CD 16 – And Close As This:
1. Too Many Of My Yesterdays
2. Faith
3. Empire Of Delight
4. Silver
5. Beside The One You Love
6. Other Old Cliches
7. Confidence
8. Sleep Now
The Charisma And Virgin Recordings
1971-1986
CD 17 – The Future Now (stereo remix):
1-12 – as on CD 8
CD 18 – pH7 (stereo remix):
1-11 – as on CD 11
Blu-ray 1 – 5.1 Surround Sound / new stereo remixes):
The Future Now:
1-12 – as on CD 8
pH7:
1-11 – as on CD 11
Blu-ray 2 – The Video Vaults:
French TV – Rock en Stock 1973:
1. In The End
2. German Overalls
Swiss Television 1974:
3. The Lie
4. Forsaken Gardens
5. A Louse Is Not A Home
French TV – Chorus 1979:
6. Energy Vampires
7. My Room
BBC TV – “Playaway” – December 15th, 1979:
8. Tintagel By The Sea
