Who's going to the Van Der Graff Generator reunion this Friday at the Royal Festival Hall?

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I'm not. But I'd like to hear how it goes.

― everything, Thursday, 5 May 2005 00:09 (twenty years ago)

Those tickets sold out ages ago and are changing hands on e-bay for hilarious money. But there are other gigs planned for this year. I'm hoping to go see them in Liverpool.

― TV's Mr Noodle Vague (noodle vague), Thursday, 5 May 2005 00:30 (twenty years ago)

If you really must know, my friend's going.

― niddriemcqualitystreet, Friday, 6 May 2005 07:32 (twenty years ago)

I'm going. I'll let you know if it was any cop or not.

― Marcello Carlin (nostudium), Friday, 6 May 2005 07:50 (twenty years ago)

Did you review this one Marcello?

My friend said it was the best gig of his life and he wept during the show. Of course he flew about 6 thousand miles to see it so he had to get his money's worth.

― everything, Friday, 13 May 2005 16:04 (twenty years ago)

Absolutely fantastic - up to the nanosecond, never mind up to the minute, explosive, fulsome, angry, stinging, compassionate, made Kid A sound like Belouis Some, graceful, completely unique, the best '70s comeback since Faust and if you haven't got that new double album of theirs BUY IT NOW.

― Marcello Carlin (nostudium), Monday, 16 May 2005 05:54 (twenty years ago)

Okay, I just ordered my ticket for Liverpool Royal Phil on July 10. What oldies did they play, Marcello?

― TV's Mr Noodle Vague (noodle vague), Monday, 16 May 2005 17:20 (twenty years ago)

It was pretty much all new stuff.

― Marcello Carlin (nostudium), Tuesday, 17 May 2005 06:00 (twenty years ago)

I figured they'd got enough new stuff to do that. Just hoped they might try that version of "Je t'aime..." that Guy mentions in the album notes ;)

― TV's Mr Noodle Vague (noodle vague), Tuesday, 17 May 2005 06:28 (twenty years ago)

Marcello is having you on. They didn't play "Arrow" or "A Plague of Lighthouse Keepers" or "Theme One", but they played just about everything else you could possibly want them to play. And, they played it w/astonishing power!!

― Pashmina (Pashmina), Tuesday, 17 May 2005 07:20 (twenty years ago)

Yeah, where was "Theme One"? You think they would have paid due tribute to Tommy Vance for keeping them in royalties all these years, wouldn't you?

― Marcello Carlin (nostudium), Tuesday, 17 May 2005 07:26 (twenty years ago)

(I wasn't expecting to hear "Theme One", TBH. I wasn't expecting to hear "in the black room" either, though!)

― Pashmina (Pashmina), Tuesday, 17 May 2005 07:57 (twenty years ago)

I suppose "APoLK" was out of the question, seeing as they would have had to bring in Tory Fripp to do his part.

― Marcello Carlin (nostudium), Tuesday, 17 May 2005 08:00 (twenty years ago)

"Tory Fripp" haha. You can barely hear him on the record anyway, thank fuck.

― Pashmina (Pashmina), Tuesday, 17 May 2005 08:06 (twenty years ago)

They didn't write "Theme One" so I suppose they didn't get too much in the way of royalties for it. Am I right in thinking it was George Martin who wrote it?!?!??!!

― Dadaismus (Dada), Tuesday, 17 May 2005 08:40 (twenty years ago)

Yes.

― Pashmina (Pashmina), Tuesday, 17 May 2005 08:41 (twenty years ago)

(I mean yes, it was george martin, not it was Yes)

― Pashmina (Pashmina), Tuesday, 17 May 2005 08:41 (twenty years ago)

It was (and recorded by him in studio downtime for "Strawberry Fields Forever" sessions with the same musicians) but one presumes they must have got something in the way of performance royalties. I mean, how many Friday Night Connection-UHs were there?

― Marcello Carlin (nostudium), Tuesday, 17 May 2005 08:42 (twenty years ago)

I'd like to hear the George Martin version. By the way, on the subject of prog rock TV/radio theme songs, if anyone is familiar with Alan Stivell's "Pop Plinn" can they please please please tell me what TV show it was used as the theme for 'cos it's doin' my nut in. I've got a horrible feeling it might have been a Scottish-only show ("... and now for viewers in Scotland, "Haggis Wrestling With Brian Marjoribanks")

― Dadaismus (Dada), Tuesday, 17 May 2005 08:47 (twenty years ago)

George Martin orig of "Theme One" is on The Sound Gallery Vol 2 compilation released by EMI about a decade ago but still (I think) available - also includes themes from Vision On (main titles and The Gallery), Nationwide, Man About The House (the Simon Park Orchestra's follow-up to "Eye Level"!), Pick of the Pops and even, Gawd 'elp us, Pete Murray's Open House.

― Marcello Carlin (nostudium), Tuesday, 17 May 2005 08:54 (twenty years ago)

"Man About the House"? Not written by Richard O'Sullivan was it? He did write the theme to "Robin's Nest"!

― Dadaismus (Dada), Tuesday, 17 May 2005 08:56 (twenty years ago)

Actually composed by Johnny Hawkesworth, the ex-Ted Heath/CCS bassist who also wrote the music for Roobarb.

― Marcello Carlin (nostudium), Tuesday, 17 May 2005 09:01 (twenty years ago)

multi x-posts

I'll blame my gullibility on logging on too early in the morning. So I read some reviews. I daresn't get too excited in case the set changes at the other gigs, but I can't believe they played "Childlike Faith". It'll prob'ly be as exciting to hear "Every Bloody Emperor" as anything else, to be honest; the instrumental break towards the end of that is looping round my head all day at the moment.

Listening to "Theme One" through one of those white mono earplugs (slightly yellowed with pubescent earwax) in a darkened dining room on Friday nights is pretty much the clearest memory I have of my early teens.

― TV's Mr Noodle Vague (noodle vague), Tuesday, 17 May 2005 18:41 (twenty years ago)

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