Fools Mate
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Fools Mate (1971) may be Peter Hammill’s first solo album, but a debut album it is not. Hammill, having played numerous concerts at the helm of VDGG, is no half-formed talent here. However, there are none of the VDGG epics here - the songs are all shorter than 5 minutes.
Lyrically, Hammill is in top form. Musically, Hammill and the members of VDGG play with their usual brilliance. The opening track, German |
The album kicks off with the exuberant Imperial Zeppelin. The songs vary in style, from the bouncily happy Sunshine to simple but wonderfully effective ballads such as Vision - all of them songs that will stick in your mind and even have you humming snatches of them afterwards.
This is the closest that Hammill has to a Pop album. Recommended.