Union Chapel (live)
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Union Chapel - live (with Guy Evans) (1996) … There’s this one thing you need to know about this 2CD recording of this live show : for one track, Lemmings, the classic VDGG line-up appeared on stage - for the first time in something like 20 years. Okay now, there it is, out in the open.
Now about the rest of the album : the show really is Guy Evans’ show. He invited Peter Hammill along, and from thereon during the run-up preparations to the show, all the other musicians where added to the bill. |
The first CD of this set is for the most part Evans and Hammill on stage. The music ranges from avant-garde noise of Fireworks, to the quieter After The Show, here with an added edge due to Guy Evan’s percussion. Hammill’s guitar on Accidents reminded me strongly of Andy Gill’s incendiary guitarwork for Gang Of Four.
On the second CD, the songs are fleshed out with a shifting line-up of musicians coming onto (and leaving) the stage. A menacing Red Shift is superbly performed, and then we have Lemmings with the classic VDGG line-up on stage. For the final two anarchic songs, we have the evening’s complete line-up playing together.
Apart from the ensembles and the Evans-Hammill performances, there are solo pieces, one each performed by Stuart Gordon (violin), David Jackson (saxophone), and Hugh Banton (organ).
Overall, the recording sound is fairly good, but not outstanding, and would be on par for a good bootleg recording. The music for the most part is uncompromising, and it doesn’t make for “easy listening”. This album isn’t one I would recommend to the partial fan, but it certainly has its place.
If you were at this concert, you most likely already own a dozen copies of this album. If you enjoyed the rhytmic explorations on Union Chapel, then try Spur Of The Moment. On the other hand, if you don’t have any live recordings by Hammill, then you should first look towards The Margin and There Goes The Daylight for a similarly gleefully noisy live performance. The two live albums which should perhaps be explored first, are RoomTemperature and Typical.
performed by:
Peter Hammill
Guy Evans - drums, percussion, midi pads & samples, blue drums
Hugh Banton - organs
Manny Elias - drums
Stuart Gordon - violin
David Jackson - saxes, flutes, soundbeam
Giles Perrin - guitar, blue drums
Mat Fraser - blue drums
Patou Soult - percussion, blue drums
track listing:
1. Introduction
2. Fireworks
3. A Forest Of Pronouns
4. Anatol’s Proposal
5. After The Show
6. Roger And Out
7. Accidents
8. Soundbeam medley
9. Women Of Ireland
10. Ship Of Fools
1. Hamburg Station
2. Seven Wonders
3. Barber’s Adagio For Strings
4. Red Shift
5. Lemmings
6. Outroduction
7. Traintime