“Definitive” collection of live performances

My impressions from the new album are posted here (in Russian). I've added an Appendix to the main essay that includes only the officially released (with all the copyrights kept) live performances with Hammill's participation. The Discography section on hammill.ru does not include live performances, hence this Appendix may both be considered as an addendum to the main discography, and be used as a reference for compiling the timeline of the live performances spread over it.

In my essay I supposed that readers may be somehow interested in an independent recreation of the mentioned “definitive” collection of live performances. Such definition came out after I read another post in Peter's journal regarding the September release, where he says, in particular:

"there’s no such thing as a definitive version; or at least, I’ve no desire for one. I’d rather face up to each song as it comes up on the – constantly changing – setlists and treat it as feels right on the night.

[...]

no version is or can be definitive…but these are certainly authentic."

And then I supposed that "definitive studio version and authentic live version is what we might actually need to have from a performer." The choice of songs for a live album made by the performer himself will, nevertheless, be definite, thus giving us the “definitive” collection of live performances. That is the logic.

I would like to note that at first I did not want to include video materials, festival compilations, etc. However, imagining that the timeline will lack some key VdGG periods, I declined that limitation.

The development of this topic will appear, probably, in the next post. I will add to the main liveography those performances, that would enrich it in some way.

Russian equivalent of 'a songstory' word - My Choice

.... And Judge replied.

Not that I got blessing in his reply for using one of the variants and prohibition for the other, no. He just stated the key features that his neologism contains. It wouldn't be bad to keep them intact.

"I adopted it [the neologism], as much as anything else, for the sound of the word 'SSSSongSSSStory'. As long as your Russian version includes the idea of Narration or Storytelling, and the idea of singing or a song, and the word sounds attractive, it will work well."



I had three more days of choosing headache, and even came up with the third variant, but eventually, with a help from a couple of fresh pairs of ears on sober-minded heads, and one not sober (drunk, that was mine) I made my choice upon the latter variant: Песнесказ [p`es - ne - sk`az].

More on the development progress can be found here and here.

P.S. And now I reflect, is there a point in stretching the process of launching of these translations? Maybe both should go simultaneously? Let's see what Sergey suggests - he will actually be doing it.

VDGG vinyl reissues

I think I am starting to understand the main point of the situation with the vinyl re-issues of Van Der Graaf Generator albums.

 

Peter Hammill speaks: "Virgin licensed the albums for vinyl release back in 2011. Once this happens, it's really up to the vinyl label to get on with it, as and when. As I say, these *are* official releases but they're also completely out of our control, apart from having given the original authorisation to Virgin for them."

 

It seems to me that Virgin, having received that original authorisation, found some vinyl labels and legalised their releases. It started with the American "4 Men With Beards" label whose announced the release of the first three albums on vinyl to happen on November 16, 2011; later that date shifted back to November 29, then once again to the middle of December, then to the middle of January 2012 (January 12, if I'm not mistaken), and once again to some day in March, and then back again to February 14 (currently). However, it has been several days already that European labels announced their HQ double vinyl releases. I say "labels" (in plural) because different web-pages show different names: Prog Classics (Cargo Records), Pid, Ais.... or maybe this could stand for something that I do not know.

Either the Bearded Four were forced to wait for the global release date, or they have had some internal issues, but their release dates are not far away from the European ones, announced to happen on February 24 (in some sources - 20 and 28).

Meanwhile I cancelled my order placed on Amazon, and decided not to buy European releases too, because:

1. those are American releases, and I prefer the "natives";
2. like it or not, those are reissues, and I prefer the first "originals";

3. those are regular reissues with no bonuses added;
4. the European releases prove to be double high-quality vinyls, with bonus material, however this probably be a simple transfer of the 2005 digit onto vinyl; if this is how the things will develop then I see no sense in buying them for myself;

5. after all, if I buy them, I will put them into the box (not even on the shelf) and will keep on listening to my digit. 

 

So would my purchase worth more than a hundred Euros? No, methinks. At least in my economical situation. Growing wiser!