Peter Joseph Andrew Hammill (born 5 November 1948) is an English musician and recording artist. He was a founder member of the
progressive rock
Progressive rock (shortened as prog rock or simply prog; sometimes conflated with art rock) is a broad genre of rock music that developed in the United Kingdom and United States through the mid- to late 1960s, peaking in the early 1970s. Init ...
band
Van der Graaf Generator
Van der Graaf Generator are an English progressive rock band, formed in 1967 in Manchester by singer-songwriters Peter Hammill and Judge Smith, Chris Judge Smith and the first act signed by Charisma Records. They did not experience much commerc ...
. Best known as a
singer/songwriter
A singer-songwriter is a musician who writes, composes, and performs their own musical material, including lyrics and melodies. In the United States, the category is built on the folk-acoustic tradition, although this role has transmuted thr ...
, he also plays guitar and piano and produces his own recordings and occasionally those of other artists. In 2012, he was recognised with the Visionary award at the first
Progressive Music Awards.
Biography
Early life
Peter Hammill was born in
Ealing
Ealing () is a district in West London, England, west of Charing Cross in the London Borough of Ealing. Ealing is the administrative centre of the borough and is identified as a major metropolitan centre in the London Plan.
Ealing was histor ...
, West London, and moved with his family to
Derby
Derby ( ) is a city and unitary authority area in Derbyshire, England. It lies on the banks of the River Derwent in the south of Derbyshire, which is in the East Midlands Region. It was traditionally the county town of Derbyshire. Derby gai ...
when he was 12. He attended
Beaumont College
Beaumont College was between 1861 and 1967 a public school in Old Windsor in Berkshire. Founded and run by the Society of Jesus, it offered a Roman Catholic public school education in rural surroundings, while lying, like the neighbouring Eton ...
and
Manchester University
, mottoeng = Knowledge, Wisdom, Humanity
, established = 2004 – University of Manchester Predecessor institutions: 1956 – UMIST (as university college; university 1994) 1904 – Victoria University of Manchester 1880 – Victoria Univer ...
, where he studied
Liberal Studies
Liberal arts education (from Latin "free" and "art or principled practice") is the traditional academic course in Western higher education. ''Liberal arts'' takes the term ''art'' in the sense of a learned skill rather than specifically the ...
in Science. Hammill has stated that his grandfather was originally from Pakistan.
Early career
Hammill's solo career has coexisted with Van der Graaf Generator's activities. The band was offered a contract by
Mercury Records
Mercury Records is an American record label owned by Universal Music Group. It had significant success as an independent operation in the 1940s and 1950s. Smash Records and Fontana Records were sub labels of Mercury. In the United States, it is ...
in 1968, that only Hammill signed. When Van der Graaf Generator broke up in 1969 he wanted to record his first solo album. In the summer of 1969 Hammill had a residency at
The Lyceum and played weekly solo concerts there. Eventually the intended solo album was released under the Van der Graaf Generator banner as their first album (''
The Aerosol Grey Machine
''The Aerosol Grey Machine'' is the debut studio album by English progressive rock band Van der Graaf Generator. It was first released in the United States in 1969 by Mercury Records.
Content
The album was originally intended as a solo album ...
''). Hammill's first real solo album was ''
Fool's Mate
In chess, the fool's mate is the checkmate delivered after the fewest possible moves from the game's starting position. It arises from the following moves, or similar:
:1. f3 e6
:2. g4 Qh4#
The fool's mate can be achieved only by Black, givin ...
'' (1971), containing songs from the early (1967/68) Van der Graaf Generator days.
Van der Graaf Generator and after
When Van der Graaf Generator broke up again in August 1972, Hammill resumed his solo career. Songs that were intended for Van der Graaf Generator now ended up on his solo albums, notably "Black Room" (on ''
Chameleon in the Shadow of the Night
''Chameleon in the Shadow of the Night'' is the second solo album by British singer-songwriter Peter Hammill. It followed in the aftermath of the breakup of Hammill's band Van der Graaf Generator, and (as with many of Hammill's solo albums fro ...
'') and "A Louse Is Not a Home" (on ''
The Silent Corner and the Empty Stage
''The Silent Corner and the Empty Stage'' is the third album by British singer-songwriter Peter Hammill. It was released on Charisma Records in 1974, during a hiatus in the activities of Hammill's progressive rock band Van der Graaf Generator. ...
''). For the majority of both his solo songs and the band's songs he is credited as the sole songwriter, and some of his solo albums feature all the members of Van der Graaf Generator. In general, Hammill's solo work is thematically concerned with more personal matters, while the band's songs deal with broader themes.
''
Nadir's Big Chance
''Nadir's Big Chance'' is the fifth solo album by Peter Hammill, released on Charisma Records in 1975.
It was recorded shortly after a decision to re-form the band Van der Graaf Generator (of which Hammill was the singer and principal songwrite ...
'' (1975) was a major change from the preceding ''
In Camera
''In camera'' (; Latin: "in a chamber"). is a legal term that means ''in private''. The same meaning is sometimes expressed in the English equivalent: ''in chambers''. Generally, ''in-camera'' describes court cases, parts of it, or process wh ...
''. Whilst ''In Camera'' is characterised by extremely intense and complex songs and even has some
musique concrète
Musique concrète (; ): " problem for any translator of an academic work in French is that the language is relatively abstract and theoretical compared to English; one might even say that the mode of thinking itself tends to be more schematic, ...
on it, ''Nadir's Big Chance'' contains anticipations of
punk rock. In a 1977 radio interview,
John Lydon
John Joseph Lydon (; born 31 January 1956), also known by his former stage name Johnny Rotten, is an English singer and songwriter. He was the lead singer of the late-1970s punk band the Sex Pistols, which lasted from 1975 until 1978, and aga ...
of the
Sex Pistols
The Sex Pistols were an English punk rock band formed in London in 1975. Although their initial career lasted just two and a half years, they were one of the most groundbreaking acts in the history of popular music. They were responsible for ...
played two tracks from the album and expressed his admiration for Hammill in glowing terms: "Peter Hammill's great. A true original. I've just liked him for years. If you listen to him, his solo albums, I'm damn sure
Bowie copied a lot out of that geezer. The credit he deserves, just has not been given to him. I love all his stuff".
''
Over
Over may refer to:
Places
*Over, Cambridgeshire, England
*Over, Cheshire, England
*Over, South Gloucestershire, England
* Over, Tewkesbury, near Gloucester, England
** Over Bridge
*Over, Seevetal, Germany
Music
Albums
* ''Over'' (album), by Pe ...
'' (1977) contains very personal songs about the break-up of a long-term relationship.
Hammill's first solo album after the 1978 break-up of Van der Graaf was ''
The Future Now
''The Future Now'' is the seventh studio album by Peter Hammill, released on Charisma Records in 1978. It was the first solo album Hammill released following the 1978 breakup of his band Van der Graaf Generator, although he had released numerous ...
''. He provided vocals on three tracks for Robert Fripp's solo debut ''
Exposure'', released in June 1979.
With the next solo albums, ''
pH7'' and ''
A Black Box
''A Black Box'' is the ninth studio album by Peter Hammill, originally released on S-Type Records in August 1980.
Hammill performed nearly all the instrumentation himself, including the drum parts, a task he had first undertaken on his previou ...
'', the sound became more compact, more new wave. On those albums, Hammill played the drums himself. What followed was the K group. In later years Hammill would sometimes refer to the band as a "beat group". The K group consisted of Hammill himself on guitars and piano, with
John Ellis John Ellis may refer to:
Academics
*John Ellis (scrivener) (1698–1791), English political writer
*John Ellis (naturalist) (1710–1776), English botanical illustrator
*John Ellis (physicist, born 1946), British theoretical physicist at CERN
* Jo ...
on lead guitar, and Van der Graaf Generator mainstays
Nic Potter
NIC may refer to:
Banking and insurance companies
* National Insurance Corporation, Uganda
* NIC Bank, a commercial bank in Kenya
Politics, government and economics
* National Ice Center, an agency that provides worldwide navigational ice a ...
on bass, and
Guy Evans
Guy Randolph Evans (born 17 June 1947) is an English drummer and a member of the progressive rock band Van der Graaf Generator.
Career
Whilst at the University of Warwick (1965–68), Evans played in the university band which was called The ...
on drums and percussion. This group recorded the albums ''
Enter K'' and ''
Patience
(or forbearance) is the ability to endure difficult circumstances. Patience may involve perseverance in the face of delay; tolerance of provocation without responding in disrespect/anger; or forbearance when under strain, especially when faced ...
''.
Live performances
Live concerts by Peter Hammill are characterised by a degree of unpredictability, in terms of the songs played, the arrangements and the players involved. Hammill generally does not undertake live tours to promote albums. Whenever he plays with a certain predominant line-up, almost always there will also be concerts interspersed with different permutations of musicians, so the word "tour" is not always very applicable.
From September 1981 until September 1985 Hammill played with the K group, playing raw, energetic, new-wave rock. A live recording of a number of these concerts was released as ''
The Margin''. In March and April 1983, Hammill with John Ellis was the support act for
Marillion
Marillion are a British rock music, rock band, formed in Aylesbury, Buckinghamshire, in 1979. They emerged from the post-punk music scene in Britain and existed as a bridge between the styles of punk rock and classic progressive rock, becomin ...
on their UK tour in support of their debut album ''
Script for a Jester's Tear
''Script for a Jester's Tear'' is the debut studio album by British neo-progressive rock band Marillion, released in the United Kingdom on 14 March 1983 by EMI Records. The album reached number seven and spent 31 weeks in the UK Albums Chart ...
''.
From February until October 1990 he played with Nic Potter on bass and Stuart Gordon on violin. A live recording of these shows was released as ''
Room Temperature
Colloquially, "room temperature" is a range of air temperatures that most people prefer for indoor settings. It feels comfortable to a person when they are wearing typical indoor clothing. Human comfort can extend beyond this range depending on ...
''. From April 1993 until August 1996 they were joined by
Manny Elias
Manny Elias (born 21 February 1953) is an Indian drummer and record producer of British descent. He is notable for being the original drummer with Tears for Fears during the 1980s.
Originally a member of the rock band Interview from Bathford, ...
on drums. A live recording of these shows was released as ''There Goes The Daylight''. From October 1994 until August 1996 Hammill played with
David Jackson on flutes and saxophones, Stuart Gordon on violin and Manny Elias on drums (this line-up is sometimes informally referred to as the Peter Hammill Quartet
).
From January 1998 until November 2006 Hammill played with just Stuart Gordon on violin. Of these shows the live recording ''Veracious'' was released.
From 1969 on, Hammill has also performed solo concerts, with just guitar and keyboards.
Fie! Records
Hammill's early records, like the Van der Graaf Generator albums, were released on
Charisma Records
Charisma Records (also known as The Famous Charisma Label) was a British record label founded in 1969 by former journalist Tony Stratton-Smith. He had previously acted as manager for rock bands such as The Nice, the Bonzo Dog Band and Van der ...
. He parted company with them after ''pH7'' (1979), and then released albums on a number of small labels. ''A Black Box'' came out on S-Type, a label run by Hammill and his manager
Gail Colson
Gail Colson is a retired music manager, whose company Gailforce Management Ltd. represented clients including Peter Gabriel (until December 1989), The Pretenders, Morrissey (briefly), Alison Moyet and Peter Hammill.
Colson initially worked as per ...
. ''Enter K'' and ''Patience'' appeared on Naive, ''
Skin
Skin is the layer of usually soft, flexible outer tissue covering the body of a vertebrate animal, with three main functions: protection, regulation, and sensation.
Other cuticle, animal coverings, such as the arthropod exoskeleton, have diffe ...
'' and ''The Margin'' on Foundry and ''
In A Foreign Town'', ''
Out of Water
''Out of Water'' is the 17th studio album by Peter Hammill, originally released on Enigma Records in 1990 and subsequently re-released on Hammill's own Fie! label. Hammill himself considers this album to be a turning point from his mid-eighties s ...
'' and ''Room Temperature'' on
Enigma Records
Enigma Records (also known as Enigma Entertainment Corporation) was a popular rock and alternative American record label in the 1980s.
History
Enigma Records launched as a division of Greenworld Distribution, an independent music importer/dis ...
. In 1992 he formed his own label,
Fie! Records
Fie! Records is a record label founded by English singer-songwriter Peter Hammill
Peter Joseph Andrew Hammill (born 5 November 1948) is an English musician and recording artist. He was a founder member of the progressive rock band Van der ...
, on which all his albums since ''
Fireships
A fire ship or fireship, used in the days of wooden rowed or sailing ships, was a ship filled with combustibles, or gunpowder deliberately set on fire and steered (or, when possible, allowed to drift) into an enemy fleet, in order to destroy sh ...
'' have been released. The label's logo is the Greek letter phi (Φ), a pun on PH-I. Ever since the 1970s he has also had his own home recording studio, called Sofa Sound. His website was later named after the studio.
Later years
In 1991, Hammill released the long-awaited opera ''
The Fall of the House of Usher
"The Fall of the House of Usher" is a short story by American writer Edgar Allan Poe, first published in 1839 in ''Burton's Gentleman's Magazine'', then included in the collection ''Tales of the Grotesque and Arabesque'' in 1840. The short story ...
''. He had written the music and Van der Graaf Generator co-founder
Judge Smith
Christopher John Judge Smith (born 1 July 1948), is an English songwriter, author, composer and performer, and a founder member of progressive rock band Van der Graaf Generator. Initially working under the name Chris Judge Smith, he has been kno ...
the libretto, and the two of them had been working on it since 1973. In 1999 he released a reworked version, ''The Fall Of The House Of Usher (Deconstructed & Rebuilt)''.
Hammill survived a
heart attack
A myocardial infarction (MI), commonly known as a heart attack, occurs when blood flow decreases or stops to the coronary artery of the heart, causing damage to the heart muscle. The most common symptom is chest pain or discomfort which may tr ...
in December 2003, less than 48 hours after having finished the recording of ''
Incoherence''. He was awarded the Italian 'Tenco Prize' for songwriting at the end of 2004.
In 2005, Hammill announced the reformation of Van der Graaf Generator. In 2004 they had recorded a new album, ''
Present
The present (or here'' and ''now) is the time that is associated with the events perception, perceived directly and in the first time, not as a recollection (perceived more than once) or a speculation (predicted, hypothesis, uncertain). It is ...
'', which was released in April 2005, and from May until November 2005 played a series of well received concerts. Between 2005 and 2007 Hammill oversaw the remastering of almost all of his pre-Fie! releases, and also carried out similar work on his more recent catalogue. The last of the Charisma remasters was released in September 2007.
Hammill's solo career did not end because of the Van der Graaf Generator reunion. He released an album ''
Singularity'' in December 2006. It was the first solo album he completed after his heart attack, and for a large part it deals with matters of life and (sudden) death. In 2007 several gigs by Van der Graaf Generator as a trio (minus David Jackson) took place in Britain and Europe; their new album ''
Trisector
''Trisector'' is the tenth studio album by the British rock group Van der Graaf Generator. It was released on Virgin/EMI Records in March 2008. It is the first album the band has recorded as a trio. Saxophonist David Jackson departed the band ...
'' was released in March 2008. In the summer and autumn of 2008, Hammill did a tour of solo dates in the U.S. and Canada which included a performance at the progressive rock festival
NEARfest
The North East Art Rock Festival, or NEARfest for short, was a multi-day event celebrating the resurgence of progressive and eclectic music in the United States and around the world. The event was held annually in early summer in Bethlehem, Pennsy ...
. He also played his only ever professional "parlour gig" at a private residence in
Holland, Michigan
Holland is a city in the western region of the Lower Peninsula of the U.S. state of Michigan. It is situated near the eastern shore of Lake Michigan on Lake Macatawa, which is fed by the Macatawa River (formerly known locally as the Black River). ...
.
In the summer of 2009 Van der Graaf Generator toured the U.S. and Canada, which occasioned Hammill's triumphant return to
NEARfest
The North East Art Rock Festival, or NEARfest for short, was a multi-day event celebrating the resurgence of progressive and eclectic music in the United States and around the world. The event was held annually in early summer in Bethlehem, Pennsy ...
. ''
Thin Air'' was released on 8 June 2009. This was followed in October 2011 by a live double CD ''Pno, Gtr, Vox'', recorded at performances in Japan and the UK in 2010. An extended 7-CD box set, ''Pno, Gtr, Vox Box'' was released in a limited edition of 2000 in February 2012.
''
Consequences
Consequence may refer to:
* Logical consequence, also known as a ''consequence relation'', or ''entailment''
* In operant conditioning, a result of some behavior
* Consequentialism, a theory in philosophy in which the morality of an act is determi ...
'', a solo studio album was released in May 2012. Again Hammill played all the instruments. The lyrics deal with conflicted characters in various scenarios. ''
Other World
The concept of an otherworld in historical Indo-European religion is reconstructed in comparative mythology. Its name is a calque of ''orbis alius'' (Latin for "other Earth/world"), a term used by Lucan in his description of the Celtic Otherworld ...
'', a collaborative album with guitarist
Gary Lucas
Gary Lucas (born June 20, 1952) is an American guitarist/songwriter/composer who was a member of Captain Beefheart's band. He formed the band Gods and Monsters in 1989.
Lucas has released more than 50 albums to date as a solo artist or band l ...
, was released in February 2014. The album features Hammill's vocals, Hammill and Lucas on guitars, and Hammill's sound treatments, and is a mixture of conventional songs with extended avant-garde instrumentals. In 2019 ''In Amazonia'' was released, a collaboration album with progressive rock group Isildurs Bane. In May 2021 ''
In Translation "In Translation" may refer to:
* " ...In Translation", an episode of ''Lost''
* "In Translation", an award-winning short story by Lisa Tuttle
Lisa Gracia Tuttle (born September 16, 1952) is an American-born science fiction, fantasy, and horror ...
'' was released, a covers album featuring songs by
Astor Piazzolla
Astor Pantaleón Piazzolla (, ; March 11, 1921 – July 4, 1992) was an Argentine tango composer, bandoneon player, and arranger. His works revolutionized the traditional tango into a new style termed ''nuevo tango'', incorporating elements from ...
,
Leiber and Stoller
Lyricist Jerome Leiber (April 25, 1933 – August 22, 2011) and composer Michael Stoller (born March 13, 1933) were American songwriting and record producing partners. They found success as the writers of such Crossover music, crossover hit songs ...
,
Gustav Mahler
Gustav Mahler (; 7 July 1860 – 18 May 1911) was an Austro-Bohemian Romantic composer, and one of the leading conductors of his generation. As a composer he acted as a bridge between the 19th-century Austro-German tradition and the modernism ...
,
Rodgers and Hammerstein
Rodgers and Hammerstein was a theater-writing team of composer Richard Rodgers (1902–1979) and lyricist-dramatist Oscar Hammerstein II (1895–1960), who together created a series of innovative and influential American musicals. Their popu ...
, and
Gabriel Fauré
Gabriel Urbain Fauré (; 12 May 1845 – 4 November 1924) was a French composer, organist, pianist and teacher. He was one of the foremost French composers of his generation, and his musical style influenced many 20th-century composers ...
among others.
Music
Musically, Hammill's work ranges from short simple
riff
A riff is a repeated chord progression or refrain in music (also known as an ostinato figure in classical music); it is a pattern, or melody, often played by the rhythm section instruments or solo instrument, that forms the basis or accompani ...
-based songs to highly complex lengthy pieces. Mainly because of the diversity of his compositions there is much debate amongst his admirers whether Hammill is to be considered a part of the progressive rock scene. In many interviews, however, Hammill has stated that he does not want to be put in the progressive rock music label, or any music label at all. Despite this, he has received recognition as a visionary artist from the progressive music world.
Hammill's output is prolific. Many different styles of music appear in his work, among them artful complexity (for instance ''Chameleon in the Shadow of the Night''),
avant garde
The avant-garde (; In 'advance guard' or 'vanguard', literally 'fore-guard') is a person or work that is experimental, radical, or unorthodox with respect to art, culture, or society.John Picchione, The New Avant-garde in Italy: Theoretical De ...
electronic experiments (''
Loops and Reels
''Loops and Reels'' is the 12th studio album by Peter Hammill, originally released on cassette on the Sofa Sound label (catalog number SS4) in June 1983. On the back cover it says: "Two songs, two dance pieces, four near instrumentals". It was ...
'', ''Unsung''), opera (''The Fall of the House of Usher''), solo keyboard accompaniment (''
And Close As This
''And Close As This'' is the 15th studio album by Peter Hammill, released on Virgin Records in 1986. Each track is a song played and sung by Hammill solo at a keyboard, with the keyboard parts played in a single take. Two of the songs use a grand ...
''), solo guitar accompaniment (''
Clutch
A clutch is a mechanical device that engages and disengages power transmission, especially from a drive shaft to a driven shaft. In the simplest application, clutches connect and disconnect two rotating shafts (drive shafts or line shafts). ...
''), improvisation (''
Spur of the Moment
A spur is a metal tool designed to be worn in pairs on the heels of riding boots for the purpose of directing a horse or other animal to move forward or laterally while riding. It is usually used to refine the riding aids (commands) and to back ...
''), film music (''Sonix''), band recordings (''
Enter K''), and slow, melancholic balladry (''
None of the Above
"None of the above" (NOTA), or none for short, also known as "against all" or a "scratch" vote, is a ballot option in some jurisdictions or organizations, designed to allow the voter to indicate disapproval of the candidates in a voting system. ...
'').
Hammill exerted significant influences on
punk rock and
new wave music
New wave is a loosely defined music genre that encompasses pop-oriented styles from the late 1970s and the 1980s. It was originally used as a catch-all for the various styles of music that emerged after punk rock, including punk itself. La ...
. Over the years he collaborated with musicians and song-writers such as
Le Orme
Le Orme (Italian: "The Footprints") is an Italian progressive rock band formed in 1966 in Marghera, a ''frazione'' of Venice. The band was one of the major groups of the Italian progressive rock scene in the 1970s. They are one of few Italian r ...
,
Robert Fripp
Robert Fripp (born 16 May 1946) is a British musician, songwriter, record producer, and author, best known as the guitarist, founder and longest-lasting member of the progressive rock band King Crimson. He has worked extensively as a session ...
,
Peter Gabriel
Peter Brian Gabriel (born 13 February 1950) is an English musician, singer, songwriter, record producer, and activist. He rose to fame as the original lead singer of the progressive rock band Genesis. After leaving Genesis in 1975, he launched ...
,
Ayuo
Ayuo Takahashi (born October 19, 1960) is a Japanese-born American composer, poet, lyricist, singer and performer of plucked string instruments including guitar, bouzouki, Irish harp, Chinese zheng, Japanese koto, and medieval European psaltery. ...
,
Herbert Grönemeyer
Herbert Arthur Wiglev Clamor Grönemeyer (born 12 April 1956) is a German singer, musician, producer, composer and actor, popular in Germany, Austria and Switzerland.
Grönemeyer starred as war correspondent Lieutenant Werner in Wolfgang Pete ...
,
Judge Smith
Christopher John Judge Smith (born 1 July 1948), is an English songwriter, author, composer and performer, and a founder member of progressive rock band Van der Graaf Generator. Initially working under the name Chris Judge Smith, he has been kno ...
,
The Stranglers
The Stranglers are an English rock band who emerged via the punk rock scene. Scoring 23 UK top 40 singles and 19 UK top 40 albums to date in a career spanning five decades, the Stranglers are one of the longest-surviving bands to have origina ...
,
David Cross
David Cross (born April 4, 1964) is an American stand-up comedian, actor, director, and writer known for his stand-up performances, the HBO sketch comedy series ''Mr. Show'' (1995–1998), and his role as Tobias Fünke in the Fox/Netflix sitcom ...
,
Moondog
Louis Thomas Hardin (May 26, 1916 – September 8, 1999), known professionally as Moondog, was an American composer, musician, performer, music theoretician, poet and inventor of musical instruments. Largely self-taught as a composer, his ...
,
Premiata Forneria Marconi
Premiata Forneria Marconi (PFM) (translation: ''Award-winning Marconi Bakery'') is an Italian progressive rock band founded in 1970 which continues to the present day. They were the first Italian group to have success internationally. The group ...
,
Tim Bowness
Tim Bowness (born 29 November 1963) is an English singer and songwriter primarily known for his work as part of the band No-Man, a long-term project formed in 1987 with Porcupine Tree's Steven Wilson.
Music career
In addition to recording album ...
,
Jakko Jakszyk
Michael "Jakko" Jakszyk (born Michael Lee Curran, 8 June 1958) is an English musician, record producer, and actor. He has released several solo albums as a singer, songwriter, and multi-instrumentalist and has been the lead singer for King Crims ...
and
The Amorphous Androgynous.
Voice
Hammill's voice is a very distinctive element of his music. He sings in an emotional, often even dramatic way. As a former
Jesuit
, image = Ihs-logo.svg
, image_size = 175px
, caption = ChristogramOfficial seal of the Jesuits
, abbreviation = SJ
, nickname = Jesuits
, formation =
, founders ...
chorister, his delivery is usually
Received Pronunciation
Received Pronunciation (RP) is the Accent (sociolinguistics), accent traditionally regarded as the Standard language, standard and most Prestige (sociolinguistics), prestigious form of spoken British English. For over a century, there has been ...
British English — notable exceptions are his
Afrikaner
Afrikaners () are a South African ethnic group descended from Free Burghers, predominantly Dutch settlers first arriving at the Cape of Good Hope in the 17th and 18th centuries.Entry: Cape Colony. ''Encyclopædia Britannica Volume 4 Part 2: ...
accent on "A Motor-bike in Afrika" and his
Cockney
Cockney is an accent and dialect of English, mainly spoken in London and its environs, particularly by working-class and lower middle-class Londoners. The term "Cockney" has traditionally been used to describe a person from the East End, or b ...
accent on "Polaroid" — and ranges in tone from peacefully celestial to screaming rants (which are nevertheless highly controlled). Singing in registers from
baritone
A baritone is a type of classical male singing voice whose vocal range lies between the bass and the tenor voice-types. The term originates from the Greek (), meaning "heavy sounding". Composers typically write music for this voice in the r ...
to high
falsetto
''Falsetto'' (, ; Italian diminutive of , "false") is the vocal register occupying the frequency range just above the modal voice register and overlapping with it by approximately one octave.
It is produced by the vibration of the ligamentous ed ...
, he growls, croons, shrieks and shouts in ways that have drawn comparison with the guitar playing of
Jimi Hendrix
James Marshall "Jimi" Hendrix (born Johnny Allen Hendrix; November 27, 1942September 18, 1970) was an American guitarist, singer and songwriter. Although his mainstream career spanned only four years, he is widely regarded as one of the most ...
.
Lyrics
Hammill's lyrics are another distinctive feature of his work. He has visited a number of recurring themes including love and human relationships, ageing and death, human folly, self-awareness and introspection, politics, and religion. His lyrics often include scientific, literary or historical references. For example, the Norse names mentioned in the song "Viking" on ''Fool's Mate'' (co-written with Judge Smith) are characters in the Icelandic
Saga of Eric the Red
The ''Saga of Erik the Red'', in non, Eiríks saga rauða (), is an Icelandic saga on the Norse exploration of North America. The original saga is thought to have been written in the 13th century. It is preserved in somewhat different versions ...
.
The science fiction themes of Van der Graaf Generator's lyrics are mostly absent in his later work, but there still are many science references, especially to physics (for instance in the song "Patient"). In 1974 Hammill published a book, ''Killers, Angels, Refugees'' (Charisma Books, London), a collection of lyrics, poems and short stories. This was later reissued by Hammill himself (Sofa Sound, Bath) and was followed by a sequel ''Mirrors, Dreams, Miracles'' (1982).
In 2000 Dagmar Klein published ''Shouting down the passage of time: The Spaces & Times of Peter Hammill'', an analysis and interpretation of Hammill's lyrics along the lines of his dealings with "Space", "Time" and "Journeys".
Personal life
Hammill is fluent in Italian.
He has been married since 1978 to Hilary, who is credited with taking the picture for the cover of ''
In a Foreign Town''. They have three children, Holly, Beatrice and Phoebe. Holly and Beatrice Hammill sing soprano vocals on one track of ''
Everyone You Hold'' and on two tracks of ''None of the Above''. Holly Hammill wrote the song "Eyebrows" (on ''Unsung'') and co-wrote "Personality" (on ''Everyone You Hold'').
Discography
*''
Fool's Mate
In chess, the fool's mate is the checkmate delivered after the fewest possible moves from the game's starting position. It arises from the following moves, or similar:
:1. f3 e6
:2. g4 Qh4#
The fool's mate can be achieved only by Black, givin ...
'' (July 1971)
*''
Chameleon in the Shadow of the Night
''Chameleon in the Shadow of the Night'' is the second solo album by British singer-songwriter Peter Hammill. It followed in the aftermath of the breakup of Hammill's band Van der Graaf Generator, and (as with many of Hammill's solo albums fro ...
'' (May 1973)
*''
The Silent Corner and the Empty Stage
''The Silent Corner and the Empty Stage'' is the third album by British singer-songwriter Peter Hammill. It was released on Charisma Records in 1974, during a hiatus in the activities of Hammill's progressive rock band Van der Graaf Generator. ...
'' (February 1974)
*''
In Camera
''In camera'' (; Latin: "in a chamber"). is a legal term that means ''in private''. The same meaning is sometimes expressed in the English equivalent: ''in chambers''. Generally, ''in-camera'' describes court cases, parts of it, or process wh ...
'' (July 1974)
*''
Nadir's Big Chance
''Nadir's Big Chance'' is the fifth solo album by Peter Hammill, released on Charisma Records in 1975.
It was recorded shortly after a decision to re-form the band Van der Graaf Generator (of which Hammill was the singer and principal songwrite ...
'' (February 1975)
*''
Over
Over may refer to:
Places
*Over, Cambridgeshire, England
*Over, Cheshire, England
*Over, South Gloucestershire, England
* Over, Tewkesbury, near Gloucester, England
** Over Bridge
*Over, Seevetal, Germany
Music
Albums
* ''Over'' (album), by Pe ...
'' (April 1977)
*''
The Future Now
''The Future Now'' is the seventh studio album by Peter Hammill, released on Charisma Records in 1978. It was the first solo album Hammill released following the 1978 breakup of his band Van der Graaf Generator, although he had released numerous ...
'' (September 1978)
*''
pH7'' (September 1979)
*''
A Black Box
''A Black Box'' is the ninth studio album by Peter Hammill, originally released on S-Type Records in August 1980.
Hammill performed nearly all the instrumentation himself, including the drum parts, a task he had first undertaken on his previou ...
'' (August 1980)
*''
Sitting Targets'' (June 1981)
*''
Enter K'' (October 1982)
*''
Loops and Reels
''Loops and Reels'' is the 12th studio album by Peter Hammill, originally released on cassette on the Sofa Sound label (catalog number SS4) in June 1983. On the back cover it says: "Two songs, two dance pieces, four near instrumentals". It was ...
'' (June 1983)
*''
Patience
(or forbearance) is the ability to endure difficult circumstances. Patience may involve perseverance in the face of delay; tolerance of provocation without responding in disrespect/anger; or forbearance when under strain, especially when faced ...
'' (August 1983)
*''
Skin
Skin is the layer of usually soft, flexible outer tissue covering the body of a vertebrate animal, with three main functions: protection, regulation, and sensation.
Other cuticle, animal coverings, such as the arthropod exoskeleton, have diffe ...
'' (March 1986)
*''
And Close As This
''And Close As This'' is the 15th studio album by Peter Hammill, released on Virgin Records in 1986. Each track is a song played and sung by Hammill solo at a keyboard, with the keyboard parts played in a single take. Two of the songs use a grand ...
'' (November 1986)
*''
In a Foreign Town'' (November 1988)
*''
Out of Water
''Out of Water'' is the 17th studio album by Peter Hammill, originally released on Enigma Records in 1990 and subsequently re-released on Hammill's own Fie! label. Hammill himself considers this album to be a turning point from his mid-eighties s ...
'' (February 1990)
*''
The Fall of the House of Usher
"The Fall of the House of Usher" is a short story by American writer Edgar Allan Poe, first published in 1839 in ''Burton's Gentleman's Magazine'', then included in the collection ''Tales of the Grotesque and Arabesque'' in 1840. The short story ...
'' (November 1991, ''deconstructed and rebuilt'' released in Nov 1999)
*''
Fireships
A fire ship or fireship, used in the days of wooden rowed or sailing ships, was a ship filled with combustibles, or gunpowder deliberately set on fire and steered (or, when possible, allowed to drift) into an enemy fleet, in order to destroy sh ...
'' (March 1992)
*''
The Noise
''the Noise'' was a monthly newspaper serving the cities of Flagstaff, Prescott, Sedona, Cottonwood, Jerome, Clarkdale, and Winslow in northern Arizona. Founded in 1993 by four high school seniors whose rural hometown's budget cuts lead t ...
'' (March 1993)
*''
Roaring Forties
The Roaring Forties are strong westerly winds found in the Southern Hemisphere, generally between the latitudes of 40°S and 50°S. The strong west-to-east air currents are caused by the combination of air being displaced from the Equator ...
'' (September 1994)
*''
X My Heart'' (March 1996)
*''Sonix'' (November 1996)
*''
Everyone You Hold'' (June 1997)
*''
This
This may refer to:
* ''This'', the singular proximal demonstrative pronoun
Places
* This, or ''Thinis'', an ancient city in Upper Egypt
* This, Ardennes, a commune in France
People with the surname
* Hervé This, French culinary chemist Arts, e ...
'' (October 1998)
*''
None of the Above
"None of the above" (NOTA), or none for short, also known as "against all" or a "scratch" vote, is a ballot option in some jurisdictions or organizations, designed to allow the voter to indicate disapproval of the candidates in a voting system. ...
'' (April 2000)
*''
What, Now?'' (June 2001)
*''Unsung'' (October 2001)
*''
Clutch
A clutch is a mechanical device that engages and disengages power transmission, especially from a drive shaft to a driven shaft. In the simplest application, clutches connect and disconnect two rotating shafts (drive shafts or line shafts). ...
'' (October 2002)
*''
Incoherence'' (March 2004)
*''
Singularity'' (December 2006)
*''
Thin Air'' (June 2009)
*''
Consequences
Consequence may refer to:
* Logical consequence, also known as a ''consequence relation'', or ''entailment''
* In operant conditioning, a result of some behavior
* Consequentialism, a theory in philosophy in which the morality of an act is determi ...
'' (April 2012)
*''
...All That Might Have Been...'' (November 2014)
*''
From the Trees'' (November 2017)
*''
In Translation "In Translation" may refer to:
* " ...In Translation", an episode of ''Lost''
* "In Translation", an award-winning short story by Lisa Tuttle
Lisa Gracia Tuttle (born September 16, 1952) is an American-born science fiction, fantasy, and horror ...
'' (May 2021)
See also
*
Van der Graaf Generator discography
References
Further references
* PH-VdGG Study Group, Fiaccavento L., Olivotto M. (2005)
Van der Graaf Generator – Dark Figures Running – Lyrics 1968–1978' (Published by PH-VdGG Study Group )
* Mike Barnes, ''Life Sentences''. Wire, March 2007. pp. 34–41.
External links
*
Sofa Sound (official site)Peterhammill.com*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Hammill, Peter
1948 births
Alumni of the University of Manchester
Art rock musicians
Charisma Records artists
Discipline Global Mobile artists
English male singers
English record producers
English songwriters
Living people
Musicians from Manchester
People from Ealing
Protopunk musicians
Van der Graaf Generator members
English people of Irish descent
Enigma Records artists
Some Bizzare Records artists
British male songwriters