''Nadir's Big Chance'' is the fifth solo album by

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 Graaf Generator. Best known as a singer-songwriter, he also plays guitar and piano and ...

, 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 d ...

in 1975. It was recorded shortly after a decision to re-form the 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. They were the first act signed by Charisma Records. They did not experience much ...

(of which Hammill was the singer and principal songwriter) and ''Nadir's Big Chance'' is actually performed by the reformed Van der Graaf Generator line-up. The title track tells a story about fictitious character of Rikki Nadir, who is an attitude-filled rocker and can be considered an alter-ego of Hammill. The album's songs vary greatly in style, as acknowledged by Hammill in the sleeve notes, which refer to "the beefy punk songs, the weepy ballads, the soul struts". In a 1977

Capital Radio Capital London is an Independent Local Radio station owned and operated by Global Media & Entertainment as part of its national Capital (radio network), Capital Network. As Capital Radio it was launched in the London area in 1973 as one of Bri ...

broadcast,

John Lydon John Joseph Lydon ( ; born 31 January 1956), also known by his former stage name Johnny Rotten, is a British-born singer, songwriter, author, and television personality. He was the lead vocalist of the punk rock band the Sex Pistols, which was ...

of the

Sex Pistols The Sex Pistols are an English punk rock band formed in London in 1975. Although their initial career lasted just two and a half years, they became culturally influential in popular music. The band initiated the punk movement in the United Ki ...

played two tracks from the album, "The Institute of Mental Health, Burning" and "Nobody's Business", and expressed his admiration for Hammill. The album includes two of Hammill's most frequently performed ballads at concerts and radio interviews, "Been Alone So Long" (written by

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 know ...

) and "Shingle Song", and a reworking of Van der Graaf Generator's first single from 1968, "People You Were Going To". The album presented Hammill's first use of the

Hohner Hohner Musikinstrumente GmbH & Co. KG is a German manufacturer of musical instruments, founded in 1857 by Matthias Hohner (1833–1902). It is a subsidiary of Matth. Hohner AG. The roots of the Hohner firm are in Trossingen, Baden-Württemberg ...

clavinet The Clavinet is an electric clavichord invented by Ernst Zacharias and manufactured by the Hohner company of Trossingen, West Germany, from 1964 to 1982. The instrument produces sounds with rubber pads, each matching one of the keys and respond ...

D6 keyboard, which featured prominently on the next few Van der Graaf Generator albums (particularly ''

Godbluff ''Godbluff'' is the fifth album released by English progressive rock band Van der Graaf Generator, released on October 1975 via Charisma- Mercury. It was the first album after the band reformed in 1975 and was recorded after a European tour. As ...

''). In the song "Pushing Thirty" (from ''

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 ...

'', 1978), Hammill claims that he "still can be Nadir". The Rikki Nadir persona returned in October 1979, when Hammill released a single titled "The Polaroid" under the name, with "The Old School Tie" from '' pH7'' as the B-side. It was included on some American pressings of ''pH7''. "Been Alone So Long" was re-worked for Hammill's 1984 album '' The Love Songs''.

Track listing

Personnel

* Peter Hammill – voice, acoustic and electric guitars,

Hohner clavinet The Clavinet is an electric clavichord invented by Ernst Zacharias and manufactured by the Hohner company of Trossingen, West Germany, from 1964 to 1982. The instrument produces sounds with rubber pads, each matching one of the keys and respo ...

, piano , bass *

David Jackson David Jackson or Dave Jackson may refer to: Academics *David Jackson (art historian) (born 1958), British professor of Russian and Scandinavian art histories * David J. Jackson, American political scientist * David M. Jackson, Canadian mathematics ...

– saxophone *

Hugh Banton Hugh Robert Banton (born 25 April 1949) is a British musician and electronic Organ (music), organ builder, most widely known for playing organ and keyboards with the group Van der Graaf Generator. Career Banton was born in April 1949 in Yeovil, ...

– bass guitar , piano ,

Hammond organ The Hammond organ is an electric organ invented by Laurens Hammond and John M. Hanert, first manufactured in 1935. Multiple models have been produced, most of which use sliding #Drawbars, drawbars to vary sounds. Until 1975, sound was created ...

Guy Evans Guy Randolph Evans (born 17 June 1947) is an English drummer. He is best known as a member of the progressive rock band Van der Graaf Generator, appearing on each of their studio albums. He is also a member of Echo City and Subterraneans. Ca ...

– drums, percussion

Technical

* Pat Moran – recording engineer (

Rockfield Studios Rockfield Studios is a residential recording studio located in the Wye Valley just outside the village of Rockfield, Monmouthshire, Wales. It was founded in 1963 by brothers Kingsley and Charles Ward. Recording studios Rockfield is a two-stu ...

, Monmouth) * Mike Stone – mixing (

Trident Studios Trident Studios was a British recording facility, located at 17 St Anne's Court in London's Soho district between 1968 and 1981. It was constructed in 1967 by Norman Sheffield, drummer of the 1960s group the Hunters, and his brother Barry ...

, London) * Dinu M'Brela (alias of Peter Hammill) – cover design

References

External links

Album information on the unofficial VdGG site
{{Authority control Peter Hammill albums 1975 albums Charisma Records albums Albums recorded at Rockfield Studios Albums recorded at Trident Studios