The Quiet Zone/The Pleasure Dome

Last updated

The Quiet Zone/The Pleasure Dome
Quietzone.jpg
Studio album by
Released2 September 1977
Recorded13 May - 12 June 1977
StudioFoel, Morgan and Rockfield Studios
Genre Progressive rock [1]
Length43:34
Label Charisma (UK)
Mercury (USA)
Producer Peter Hammill
Van der Graaf chronology
World Record
(1976)
The Quiet Zone/The Pleasure Dome
(1977)
Vital
(1978)


The Quiet Zone/The Pleasure Dome is the eighth album by British progressive rock band Van der Graaf Generator. Released in 1977, it was their last studio album before their 2005 reunion. [2] The album features a more energetic, new wave sound than its three immediate predecessors, anticipating singer and songwriter Peter Hammill's late 1970s solo work.

Contents

For this album, bassist Nic Potter returned to the band, having left in 1970, and violinist Graham Smith (String Driven Thing) also joined the line-up, in place of the two members who had departed in the aftermath of their previous album, World Record (October 1976): organist Hugh Banton and saxophonist/flutist David Jackson. This considerably modified the band's sound. Officially, the band's name was shortened to just "Van der Graaf" for this album and the live album, Vital (July 1978), that followed, but contemporaneous Charisma Records promotional materials used both the full and shortened name.

Reception

Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic Star full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar half.svg [1]

Critical reception was positive. Melody Maker said the band "[had] just come up with an album that finally approached the band's long-promised potential". [3]

Track listing

All songs written by Peter Hammill, except where noted.

Side one, "The Quiet Zone"
No.TitleLength
1."Lizard Play"4:29
2."The Habit of the Broken Heart"4:40
3."The Siren Song"6:05
4."Last Frame"6:15
Side two, "The Pleasure Dome"
No.TitleWriter(s)Length
5."The Wave" 3:15
6."Cat's Eye / Yellow Fever (Running)"Hammill, Graham Smith5:21
7."The Sphinx in the Face" 5:59
8."Chemical World" 6:12
9."The Sphinx Returns" 1:18

Tracks on 2005 reissue

  1. "Door" – 3:23
    • Non-album studio version
  2. "The Wave" – 3:03
    • Instrumental demo version
  3. "Ship of Fools" – 3:43
    • B-side of "Cat's Eye" single (only released in France)

Reissue packaging issues

The 2005 reissue added some B-sides and a demo. The last two of these, "The Wave" and "Ship of Fools", were labelled the wrong way around on the CD packaging.

Personnel

Van der Graaf
as a guest musician

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Peter Hammill</span> English musician and recording artist

Peter Joseph Andrew Hammill 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 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.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">David Jackson (musician)</span> English progressive rock musician

David Nicholas George Jackson, nicknamed Jaxon, is an English progressive rock saxophonist, flautist, and composer. He is best known for his work with the band Van der Graaf Generator and his work in Music and Disability. He has also worked with Peter Gabriel, Keith Tippett, Osanna, Judge Smith, David Cross and others.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Guy Evans</span> English drummer

Guy Randolph Evans is an English drummer and percussionist. 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.

<i>Godbluff</i> 1975 studio album by Van der Graaf Generator

Godbluff is the fifth album released by English progressive rock band Van der Graaf Generator. It was the first album after the band reformed in 1975 and was recorded after a European tour.

<i>Pawn Hearts</i> 1971 studio album by Van der Graaf Generator

Pawn Hearts is the fourth album by English progressive rock band Van der Graaf Generator, released in October 1971 on Charisma Records. The original album features just three tracks, including the side-long suite "A Plague of Lighthouse Keepers". The album was not commercially successful in the UK, but reached number one in Italy. It has since seen retrospective critical praise and was reissued on CD in 2005 with extra material.

<i>H to He, Who Am the Only One</i> 1970 studio album by Van der Graaf Generator

H to He, Who Am the Only One is the third album by the British progressive rock band Van der Graaf Generator. It was released in 1970 on Charisma Records.

<i>The Least We Can Do Is Wave to Each Other</i> 1970 studio album by Van der Graaf Generator

The Least We Can Do Is Wave to Each Other is the second album by the British progressive rock band Van der Graaf Generator, released in February 1970 on Charisma Records. It was the group's first album to be released in the UK and the only one to chart in the top 50 in that country.

<i>Vital</i> (Van der Graaf Generator album) 1978 live album by Van der Graaf

Vital: Van der Graaf Live is the first live album by English progressive rock band Van der Graaf Generator. It was recorded 16 January 1978 at the Marquee Club in London and was released in July, one month after the band's 1978 break-up. The album was credited under the abbreviated name Van der Graaf, like the previous year's The Quiet Zone/The Pleasure Dome (1977), and featured the same line-up plus newcomer cellist/keyboardist Charles Dickie, who had officially joined the band in August 1977, and original saxophonist and flautist David Jackson, who re-joined the band for this recording.

<i>Over</i> (album) 1977 studio album by Peter Hammill

Over is the sixth studio album by the English singer and songwriter Peter Hammill, released on Charisma Records in April 1977. It was issued for the first time on CD on Virgin Records in the early 1990s, and was reissued again in a remastered version in 2006 with bonus tracks.

<i>The Aerosol Grey Machine</i> 1969 studio album by Van der Graaf Generator

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.

<i>World Record</i> (Van der Graaf Generator album) 1976 studio album by Van der Graaf Generator

World Record is the seventh studio album by the British progressive rock group Van der Graaf Generator, originally released in 1976 on Charisma Records. Bonus tracks were added for the 2005 rerelease.

<i>Present</i> (Van der Graaf Generator album) 2005 studio album by Van der Graaf Generator

Present is the ninth studio album by British progressive rock band Van der Graaf Generator, released in 2005. It was the band's first studio album since The Quiet Zone/The Pleasure Dome in 1977, and the first with the 'classic' line-up since World Record in 1976. The Charisma Records label was re-activated for its release, as well as a re-issue series of Van der Graaf Generator's catalogue and Peter Hammill's solo releases from 1972-86.

<i>Chameleon in the Shadow of the Night</i> 1973 studio album by Peter Hammill

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 other ex-members of Van der Graaf Generator perform on the album.

<i>Fools Mate</i> (album) 1971 studio album by Peter Hammill

Fool's Mate is the debut solo album by Peter Hammill of progressive rock band Van der Graaf Generator. The title is both a chess and tarot reference. It was produced by Trident Studios' in-house producer John Anthony. The album was recorded in 1971, in the midst of one of Van der Graaf Generator's most prolific periods. Hammill used the album to record a backlog of songs which were much shorter and simpler than his Van der Graaf Generator material, and declared on the original album sleeve: "This isn't intended to be any kind of statement of my present musical position, but at the same time, it is an album which involves a great deal of me, the person, basically a return to the roots."

<i>The Future Now</i> 1978 studio album by Peter Hammill

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 solo albums while VdGG were active. The album contains twelve short songs, several in the new wave style of VdGG's last studio album, The Quiet Zone/The Pleasure Dome.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Van der Graaf Generator</span> English rock band formed in 1967

Van der Graaf Generator are an English progressive rock band, formed in 1967 in Manchester by singer-songwriters Peter Hammill and Chris Judge Smith and the first act signed by Charisma Records. They did not experience much commercial success in the UK, but became popular in Italy during the 1970s. In 2005 the band reformed, and are still musically active with a line-up of Hammill, organist Hugh Banton and drummer Guy Evans.

<i>Real Time</i> (Van der Graaf Generator album) 2007 live album by Van der Graaf Generator

Real Time: Royal Festival Hall, London, 06.05.05 is a live album by Van der Graaf Generator, released in 2007 on Fie! Records. It contains the entire recording of the group's reunion concert at the Royal Festival Hall in London, England on 6 May 2005. The album includes at least one song from every album released between 1970-1976, plus their 2005 reunion album Present. Nothing is included from 1969's Aerosol Grey Machine and The Quiet Zone/The Pleasure Dome, released in 1977 after Hugh Banton and David Jackson left the group. The album also contains "(In the) Black Room", a song performed live by Van der Graaf Generator in 1972 ; following the band's August 1972 breakup, it was released on Peter Hammill's 1973 solo album Chameleon in the Shadow of the Night, with Banton, Evans and Jackson all performing on the track.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Nic Potter</span> Musical artist

Nic Potter was a British bassist, composer and painter, best known for his work with the group Van der Graaf Generator in the 1970s.

<i>Maida Vale</i> (album) 1994 live album by Van der Graaf Generator

Maida Vale: The BBC Radio One Sessions is a compilation album by Van der Graaf Generator, containing eight songs from four different recording sessions at Maida Vale Studios for BBC Radio 1 in 1971, 1975 and 1976, three of which were Peel Sessions. It was released in June 1994 on Band of Joy Records.

The Box is a four CD box set by Van der Graaf Generator, containing recordings that had been released before, but also BBC-recordings and some live recordings that were never officially released before. It was released in 2000 by Virgin Records. Included in the sleeve notes are introductions by Guy Evans and Tony Banks from Genesis, a timeline of Van der Graaf Generator events from 1967 to 1978, an essay about the organs by Hugh Banton, an essay about Van der Graaf Generator compositions by Peter Hammill, an essay about saxophones by David Jackson and an essay about being a Van der Graaf Generator-aficionado by Ian Laycock.

References

  1. 1 2 McDonald, Steven (2011). "Van der Graaf - The Quiet Zone/The Pleasure Dome (1977) album review | AllMusic". allmusic.com. Retrieved 16 March 2016.
  2. Christopulos, J., and Smart, P.: "Van der Graaf Generator - The Book", page 266. Phil and Jim publishers, 2005.
  3. "Graaf generate power: Van der Graaf - The Quiet Zone/The Pleasure Dome (1977) album review at Melody Maker by J.O." Retrieved 6 January 2014.
  4. "Van der Graaf Generator The Quiet Zone / The Pleasure Dome reviews" . Retrieved 22 January 2024.