The Aerosol Grey Machine

The Aerosol Grey Machine
Studio album by Van der Graaf Generator
Released September 1969
Recorded January, 31 July-1 August 1969 at Marquee and Trident Studios, London
Genre Progressive rock
Length 53:50 (CD release)
Label Mercury Records (USA)
Fontana Records (Germany)
Vertigo Records (1974 Italian release)
Repertoire Records (German CD reissue)
Producer John Anthony
Van der Graaf Generator chronology
The Aerosol Grey Machine
(1969)		 The Least We Can Do Is Wave to Each Other
(1970)
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Allmusic [1]

The Aerosol Grey Machine is the first album by the British progressive rock band Van der Graaf Generator. It was released in September 1969.

The album was originally intended as a solo album by the band's lead singer and main songwriter, Peter Hammill. When the band was signed to Charisma Records, a deal was worked out whereby The Aerosol Grey Machine would be released under the Van der Graaf Generator name, in return for Mercury Records releasing Hammill from his earlier contract with them.[2]

Contents

Track listing

All tracks composed by Peter Hammill; except where indicated

Side one

  1. "Afterwards" – 4:55
  2. "Orthenthian St., Pts. 1 & 2" – 6:18
  3. "Running Back" – 6:35
  4. "Into a Game" - 6:57

Side two

  1. "Aerosol Grey Machine" – 0:47
  2. "Black Smoke Yen" (Hugh Banton, Keith Ellis, Guy Evans) – 1:26
  3. "Aquarian" – 8:22
  4. "Necromancer" – 3:38
  5. "Octopus" – 8:00

Bonus tracks

These additional tracks (comprising the two sides of the band's first single) were included on a CD version of the album released in 1997 by the German company Repertoire Records:

  1. "People You Were Going To" – 2:44
  2. "Firebrand" – 4:08

These additional tracks were included on the CD release of the album from Peter Hammill's own UK record label, FIE! Records, also in 1997:

  1. "Giant Squid" - 3:20
  2. "Ferret And Featherbird" - 4:34

Personnel

Notes

  1. ^ McDonald, Steven (2011 [last update]). "The Aerosol Grey Machine - Van der Graaf Generator | AllMusic". allmusic.com. http://www.allmusic.com/album/r20966. Retrieved 2 July 2011. 
  2. ^ Christopulos, J., and Smart, P.: "Van der Graaf Generator - The Book", page 59. Phil and Jim publishers, 2005. ISBN 0-9551337-0-X
Van der Graaf Generator
Peter Hammill · Hugh Banton · Guy Evans
Former members: David Jackson · Nic Potter · Keith Ellis · Chris Judge Smith · Graham Smith · Nick Pearne · Charles Dickie
Studio albums
The Aerosol Grey Machine (1969) · The Least We Can Do Is Wave to Each Other (1970) · H to He, Who Am the Only One (1970) · Pawn Hearts (1971) · Godbluff (1975) · Still Life (1976) · World Record (1976) · The Quiet Zone/The Pleasure Dome (1977) · Present (2005) · Trisector (2008) · A Grounding in Numbers (2011)
Other albums
Live albums
Vital (1978) · Maida Vale (1994) · Real Time (2007)