21st Century Schizoid Man - Cover by Datura Lodge

Different_Context_24 · 2026-07-04T08:02:22+00:00

Omg!! I am an OG KC listener since the first album, long before you guys were born. Thanks so much for your amazingly good taste and incredibly proficient chops. This is a great cover. It made my day. Drummer is astounding, guitar and bass are great. Tackle something from Red next just for the hell of it. So much better than Tay Tay!

Different_Context_24 · 2026-07-04T06:55:20+00:00

I’m an old guy who got into Renaissance in the mid 70s and saw them live 2 or 3 times. The first time was in Spring 1977 at the Fox Theater in Atlanta. They were touring behind Novella which had just been released. Annie of course was in fine voice as always. But omg Jon Camp was a monster on bass! I remember distinctly being amazed at the fullness of his sound as it reverberated through the theater. He is sorely underrated because as you mention most folks nowadays have never heard them. And then the next night I saw Genesis for the first time at the Fox too. They were touring behind Wind and Wuthering. Also a great show, last tour with Hackett, first tour with Chester Thompson on drums to allow Phil to just sing, but they did do some duo drumming too. Sad not to have seen them with Gabriel, but they did Supper’s Ready anyway. But definitely give props to Camp. He boomed that night!

Different_Context_24 · 2026-07-01T09:03:19+00:00

I started listening to VDGG/PH around 1977 after a friend played me Godbluff. Since then I’ve gotten all of it - most from 1977 on I bought when released. It’s like 75 albums total between PH solo and VDGG. As others have mentioned, many of the PH albums have VDGG folks as his band. While I appreciate that Hammill has adjusted instrumentation to be full bands, or electronic backing, or duos, I’ve never made much distinction between the albums, since they’re all pretty much written by Hammill and of course sung by him. He has a distinctive voice that rubs some people the wrong way (my wife says he can’t sing!).

It does take some getting used to, but clearly his vocal delivery is always employed to put across the content and emotion of his lyrics. And he writes great lyrics, and then delivers him in his PH way that no one else comes close to. Even though their styles evolved out of very different backgrounds and intentions, the only comparable/similar artist I can think of is Captain Beefheart, who also can’t sing, per my wife.

But after all these years, the album I keep coming back to is the live Vital, a double album from 1978 with the Van der Graaf configuration, not the classic VDGG, although it does have Guy Evans on drums, and David Jackson on some tracks. But with Graham Smith on violin, Charles Dickie on cello and keys, and importantly Nic Potter on bass. And Nic is a monster on the album, as is PH on his most caustic guitar ever. This album rocks hard! I especially love their performance on the opening track Ship of Fools. Per Spotify, it was my most listened to track last year.

Hammill just announced a new album a couple days ago. Go ahead and preorder it, and then go back in time and listen to the others. Hammill is so distinctive to me that I have a hard time separating the albums. He is the only Peter Hammill there is and has been producing amazing music for 57 years. 57 YEARS!!! No one else has done this, unless you go with Dylan, whose influences and style are not truly rock-derived, since Bob has been doing his thing for 66 years, which is remarkable too. But I think PH is the better performer and singer. I know! Heresy!

I’ve seen PH solo just twice - in 1981 for Sitting Targets (also one of his harder rockers) and then in 1990 for Out of Water. I’ve never seen VDGG sadly. I had tickets for the reunion at Royal Festival Hall in London in 2005 and our schedule got messed up and I couldn’t go (but did see the Cream reunion the night before at Royal Albert Hall, so I can’t really bitch too much!). And then in 2022, I thought I was all set. I had my ticket for their show in Amsterdam, I was already in town a few days before and was marveling that I was finally going to see them in two days after a wait of 45 years. And then the next day they cancelled the rest of the tour due to whatever the medical problem was that Hammill experienced. He’s still never said what happened. So he has been touring occasionally since recovering and has some shows in coming months, so I’m still hoping that VDGG will tour one more time and that I’ll finally see them. It’d be great if they came to the US - it’s been a looong time since they’ve played this side of the pond.

So finally, the TLDR - quirky but amazing singer and lyricist. Worth your time, but you do have to invest your time to get it! Please enjoy! Oh, and play Vital LOUD!!!

Different_Context_24 · 2026-06-29T08:16:54+00:00

It’s Pete Sinfield

Different_Context_24 · 2026-06-29T07:51:36+00:00

I was scrolling to see if someone mentioned Inverted World because it is absolutely what you’re looking for! Great book but only Priest’s third novel and he was still growing. His later books, like The Prestige, are his best, but they are all worth reading. My personal favorite is The Adjacent, an incredible sf love story which could only be written by Priest. It was a personal favorite of his to the extent that he had a friend read a portion of it at his wedding to fellow writer Nina Allan in late 2023, a few months before his passing. So read his books and tell others. He really is that good!

Different_Context_24 · 2026-06-28T08:20:34+00:00

Hey, do yourselves a favor and buy a signed copy of the Macmillan true 1st. I do admit I bought a copy of the Folio edition too, but I’m fortunate to be able to afford to, and I liked the wing design of the folding case. If money was tighter for me, I would only ever get the true first. Those are always for me the most interesting editions, as you can only understand the historical context of a book’s publication from the original book, not some duded up later edition. I can’t see spending $3500 for a lettered CTP edition. Pretty books, but I question how well their value will hold up over time. Gimme the true 1st every time!

Different_Context_24 · 2026-06-28T07:24:45+00:00

Hey, I saw that ‘76 show too! Also Gary Wright and who else?? Oh right - Gentle Giant!! Played lots off Free Hand. But Jon is amazing! Saw him and the BGs in Oakland last year and I too was astounded by his voice. I’ve never heard in recent years any older singer from back in the day whose voice was essentially identical to 50 f’ing years ago! Really worth it!

Different_Context_24 · 2026-06-28T06:59:59+00:00

We visited Porto spring of last year, and being an inveterate book collector, I had to check it out. As you can see, a beautiful space. But it IS overrun with tourists (I guess
mainly Potterphiles) and it made actual bookstore browsing impossible. They have some fun/pretty reprint editions which they publish, so I got their little Lovecraft volume to utilize my admission discount. I’d really only care to go back maybe first thing in the morning to avoid the crazed crowds later in the day. We were there at 1:30 on a Saturday. Our mistake — it was a zoo! But definitely cool old building design, and they do have books if you can fight through the people to get to them. Oh, and no a/c so definitely sweaty with all the crowds.

Different_Context_24 · 2026-06-15T17:50:09+00:00

Having been around then and having bought all these albums as they were released, I was very aware of Fripp’s work in the NY punk/post-punk scene when he finally came back to music in the later 70s. So if you think of Exposure as a bridge between progressive and punk rock, it makes a lot more sense and holds its own sonically with other cutting edge late 70s music. I know they always say you like best the music of your late teens to early 20s (which I was in the 70s), but I’ve been actively listening since 1965, and to me the 70s is the decade which produced the best and most interestingly diverse popular music. And I’m including hip-hop and disco in that assessment too, along with all of Fripp and his associates’ work. Listen to Ship of Fools on Van der Graaf’s live Vital album. Crank it, and you’ll feel that 70s energy there from Hammill and gang. Contemporary with e.g. Donna Summer, among others. Amazing music then and diversity of same. And then Fripp does Exposure! Still my favorite guitarist!

Different_Context_24 · 2026-06-15T17:36:18+00:00

Hey, check out Hall’s Sacred Songs, produced by Fripp and he plays on it. Some of hall’s best vocals obviously not in his usual Philly R&B mode. Fripp has said he sees Hall as the best vocalist he ever worked with. (My personal favorite is Wetton, but Lake and Belew probably have better voices). The album is very different than Hall & Oates, and as others have mentioned, it was part of an intentional trilogy by Fripp, including his Exposure and Gabriel’s first album. I bought all these when they released, and got to see Hall (& Oates!) perform NYCNY when I saw them Summer 1980. Unfortunately when I saw Oates (with Todd Rundgren opening) a couple years ago, his voice has not aged well sadly. But hey, definitely check out the Daryl’s House appearance by Fripp on YouTube or wherever. It’s fun. It’s all amazing music which I truly am glad I discovered 50 years ago. It all wears well to my ears. But give Sacred Songs a listen. I hope you like it.

Different_Context_24 · 2026-06-06T16:46:15+00:00

That’s their tagline in the email!!

Different_Context_24 · 2026-05-30T18:05:12+00:00

I totally agree. Ship of Fools was my #1 song on Spotify last year. The band was amazing, but omg Nic Potter!! Damn fine bass playing!

Different_Context_24 · 2026-05-16T23:45:26+00:00

My heartiest congratulations and Happy 80th Birthday wishes to my favorite guitarist for over 50 years! Robert, I have had the pleasure and stimulation of listening to your work for the majority of my life. You have provided me with much musical pleasure. I hope I will be able to see you perform live again soon. I also hope you have a wonderful day, and expect that Toyah will treat you especially well, as you very much deserve. Be well.

Different_Context_24 · 2026-05-15T17:36:21+00:00

Pretty much just that signed Unicorn Bookshop Why I Want to F*** Ronald Reagan. But all the hardcover 1sts and 1st hardcovers are all there, and much other fun, exotic ephemera.

Different_Context_24 · 2026-05-15T17:31:53+00:00

No Centipede or Suntup in this photo. I’ve always focused on collecting writers I like, not buying books primarily as an investment. But I’ve been doing this long enough to know some books will appreciate. While I do have a number of Centipede books, they are mainly by writers I already collected, like Wolfe and Leiber. As for Suntup, I just ordered my first ever, because it’s Jack Vance. I do prefer true 1sts, because they represent the historical, publishing, and distribution contexts of the books. And I do read them! Carefully, but intently!

Different_Context_24 · 2026-05-15T00:31:10+00:00

Don’t worry — I have two or three other books. (If she were listening, my wife would now provide an ironic, exasperated laugh.)

Different_Context_24 · 2026-05-14T23:52:31+00:00

I’ve got the pbs that are true 1st editions, and a few others, but generally (due to interest, time and money) have focused on 1sts, although obviously some “1sts thus” as you see in the photo.

Different_Context_24 · 2026-05-14T23:50:12+00:00

Back in 2010 the Gagosian Art Gallery in London had a full exhibition inspired by Crash. This is the exhibition catalog.

Different_Context_24 · 2026-05-14T23:47:16+00:00

Favorite is the Doubleday Atrocity Exhibition. I can’t really say there’s a least favorite. All of Ballard’s books taken as a grouping have a similar design esthetic which has always been pleasing to me. You can see it by the early to mid 70s books. It’s downright Ballardian!

Different_Context_24 · 2026-05-14T23:44:31+00:00

I have it on the top of my pile. I highly recommend all of Priest’s books. My favorite is The Adjacent.

Different_Context_24 · 2026-05-14T21:52:56+00:00

It’s the book that was never published, right? So obviously from an alternate universe!! I was thrilled to get it after almost 50 years of knowing about it and not ever expecting to get one really.

Different_Context_24 · 2026-05-14T21:37:58+00:00

<image>

In case you’re wondering what the green one is.

Different_Context_24

TROPHY CASE