H to He, Who Am the Only One

H to He, Who Am the Only One
Studio album by Van der Graaf Generator
Released	December 1970
Recorded	1970
Genre	Progressive rock
Length	47:15
Label	Charisma Records Dunhill Records
Producer	John Anthony
Professional reviews
Allmusic link
Van der Graaf Generator chronology
The Least We Can Do Is Wave To Each Other (1970) H to He, Who Am the Only One (1970) Pawn Hearts (1971)

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.

During the recording of the album, Nic Potter quit the band. Organist Hugh Banton offered to play bass guitar on the two tracks that had not yet been finished.^[1] In concert, Banton would play bass pedals to substitute for the lack of a bassist. H to He, Who Am the Only One also featured Robert Fripp of King Crimson playing lead guitar on one track.

The album contains several references to modern physics: "H to He" in the title refers to "the fusion of hydrogen nuclei to form helium nuclei"; c in 'Pioneers over c.' refers to the speed of light.

The mid-priced "Charisma Classics" re-issue from the early 1980s had a blue cover. The first U.S. issue of the album was on the Dunhill Records division of ABC Records. It featured a revised cover with a white background instead of purple. A re-mastered version of this album added bonus tracks and was released in 2005. One of the additions is a rough studio version of "Squid / Octopus", a song that had been a staple of early Van der Graaf Generator concerts.

Track listing

All songs written by Peter Hammill except as noted.

Side one

1. "Killer" (Peter Hammill, Chris Judge Smith, Hugh Banton) – 8:24
2. "House With No Door" (Peter Hammill, David Jackson) – 6:37
3. "The Emperor In His War Room" – 8:15, including:
   • "The Emperor"
   • "The Room"

Side two

1. "Lost" – 11:17, including:
   • "The Dance in Sand and Sea"
   • "The Dance in the Frost"
2. "Pioneers Over c." (Peter Hammill, David Jackson) – 12:42

Bonus tracks on 2005 reissue

1. "Squid 1" / "Squid 2" / "Octopus" – 15:24 (bonus track on 2005 reissue)
   • Recorded during the sessions for Pawn Hearts.
2. "The Emperor in His War Room" (first version) – 8:50 (bonus track on 2005 reissue)

Personnel

• Peter Hammill – lead vocals, acoustic guitar, and piano on "House With No Door"
• Hugh Banton – Hammond and Farfisa organs, piano, oscillator, vocals; bass guitar on "House With No Door" and "Pioneers Over c."
• Guy Evans – drums, tympani, percussion
• David Jackson – alto, tenor, and baritone saxophone, flute, and vocals
• Nic Potter – bass guitar on "Killer", "The Emperor In His War Room", "Lost", and "The Emperor in His War Room" (first version)
• Robert Fripp – guitar on "The Emperor In His War Room"

References

1. ^ Christopulos, J., and Smart, P.: "Van der Graaf Generator - The Book", page 87. Phil and Jim publishers, 2005.

External links

• Lyrics at Sofasound
• Scans of H to He releases