1975 Albums

In late 1974, after the recording of Peter Hammill's Nadir's Big Chance album, the four former members of Van der Graaf Generator agreed to reform the band again. Hammill spent the next six months writing most of the material that would end up on their next two albums. Thus reconstituted, Hammill, along with keyboardist Hugh Banton, saxophone and flautist David Jackson and drummer Guy Evans set out to France in May to "road test" their new material. They entered Rockfield Studios in June and recorded Godbluff, plus two tracks that would appear on their next album.

Vangelis embarked on his solo career while still a member of Aphrodite's Child, the earliest fruits of which were several soundtracks, mostly recorded at Studio Europa Sonor in Paris. Both Hypothesis and The Dragon, recorded in London for Giorgio Gomelsky in 1971 (and released without Vangelis's permission in 1978), were little more than jam sessions-albeit pretty good ones-fusing psychedelic rock with jazz and ethnic influences. His first solo album proper, 1974's Earth, was recorded for Vertigo.

By the time Hoelderlin got around to recording their second album, the band had changed considerably. Nanny de Ruig had departed, and another pair of brothers—Peter and Joachim Käseberg, on bass and guitar, respectively—now augmented the group. But more significant than the personnel changes was the new musical course Hoelderlin had adopted: British prog rock. Although there was a three-year gap between this album and their last recording, the band had continued to play live, clocking in hundreds of concerts over the years; undoubtedly this honed their skills.