Nadir's Big Chance

Studio album by Peter Hammill

Released

Feb 1975

Recorded

1–7 December 1974

Studio

Rockfield Studios, Wales

Genre

Progressive rock, garage rock, protopunk, art rock

Length

47:17

Label

Charisma

Producer

Peter Hammill

Peter Hammill chronology

In Camera
(1974)

Nadir's Big Chance
(1975)

Over
(1977)

Professional ratings
Review scores
Source	Rating
Allmusic
Sounds	(favourable)
Tentative Reviews

Nadir's Big Chance was the fifth solo album by Peter Hammill, released on Charisma Records in 1975.

It was recorded shortly after a decision to re-form the band Van der Graaf Generator (of which Hammill was the singer and principal songwriter), and Nadir's Big Chance is actually performed by the reformed Van der Graaf Generator line-up.

The album's songs vary greatly in style, as acknowledged by Hammill in the sleeve notes, which refer to "the beefy punk songs, the weepy ballads, the soul struts".

In a 1977 Capital Radio broadcast, John Lydon of the Sex Pistols played two tracks from the album, "The Institute Of Mental Health, Burning" and "Nobody's Business", and expressed his admiration for Hammill.

The album includes two of Hammill's most frequently performed ballads, "Been Alone So Long" (written by Judge Smith) and "Shingle Song", and a reworking of Van der Graaf Generator's first single from 1968, "People You Were Going To".

The album saw Hammill's first use of the Hohner clavinet D6 keyboard, which would go on to feature prominently on the next few Van der Graaf Generator albums (particularly Godbluff).

In the song "Pushing Thirty" (from The Future Now, 1978), Hammill claims that he "still can be Nadir". The Rikki Nadir persona returned in October 1979, when Hammill released a single titled "The Polaroid" under the name, with "The Old School Tie" from pH7 as the B-side. It was included on some American pressings of pH7.

All tracks by Peter Hammill, except where noted.

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Wikipedia