Peter Hammill

thumb|right|335 px|"The Emperor In His War Room", Peel session, first broadcast 03 September 1974.
Peter Joseph Andrew Hammill (born 5 November 1948) is an English singer-songwriter, and a founding member of the progressive rock band Van der Graaf Generator. Most noted for his vocal abilities, his main instruments are guitar and piano. He also acts as a record producer for his own recordings, and occasionally for other artists. (Read more at Wikipedia.)
== Links to Peel ==
In their early days, Van der Graaf Generator visited Peel at his London flat, leading him to give them a namecheck in a November 1968 column for Disc and Music Echo;
... Van der Graaf Generator: They seem to have disappeared briefly. Two of them (perhaps there are only two) came and sang songs for an hour on the floor of Peel Acres some months ago and made a week a lot easier. If they ever reappear, pay attention. ...
Peel continued to play tracks by the band long after he had stopped featuring most other progressive era groups, and also included sessions and tracks by Hammill after the band split up. Peel was intrigued by the singing of Hammill, who had what the DJ called an "extreme voice". On the 01 November 1998 (BFBS) show, Peel reacted positively to the release of a new Hammill commenting that he was impressed that he hadn't "taken the easy way out".
== Festive Fifty Entries ==
*None
== Sessions ==
Five sessions. Official releases:
- "Rubicon" and "Red Shift" from session #2 on the 2006 Virgin reissue of "The Silent Corner And The Empty Stage" as bonus tracks.
- Sessions #3, #4, #5 available on "The Peel Sessions" (CD, 1995, Strange Fruit). #3 also on the 2006 Virgin reiusse of "In Camera" as bonus tracks. "Autumn" and "Betrayed" from session #4 also on the 2006 reiusse of "Over " as bonus tracks.
1. Recorded 1973-07-09. First broadcast: 24 July 1973. Repeated: 06 November 1973, 14 February 1974.
*Time For A Change / German Overalls / Easy To Slip Away / In The End
2. Recorded: 1974-02-18. First broadcast: 05 March 1974. Repeated: 07 May 1974.
*Rubicon / A Louse Is Not A Home / Red Shift
3. Recorded 1974-08-19. First broadcast: 03 September 1974. Repeated: 22 October 1974.
*(No More) The Sub-Mariner / The Emperor In His War Room / Faint Heart And The Sermon
4. Recorded 1977-04-13. First broadcast: 21 April 1977. Repeated: 19 May 1977, 07 July 1977.
*Betrayed / Afterwards / Autumn
5. Recorded 1979-09-12. First broadcast: 24 September 1979. Repeated: 31 October 1979.
*Mr X (Gets Tense) / Faculty X / Mediaevil/Time For A Change
Also eight sessions with Van Der Graaf Generator.
== Other Shows Played ==
(The list below was compiled only from the database of this site and is far from complete. Please add further information if known.)
;1973
*15 May 1973: German Overalls (Jaxononsax) (LP – Chameleon In The Shadow Of The Night Charisma)
*22 May 1973: Slender Threads (LP – Chameleon In The Shadow Of The Night) Charisma
*05 June 1973: Rock And Rôle (LP – Chameleon In The Shadow Of The Night) Charisma
*05 July 1973: In The End (LP – Chameleon In The Shadow Of The Night) Charisma
;1974
* 26 February 1974: Wilhelmina (LP - The Silent Corner And The Empty Stage) Charisma
* 27 August 1974: Ferret And Featherbird (LP - In Camera) Charisma
*05 September 1974: (No More) The Sub-Mariner (LP-In Camera) Charisma
;1975
*27 February 1975: Birthday Special (album - Nadir's Big Chance) Charisma CAS 1099
*20 March 1975: The Institute Of Mental Health, Burning (album - Nadir's Big Chance) Charisma CAS 1099
;1977
*PM006 / PM008: This Side Of The Looking Glass (album - Over) Charisma CAS 1125
;1978
*14 September 1978: Mediaevil (album - The Future Now) Charisma
*14 September 1978: A Motor-Bike In Afrika (album - The Future Now) Charisma
*18 September 1978: Palinurus (Castaway) (album - The Future Now) Charisma
*20 September 1978: Pushing Thirty (album - The Future Now) Charisma CAS 1137
*12 October 1978: Trappings (LP – The Future Now) Charisma
;1979
*09 May 1979: Mediaevil / A Motor-Bike In Afrika (LP – The Future Now) Charisma
*02 August 1979 (as Rikki Nadir): The Old School Tie (single - The Polaroid b-side) Charisma
*07 August 1979: The Old School Tie (single - The Polaroid b-side) Charisma
*09 August 1979: The Old School Tie (7" with alter-ego Rikki Nadir - The Polaroid / The Old School Tie) Charisma
*15 August 1979: The Old School Tie (single – The Polaroid b-side) Charisma
*03 September 1979: The Old School Tie (b-side 'The Polaroid' 7") Charisma
*26 September 1979: Mirror Images (LP - pH7) Charisma
*27 September 1979: Porton Down (LP - pH7) Charisma
*04 October 1979: Mirror Images (LP - pH7) Charisma
;1980
*15 July 1980: Golden Promises (LP – A Black Box) S-Type
*16 July 1980: Losing Faith In Words (LP – A Black Box) S-Type
*21 July 1980: Losing Faith In Words (LP-A Black Box) S-Type
*20 August 1980: In Slow Time (LP - A Black Box) S-Type
*03 September 1980: The Spirit (album - A Black Box) S-Type
;1981
*28 May 1981: My Experience (single) Virgin
*01 June 1981: My Experience (7") Virgin
*02 June 1981: Empress's Clothes (LP - Sitting Targets) Virgin
*30 July 1981 (BFBS): What I Did (album - Sitting Targets) Virgin V 2205
*29 November 1981 (BFBS): Central Hotel (album - Sitting Targets) Virgin V 2205
1983
*01 September 1983: unknown 
*12 September 1983 (BBC World Service): Film Noir (7") Naive NAV8
;1998
*22 October 1998: Always Is Next (CD – This) Fie!
*01 November 1998 (BFBS): Always Is Next (CD-This) Fie! (JP: "Nice to hear him again, and good to hear that he hasn't taken the easy way out, either.")
*05 November 1998: Always Is Next (album – This) Fie!
== See Also ==
*Van Der Graaf Generator
*Record Collection: H
*Singles Reviews (under the name of Rikki Nadir)
*Sounds Playlist
*Sounds
== External Links ==
*Wikipedia
*V is for... Van Der Graaf Generator (John Peel Archive, via YouTube)
*You Tube: PETER HAMMILL Speaks about JOHN PEEL ('Kanaliena.gr' - ROCKZONE)
*vandergraafgenerator.co.uk
Category:Artists