It's been more than 50 years since Van der Graaf Generator released the extraordinary Pawn Hearts and it remains a mind-splitting, head-scratching masterpiece. 

 

Distinguished journalist Paolo Carnelli has written an extensive appraisal of this ever-fascinating album.

 

Starting with the birth of the Pawn Hearts concept from live band experience, the song rehearsals and eventually the recording of the album material, what follows is a detailed track-by-track musical and lyrical analysis. Specific chapters are dedicated to the artwork, and to the band's collaboration with King Crimson’s Robert Fripp. The last part of the book deals with the press reaction to the album and the unexpected release of the ‘Theme One' single in 1972. The final chapter contrasts an initial performance of ‘A Plague Of Lighthouse Keepers’ in March 1972 with the band’s 2013 tour, which presented this rarely performed epic once again. It ends with a detailed Pawn Hearts discography.

 

The book contains a preface by Gary Lucas and commentary from David Jackson, Hugh Banton, Guy Evans, Peter Hammill, Stephen W. Tayler and Paul Whitehead.

 

The author

 

One of the most distinguished Italian prog rock journalists, Paolo Carnelli has been writing about music for over 30 years. A devoted researcher of Van der Graaf Generator and Peter Hammill efforts, he already published Van der Graaf Generator - La Biografia Italiana (2013), the first, highly acclaimed biography of the band in Italian, and Behind and Beyond - Le storie dietro le copertine (2022), revealing the stories behind every Van der Graaf Generator cover artwork. He is the Editorial Director of Prog magazine, Italian edition, and he also runs the online webzine Open Magazine.