The Aerosol Grey Machine

The Aerosol Grey Machine is the debut studio album by English progressive rock band Van der Graaf Generator. It was first released in the United States in 1969 by Mercury Records.

Content
The album was originally intended as a solo album by the band's lead singer and main songwriter, Peter Hammill. When the band signed with Charisma Records, a deal was worked out whereby The Aerosol Grey Machine would be released under the Van der Graaf Generator name, in return for Mercury releasing Hammill from his earlier contract.

Release
The Aerosol Grey Machine was released in September 1969 by Mercury, in the US only. An initial edition contained the song "Giant Squid" on the cover but that was a mis-print (on the record "Necromancer" was featured instead), later pressings corrected the mis-print. This version of the LP was later released in Europe by Fontana Records.

The album was reissued on CD in 1997 by Repertoire Records in Germany, using the original running order of the album as released on LP, and featuring the first single as bonus tracks. Another 1997 release, by Peter Hammill's own UK record label FIE! Records, uses a slightly different running order and adds "Giant Squid" along with a previously unreleased early version of "Ferret and Featherbird" as bonus tracks.

Reception
In his retrospective review, Steven McDonald of AllMusic called it "A raw, energetic effort that sometimes did little to show off the young Hammill's talents" that "nevertheless has some fine moments that hint at the possibilities for future releases". Paul Stump, in his 1997 History of Progressive Rock, commented that the album "said little unsaid elsewhere at the time; it was poetically skewed pop, arcanely arranged and cautiously extended."

Personnel

 * Van der Graaf Generator
 * Peter Hammill – lead vocals, acoustic guitar
 * Hugh Banton – Farfisa organ, piano, percussion, backing vocals,
 * Keith Ellis – bass guitar
 * Guy Evans – drums, percussion


 * Additional personnel


 * Jeff Peach – flute on "Running Back"
 * Chris Judge Smith – slide-saxophone and harmony vocals on "People You Were Going To", chorus vocals on "Firebrand"