Van Der Graaf "Vital: Van Der Graaf Live"

Vital: Van der Graaf Live is the first live album by English progressive rock band Van der Graaf Generator. It was recorded 16 January 1978 at the Marquee Club in London and was released in July, one month after the band's 1978 break-up. The album (on vinyl and, later, on CD) was credited under the abbreviated name Van der Graaf, like the previous year's The Quiet Zone/The Pleasure Dome (1977), and featured the same line-up plus newcomer cellist Charles Dickie, who had officially joined the band in August 1977, and original saxophonist and flautist David Jackson, who re-joined the band for this recording.

The album is noted for its sometimes radical reworking of the older material. Although Van der Graaf Generator were seldom less than intense on stage, the 1977 and 1978 tours were remarkable for their ferocity. The absence of Hugh Banton, whose organ work was a hallmark of the group's sound before his departure in 1976, as well as frontman Peter Hammill's increased duties as a rhythm guitarist, account for much of this.

Van der Graaf Generator, in their 'Van der Graaf' incarnation, debuted on 20 February 1977 at the Roundhouse in London. After a European tour with Charisma Records labelmates Hawkwind and a concert at Brunel University on 25 March, the band spent a month recording their next album, The Quiet Zone/The Pleasure Dome, at the Foel, Rockfield, and Morgan recording studios. Following two concerts in Ibiza, cellist Charles Dickie was added to the line-up in August. Dickie debuted with Van der Graaf in September at the Scheeßel festival. For the rest of 1977, the band toured in Portugal, Belgium, the United Kingdom, France, Switzerland and Germany.


After this, a two-night stint at the Marquee Club in London was scheduled for 15–16 January 1978, and David Jackson, who had left almost exactly one year before for financial, personal, and musical reasons, was invited to join Van der Graaf for these shows.