Most fans thought it would never happen. But Guy Evans, David Jackson, Hugh Banton and Peter Hammill have reunited as Van der Graaf Generator. This is not a nostalgic reunion to relive past glories, but a coming together of new experiences and fresh perspectives for the creation of new music as well as new live performances, the rebirth of a phoenix! During the studio sessions the muse was so generous that the result was 16 new Van der Graaf works spread out over a double CD. Present is being released by Virgin/EMI who have resurrected the Charisma label for the occasion. "One CD consists of the songs/structured pieces which we consciously rehearsed - "Every Bloody Emperor," "Boleas Panic," "Nutter Alert," "Abandon Ship!," "In Babelsberg" and "On the Beach." The second CD features an hour"s worth of improvisations. These have always been a feature of Van der Graaf playing and are quite whacky.... I recommend taking these at about a half an hour at a time-it"s really like being locked in the room with us." - PH. EMI. 2005.