pH7 (Peter Hammill album)

pH7 is an album by Peter Hammill, originally released on Charisma Records in September 1979. It was Hammill's eighth solo album and his last release on the Charisma label.

pH7
Studio album by
Peter Hammill
ReleasedSeptember 1979
RecordedSpring 1979
StudioSofa Sound, Wiltshire
GenreArt rock, progressive rock
LabelCharisma
ProducerPeter Hammill
Peter Hammill chronology
The Future Now
(1978)		 pH7
(1979)		 A Black Box
(1980)
Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
Allmusic [1]
Sounds(excellent) [2]

The song "Porton Down" refers to the Porton Down military research facility in Wiltshire, England, while the lyrics of "Imperial Walls" are a translation of the first few lines of the Anglo-Saxon poem "The Ruin".

The song "Not For Keith" is a tribute to Keith Ellis, a former member of the band Van der Graaf Generator, who had then died just recently.

"Cover note: The photographs were all taken late at night in NYC. As we left Dan's [the photographer's] place in search of a cab Graham [Smith] and I ran into some trouble from which, frankly, we were lucky to escape...".[3]

"My Favourite" was re-worked for Hammill's 1984 album The Love Songs.

"Faculty X" is a reference to extrasensory perception in the books of Colin Wilson.

Track listing

All tracks composed by Peter Hammill; except where noted.

Side one
No.TitleLength
1."My Favourite"2:53
2."Careering"4:09
3."Porton Down"3:45
4."Mirror Images"3:54
5."Handicap and Equality"4:04
6."Not For Keith"2:31
Total length:21:14
Side two
No.TitleWriter(s)Length
1."The Old School Tie" 5:10
2."Time For a Change"Chris Judge Smith, Steve Robshaw3:18
3."Imperial Walls" 4:18
4."Mr X (Gets Tense)" 6:06
5."Faculty X" 4:25
Total length:23:13

In 2006, the album was remastered and expanded, adding alternative versions of "Mr X (Gets Tense)" and "Faculty X" recorded for John Peel's BBC Radio 1 programme, as well as a fresh sleeve note by Hammill.

US/Canada vinyl pressings have an additional track at the end of side A, "The Polaroid".

Side one
No.TitleLength
1."My Favourite"2:53
2."Careering"4:09
3."Porton Down"3:45
4."Mirror Images"3:54
5."Handicap And Equality"4:04
6."Not For Keith"2:31
7."The Polaroid"2:33
Side two
No.TitleWriter(s)Length
1."The Old School Tie" 5:10
2."Time For A Change"Chris Judge Smith, Steve Robshaw3:18
3."Imperial Walls" 4:18
4."Mr X (Gets Tense)" 6:06
5."Faculty X" 4:25

Personnel
  • Peter Hammill – voice, guitar, keyboards, bass, drums, drum machine
  • Graham Smith – violin (1, 3, 10, 11)
  • David Jackson – saxophone, flute (2, 3, 11)

Technical
  • Peter Hammill - recording engineer (Sofa Sound, Wiltshire)
  • Pat Moran – mixing (Rockfield Studios, Monmouth)
  • Rocking Russian – artwork
  • Daniel C. Kirk – photography

References
  1. Couture, François. PH7 at AllMusic
  2. Sounds review.
  3. "Sofa Sound". Sofa Sound. Retrieved 13 December 2012.
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