The Least We Can Do Is Wave To Each Other is the second album by the British progressive rock band Van der Graaf Generator. It was released in 1970. The album was reissued in re-mastered form, with two bonus tracks, in 2005.

While this is the second album in the Van der Graaf Generator catalogue, it is really the first proper album by the band. Their previous album, The Aerosol Grey Machine had been written and recorded as a solo record by singer and main songwriter Peter Hammill. When the band was signed to Charisma Records, a deal was worked out whereby the earlier album would be released under the Van der Graaf Generator name, in return for Mercury Records releasing him from his earlier contract with them.

The album was recorded at Trident Studios, London, December 11-14, 1969. Trident was perhaps the most advanced studio in all of Europe at the time. The group made good use of the new technology and created a recording of excellent technical quality for the time. Most of the album was recorded on an 8-track reel to reel machine. However, the song After The Flood was recorded on the brand new state of the art MM-1000 16-track machine built by Ampex. This makes it perhaps the first such 16 track recording ever made in the U.K.

The album credited Hugh Banton with writing the cello parts, but he was not given an actual songwriting credit. The first U.S. issue of the album was released by the Probe Records division of ABC Records also in 1970. It featured a different cover than the U.K. version.

The title is taken from artist John Minton: "We're all awash in a sea of blood, and the least we can do is wave to each other."

Track listing

1. "Darkness (11/11)" – 7:28
2. "Refugees" – 6:23
3. "White Hammer" – 8:15
4. "Whatever would Robert have said?" – 6:07
5. "Out of my Book" (Hammill, David Jackson) – 4:08
6. "After the Flood" – 11:29
7. "Boat of Millions of Years" – 3:50 (bonus track on reissue)
8. "Refugees" (single version) – 5:24 (bonus track on reissue)
• 7 and 8 were the b- and a-sides of an April 1970 single

Personnel

Van der Graaf Generator

• Peter Hammill – acoustic guitar and lead vocals; piano on "Refugees"
• Hugh Banton – organ, piano and backing vocals
• Nic Potter – bass guitar and electric guitar
• Guy Evans – drums and percussion
• David Jackson – tenor and alto sax, flute and backing vocals

Additional musicians

• Gerry Salisbury – Cornet on "White Hammer"
• Mike Hurvitz – Cello on "Refugees"

External links

• Lyrics