Career

Before joining Van der Graaf Generator, Potter from a very early age (1968) played bass in The Misunderstood, and that's how he met Guy Evans who played the drums. He had left school at age fifteen to become a bass-player.

In 1969 Potter and Evans both left The Misunderstood to join Van der Graaf Generator for the recording of their album The Least We Can Do Is Wave To Each Other. Halfway during the recording of the following VdGG-album H to He, Who Am the Only One (1970), Potter left VdGG, leaving the a-side of the album with his bass-guitar-sounds (tracks: Killer, The Emperor in his War Room and Lost) and side b with the organ-bass-pedal sounds by Hugh Banton, which would become one of the signature sounds for Van der Graaf Generator.

In 1971 he played bass-guitar on Peter Hammill's first solo-album, Fool's Mate, on Colin Scot's album Colin Scot and with the band Magna Carta. In the 1970s he also played with Jeff Beck, Chuck Berry, Rare Bird and Steve Swindells. In 1973 he collaborated on The Long Hello project. His playing can also be heard on Peter Hammill's album Over (1977).

In 1977, after Hugh Banton and David Jackson had left Van der Graaf Generator, Potter was asked to re-join. He plays on both The Quiet Zone/The Pleasure Dome (1977) and the double live-album Vital (1978). Throughout the 1980s and early 1990s Potter continued to record and tour with Peter Hammill, including being the bassist for the K-Group (from 1981-1985), and with the Tigers (in 1980) and Duncan Browne (in 1984).

In 1983 he started a solo-career, and released a number of albums with mostly electronic music. In 1995 Nic produced and played the bass on the posthumous album Songs of Love and War by Duncan Browne. In 2008 Nic Potter published the live album "Live in Italy", together with many musicians like David Jackson and Tony Pagliuca (Le Orme).

Discography

Solo

Mountain Music (1983, LP, reissued on CD in 1993)

Sketches In Sound (1986, LP, reissued on CD in 1993)

Self Contained (1987, CD/LP)

Dreams In View 81-87 (1988, compilation CD, reissued in 1997)

The Blue Zone (1990, CD/LP)

The Blue Zone Party (1991, limited edition cassette tape) live on 29 May 1991 in London, The Dome

New Europe-Rainbow Colours (1992, CD)

Dreamworld (1997, CD)

Live in Italy (2008, CD) with a.o. David Jackson, Tolo Marton and Tony Pagliuca

All Contained (2009, CD) box set of remastered CD's of the Zom-Art catalogue

The Misunderstood

Golden Glass (1969)

Van der Graaf Generator

The Least We Can Do Is Wave To Each Other (1970)

H to He, Who Am the Only One (1970) (lp a-side only)

The Quiet Zone/The Pleasure Dome (1977)

Vital (1978)

with Peter Hammill

Fool's Mate (1971)

Chameleon in the Shadow of the Night (1973)

The Silent Corner and the Empty Stage (1974)

Enter K (1982)

Patience (1983)

The Love Songs (1984)

The Margin (1985, live)

Out of Water (1990)

Room Temperature (1990, live)

Fireships (1992)

The Noise (1993)

Offensichtlich Goldfisch (1993)

There Goes The Daylight (1993, live)

Roaring Forties (1994)

other Collaborations

Songs From Waistes Orchard (Magna Carta) (1971)

The London Chuck Berry Sessions (Chuck Berry) (1972)

Colin Scot (Colin Scot) (1971) - uncredited

Somebody's Watching (Rare Bird) (1973)

The Long Hello (1974)

Fresh Blood (Steve Swindells) (1980)

Savage Music (Tigers) (1980)

The Long Hello Volume Two (1981 Potter/Evans)

Travelling Man (Duncan Browne) (1984)

Final Adjustments (Pool Sharks) (1987)

Songs of Love and War (Duncan Browne) (1995)

Bloodlines (Spirits Burning & Bridget Wishart) (2009)

Notes

^ Christopulos, J., and Smart, P.: "Van der Graaf Generator - The Book", page 49. Phil and Jim publishers, 2005.

External links

Nic Potter Official Website

Nic Potter Authorised Official Italian Website

Nic Potter at Van der Graaf Generator fan site

v  d  e

Van der Graaf Generator

Peter Hammill  Hugh Banton  Guy Evans

Former members: David Jackson  Nic Potter  Keith Ellis  Chris Judge Smith  Graham Smith  Nick Pearne  Charles Dickie

Studio albums

The Aerosol Grey Machine (1969)  The Least We Can Do Is Wave to Each Other (1970)  H to He, Who Am the Only One (1970)  Pawn Hearts (1971)  Godbluff (1975)  Still Life (1976)  World Record (1976)  The Quiet Zone/The Pleasure Dome (1977)  Present (2005)  Trisector (2008)

Other albums

Time Vaults (1982)

Live albums

Vital (1978)  Maida Vale (1994)  Real Time (2007)

Categories: 1951 births | Living people | People from Wiltshire | Van der Graaf Generator members | English rock bass guitarists | English male singers | English songwriters