Van der Graaf Generator's lead singer, keyboardist and songwriter-in-chief Peter Hammill and his first solo album – referenced after a combination of chess and tarot cards - ‘Fool’s Mate’. Many were puzzled why Hammill would release an solo album right at the time when VDGG was just starting to take off in progressive-rock circles, he explained that he felt the need to record them before they lost any relevance in his life. What makes ‘Fool's Mate’ different than VDGG's material is that it's more mainstream, and for the most part, piano and acoustic guitar-based. But Hammill is still able convey the grandness of their style, as heard in the sweeping sounds of "Re-Awakening." And the album's closing track, "I Once Wrote Some Poems," hinted at the style Hammill would take up more on fully in future releases