February 20, 2008 Playlist

  

(featuring yet even more myspace.com "friends")

"Camembert Electrique" by Gong (1971)
CLASSIC ALBUM OF THE WEEK
Gong  "Camembert Electrique"  1971 (France/Australia/UK)
It's about time we added the legendary international space rock collective Gong to the CAOTW hall of fame.  Aussie Daevid Allen was an acid-deranged singer/songwriter/guitarist of the Syd Barrettesque persuasion, who was a founding member of the British group The Soft Machine, but had to quit before they recorded their first album due to visa problems which stranded him in France.  There he and partner/wife/"space whisperer" Gilli Smith formed Gong with the help of French saxman Didier Malherbe.  After a series of early albums with ever-changing line-ups, the band hit its high water mark in the mid-1970's with the "Radio Gnome Invisible" trilogy of albums recorded with Tim Blake on synths and Steve Hillage on lead guitar.  However, this week I have chosen an earlier lesser-known Gong album, from the transitional period where they were transforming from hippie acid folkies into a high-flying kosmik rock band with the help of prog rock drum legend Pip Pyle.  
Here is a live clip from the era of this album, and here is part one and part two of an interview on French TV with more performance clips.
 
(N) = New Release
   
Artist Song Album Year (Label) Country
Randy Holden Keeper Of My Flame Population II 1970 USA
Black Sabbath
(Happy 60th Birthday Tony Iommi!)		 Electric Funeral Paranoid 1970 UK
Atomic Rooster All In Satan's Name Made In England 1972 UK
Magma Maahnt (Wizard's Fight vs. The Devil) Attahk 1977 France
 
 
The Guess Who Power In The Music Power In The Music 1975 Canada
Bachman Turner Overdrive Welcome Home Bachman Turner Overdrive II 1973 Canada
Neil Young & Crazy Horse Opera Star Re-Ac-Tor 1981 Canada/USA
Emerson Lake & Palmer Canario Love Beach 1978 UK
Gentle Giant Rock Climber Giant For A Day 1978 UK
James Last Ballad of John & Yoko (Beatles) / Green River (CCR) / Count Down Non Stop Dancing 9 1970? Germany
   
 
Jealousy I Would Do That For Him Sounds Obsidian 1993 USA
Viva Voce Alive With Pleasure The Heat Can Melt Your Brain (N - reissue) rec. 2004 (Amorephonics) USA
The Projects Unhappy House forthcoming release (N) 2008 (The Track & Field Organization) UK
Clipd Beaks Manipulator Hoarse Lords (N)
 2007 (Love Pump United) USA
Now Hiway Code OODIPOOMN (N) 2008 (Pickled Egg) UK
 
 
The Big Sleep
 Touching The Untouchable (Live studio recording) myspace.com site (N) 2007? (self release) USA
Ebu Gogo I Like Candy Chase Scenes 1-14 2006 USA
Hiroshi N On The Terrace myspace.com site (N) 2007 (self release) USA, Japan?
Pendro
 Eyes Of Amnesia myspace.com site 2004 UK
db pedersen Track 3 (Live) Live At Mother Fool's 200? USA
 
  
Gong Fohat Digs Holes In Space Camembert Electrique
CLASSIC ALBUM OF THE WEEK		 1971 France/UK/Australia
Far East Family Band The Cave Down To The Earth From The Cave Down To The Earth 1975 Japan
Dom Silence Edge Of Time 1972 Germany
   
  
Jade Warrior Waves (excerpt: side 2, track 2) Waves 1975 UK
Ray Manzarek Golden Scarab The Golden Scarab 1974 USA
Santana Here and Now / Flor de Canela / Promise of a Fisherman Borboletta 1974 Mexico/USA
      
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