MINT UK VIRGIN (1971) GonG DAEVID ALLEN "Camembert Electrique" HIPPIE Psych PROG

$

46

 MINT BRITISH VIRGIN FIRST PRESS!

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          Daevid Allen and GonG

         "Camembert Electrique"

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"Made In England"  (BLACK & WHITE) VIRGIN RECORDS - VC 502

This is actually the BRITISH first press of the previous France only (BYG RECORDS) Recorded in 1971 on the earliest VIRGIN (black & white) label logo...

TOP COPY -- rare to find in MINT...here's your true UK Virgin Records survivor!!

"GonG" is a bit strange company. French band with Australian beatnik Daevid Allen as their leader.

This album is strange as well. Psychedelic mix of space rock and specific humor ( ok, they say it's Canterbury humor), very complex ( better to say - chaotic) structure of compositions. Very unusual whispering of female co-band 'head' Gilli Smyth. This music is really delightfully strange.....................

There are elements of free jazz, freaky hippy atmosphere. It's difficult to name this music masterpiece. But from other hand, the album has a very magnetic atmosphere.

Gong's seminal "Camembert Electrique" appeared in the weird year of 1971, the same year we were inundated by the concentrated bizarreness of the likes of Can, Magma, and Faust but that was Krautrock, this is British based Canterbury and it's the oddest Canterbury you will encounter. Actually you can't really pigeon hole the band as they are unpigeonholeable; but its voraciously psychedelic. Gong were more than travelling Felini-esque circus, more than avant-garde musicians, more than cosmic clowns, or space rocking infidels, they were on another planet altogether. The line up changed more than Daevid Allen's brain patterns, but he stuck with them despite a revolving door policy of members. On this album we have Christian Tritsch on twangers and bass, Didier Malherbe on sassy sax and floating flute, Gilli Smyth the space whisperer sexpot, Pip Pyle on boom booms, Daevid Allen on Daevid Allen's stuff (vocals, guitars, bass, crazy sounds), Eddy Louiss on keys, Constantin Simonovitch on a phased piano. That was Gong 1971. And what an album we have here!

After a creepy radio frequency subsonic intro the guitar riff locks in and the lyrics begin; "You can kill my father, You can kill my son, You can kill my children, With a gun, You can kill my family, My family tree, You can kill my body, baby, You can kill my body, baby, But you caaaaaaaaaaaaaaan't kiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiilllll meeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee." Ok, so it's not Shakespeare, but this was the Gong mentality, not to be taken seriously, but rather with a grain of salt, or is that hashish? The opening song features quite simple lyrics, strange as you can get beyond the limit, and repetitious guitar riffs with psych prog freak out effects. If you don't like this track, give up, as its one of Gong's most eclectic.

Next, a spacey sound emanates followed by an estranged vocal;  "I've been stoned before In Saint John's Wood crematorium I fell down with boredom Knee deep in the snow..." Clandestine and bad. This seamlessly is followed by the equally surreptitious, 'Mister Long Shanks/O Mother/I Am Your Fantasy'. A nice little cosmic spaced out medley with one redeeming factor. The lyrics. They are as bizarre as you can get; "I am your knee, A name shouted at the railway station, The voice that calls you, The candle drips your name, I am your fantasy."

'Dynamite' rocks out and grabs the attention, though not the high point of the album. This is followed by a wonderful event. Gilli Smyth's space whispering orgasmic moans. Dang she makes these albums stimulating and I adored her on the Radio Gnome trilogy. On 'I Am Your Animal' she whispers with sex crazed combative style, forcing a listener to take notice, "I am your animal watching your head, I have been following you, Walking behind you, Sleeping with you, Getting into your bed..." the rest is censored. This militant confrontational song will turn many away but it makes a nice diversion. Smyth's succulent voice of course returns on the infamous trilogy with such luscious lashings as 'I Am Your Pussy' and we all are forced to listen again.

The next amusing medley is 'Wet Cheese Delirium/Squeezing Sponges Over Policemen's Heads/Fohat Digs Holes In Space' and this is a delightful indulgence. Strange, non conventional perhaps demented music played with dexterous style. The space rock is out of this universe, featuring one of the great mental instrumentals for Allen and co with blistering lyrics; "Well, mirror, mirror on the wall, Who's the biggest fool of all, Hallucinating freedom calls, What's freedom babe? You don't know!" You had to be there we can only suppose.

One of these things doesn't belong here, 'And You Tried So Hard' is an oddball selection. It is more like The Byrds sound than anything Gongified. A very poppy track with cute lyrics; "Must be a way For you to make the big time, You gotta lay The lady at the right time, There'll come a day For drinkin' all the sky wine, You only say You're waiting for the right time, There'll come a time Just try and try against..." Whatever they are on about it works nicely on the album. The guitar riff is cool and psyched and the vocal style is rather conventional, almost like The Zombies, Them, or Troggs; perhaps a combination of these with The Byrds music. In any case it stands out among the other tracks and is one of their most adored tracks, featuring on "Best of Gong" compilations notably; lyrically it is more accessible too, until Smyth's soft vocals chime in, "I am not free I am not free, A hand flutters in my brain, Silken cords trembling into the waterfall, Where the wise brown frog Gives princely advice, But not to you or I." (((thanks for those words of wisdom.))) The order turns to more frenetic chaos with some delightful sax on 'Tropical Fish/ Selene'. The melody is all over the place and it is quite catchy after a few listens. It sounds in places like early Van der Graaf Generator, especially the sax motifs. The lyrics are once again off the wall: "Well shady lady what's your problem, Trying to buy a brand new husband? All I want to know is what happened To your latest ancient wisdom? She seems like a typical witch to me, She seems like a tropical fish to me, But you can't kid me it's like that back in Sydney." Strange interludes of free form jazzed up sax and keys add an ethereal ambience. Nice guitars after "hear the angels sing" and then those estranged vocals of Allen crying out "Seleeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeene" , than the space witch whispers in hushed tones, "Spirit of the moon, My mind is made of you, Tell me what to do". It is a remarkable atmosphere no other band could achieve, though many have tried. The last track is another quick fix that used to run into the groove on the vinyl album ad infinitude. So ends the classic Gong. It needs to be heard in its entirety to get full value.

- Daevid Allen ("Bert Camembert") / vocals, guitars, bass (9) -

Gilli Smyth ("Shakti Yoni") / vocals & voice (space whispers) -

Didier Malherbe ("Bloomdido Bad De Grass") / tenor sax, flute -

Christian Tritsch ("Submarine Captain") / bass, lead guitar (9) -

Pip Pyle / drums, percussion

  Radio Gnome Prediction (0:27)

 You Can't Kill Me (6:18)

 I've Bin Stone Before (2:36)

 Mister Long Shanks/O Mother/I Am Your Fantasy (5:57)

 Dynamite/I Am Your Animal (4:32)

 Wet Cheese Delirium (0:31)

 Squeezing Sponges Over Policemen's Heads (0:12)

 Fohat Digs Holes In Space (6:22)

 And You Tried So Hard (4:38)

 Tropical Fish/Selene (7:36)

 Gnome The Second (0:27)

CONDITION: The Cover: rated: M- The very fragile (and BLACK) cover is highly wear-prone, yet here is a beautiful survivor!  Obviously HIGHLY collection worthy -- should be a fine collection rarity from the ear;y UK '70s (guaranteed!)  ... No delete marks anywhere, split seams, no writing, fresh original colors...

The Vinyl: smooth shiny gloss, rated M- TOP COPY expect play grade to easily have MINT audio results ... and has clean U.K. VIRGIN labels..

SEE: SELLERS OTher items for similar cool sounds for "head" people..

EFFICIENT/CAREFUL GRADING

All imperfections are noted both cover & record