Gong In the '70s Voiceprint VP406CD || 9.10.2006 || £10.64  $ € ¥  + p+p +tax Click for big pic Prime previously unheard Gong recordings Compiled by daevid from the Bananamoon Observatory collection in aid of Tim Blake. The first 9 tracks are the classic '73 line-up sans Gilli, live and well recorded. Many thing make this release absolutely worth the entry price for any Gong fan, Steve's 'Om Riff' solo, Daevid's scat singing with Tim's harmonica and Steve's guitar picking on 'Flowers Gone', and appropriately enough, given the main beneficiary of this release, Tim's synth playing throughout. Next follows clean muscular workouts of 'Tropical Fish', without vocals and 'Selene'. Followed by a great little window into a Gong home rehearsal session with 'Never Glid Before' and 'Oily Way'. A bit furry sound-wise round the edges, but so relaxed, especially Mr Howlett. The rare live, somewhere in France, 1972 outing for the Continental Circus 'Blues For Finlay' was briefly available on a bootleg CD of the album, but the very limited supplies of those disappeared almost a decade ago. Funky sax from Didier and daevid wah-wahing away - then off it goes, deep weirdness, gliss, spacewhisper, Didier blowing sax galaxies, daevid incantations, and Mac Poole holding it all together - Love it, I wish there were more recordings of '71 and '72 - maybe more will turn up? Average deep-ish, not just the deepest, Gongsters can approach with certainty of lots of pleasure and enjoyment. Many tracks and sections would have happily graced 'Live Etc' or 'The Peel Sessions' - nothing duff to these 'ere ears, but then I do run GAS...or does it run me? Never could work that out. I want more. Track Listing: Total Runtime 66.00 Eat That Phonebook 2.38 End of the Day 0.55 A PHP's Advice 0.47 Om Riff 7.59 Flower's Gone 4.35 I've Been Stoned Before 3.38 Long Shanks 1.57 O Mother 1.12 Holy Mystery 6.23 Tropical Fish (studio rehearsal) 4.47 Selene 3.07 Never Glid Before (home rehearsal) 6.36 Oily Way (home rehearsal) 5.28 Blues for Finlay (Live 1972) 13.25 Benamou's announcement 0.59 'I don't know encore 2.14 Musicians: Tim Blake Synthesizers, Harmonica, Vocals Steve Hillage Lead Guitar, Vocals Didier Malherbe Tenor Sax Pierre Moerlen Drums Mike Howlett Bass daevid allen Vocals, Rhythm & Gliss guitar Christian Tristch: Bass trk 10,14,16 Mac Poole: Drums trk 14,16 Pip Pyle: Drums trk 10 Gilli Smyth Vocals, Spacewhisper trks 10,14,16