I admit the notes are the same, but the rythm and context is quite different to these ears.
Its a bit like when people say that the In-a-gadda-da-vida riff sounds like Sunshine of Your Love.
But off course inspiration is likely.
I admit the notes are the same, but the rythm and context is quite different to these ears.
Its a bit like when people say that the In-a-gadda-da-vida riff sounds like Sunshine of Your Love.
But off course inspiration is likely.
At the beginning of 1973, after the recording of "Flying Teapot" and after a new rhythm department had been recruited for Gong, Daevid Allen had an interesting idea. He sent Gong on tour and stayed at home with his companion Gilli Smyth. The band (Didier Malherbe, Steve Hillage, Tim Blake, Mike Howlett and Pierre Moerlen), who had performed under the name Paragong, should get used to it and gain experience. They apparently did so successfully, because the two best Gong' studio albums were supposed to be recorded in these two line-ups: "Angel's Egg" and "You".
"Angel's Egg" is Dada-like humor oriented second part of the Radio Gnome trilogy and offers a Canterburian jazzy, cosmic & esoteric progressive rock with a hippy mystical singing, already known from "Camembert Electrique" and "Flying Teapot". The two newcomers - Howlett and Moerlen - provide a dense rhythmic framework in which Blake fills the gaps with various synth sounds and thereby creates an intense, full-sounding organic tissue. Occasionally table-like sounds and Malherbe's soprano sax playing give the music a distinctive Asian touch that is adorned by Allen's hare-hare chants. If Gong had found their style with "Flying Teapot", they perfected it with "Angel's Egg". Malherbe's saxophone is brilliant as ever, Gilli wields as a good hippy witch through the room with her spacey whispering while Daevid sings " 'cept for radio gnome, here's your angel's egg for breakfast in the morning, bye, bye!', Hillage's offers a striking contrast to Malherbe's jazzy sax when his spacey guitar elevates its tone in another dimension and Blake dies in his space-bubbling Synthicar.
Simply put, I find "Angel's Egg" a perfect album. One of the very best records of the 1970s. Also, "Angel's Egg" is a highly recommended album for Gong newbies.
This period also produced some excellent live performances from these fine musicians - Paris (Bataclan), Sheffield and (the best, IMO) Roanne. The band was on fire.
We walked arm in arm with madness, and every little breeze whispered of the secret love we had for our disease
I cant separate the trilogy into individual albums - I see them as one lovely piece of work!
I haven't played Gong in such a long time. I have a distint memory of listening to You on a nice summer day in the hills near Ottawa.
What can this strange device be? When I touch it, it brings forth a sound (2112)
Just listen to this yesterday and it struck me that at that Daevid could any situation into a psych induced trip even a Testosterone fueled macho motorcycle race
Is it ain't me movin'?
Is it ain't me movin'?
And the trees go past
The trees go past...
And the world is coming at me
The world is coming at me...
My intro to Gong came thru hearing Steve Hillage's Motivation Radio in 78. I bought Angel's Egg about a week later and fell hard for the band.
While these days I listen to You more I still consider Angel's Egg my favorite Gong album let alone top 10 favorite album.
The ebb and flow of the album just works on this album. The jams of Hillage, Blake, Howlett, Pierre and Didier is tops.
I love every era of Gong (plus Gong family) and was glad to see the Pierre Gong shows in NYC in 1980. Plus the dream going to Amsterdam in 06 for the Gong Unconvention.
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How does the 2019 Deluxe Edition sound? Is it compressed or does it breathe?
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