Gong: Live au Bataclan, Live in Sheffield 1974 & Greasy Truckers

[The Twickerman]

Hi folks,

I think it's pretty well established that Live at the Bataclan is from the Bataclan recording from that venue (presumably the 20th May 1973).

There seems to be some conflicting info about the Sheffield release though.
https://www.planetgong.co.uk/bazaar/...ield_ltd.shtml suggests it was recorded somewhere in France in the first half of 1973.
http://www.calyx-canterbury.fr/gong/chrono.html suggests it was recorded at Sheffield City Hall on 8th Oct 1973.

Here it states that the second track on the Greasy Trucker's LP was taken from the Sheffield set:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Greasy...lls_Dance_Hall
It also states that the first track was recorded at Tabarka, Tunisia in June 1973,

However this suggests the two tracks were recorded on 26th Oct in Paris and 9th Nov at Dingwalls:-
https://planetgong.co.uk/gigs/archive/1973.shtml .

I'm guessing this is correct:-
Live at Sheffield 1974 was indeed recorded at Sheffield City Hall on 8th Oct 1973.
Greasy Truckers was recorded at Dingwalls on the Nov 1973 (General Flash...) & at Sheffield City Hall on 8th Oct 1973 (Part 32...) .

Unless I am mistaken, that Dingwalls track ("General Flash...") is still unavailable elsewhere.

I'm sure someone here (Aymeric?) can clarify!

[Scrotum Scissor]

The Sheffield was issued separately on CD sometime during the 90s, wasn't it? And I believe at least parts of the Bataclan was on the Camembert Eclectique release?

Those original 20 minutes on the Greasy Truckers make for one of the finest Gong live recordings I know; even better than the freakout on the Glastonbury Fayre.

[Munster]

I haven’t heard the Greasy Truckers tracks by Gong, but if the Wikipedia entry is correct, that the second track comes from Mantra’s Live in Sheffield release, then the first track (General Flash….) must be covered by this paragraph from the GAS entry for Mantra’s Bataclan CD: ‘What else can I tell you? The 'Dynamite/I'm Your Animal' section is the same audio which appeared as part of the Gong side on the 'Greasy Truckers' double LP.’ So the first track, perhaps, was not recorded in either Dingwalls or Tabarka, but in Paris! It would be good to know.

While we are on the subject of recording venues, in the notes to the very fine CD ‘Gong in the Seventies’ Jonny Greene writes: ‘The precise venue and date of this concert remains unclear: does anyone know for sure?’ Well, does anyone know for sure? The CD has, in the eight-minute ‘Om Riff’, the best version of ‘Master Builder’ I have heard, with Moerlen, Malherbe and Hillage all on fire (better even than the Hyde Park version released on 'Love From The Planet Gong').

[calyx]

I believe at least parts of the Bataclan was on the Camembert Eclectique release?

I really wouldn't think so - completely different line-up and period (1970).
The Bataclan recording, however, is the source of much of Gong's May 1973 BBC session, though this wasn't revealed at the time, and of course a chunk of the concert was on "Live Etc." from 1977.

[Scrotum Scissor]

I really wouldn't think so - completely different line-up and period (1970).
The Bataclan recording, however, is the source of much of Gong's May 1973 BBC session

Yes, but I was under the impression that the Eclectique release also featured some live recordings from later on. I'm probably confusing it since I remember getting the Sheffield recording at the same time and place as Eclectique back sometime in the 90s when I'd just got hold of my first CD-player.

[Udi Koomran]

Yes, but I was under the impression that the Eclectique release also featured some live recordings from later on. I'm probably confusing it .

Indeed
Eclectique is entirely from 1970

[The Twickerman]

The Bataclan recording, however, is the source of much of Gong's May 1973 BBC session, though this wasn't revealed at the time, and of course a chunk of the concert was on "Live Etc." from 1977.

But is this correct:-

I'm guessing this is correct:-
Live at Sheffield 1974 was indeed recorded at Sheffield City Hall on 8th Oct 1973.
Greasy Truckers was recorded at Dingwalls on the Nov 1973 (General Flash...) & at Sheffield City Hall on 8th Oct 1973 (Part 32...) .

And has the first Dingwalls track ("General Flash...") been released anywhere else?

[VanGong]

Hi all!
Longtime lurker here...
Inspired by the recent excellent Gong box "Love From The Planet Gong", I´ve been listening/re-listening to these 1973 live concerts.
I´m a bit of a trainspotting pixie - like to get the recording dates/facts as correct as possible.
Based on that listening and comparing, the liner notes to the box and the "Greasy Truckers" LP, and the links in The Twickerman´s first post above -
this is what I believe:

"Live! At Sheffield 1974" is indeed from Sheffield City Hall 1973-10-08, and the correct track listing (on the Mantra CD) is:

1. Other Side Of The Sky / Dynamite (Bambolay) / 6/8 Tune
2. Radio Gnome Invisible
3/4. Zero The Hero And The Witch´s Spell
5. Flying Teapot
6. ”Wet Drum Sandwich” (drum solo)
7. Eat That Phonebook Coda
8. You Can’t Kill Me
(track 9 is from a much later Gongmaison concert)


On to the "Greasy Truckers" LP -

This has extracts from the following songs/pieces:

1. ”General Flash of the United Hallucinations”:
a/ Other Side Of The Sky (5:25)
b/ 6/8 Tune (2:05)
c/ Zero The Hero And The Witch´s Spell (5:00)

2. ”Part 32 Floating Anarchy”:
a/ Drum solo (”Wet Drum Sandwich”) (3:25)
b/ Eat That Phone Book Coda intro (0:25)
c/ You Can’t Kill Me. (2:15)

Recorded by Venux De Luxe;
Other Side Of The Sky: Le Bataclan, Paris 1973-05-20
The rest of the music: Sheffield City Hall 1973-10-08
Edited (with talk/tape links between the music excerpts) by Daevid Allen 1973-10-26

Gilli is not present on the Sheffield recording, which fit in with this time frame - she was pregnant and in Deya according to the book "Gong Dreaming 2".
Also Sheffield was Pierre´s last concert until late March 1974, when they most likely didn´t play the same sets - it was the start of the "You" period.

Ok?

[calyx]

VanGong - great, thanks for the detective work !

[The Twickerman]

I concur. I think you nailed it VanGong! Thanks,
.

[flytomars]

So from the above I understand that there is nothing found on the Greasy Truckers that cant be found elsewhere?

[The Twickerman]

So from the above I understand that there is nothing found on the Greasy Truckers that cant be found elsewhere?

I guess just this:-

Edited (with talk/tape links between the music excerpts) by Daevid Allen 1973-10-26

[Ted]

Does anyone know if there are any recordings of Gong with Bill Bruford?

[VanGong]

So from the above I understand that there is nothing found on the Greasy Truckers that cant be found elsewhere?

Yes, the Greasy Truckers collages are quite fun in their own way,
but the actual music parts are available complete on the Bataclan and Sheffield releases.

[VanGong]

While we are on the subject of recording venues, in the notes to the very fine CD ‘Gong in the Seventies’ Jonny Greene writes: ‘The precise venue and date of this concert remains unclear: does anyone know for sure?’ Well, does anyone know for sure? The CD has, in the eight-minute ‘Om Riff’, the best version of ‘Master Builder’ I have heard, with Moerlen, Malherbe and Hillage all on fire (better even than the Hyde Park version released on 'Love From The Planet Gong').

The book in the "Love From Planet Gong" box states that the first performance of the Om Riff (Master Builder) was at Birmingham Town Hall (April 24 1974).
And Pierre left again at the beginning of August 1974, so that live concert on "Gong In The Seventies" must be from the period in between.
Gong did very few concerts from late May to when Pierre quit, and in late April Chris Cutler deputised for Pierre for some dates.
So I´d say it´s likely that the performance on "Gong In The Seventies" is from May 1974.

Anyway, it´s great!

[ctoelle]

Does anyone know if there are any recordings of Gong with Bill Bruford?

There is a really good quality boot with Bill out there. It's about 2/3rds of the full show. Chateau Neuf, Oslo Norway. Dec 15, 1974
No mistaking Bruford on the drums, I'd know that snare anywhere
Worth checking out

[Udi Koomran]

https://www.youtube.com/playlist?lis...QDhIba45qg5x64

[calyx]

The book in the "Love From Planet Gong" box states that the first performance of the Om Riff (Master Builder) was at Birmingham Town Hall (April 24 1974).
And Pierre left again at the beginning of August 1974, so that live concert on "Gong In The Seventies" must be from the period in between.
Gong did very few concerts from late May to when Pierre quit, and in late April Chris Cutler deputised for Pierre for some dates.
So I´d say it´s likely that the performance on "Gong In The Seventies" is from May 1974.

It's difficult to say for sure as it's not a complete performance. We don't know if, other than "Master Builder", any of the other major tracks from "You" (i.e. "Isle Of Everywhere", "A Sprinkling of Clouds") were played. It none were, then it's likely that performance happened very soon after the writing sessions at Delfina's Farm, which was in the first half of April.

What I'd say supports your guess is that "Master Builder" doesn't sound like a "new" piece - on the contrary, it sounds like it's been performed a number of times already. And "A PHP's Advice" has lyrics, which supposedly none of the "You" songs (except, of course, "Perfect Mystery") supposedly had in April.

I have no idea whether the provenance of the recording has been obfuscated because of legal reasons, or because it really was an 'unmarked tape box' kind of thing, but it really sounds good, either a radio broadcast (but there are none in this period, at least that we know of) or a great 'on the fly' mix, like the Bataclan 1973 recording. If Gong's live engineers were able to pull this off on that one random occasion (without a mobile studio), then it's really a pity that they didn't do this on a regular basis !

[Munster]

I have no idea whether the provenance of the recording has been obfuscated because of legal reasons, or because it really was an 'unmarked tape box' kind of thing, but it really sounds good, either a radio broadcast (but there are none in this period, at least that we know of) or a great 'on the fly' mix, like the Bataclan 1973 recording. If Gong's live engineers were able to pull this off on that one random occasion (without a mobile studio), then it's really a pity that they didn't do this on a regular basis !

I agree. But it would be good to think there are more of these tapes to surface. ‘Live in Sherwood Forest ’75’ (released in 2005) offers hope. As the liner notes say: ‘The gig … was recorded for radio broadcast. No one can remember if it was ever transmitted. Maybe we should assume it wasn’t.’ The Love From the Planet Gong boxset also featured four concerts that had never before been released in full, more than 40 years after they were recorded.

Anyway, thanks for the research/thoughts on both ‘Greasy Truckers’ and ‘Gong in the Seventies’. Daevid Allen was a great recycler. Just by adding a voice, a drone or by editing a track he could change its character. I am listening to his ‘Gong on Acid’ (Obscura No. 16), which uses large parts of ‘Gong in the Seventies’ and snatches from ‘Angel’s Egg’ and ‘You’. It lasts 68 minutes and feels like a totally original piece.

[calyx]

Well, the particular swamp that is Virgin’s Gong vault has been swamped. As has the Nottingham Uni radio archive’s. Any hope of more such gems rests almost solely on Gong/GAS’s own archives. I am hopeful a great boxed set will see the light if day within the next couple of years.

[Udi Koomran]

Gong vault has been swamped. As has the Nottingham Uni radio archive’s.

care to give more info on this please

[calyx]

care to give more info on this please

MLP released a whole series of recordings from that Nottingham Uni radio station (Soft Machine, Caravan, Gong, Nucleus, and I may have forgotten others).*
As for Virgin, Jonny has said the box set has everything that was in Virgin's vaults by Gong, which means that no other professionally made live recordings are in there.

*Update: Quite a few more actually... Not all of course are from Nottingham...
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Major_League_Productions