Camembert Electrique... Gong...! [Archive]

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Haselsh1

06-02-2009, 15:37

Mmmm... I know they are seriously weird but...

I recently bought this album on vinyl LP from Amazon for less than twenty quid and after having played around with it for a while have to say that it is wonderful. OK so the vinyl is not particularly heavy or thick but the recording quality is amazing for a 1970 album. Everything is displayed perfectly for the ears to pick up on but then I am using a brand new Denon DL160 cartridge and this could be the work of this cartridge.

The music is, as one would expect, odd but provided you know what is coming there are no disappointments. There is some seriously good instrument playing on this record and it is all very typical of that period in music history. As I'm sure you are all aware the Canterbury Sound was at its peak and this joins in very well.

I prefer this album to all of Gong's later jazz based rambling which I find extremely irritating but true to my wishes of not wanting too many duplicates within my collection, this shall be my only Gong vinyl record.

The Grand Wazoo

07-02-2009, 09:14

Mmmm... I know they are seriously weird but...

I recently bought this album on vinyl LP from Amazon for less than twenty quid .

How times change! I think I paid 99p for my new copy in about 81/82(ish). Deeply, deeply uncool at that time. I think the guys in the shop I bought it from must've thought they'd pulled off the sale of the century when I walked out the door with that in my mitts!!

YNWaN

07-02-2009, 10:47

I've got quite a few Gong albums - Angels Egg etc. - later offshoot was the Here & Now which was a kind of proto punk feel.

Haselsh1

07-02-2009, 15:20

I've just noticed Mr Wazoo that you are from North Lincolnshire. I hailed from their in an earlier version of my life. I spent over forty years of living in Grimsby/Cleethorpes and enjoyed every aspect of it. I did a long stint in the chemical industry there working for Ciba-Geigy and it gave me a rather nice life. Two of my dearest friends used to own a HiFi shop called Sound Perfection where I spent many a Saturday helping them out. It was all fun in the end.

Whilst I was there I payed out a vast fortune on various motorbikes from Kevark Motorcycles until they also decided to move on and spent many a happy hour racing up and down the coast road on my Ducati's. My fave run was undoubtedly to the 'Splash' at Little Cawthorpe where they served some fabulous real ales. Mmmm... kind of miss those days now...!!!

SteveW

23-03-2009, 17:41

How times change! I think I paid 99p for my new copy in about 81/82(ish). Deeply, deeply uncool at that time. I think the guys in the shop I bought it from must've thought they'd pulled off the sale of the century when I walked out the door with that in my mitts!!

Reckon I bought my copy for that as well.In fact I have a vague feeling it may have been from Woolies in York. Anyway the sad thing is that this record became my permanent barbeque wafter for getting coals hot...:doh:
I always laughed that this album would be worth something one day.
Silly boy.

SteveW

23-03-2009, 20:51

By the way Shaun...your web-site, or more accurately your photos are awesome.
cheers

Steve

Haselsh1

08-05-2009, 15:23

Hey now, thanks for the comments about the photography.

Since first posting this thread I have changed the Linn Basik for a Thorens TD160 Super and this Camembert Electrique thing now sounds absolutely stunning. The deck has an Audioref rubber mat on it which is far superior to my old felt mat and I have the suspension floating nicely. I fitted my original Alphason Xenon MCS tonearm cozz I love it to bits and my Denon DL160 cozz it's just so damn fine.

In short... all very happy and satisfied...!!!

DSJR

08-05-2009, 20:11

You want to ditch that awful Alphason arm thingy and donate it to me - I'll take it off your hands :D

The Daevid Allen trilogy on Virgin sounded pretty dire on LP. Not due to LP "sound" but more the Manor recording studio I think. The re-mastered CD's do seem to get more music out I think..

My first experience of Gong was Shamal (the track Chandra), a superb disc IMO and the first one post Daevid Allen. I rather liked the later Pierre Moelen discs too, "Time is the key" being a favourite, the tracks of one side blending together brilliantly as a "piece."

I've also heard some of Daevid's post early Gong work and liked some of it when not too silly. I understand the early Gong with Steve Hillage (YES!!!) is doing a gig or three later this year.

Haselsh1

08-05-2009, 23:22

Yes I have to be brutally honest and admit that quite a lot of Daevid Allens work can be totally ridiculous, stupid and highly annoying... but, I do love the Camembert Electrique album. I am fairly determined though that I shall not be parting with any more of my very precious funds on more Gong vinyl. It's just so damn expensive these days but I do love it to bits.

Haselsh1

08-05-2009, 23:24

By the way DSJR, I love the avatar of that Bang and Awfulson turntable...

DSJR

09-05-2009, 17:54

One of the best they ever did (and I compared it favourably with Rega's too when we had them in for service, believe it or not) and great fun to restore. One of those units that shouldn't work at all, but a heavy, well suspended sub-chassis in this model, an arm designed for the cartridges used and effective belt drive with some semblance of a mat does actually make for a reasonable sound.....

The other good decks they did were the 'Gram 6002 and 8002, which were wonderful to use and had a refined, relaxed sound. Not for the likes of Marco though, but wonderful as collectors pieces nonetheless...:)

Jason P

11-05-2009, 19:30

Getting back to Gong, I went to see them about five years ago at Concorde II in Brighton. It was near as dammit the original lineup, Daevid Allen and Gilly Smyth both there onstage in psychedelic lame jumpsuits looking like a couple of embarrassing grandparents.... AND THEY ROCKED!!! They must've played for nearly 3 hours straight and were as tight and dynamic as any band I've seen. Absolutely fantastic.

I'd recommend 'Now Is The Happiest Time Of Your Life', one of Daevid's solo albums, as a wonderful piece of hippy-noodling. Really takes me someplace else...

Jason

The Grand Wazoo

11-05-2009, 19:38

Beechwoods

11-05-2009, 19:46

Daevid Allen and Gilly Smyth both there onstage in psychedelic lame jumpsuits looking like a couple of embarrassing grandparents.... AND THEY ROCKED!!!

I saw Daevid (Gongmaison) back in the early 90's and I thought the same. It must be the tea he drinks!

Jimmy Saville on acid!

DSJR

11-05-2009, 21:04

Wasn't one of their TT's a Thorens in wolf's clothing?

I bet someone once played Camembert Electrique on one of those. (So as not to be accused of continuing with the thread hijack!)

http://i132.photobucket.com/albums/q8/DSJR_photos/bg3000tstlTD124.jpg

I can't speak for one of these playing Gong, but a little record shop in Aylesbury used to have an early 70's B&O system with Beovox 1001's and it coped superbly with all the then new prog LP's that were coming out. I spent quite a bit of time in there as I recall...

I was certainly a "hairy" back then (where's it all gone now?) but I was more into ELP, Zep and Pink Floyd to bother about pot-head pixies. That came MUCH later.....;)

The Grand Wazoo

11-05-2009, 21:44

I was certainly a "hairy" back then (where's it all gone now?)

Yes, I know what you mean - I'm a bit 'Rainbow Dome Musick' myself!!

DSJR

12-05-2009, 09:32

Ooh yes, another one with the glissando legacy from Daevid Allen and this one really does need CD's silences for best effect, as both my clear and black LP's are a bit noisy....... ;)

Dunno about my dome being rainbow though :D