The essential Live Etc. sports incredible live versions of material from four Gong albums (Camembert Electrique, Flying Teapot, Angel's Egg, You) and one studio track which had been recorded in 1974 as an attempt at a single. The live material, recorded 1973-1975, consists of performances from several different incarnations of the band, making this an excellent starting point for anyone interested in sampling Gong. Abundant and overflowing with infusions of space, prog, and jazz, this melting pot of a band stands alone in its eclectic delivery of the goods. Highlights include Moerlen's percussion solo on "Flying Teapot," Malherbe's sax solo on "Zero the Hero...," and Hillage's guitar work on the spacy "Radio Gnome Invisible." "Where Have All the Flowers Gone" is Gong's attempt at a single; while somewhat mainstream, even this piece pushes the envelope for the airwaves. "6/8 Tune" is a superb jazzy instrumental, a kind of foreshadowing to the CD's final four tracks, which are for the most part instrumental and very progressive. The tracks blend together to form the climax and highlight of this great live album, and exhibit the jazziness that would become an integral sound in the band's future releases. Recorded after Allen's departure, this is the personnel that would go on to record Shamal, though no tracks from that album show up here. Live Etc. originally ended with the tune "Ooby-Scooby Doomsday" (another attempt at a pop hit), but at 79 minutes, the CD format could not hold it, and it has been tacked on to the end of the Angel's Egg compact disc release.
by David Ross Smith Tracklist 1:
1. You Can't Kill Me 5:56
2. Zero The Hero And The Witch's Spell 11:05
3. Flying Teapot 6:31
4. Dynamite / I Am Your Animal 5:43
5. 6/8 Tune 3:48
6. Est-Ce Que Je Suis 4:16
7. Ooby-Scooby Doomsday Or The D-day DJ's Got The D.D.T. Blues 5:09
8. Radio Gnome Invisible 7:35
Tracklist 2:
1. Oily Way 3:21
2. Outer Temple 1:03
3. Inner Temple 5:14
4. Where Have All The Flowers Gone? 3:04
5. Isle Of Everywhere 10:24
6. Get It Inner 2:30
7. Master Builder 5:57
8. Flying Teapot (Reprise) 2:05
Credits:
Bass, Vocals – Mike Howlett
Drums – Pierre Moerlen, Rob Tait
Flute, Percussion, Saxophone, Vocals – Didier Malherbe
Guitar, Vocals – Daevid Allen, Steve Hillage
Keyboards – Patrice Lemoine
Keyboards, Vocals – Miquette Giraudy
Percussion – Mireille Bauer
Percussion, Vocals – Diane Stewart
Synthesizer, Keyboards, Vocals – Tim Blake
Vocals – Gilli Smyth
In 1970, the world got its first taste of the original pothead pixie, Daevid Allen's Gong, as Magick Brother was released in France on the BYG label. Allen's wife, Gilli Smyth, penned all the tunes on the album, and Allen's now-classic "Ph.P." drawing style graces the inside of the gatefold. Leaning a little toward the pop end of the spectrum, Magick Brother is a fairly light album, devoid of the blatant psychedelic/hippie qualities which shine through so brilliantly on the later Camembert Electrique. Smyth's "space whispering" makes its debut on the opening track, though the album is not as spacy as it is ethereal. "Gong Song" is a highlight, with lyrics describing a pothead pixie who came down from the planet Gong to sing his green song -- the roots of the Gong myth. Allen's guitar sound is a bit flat and hollow throughout the project, dynamics taking a back seat in most of these recordings. He relies on distortion and various guitar augmentations, but this all works quite well in the context of the collective sound. Much of the vocal harmonizing on the album is typical of many '60s pop troupes and sounds fairly dated today. Didier Malherbe's sax and flute playing spices up this mostly pop-oriented prog rock outing, helping to make this a cut above the radio norm. Although this is an interesting release, especially for its status as the first Gong project, it is not typical Gong and is not recommended as a starting point for sampling the band's recordings. by David Ross Smith
