Gong - Gazeuse! (1976, Virgin V2074)

I missed the original Gong and all of Daevid Allen's Flying Teapot stuff. I sort of caught up with all that via Steve Hillage, but I did get Gazeuse when it was released. A completely different beast as by then drummer Pierre Moerlen had taken over the reigns and turned the band into an instrumental, percussion based jazz-rock outfit. It really shouldn't have worked but on this album it spectacularly did. Aided by the superb guitarist Allan Holdsworth and ex-Magma bassist Francis Moze, this was a joyful set of compositions, everything pushed along by Moerlens exceptional drumming and the percussion work of Mireille Bauer, Benoit Moerlen and Mino Cinelu. Also, not forgetting Didier Malherbe's flute and sax playing, which had never been so expressive or lyrical as on this album.

It's a great sounding album, with Dennis Mackays production so smooth and lightly textured. The sleeve is completely bonkers, an explosion of colour and shapes which sort of reflected the music within and can be fully "appreciated" in the foldout poster that came with the vinyl and which also included all the credits. It has been released on CD many years ago, but visually and sonically it has never done the album justice compared to its vinyl counterpart.

As with all things, this lineup didn't last and the exuberance on display here was sadly never to be repeated. But everything came together perfectly for this one off piece of brilliance that transcended their roots in such a spectacular fashion.

 

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Unboxing and being philosophical

 

So, it came to pass that I eventually after 12 years, boxed in this house and 2 years in the previous that my vinyl has been unboxed and shelved. While going through them, they all brought memories flooding back of my innocent youth when all this music was fresh and important. Maybe that's why I have now gone through all this unboxing, listening and writing this blog. It's just a nostalgia thing. To be honest if I want to actually listen in earnest to music I will go to CD, SACD, DVD or blu-ray as I don't want to go through all that clicking, popping, scratching again. But, it is fun to take the record out of its sleeve, put it on the deck, place the tone arm onto the run-in groove, hear that initial click and watch the record turn as the music emanates from the speakers. It takes me right back! But digital for me is still the way to go, especially now with high resolution and better mastering. I may still buy the odd record and I do have a few new pressings which come as part of box sets.

I am still a but bruised at losing a lot of records through the years. I still think about a record and realise I had that, but it could have been a lot worse. When we all went to CD and replaced our record collection, many got rid of theirs lock, stock and barrel. That I still have many dating back to 1975 is a miracle I suppose and I am sure there are many people rueing ditching their whole collections, being caught up in the fervour of the promise of digital perfection.

It's heartening that vinyl is taking off again. Of course it will never reach the giddy heights of popularity that it did in the 70's. But it's good that people are collecting again and appreciate vinyl for what it is, something that you can physically appreciate and become attached too. It's amazing to think that there are now factories pressing vinyl, printing sleeves and even making record bags the same as before! This all goes against the trend for downloading music, which is supposed to be the future. But the Japanese have never taken to that philosophy, preferring the CD and even SACD. They are always at the forefront of technology, so they have seen that for a true, serious music listener and collector, downloading is not the way forward. For me music is not something that can be downloaded as a computer file and played back on a little black box. It's an experience that takes in the sleeve artwork, the tactile feel of the sleeve, even the smell and the physical process of putting a record or disc on or in a machine. There is and always has been something intrinsically physical about the connection between the recorded disc and the listener. They are inseperable!

 

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King Crimson - A Young Persons Guide to King Crimson (1975, Editions EG EGKC 10)

Simply, King Crimson are my favourite band and so I collect what I can of theirs, when I can. This 2 disc compilation was released in 1975 soon after Robert Fripp disbanded the band after Red. The album was initially released on Island Records, but this copy I picked up in Ottawa, Canada sometime around the early 80's hence the Edition EG, Collectors Edition moniker on the label. The main selling point for the album is the terrific artwork by Scottish artist Fergus Hall. Fripp used two of his paintings for the album and somehow seem to fit in perfectly with the surreal, weird and otherworldly music of early King Crimson. The scrapbook included was also a superb document of their history to that point. It set the template for all previous booklets that Fripp would do for Crimson box sets. But it all started here!

 

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Missing in Action

It's great fun going through all my old albums. Even though I haven't looked at them in many a year, they are so familiar, like old friends. I am transported straight back to the 70's and 80's when I first bought them. I have actually now wired up our old ion deck which we bought a few years ago to transfer my wife's old records on to CD. But now it is connected to the stereo. I actually forgot we had that deck as it was boxed away with so much other stuff. So now I can give all my disks a spin.

One drawback in all this vinyl nostalgia is I have realised they are lots of records missing! I haven't got a clue where they are or how they are not around. There may be boxes somewhere, but for the life of me I cannot remember any going missing in my various moves. Some of the records missing I am sad to lose if they are gone. Like Before and After Science by Brian Eno. That had the original prints by Peter Schmidt and a press pack too. As did Exposure by Robert Fripp, with photos and bio. There are lots more and I need to list them to see what the damage is. But I suppose it's all part of life's changes. Anyway, I can at least enjoy what I have got and there are some crackers!

 

 

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National Health - Of Queues and Cures (1978, Charly CRL 5010)

Another favourite album from bygone days. This is from the last days of the golden period of progressive rock and is a belter! The second album from National Health, but this saw a much more streamlined band with Dave Stewart, Phil Miller, John Greaves and Pip Pyle playing as tight as anything. Certainly a key part of the Canterbury Sound, but this is less noodling and more in yer face.

I remember purchasing this album back in 1978 when it was released from Listen Records in Paisley. Listen had a Branch in the High Street, off Storie Street which was just a few minutes walk from Paisley College of Technology. Handy for us students with our student grants to spend! It was a different time then. No loans!

Listen Records in the 70's was the in place to buy records. You were cool at school if walked around with records in a white Listen Records plastic bag under your arm. However, the shop in Glasgow, just outside Glasgow Central Station up Renfield Street, if memory serves me right was a mecca for all aspiring record collectors. It was an intimidating establishments for a naive 15 year old, not used to the big city. The staff were surly and intimidating. The shop was like a dark dungeon. They had a basement, where you entered at your peril never to return. Long gone now of course and I think Listen suffered when the megastores took over in the early 80's. There is a story to be told about these old record haunts!

 

 

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Last Exit - Last Exit (1986, Enemy EMY 101)

It's not all prog rock here. Last Exit were a sort of avant jazz/noise super group, with Sonny Sharrock, Peter Brotzmann, Bill Laswell and Ronald Shannon Jackson. They all had credentials of producing genre busting avant jazz based music and here they teamed up for the first time to produce this live document from 1986. During the 80's Laswell was a bit of a polymath, playing bass, producing, composing across a broad range of projects including Brian Eno, Material, Massacre, John Zorn and various stuff for his Axiom label.

He is an excellent bass player, mixing dub, jazz, funk and rock. Here he lets the other whoop up a noise of a storm, especially from Brotzmann and the late, great Sharrock. It was all improvised and they produced other albums, again mostly live apart from Iron Path, which was recorded for the Virgin Venture label and was quite restrained compared to their live albums. They were of their time and now that both Sharrock and Shannon Jackson are gone, never to be repeated.

 

 

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Premiata Forneria Marconi - Per Un Amico (1972, Numero Uno, DZSLN 55155)

This record brings back lots of memories. PFM were one of the best Italian progressive rock bands of the 70's and helped define a genre, Rock Progressivo Italiano (RPI) that is still producing significant new bands today. For me Per Un Amico is their best, mixing all the best elements of symphonic prog from that time and something particularly Italian. I actually bought this album in Italy itself, while on holiday in Pesaro with my parents. I think that was in 1975 as I also purchased the Chocolate Kings single which was then just released. So it's pleasing that I have this classic album, which was actually obtained from its country of origin.

 

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Tangerine Dream - Ricochet (1975, Virgin V2044)

Another prime release from Virgin Records and in memory of the late Edgar Froese who died recently. Yes, it's been that kind of month! I bought Ricochet when it was released in December 1975. That would have been bought from Walkers Newsagents in Irvine. That's right a newsagents. But they had a good sized area at the back of the shop which sold records. They had a reasonably eclectic selection and what they didn't stock could be ordered and obtained within a week.

1975 was a great year for Tangerine Dream. March saw them release Rubycon and Ricochet was based around live recordings from their Autumn tour and was released in early December. Amazing how quick things were done in those days. It is not only my favourite TD album, but probably in my top 10 albums of all time. I just love the artwork. From the cool typo used for the title and text, through to Monique Froese's striking photograph on the front cover. Even the protective bag was bespoke and had the familiar Virgin logo printed at the bottom. So, a really classy package for a classic record.

What I forgot to mention in the last post was that the cover was printed by Garrod and Lofthouse, while Ricochet was printed by Robor Ltd. Both were big names in the vinyl LP market. I assume both long gone, but they should be remembered for being such an important part of the vinyl LP scene in the 70's.

 

 

 

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Gong - You (1974, Virgin V2019)

With the sad news that Daevid Allen has only a few months to live, I decided to have a look at my favourite Gong album from this period. Released in 1974, this was to be Allens last with the band at this point as his contribution was become lessened. But for me this is their most musical, with Steve Hillage and Tim Blake especially prominent. I think I bought the album around 1977 at Listen Records in Glasgow. I am pleased I still have the inner lyric sheet and of course the Virgin logo is all so familiar on the vinyl. One of the labels best I think.

 

 

 

 

 

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Statement of Intent

This blog is slightly odd. Odd in the fact it is a blog about vinyl records by someone who doesn't have a record player. Well, I did many years ago and may do again soon. However I have kept my record collection, ever since I started buying vinyl back in 1975. My collection has moved around with me from Irvine, Paisley, Glasgow and then to Luton. It has survived all that and now languishes in various boxes throughout the house. With all the current interest in vinyl I thought about going through them and writing some posts about my thoughts and experiences of them. Some day I will play them again, but for now I want to revisit these old friends and reminisce about what they mean to me. Vinyl does that!

 

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