Gong - 'Live In Sherwood Forest '75' (Major League Productio
Mike Reed | USA | 05/04/2006
(4 out of 5 stars)
"Another should-have unreleased archive live recording of Gong,after two key members Daevid Allen and Gilli Smyth had already jumped ship.However,check this out:guitarist Steve Hillage had apparently rejoined the cosmic Gong clan for a brief tour.This is a very good quality(don't know why several others I've spoken with gripe about the sound quality)audio document of the gig the band had played on November 25,1975 at Nottingham University.Interesting setlist,to say the least."Master Builder" and the awesome 12-minute "Isle Of Everywhere" comes off of their 1974 landmark lp 'You',then the cuts "Chandra","Cat In Clark's Shoes"(really enjoyed this verion),the jazzy "Shamal" and "Wingful Of Eyes" are off the 1976 'Shamal' album.Finally,"Aftaglid" and the trippy "Salmon Song" were originally on Hillage's first solo work 'Fish Rising'.Not all Gong fans will exactly flip over this CD.Do keep in mind that Hillage does a fine job of covering for both Allen and Smyth's absence.Line-up:Steve Hillage:guitarist&vocals,Mike Howlett-bass&vocals,Didier Malherbe-flute&sax,Pierre Moerlen-drums,Miquette Giraudy-vocals,Patrice Lemoine-keyboards and Jorge Pinchevesky-violin.Recommended."
Gong without Daevid Allen
kireviewer | Sunnyvale, Ca United States | 11/12/2005
(4 out of 5 stars)
"POOR SOUND QUALITY KNOCKS THIS DOWN A STAR
This is a concert from Gong's 1975 tour. It is 78 minutes and the tracks range from 7 to 16 minutes long. There are some nice liner notes about what the band was up to at the time.
The sound quality on this CD is fair to poor. The main problem is in the high end, especially the saxophone. The mix is also not very good. The sound seems to get better later in the CD. It isn't as bad as some live albums, like Black Sabbath Live at Last, King Crimon's Epitath or Hawkwind's Early Daze. It isn't so bad that you wouldn't want to listen to it. On the plus side there is little audience noise. It some respects, it is actually better than some modern live CD's, like anything by Dave Matthews.
However, at the high price of this CD, it makes it a toss up if it is worth buying.
This is Gong in transition (although Gong has always been in transition...it is even more so now). Daevid Allen and Gilli Smyth left the group. This is time when the group was moving from progressive/space rock to British progressive jazz. Steve Hillage was starting to go solo and Pierre Moerlin was about to take over the group.
This is a big band. It includes "original" Gong members like Dedier Malhabe on sax and flute, Mike Howlett on bass, members of what would become the new Gong, like Moerlen, and musicians that would follow Hillage in his solo career.
The band is completely different without Allen. There are very little vocals and there are none of the strange songs or anything about pot head pixies. The band is heavy into pure space music, with a little jazz thrown in.
What I enjoy most is the Shamal material. This is the first time I have heard most of it live. It is new and refreshing.
The older Gong material has been played to death on many, many other live albums. But, the versions here are still good and a little bit different from what has been released before.
There are two numbers from Hillage's Fish Rising album. They are also interesting, but I think you can get better versions (especially with better sound) on the Hillage live CD's live Live Herald or Live at the BBC.
The CD ends as the audience is calling the band back for encore. It makes me wonder if this was more to this show that wasn't included. With such a big band, you would think that they would probably want to play longer than just 78 minutes.
There is an EP CD called Paragong that features most of this band. It is just over 20 minutes long, but it is fantastic. It is a must have, if you can find it."
Really would give 3.5 stars
D. Brown | Oak Grove, Mo USA | 09/17/2005
(3 out of 5 stars)
"First let me say this is a very nice cd in alot of ways... however there are some sound quality issues which detract from my total enjoyment...let me explain...One thing is that this is a very "bright" sounding cd... the high frequencies are too much... I use my equalizer to modify all the high frequencies way down...Another maybe worse thing is that whenever the music gets very loud or the vocals are sung loudly there is some noticeable distortion in both...not horrible but you will notice it especially as you turn your stereo up louder... Ok those 2 items aside...which I can live with.. the music and performances on this cd are very good and worth purchasing... especially if you are a Steve Hillage fan as his guitar work shines in the concert and on Aftaglid and Salmon Song in particular...for me the You era Gong songs and Steve's solo songs are the real reason to buy here as they stand above the Shamal Gong songs...bottom line if you are already a Gong fan and want to buy a concert of a rather unique transitional time in the Gong legacy you should find this enjoyable.. for anyone looking for some live Gong in general I would not start here.."
Track Listings (4) - Disc #1