Music Banter - View Single Post - I know what I like: Trollheart's History of Progressive Rock and Progressive Metal

Trollheart · 03-10-2022, 09:03 AM

Album title: Camembert Electrique
Artist: Gong
Nationality: French
Label: BYG Actuel
Chronology: Second
Grade: A
Factsheet: Pretty much flying the French prog flag, the second album from Gong had the rather undistinguished “honour” of, having been reissued outside France in 1974, selling for the princely sum of fifty-nine pence (slightly over half of an old Pound), for which price you could at the time buy a single. They did this again in 1976, but how it affected sales of the album I don’t know. Maybe they should have given a free gong away with each copy?
Tracklisting: Radio Gnome/ You Can’t Kill Me/ I Bin Stone Before- Mister Long Shanks - O Mother/ I Am Your Fantasy / Dynamite - I Am Your Animal/ Wet Cheese Delirium/ Squeezing Sponges Over Policemen’s Heads/ Fohat Digs Holes in Space/ And You Tried So Hard/ Tropical Fish - Selene/ Gnome the Second
Comments: In what we’re beginning to see as typical Gong behaviour, the album opens on twenty seconds of sped-up vocal leading into the first real track, very psychedelic with an annoying squeaky/screechy voice in which I think they call a “space whisper”? Yeah. Some pretty wild guitar here but I have to say the repetitive nature of the song and the fucking space whisper kill it for me. You can, then, kill me. Next. Nice Hammond opening, a slower song, sax here that reminds me of part of Supertramp’s later “Fool’s Overture” from the album Even in the Quietest Moments then what sounds like a children’s nursery rhyme and ending in a sort of Beatles/Monkees pastiche. Right.

After all that messing, “I Am Your Fantasy” is breathy and ethereal, with proper backing vocals from the female (I think she’s called Gilli Smyth, also known as Shakti Yoni - of course she is) and some dreamy guitar, very low key, almost an early form of shoegaze maybe. It’s only a short respite though as we’re back to the madness, with a repeated vocal against a bouncy beat and that damned space whisper is back. Fuck that thing; my god it’s annoying. Actually, the whole track sets my teeth on edge. Two bits of sonic nonsense next and we’re into “Fohat Digs Holes in Space”. Uh-huh. Sort of an almost Black Sabbath groove to this, with a bit of Hawkwind mixed in. Sure beats the last few tracks into a cocked, er, fohat. Herself tries but fails to ruin it with her stupid ya-hoos or whatever. Wish she’d fall into one of these holes Fohat is digging in space. Great guitar solo though.

Two tracks proper to go, as the final one is more sonic fluff. “And You Tried So Hard” seems to be an actual basic rock song from what I can hear, guitar-driven and sort of sixties-sounding. But of course we couldn’t end like that, could we? This is Gong, and we must have madness and organised chaos. And that’s - more or less - what we get with the final track, “Tropical Fish/Selene” with a lot of peppy horn and so far no fucking space fucking whisper. Let’s keep our tentacles crossed, eh?

Favourite track(s): I Am Your Fantasy, Fohat Digs Holes in Space, And You Tried So Hard
Least favourite track(s): You Can’t Kill Me/ I Am Your Animal
Musings: You know, I’m beginning to think that, for me, Gong stands for God! Oh No! Gong!

Maybe I’ll just write about the rest of their albums rather than listen to them. Might be safer.
Personal Rating: 2.50
Legacy Rating: 3.0
Final Rating: 2.50

03-10-2022, 09:03 AM	#265 (permalink)
Trollheart Born to be mild Join Date: Oct 2008 Location: 404 Not Found Posts: 26,996	Album title: Camembert Electrique Artist: Gong Nationality: French Label: BYG Actuel Chronology: Second Grade: A Factsheet: Pretty much flying the French prog flag, the second album from Gong had the rather undistinguished “honour” of, having been reissued outside France in 1974, selling for the princely sum of fifty-nine pence (slightly over half of an old Pound), for which price you could at the time buy a single. They did this again in 1976, but how it affected sales of the album I don’t know. Maybe they should have given a free gong away with each copy? Tracklisting: Radio Gnome/ You Can’t Kill Me/ I Bin Stone Before- Mister Long Shanks - O Mother/ I Am Your Fantasy / Dynamite - I Am Your Animal/ Wet Cheese Delirium/ Squeezing Sponges Over Policemen’s Heads/ Fohat Digs Holes in Space/ And You Tried So Hard/ Tropical Fish - Selene/ Gnome the Second Comments: In what we’re beginning to see as typical Gong behaviour, the album opens on twenty seconds of sped-up vocal leading into the first real track, very psychedelic with an annoying squeaky/screechy voice in which I think they call a “space whisper”? Yeah. Some pretty wild guitar here but I have to say the repetitive nature of the song and the fucking space whisper kill it for me. You can, then, kill me. Next. Nice Hammond opening, a slower song, sax here that reminds me of part of Supertramp’s later “Fool’s Overture” from the album Even in the Quietest Moments then what sounds like a children’s nursery rhyme and ending in a sort of Beatles/Monkees pastiche. Right. After all that messing, “I Am Your Fantasy” is breathy and ethereal, with proper backing vocals from the female (I think she’s called Gilli Smyth, also known as Shakti Yoni - of course she is) and some dreamy guitar, very low key, almost an early form of shoegaze maybe. It’s only a short respite though as we’re back to the madness, with a repeated vocal against a bouncy beat and that damned space whisper is back. Fuck that thing; my god it’s annoying. Actually, the whole track sets my teeth on edge. Two bits of sonic nonsense next and we’re into “Fohat Digs Holes in Space”. Uh-huh. Sort of an almost Black Sabbath groove to this, with a bit of Hawkwind mixed in. Sure beats the last few tracks into a cocked, er, fohat. Herself tries but fails to ruin it with her stupid ya-hoos or whatever. Wish she’d fall into one of these holes Fohat is digging in space. Great guitar solo though. Two tracks proper to go, as the final one is more sonic fluff. “And You Tried So Hard” seems to be an actual basic rock song from what I can hear, guitar-driven and sort of sixties-sounding. But of course we couldn’t end like that, could we? This is Gong, and we must have madness and organised chaos. And that’s - more or less - what we get with the final track, “Tropical Fish/Selene” with a lot of peppy horn and so far no fucking space fucking whisper. Let’s keep our tentacles crossed, eh? Favourite track(s): I Am Your Fantasy, Fohat Digs Holes in Space, And You Tried So Hard Least favourite track(s): You Can’t Kill Me/ I Am Your Animal Musings: You know, I’m beginning to think that, for me, Gong stands for God! Oh No! Gong! Maybe I’ll just write about the rest of their albums rather than listen to them. Might be safer. Personal Rating: 2.50 Legacy Rating: 3.0 Final Rating: 2.50 __________________ Trollheart: Signature-free since April 2018