Gong - 1975-11-09 - Guildford, UK (SBD/FLAC)

(Soundboard FLAC)

Civic Hall

Unknown transfer
COMPLETE and UPGRADED

DIDIER MALHERBE (sax, flute, voice)
STEVE HILLAGE (guitar, voice)
MIQUETTE GIRAUDY (dancing, voices, occasional synthesizer)
MIKE HOWLETT (bass, voice)
MIREILLE BAUER (percussion)
PATRICE LEMOINE (keyboards)
LAURIE ALLAN (drums)
PIERRE MOERLEN (drums on Master Builder) 

CD1
01. Introduction (2:08)
02. The Salmon Song (11:52)
03. Chandra (8:45)
04. 777 Glissando (16:40)
themes later known as: Lunar Musick Suite & Electrick Gypsies
05. Cat In Clark’s Shoes (13:27)

CD2
01. I’m Beginning To See The Light (5:22)
02. Aftaglid (14:49)
03. Bambooji (8:50)
04. The Isle Of Everywhere (9:07)
05. Wingful Of Eyes (4:53)
06. Shamal (11:48)
including Searching For The Spark riff
07. Master Builder (7:47)

COMPLETE: 
because this release includes "Master Builder" in its entirety. The first release had only a 3 minutes truncated version.

UPGRADED: because this version comes from a much lower generation tape than the previous release. Even though the sound quality was rated "excellent" on the first release, it was dull compared to this one! Sound quality is amazing on this new version.

Although it's from a lower generation tape, it's still not the master. There were no more digital clicks, no hiss, but a few of the cuts found on the previous tape were still there (and were equally repaired). And very surprisingly, a new cut was in "Chandra" (at 7'50) yet this song was complete on the previous tape; and a longer cut was found on "Wingful Of Eyes" (still at 2'22). So these songs were patched with the previous version (a slight change of sound can be heard).

The introduction was also missing on this new tape, so it has been restored here using the previous version.

During the second half of 1975, GONG was in a transition phase: Daevid Allen had left the group, and Steve Hillage was seen as the new leader of the band, true to the spirit of its founder and its Pot Head Pixies. However, Gong was already moving towards a more instrumental music and a sophisticated jazz-rock. Many new songs were created on stage during these few months, but when it came to record them for the album Shamal, Steve Hillage had decided to quit.
This is what makes live recordings of this short pre-Shamal period with Hillage all the more fascinating.

This concert is a rare document too, in many ways.
- Pierre Moerlen, absent because of multiple musical activities is replaced exceptionally by Laurie Allan.
- The band plays a lot of pieces not yet released on album. In addition to the future Shamal titles, they play an early version of "Lunar Musick Suite and "Electrick Gypsies", which would be later recorded by Steve Hillage for his solo album "L" in 1976. This first version played by Gong is quite exceptional.
- Similarly, the song "I'm Beginning to See The Light" played here, remains unreleased to this day.
- The "Isle of Everywhere" is not completed by the theme "Get it inner" as was the case for all other Gong concerts from this period (including the officially released "Live at Sherwood Forest" recorded November 25, 1975)