GONG Radio Gnome Invisible Trilogy [Remastered] Charly 2015

Simon Heyworth has done some pretty nice sounding CDs in his day (the Brian Eno ones come to mind) so this might be quite excellent!

 

I like this cover.

I think all those dodgy sounding releases were down to Allen selling the same album multiple times to different labels. From what I remember reading! And I presume that's why they all had different covers. Some of which were I admit a bit ugly. But the above is nice - and a healthy Gong-like antidote to the commercial design studio (?), art-directed looking cover for the Virgin release.

 

Jonny posted this yesterday in the Gong forum on the thread of what one is listening to - what one is listening to.... - Page 132 - planet gong forum

"Returned to Teapot (still can't get over it's quality) along with almost all of the rest of the Universal collection, which was transferred to me by Master, masterer, Simon Heyworth, over the week-end.

I don't quite have all the material that will be in the release yet, there is still one more gig being mixed.

As I jumped around the tracks sent to me one wonderfully shocking revelation was the quality of Shamal. I think that was because that album was never re-mastered as Gong other albums were after the first what I call 'thin' CD transferring in the 90's. Now it sounds so rich.

I don't know why I was surprised by that, but I was. I suppose it's another example of thinking you know a piece of music only to be happily surprised that you are hearing it with new ears.

What we have done is scoured and cleared the Universal (Virgin) vaults of everything Gong from the Virgin/daevid years - but stretching it a little further to encompass Shamal, which I think falls under the umbrella/fluence of those years in a way that Gazeuse doesn't. Well that's my story."

 

Super excited there's still definite movement in the Universal camp for the box set that was mentioned an age ago!

 

I hope this happens. I really would love to get a Gong box set. Hopefully next year!

 

Got an email from Burning Shed today that included Flying Teapot on vinyl:

Flying Teapot (invisible)

Says it's a 2015 remaster by Nick Robbins. Are people happy with this version? I'm itching to pre-order...

 

This looks like the Charly version that we were warned to avoid due to the band's non-involvement. Strange that Burning Shed would be associated with such a release.

I'll email them and find out.

 

Thanks. I remembered reading about a dodgy version but couldn't remember the specifics so I thought I'd check.

 

Yeah. I'm eagerly awaiting a legit repress of the trilogy, so this caught my attention as well. I reached out to Burning Shed via Twitter and will post their reply here.

 

The catalogue number gives the game away...CatNo: CHARLYL183

 

Womp womp?

 

Pfffffffffffffffffffffffffffff... When ? When ? When ?

 

Burning Shed has been distributing Charly for years.

 

The anticipation is awful.

 

Planet Gong webshop sells Charly's pressing of Camembert Electrique. I know they share the proceeds with Gong members and family, but I find it surprising that people think someone like Burning Shed should avoid selling this Charly pressing of Teapot when Planet Gong are implicitly supporting Charly re-releases themselves.

 

More from Jonny starting here -

what one is listening to.... - Page 132 - planet gong forum

Gong at the Marquee in 1975 - superb. Just downloaded the first half from Simon Heyworth who is mastering all the recordings for the Universal set. Opens with a fantastic Aftaglid, inc great, fun percussion as well as the excellence of all the expected things.

I remember the gig - a circular screen behind the band showing parts of the surfing film 'Crystal Voyager', often part of late night cinema 'tokers' double bills with things like Easy Rider or Woodstock. I can see Steve framed by slow motion shots down crashing 'pipes' of waves as he ripped out the still new Fish Rising tracks.

So taken was I with that image that over the next week I painted an exact large circular 7ft mural of Hokosai's famous wave print with Mount Fuji - except I removed the boat with the fishermen and just had wave.

Now I'm listening to Didier, the supreme showman, entertaining the audience while Steve goes off to change a string. There's never been enough of Didier doing that on live previously released live recordings. Something that will be remedied in the Universal box/book/thingy.

Now a really vibey Oily Way sung by Steve which goes off into a quirky jam. I think you are going to adore this when it is finally released.

Sun Song!

Can't believe it's 43years ago.

One of the most exciting things about the Universal Trilogy +++ release is that we have gone back to the original master tapes from the Universal archives for everything and then had them mastered by the Master - Simon Heyworth.

Whatever you read about Gong releases from any other record company THEY CANNOT, AND HAVE NEVER HAD ACCESS TO THOSE ORIGINAL MASTER TAPES. If they say they have - it's a complete and total lie.

This means that the sound quality on the studio and live tapes is the best possible. The Universal box, the stand alone deluxe Trilogy CDs and the planned vinyl will be the definitive releases - nothing else can come close.

And the vital, added silver lining is that the writers and musicians receive their due royalties for sales of the Universal releases and nothing, not a penny, from any of the others.

Busy chap as he is Steve has only just had time to listen to the the first half of the finished masters of the Marquee the other day - he was blown away by what he heard. Just as it had transported me back to the hot, sweaty club that was the Marquee back then so it did the same to him. There is definitely something about that gig. So to have the properly mixed by Mike Howlett (because remember it was multi-tracked), properly mastered recordings is a joy.

 

Thanks for posting this. Not to be thick, but the Universal release he describes above is not what Burning Shed has, right?

Burning Shed's page shows a "CHARLY" catalog number and says " (remastered in 2015 from the original tapes by Nick Robbins)."

 

It's not the same. The Universal trilogy box isn't even finished (by all accounts), let alone out yet. Assume that, yes Charly have used 'original' tapes in that they must have had copies. After all, the Trilogy was released by other companies than Virgin in other countries back in the 70s and 80s. Those companies (at least Charly) must have had tapes too, but they might be master mix-down tape duplicates.

The story I heard is that Daevid had been known to sell the same album to more than one company. I guess that might be what happened with the Flying Teapot, despite Virgin paying for the recording. BYG Records released pt1 of the Trilogy in 1973 and there is no mention of Virgin licensing. Charly then released Angel's Egg and You in '82, they must have been given a copy of the tapes at some time by Virgin, as the licence is stated.

Anyway, best to wait for the Universal release, I would have thought, even though Charly did a good job on Camembert.

 

Hyde Park 1974 - planet gong forum

Someone asks on the Planet Gong forum -

I was wondering whether a decent recording of Gong's set at Hyde Park in June 1974 exists in the archives.

Jonny responds -

Absolutely it does, it's one of the live recordings going into the Universal box-set. I've had the great pleasure of listening to it quite a bit over the past 3 months since the multi-tracks were mixed by Mike Howlett and then mastered by Simon Heyworth.

It's a great set, but not so long as the entire event only took place in the afternoon, the band, Pierre in particular are in wonderful form.

Every single live gig (Hyde Park, Paris, Roanne, Edinburgh and The Marquee) in this Universal set is top-notch and worth their place in the whole. Even the Bataclan one, parts of which were released on Mantra 25 years ago, is transformed into something else. They are all superb in different ways.

Judging by these gigs Pierre may have been one of the best, if not the best, rock drummers on the Planet at that time, his work on these recordings is often astounding.

I find it interesting that after Gong Mike Howlett, also very good on the recordings, did comparatively so little playing - but then I do know from other musicians and from actors that if you work with someone as 'special' as Pierre could be, someone who inspires and literally raises your game higher than your normal level, or the level to which you thought you could aspire, it is hard be satisfied with less. Maybe, as far as on-going, creative playing was concerned, Mike 'knew' the summit had been attained in his partnership with Pierre?

 

I can't wait for the Universal box, sounds like there's going to be some really good live content.

 

If all these concerts will be in the box then i am assuming it will a CD box right.
No way will they release a 7 or 8LP box.

 

what one is listening to.... - Page 133 - planet gong forum
Post by jonny » 31 Dec 2018, 12:48

I know they want to do vinyl but god knows when - it could be a year away.
They have not asked me to adapt wordage and images or prepare artwork for vinyl.

I doubt that they would put everything on wax as no-one ever does.

I know nothing about download plans.

If I can't frisbee it - it doesn't interest me much.

 

I really hope they do a vinyl box.

 

Really can't wait for this, happy to take CDs or high-res downloads of the full set...

 

What releases to expect in 2019? - planet gong forum

What releases to expect in 2019?

Post by jonny » Yesterday, 16:52

Here are the legitimate extended Gong family for the first half of 2019.

The first release of 2019 will be out in a few days - The Invisible Opera Co. of Tibet live at Kozfest 2017. You can pre-order it direct from them right now https://www.brianabbott.info/shop?fbcli ... ElLi3qHECM, and from Planet Gong as soon as it is released.

Next up will Mother Gong's Robot Woman Trilogy - which will be in stock at the end of the month

Gong's new album, 'The Universe Also Collapses', probably preceded by a radio edit of one of the tracks as an internet single, will be out in May.

Then Universal's 'Love From The Planet Gong' extravaganza.

It is possible something else may make it out in the first 6 months of the year, but it's only at the discussion stage right now, but if it does happen it could happen very quickly and be rather quirkily wonderful.