Gong/UK 1976

The historic masterpiece that shocked the whole world is back. This work was recorded 40 years ago in the summer, as a live album when he performed at the Reading Festival on August 27, 1976. This is the audience album of "PIERRE MOERLEN'S GONG", which was born in June 1976 when Allan Holdsworth and Francis Morse joined after the departure of founder David Allen. The appearance of this recording was an incredible shock. The live performance itself had been poorly recorded for some time in terms of sound and length, but the master that appeared in 2003 is a completely different recording that includes the encore. Not only was it their first appearance, but the sound was intense. There is no doubt that it is an audience recording because it came from a source who knows the person who recorded it, but the sound seems to deny the “fact that it is an audience recording”. Of course, there's a lot of vintage feel that makes you feel like 40 years have passed, but it's a problem if that word makes you think of a shoddy sound. You might say it's like a soundboard, but it's so close that you wonder, "Isn't this a soundboard?" It is understandable that there is no reverberation because it is an outdoor festival, but even if you take that into account, the extremely thick feeling of an impossible dimension is amazing. If all ranges are perfect, from highs to deep bass, the balance is perfect. Clear, thick, tough, detailed, and rich in sound... A sound that you can't find even if you try your hardest to find it. In fact, at the time of the excavation, specialized magazines wrote, ``An archaeological discovery that was not even rumored among traders,'' ``The birth of a super-quality boot,'' ``Sound quality 200% higher (compared to previous releases),'' and ``An outrageous killer title.'' So many words of praise were given to him. How was such a recording possible? In fact, this work is a “professional audience”. The record company staff at the time set up a microphone in the staff area and recorded it (for material purposes?). As a result, we were able to capture a miraculous sound that was completely different from that of the general audience, and that the ideal sound reached us beautifully without any obstructions, and there was almost no audience noise. This work is a direct CD version of that master tape. 13 years have passed since the appearance of such a shock, and we decided to press it to commemorate the 40th anniversary of the live performance. Of course, since it is a historical super-famous recording, I decided to do my best to find the right one again with the determination to ``make it the definitive record no matter what!''. However, the result was a disastrous defeat. Again, I couldn't find any flaws. Even though there are countless great recordings in the world, this is an extremely rare "perfect recording that cannot be touched." That is the sound of this work. The music recorded with such quality is an intense jazz rock that is more than just "precious." At that time, it was the night before production of "GAZEUSE!", but all songs except "Night Illusion" and "Mireille" were already performed. On top of that, Holdsworth also played ``Wish'' and ``Gattox'' from his solo work ``VELVET DARKNESS''. Their performance is amazing, not only the rhythm created by the core Moulin brothers Pierre and Benoit and Mireille Boet, but also Holdsworth's heavy riffs intertwine with Didier Malherbe's oriental phrases. Master Mose also brings a heavy frenzy similar to MAGMA, and the extreme north of jazz rock/fusion is emerging, with transcendent individuality coming together. In introducing this work, we thought about various themes. ``The live version of ``GAZEUSE!'''' The awesomeness of the professional audience,'' etc....all of which are correct, but in front of the solemn ``sound majesty'' of this work, they are nothing but trite. All perfect, all precious, all great recordings. If such a thing exists, it is nowhere else but this work. Earlier I quoted a comment of praise from a specialist magazine at the time, but there was also another decisive sentence that truly spoke about this work. I would like to introduce this work with this simple famous phrase. "The quality of the material, the high sound quality, the fulfilling performance, all of which are top-notch. This is a great album not only for jazz-rock fans, but also for Holdsworth fans and progressive rock listeners." Live at Reading Festival, Reading, UK 27th August 1976 TRULY PERFECT SOUND(from Original Masters) (59:54) 1. Expresso [GAZEUSE!]2. Wish [VELVET DARKNESS]3. Esunuria [GAZEUSE!] 4. Mandrake [SHAMAL] 5. Shadows Of [GAZEUSE!] 6. Percolations Part 1 [GAZEUSE!] 7. Percolations Part 2 [GAZEUSE!] 8. Gattox [VELVET DARKNESS] 9. Reading Jam Pierre Moerlen - Drums Allan Holdsworth - Guitar Didler Malherbe - Saxophone & Flute Mireille Bauer - Percussion Benoit Moerlen - Vibes Francis Mose - Bass & Piano Mino Cinelou – Percussion