GONG EST MORT? VIVE GONG!

Well recorded and performed, this represents the classic Gong lineup pretty much at their peak. Many of the classic pieces from their early repertoire are here, making this not just the best live example of the band, but a good introduction as well. A must have for Gong fans, and a good addition to any prog collection.

Similar to the GonG live. Unless you are a real Gnome one of the two is sufficient.I , as a Gnome , of course have both. Another live one is the Sheffield 74 but again unless you are a real Gnome..... The madness of those shows are not well transcripted on wax , but if you saw the band in the last seven years , you can take all of those live one and imagine

This album was recorded at a reunion two years after Daevid Allen left the band.

This is a beautifully recorded set (although mastered a bit on the quiet side). The material from 'You' is particularly well-represented, especially compared with the 'Live Etc' versions, which seem a bit at sea without Daevid Allen's guidance, moving, as the band was, into the Pierre Moerlen - helmed period,

I'm commenting only on the vinyl pressing, not having heard a CD of this: wonderful performance, gorgeously captured.

This is a recording from an historical event. On May 14th 1977 there was a Gong festival in the Hippodrome in Paris. 14 hours of Gong in several line-ups and several related bands. Among the bands appearing most notably one named Strontium 90, consisting of Andy Summers (lead guitar), Sting (vocals and rhythm guitar), Stewart Copeland (drums) and Mike Howlett (bass). If someone says "wait a moment, that's Police", yes, you are right. The roots of police stem from this band. A fact hardly anyone knows. Some of the band members had played in several other line-ups of Gong or in solo acts before this final Gong concert, and this can most notably be heard in the performance of Pieere Moerlen on drums. Not that he is bad, but one has heard more lively drumming of him.This is especially notable on "Master Builder". But he has to be excused. He had already played three other gigs before this one, in the band of Steve Hillage and in the Shamal and Gazeuse line-ups of Gong. Anyone would have been tired. This line-up of Gong plays material from the 4 albums "Camembert Electrique", "Flying Teapot", "Angel's Egg" and "You". It is the so-called "classic" line-up of Gong, consisting of Daevid Allen (vocals and glissando guitar), Gilli Smythe (vocals), Tim Blake (synths), Mike Howlett (bass), Steve Hillage (guitar), Didier Malherbe (saxes and flute) and Pierre Moerlen (drums). The band obviously has a lot of fun, and the songs are performed well. Due to the fatigue of Pierre Moerlen this album derves 4 stars only though. Nevertheless it is a classic.

Gong back on fine form after those 2 abortion of an albums Shamal and Gazeuse. Daevid Allen is Gong,not Steve Hillage or Pierre Moerlen.

I don't know,to me me after Daevid Allen left Gong,it is about the same as Robert Wyatt leaving Soft Machine,both bands suffered greatly afterwords. Meaning they both sucked afterwords.

This album has the band at it's greatest. With another spine chilling version's of Can't Kill Me,Zero the Hero & the Witches Spell,Flute Salad/Oily Way/Outer Temple, and a great version of You Never Blow Your Trip Forever.

A must for Gong fans,new and old. Live Gong is the best afterall!!

This is the live recording of the first Gong reunion. As is the case for many of the English contingent who travailed to Paris that day to see Gong play, I had to leave before the Gong set as the gig had over run its time slot and we had no choice but to go. So when this came out in the UK we were delighted, as we had left as "you can't kill me" had started. In truth this is not a strong set, the music sounds jaded and although preformed well, this is nothing more than a competent rendition. Worse by far Gongs best track from the later period "a sprinkling of clouds" is shortened to make it fit. Even at this early stage in their career Gong are it seems happy to milk the public. Frankly most of the other sets that day were far stronger and it is a great shame that the Steve Hillage, Paragong set, has never seen the light of day. For that Matter Tim's Crystal machine set although short was many times more vital than this esoterically safe run through of their material. Frankly I am no longer a big fan of this band, believing that they present a very slippery slope indeed. For gong fans this may well still be essential, if only for the blanked out Hillage photo "he wasn't there folks" And the Allen covers. Well-drawn drivel from the master of the counter-fiat world. Gong should be filed under dangerous to know and left as such in my opnion.

The core lineup of the Radio Gnome years had a reunion in Paris in 1977, the highlights of which are presented in Gong Est Mort? Vive Gong! Say what you like about the band: they certainly weren't overprotective of their name, allowing various spin-offs and factions to use it over the years - for instance, this reunion took place right when the Pierre Moerlen-led lineup hadn't yet officially changed their name to Pierre Morelen's Gong, but Moerlen, Howlett and Malherbe have no qualms about abandoning their fusion experiments in order to bring back the old pothead pixies magic.

Whilst in principle the album is pretty interesting, presenting as it does extended versions of Gong classics from Camembert Electrique to You with a lineup showing a high degree of technical polish and practice, unfortunately the recording quality of the album is really quite poor - not quite on bootleg levels, but poor enough that the finer details of the songs are obscured and the results sadly fall short of the band's usual standards. Not the lineup's fault - this would have been a great gig to watch, but sadly the tapes just aren't up to much. Oh well. One to get if you really, really can't get enough Radio Gnome trilogy material.