THE OTHER SIDE OF THE SKY (A COLLECTION)

Like those other stalwarts of the free festival scene Hawkwind, Gong's back catalogue has been repackaged, compiled and bootlegged remorselessly, which makes purchasing albums a risky proposition for the newcomer. This compilation is probably the best currently available - a double CD for the price of a single which covers the main albums by Daevid Allen's Gong in the 1970s.

The bulk of the material is drawn from 5 albums - Camembert Electrique, Flying Teapot, Angel's Egg, You and Live Floating Anarchy '77, with a track from the bizarre 1979 New York Gong project thrown in for good measure. The tracks are not sequenced in strict chronological order, but rather are organised so that the music flows naturally (although established fans may find some of the juxtapositions a little strange). The package also includes informative sleevenotes which do a pretty good job of explaining Gong's convoluted history. The whole thing comes across as a labour of love put together by knowledgable fans of the band rather than as a cheap cash in, which is a welcome change from most compilation albums.

There are a couple of minor gripes - the packaging could inlude a little more information about the various line ups, and for the newcomer it isn't always clear exactly which track comes from which album, but if you're looking for an introduction to Gong's golden era you won't do any better than this.

social review comments | Review Permalink
Posted Sunday, November 6, 2005 | Review this album | Report (Review #54868)

This is a fabulous double CD which offers you a fine selection of music from Daevid Allen's original Gong. I recommend it to newcomers since it offers a large number of highlights from CAMEMBERT ELECTRIQUE and the RADIO GNOME TRILOGY, as well as the best (long!) tracks from Planet Gong's excellent LIVE FLOATING ANARCHY (1977).

Just one caveat. I immediately noticed that two of my favourite tracks by this band were missing: 'Never bin stone before' (from CAMEMBERT) and 'Zero the Hero and the witch's spell' (from THE FLYING TEAPOT). If you know you're interested in the Canterbury Scene, it would be better to buy the entire RADIO GNOME TRILOGY, since that is full of great music from start to finish, and you'll get to hear all the tracks in chronological order, whereas this collection mixes them up completely.

social review comments | Review Permalink
Posted Thursday, July 5, 2007 | Review this album | Report (Review #127637)

I have decided to start writing reviews of albums that don't really get that much attention on this website or anywhere for that matter. This is probably one of the more known albums I will review. Gong's You is the third and final chapter in the Radio Gnome Trilogy (1972-1974). I believe this ... (read more)

Report this review (#204256) | Posted by Erpland316 | Tuesday, February 24, 2009 | Review Permanlink

I have had this compilation for the last three years, gathering dust in my music collection. I have never had the courage to listen to it. The same goes for the rest of my Gong albums. I have bought and then stored them for later. I have now decided that my next year's project is to getting to kno ... (read more)

Report this review (#186352) | Posted by toroddfuglesteg | Sunday, October 19, 2008 | Review Permanlink

First some of the technical details, the percentages are just approximate only. This compilation is taken from mainly Camembert Electrique 65%, Flying Teapot 50%, Angel's Egg 55%, You 60%, planet Gong weigh in with 2 tracks at the end and New York gong include one track materialism. Many tracks se ... (read more)

Report this review (#133187) | Posted by uduwudu | Wednesday, August 15, 2007 | Review Permanlink

This was the beginning of my downfall. Having loved Gong after the event (in the early 80's), I had tired of PHPs and teapot taxis. But, browsing HMV's sale section, I picked this up. All my other Gong was on vinyl, which although still handy to the hi- fi was generally ignored in favour of th ... (read more)

Report this review (#102194) | Posted by Caveman | Friday, December 8, 2006 | Review Permanlink

Great value collection and a worthwhile sampler for those who wish to explorer this interesting band without spending to much hard earned cash. There are a few major omissions like Zero the hero and the witch's spell. However this is a good and representative collection of Gongs output with a ... (read more)

Report this review (#91914) | Posted by burgersoft777 | Monday, September 25, 2006 | Review Permanlink

MEMBERS LOGIN ZONE

As a registered member (register here if not), you can post rating/reviews (& edit later), comments reviews and submit new albums.

You are not logged, please complete authentication before continuing (use forum credentials).