I completely agree with you guys!!!
1977, Tim Blake hadn't been a member of Gong for about two years. He gave a lending hand to Steve Hillage's Fish Rising (which had most of Gong helping out anyway), and the Clearlight Symphony album in 1975 (which had both members of Gong and Lard Free helping out). Then he went and embarked on this solo project, Crystal Machine. These were essentially tapings from a couple of shows from 1976 and early 1977, that is, the Seasalter Free Festival in England in 1976, and the La Palace Théâtre in Paris in Feb. 1977. Though recorded live, there are no audience cheers.
Since Crystal Machine was rejected by Virgin Records, it was released on a small French electronic label called EGG (you'll find artists like Patrick Vian, Alain Markusfeld, Heldon, Vangelis, Urban Sax, etc. on that label) and had it released in 1977. Anyway, Blake was sticking to his trustworthy Mini Moog and his custom made EMS Synthi "A"s. And he created some nice, spacy electronic music, a lot of it improvised, with some electronic effects that (unsurprisingly) sound like they belong on a Gong album. "Synthèse Intemporel" sounds just like what Tangerine Dream was doing around that same time, while the rest of the album sounds like no one else than Blake. The album isn't perfect, but I love that analog sound, and its shortcomings still don't prevent me from enjoying it. Nice album if you like '70s electronic.
Blake's New Jerusalem is Tim Blake's 1978 followup to Crystal Machine. This time around, it's a studio offering. That means that he was able to do more things, like overdubbing, fixing up mistakes, and so on. While still sticking to his Mini Moog and his two trustworthy custom made EMS Synthi "A"s, he started adding some polyphonic synths, and he also played some acoustic and glissando guitar. He also sings on all but one song (he only sang on "Last Ride of the Boogie Child" on his previous offering). Basically, he stopped using those Gong-like electronic effects, for the most part, and went for a more musical approach, more of an electronic/prog rock album. The lyrics all have heavy sci-fi themes, all inspired by the works of William Blake (which I assume Tim Blake was totally flattered that he shared the same last name as the famous poet). All the synthesizers have that great, spacy analog sound that I come to enjoy from the 1970s. Favorites of mine include the "A Song For a New Age", complete with great acoustic guitar and spacy synths, "Generator (Laser Beam)" and the instrumental "Passage Sur La Cité (Des Révélation)". Unfortunately Tim Blake won't be heard too much hereafter. He moved to a windmill in Britanny, and was a member of Hawkwind for two albums, Live '79 and Levitation, then retreated, only releasing that occasional solo album like Magick and Tide of the Century.
"Prog Electronic" or "Psychedelic/Space-Rock"???