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:::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::: :: :: :: - WHAT'S RATTLIN' ? - :: :: The Weekly Digest for Canterbury Music Addicts :: :: Issue # 146 :: :: Thursday, January 6th, 2000 :: :: :: :::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::: ------------------------------------------------------------------------- From: gong-gas <gong-gas@gpo.sonnet.co.uk> Subject: Bong of all things Gong 1/2000 Date: Thu, 6 Jan 00 10:38:04 +0000 Is this the year 32BG?...Well it is if the Octave Doctors are right and the ever looming Planet Gong does actually manifest in the physical universe in 2032. Strangely different, strangely the same. Here in the Isle of Avalon the new year was welcomed with the sacred hill that dominates the town, Glastonbury Tor, bathed in the flickering fire-light of over 700 flares marking the path of the ancient labyrinth that spirals to it’s summit. The result looked like a giant shimmering UFO or the Fairey Hill it undoubtedly is. It is almost certainly the first time for several hundred years that the Tor had been so celebrated. The assembled revellers, chanters and devotees were united as one at the stroke of midnight as fireworks erupted from horizon to horizon....The vibe was of the very best. I trust that you too, wherever you were, had the highest of times. * * * * * Alien TransmissionHAPPY GLISSMASS and A LUMINOUS NUDE EAR WITH SURROUND SOUND LOVE & A CURIOUS CARGO OF WINKING EYES FROM dr. DINGBOAT TO YON VAST GAS SCHOONER and ALL ITS ORIGINAL HIGHLY SINEWED ROWERS, SALIMANDER SAILMENDERS & DETACHABLE GNOMOLOGISTS.... NOW DEEPLY BOWING * * * * * GIGS MARK ROBSON 6th Jan UK. Stroud, The Pelican. Daevid and Gilli are also guesting at the odd trancey gig with Orlando in and around Byron Bay. THOM THE WORLD POET 8 Jan USA. Austin - Expressions at Bahai Center 7pm9 Jan USA. Reading at the Renaissance Hotel, Arboretum.8.30pm14 Feb USA. Austin - Love Poems Only7pm Barnes and Noble, 2246 Guadalupe FREE!1 Apr USA. Austin - April Fools Day of Limericks-Fados Irish pub -noon-5pm-FREE!Updates at http://www.geocities.com/SoHo/Studios/6285 THEO TRAVIS QUARTET - UK Dates 2000:15 Jan Farnham - The Pit, Itchell Lane, Crondall (0171 538 5633)17 - 22 Jan London - Ronnie Scott’s Club, Frith St (plus Jose Neto Band) (0171 439 0747)27 Jan St Austel - Cliff Head Hotel, Carlyon Bay (01726 68532)28 Jan Launceton - Kensey Vale Bowling Club (01566 772117) 29 Jan Somerset - venue tbc30 Jan Bristol -The Albert Inn, 1 West St (0117 9661968)10 Feb Dorking -The Watermill, Reigate Rd (01372 275293)12 Feb Bracknell -South Hill Park Arts Centre (01344 484123)18 Feb Brighton -The Lift, 12 Queen's Rd (01273 330933)12 March Lichfield -The Guildhall, City Centre (01543 262223) GIG PLANSWe hope to see as many of you as possible in the forthcoming year and eager plans hatch left, right and centre. But as always the tenuous nature of Gong’s connection with the ‘regular’ way of doing things means that maybe not all of what’s listed below will come off...but then again maybe even more exciting events will occur. GONGSomething special at the very beginning of April...to be announced. Mid April UK Tour 8-10 dates...being booked now. May/June-European Festival dates...being booked now. US Tour? S. American date? Israel? Autumn-European Tour DAEVID ALLEN’S UNIVERSITY OF ERRORS European dates this summer...hopefully * * * * * NEWS NEW GONG CD UPDATE ZERO TO INFINITY SMACD824The birth pangs have almost subsided and the CD is still...almost unbelievably...on schedule for the release date of 21st February. We will be mailing you soon. RECORDING AND RELEASE NEWSHere’s a rather scary update on some of the Gong Family and related releases coming at you through 2000. If all this is released will there be time to listen to anything else? And there are certainly more that we don’t know about yet! Absolute Zero CD with Pip Pyle...Recording Anima Rising-Visitation Arena (New Steffe CD)...Mixing/Editing Bubbled Up On Dub-Vol 2 CD...Planning/Recording Daevid Allen-Seven Drones (Gliss/2032)...Mixing/Artwork Daevid Allen’s University of Errors-2nd CD...Artwork Daevid Allen’s University of Errors-3rd CD...Mixing Daevid Allen/Microcosmic-Psychedelic Ambient CD...Mixing/Editing Didier Malherbe-Bloom (Voiceprint)1st time CD release...Remastering/Artwork Eat Static-New CD with Steffe guesting...Artwork...Beginning 2000 Global-? (Own label) 4th album...Recording Goddess T-2nd CD...Recording Gong-Zero To Infinity (One Eyed Salmon)New Studio CD...Completed...21st Feb 2000Gongmatrist-Debut CD of Gilli’s new US based band...Recording/Mixing Invisible Opera Co. of Tibet (UK)-Open For Is-ness CD...Recording Lady June/Mark Hewins et al-Rebela...Mastering/Artwork New York Gong-About Time (Get Back)180gsm LP reissue...Artwork Steffe-Psychedelic Trance CD...Recording/MixingSteffe & Friends-Glastonbury White Spring benefit CD...Planning/RecordingSystem 7-New singles & CD (a-wave)...? Tim Blake-Crystal Island (Voiceprint) New CD...Completed...Spring 2000 Tim Blake-Crystal Machine (Voiceprint) Reissue CD...Remastering...After new CDTim Blake-Blake’s New Jerusalem (Voiceprint) Reissue CD...Remastering...After new CDTim Blake-Magick (Voiceprint) Reissue CD...Remastering...After new CD Various-Taliesin:Beyond The Ninth Wave CDR with Gilli Smyth...Mixing/Editing Various-Gong 25th Birthday Party Too...Selection/Compiling Autumn 2000 Witch-2nd CD...Recording RECENT GONG FAMILY APPEARANCES IN PRINT1. The Bush Telegraph-UK’s premier Herb pornography publication. The current issue has a good Daevid four page interview with photographs and a great review of the Here and Now CD, Gospel of Free.2. Record Collector-Good review of the Here and Now CD and a 2 page piece on very early, avec Daevid, Soft Machine * * * * * GASSome major developments on the GAS website are at present happening off-line. They will be posted before the end of January. * * * * * NEW RELEASES All prices in UK Pounds Sterling CD VARIOUS - ARABESQUE Gut Records GUTCD7Whoops. One we missed from earlier last year, but now have in stock. Great North African compilation featuring a Steve Hillage remix of a Stereo MC’s track, Fever. There is also a Rachid Taha track featuring Steve and many more tremendous tracks. Price 13.50 plus carriage CD THEO TRAVIS - PASSION DANCETheo on tenor sax and flute, David Gordon on piano, Andy Hamill on double bass and Marc Parnell on drums. The album was recorded during the quartet’s week at Ronnie Scott’s club in London in July 1999. It features four new original compositions together with live versions of popular Travis tunes Nightmare in New York and Shore Thing, plus imaginative interpretations of various jazz classics including McCoy Tyner’s title track. Copies of the CD can be ordered online (via Amazon) or by sending a cheque for £12 (payable to T. Travis) to Travis Mail Order at 20 Strathmore Gardens, London N3 2HL. If you would like an autographed copy please ask. * * * * * http://www.sonnet.co.uk/gong-gas/ * * * * * Surrealist Proverb for the month: Cherries fall where texts fail. ------------------------------------------------------------------------- From: Michael Bloom <MHB@MITVMA.MIT.EDU> Subject: Michael Gibbs Date: Thu, 23 Dec 99 11:03:14 EST Michael Gibbs also gets honorary Canterbury status through his work with Michael Mantler and Carla Bley, who've had occasion to hire Robert Wyatt, Hugh Hopper, John Greaves, and I think even Philip Catherine. Most of what I know of his work is arrangements for various ECM players, especially Gary Burton and his colleagues. Burton doesn't compose much, so he's commissioned Gibbs to write entire albums for him (just as he's also recorded several albums of all Carla Bley compositions). The sound I remember is big lush string orchestra clusters, like Ligeti transposed down an octave. (Can't get at those records right now; too much other stuff is piled up in front of them.) Have I mentioned how much I enjoy Carla Bley's old music, and how close it ventures to Canterbury, at least to my ears? There's the same sort of humor built in to the notes, the same sense of skating across jazz tradition with an interest in what else could have been done with these concepts, and also the same tendency to encourage the most idiosyncratic performances from soloists. (I once interviewed Bley when Gary Windo was in her band, and she said one night he took a "solo" that consisted of his walking up to the microphone and delivering a lecture on the topic of all the mistakes he'd made in all his other solos of the evening!) My favorite records of hers are Tropic Appetites (with Julie Tippetts), European Tour 1977 (with Hopper and Windo), Musique Mecanique (Windo), Escalator Over the Hill (her early magnum opus, originally a 3LP set, featuring dozens of interesting musicians, but no Canterbury players), as well as Michael Mantler's The Hapless Child, sung by Robert Wyatt. And of course John Greaves and Peter Blegvad did Kew.Rhone. with them at their studio - that sound was no Accident. As an aside, I spotted a cheap copy of Stewart/Gaskin Up from the Dark (the Rykodisc edition) at my local used record shop-- mis-filed in the Eurythmics section. Anybody need this? E-mail me privately. ------------------------------------------------------------------------- From: Gudrun <v-dorje@ticnet.com>Subject: Mike King's post of the Jap translation of Moon In June Date: Thu, 23 Dec 1999 12:25:24 -0600 >If it helps, what follows are the complete song lyrics EXACTLY as>reprinted in the gatefold of the CBS/SONY Japanese vinyl edition of>Soft Machine 'Third' (which uses the inside group photo as the >outside cover). WOW! Must be awful nice to have *that* copy,(How is the sound, Mike? As good as the UK press or better?), but using the Japanese lyric rendition is a joke if you`re seriously trying to figure out what Robert is on about. Even if you`re not serious! ;^) (I`ve written him before asking similar questions. He retorted with even more non-sensical renderings, saying he really couldn`t recall......& obviously doesn`t care to. That's fine, of course. What would life be without mystery? The closest transcription you`ll find available is the one on Calyx (which doesn't answer your question, of course), but a pretty good job. Aymeric was trying to help clarify, but that's a lost cause, really. So,...........*you* must decide. Maybe Hugh knows????? Who knows? Craig Shropshire ------------------------------------------------------------------------- From: Gudrun <v-dorje@ticnet.com> Subject: Softs video Date: Thu, 23 Dec 1999 11:50:02 -0600 [in WR#145 Leonardo wrote:]>i'm wondering if there is any video footage of soft machine from the >golden period available... [Aymeric replied]>I assume there's very little available commercially. There's a little>snippet from the Beat Club '67 appearance in the "Little Red Riding Hood">video, and possibly other footage from the 1967 trio on some 'Sixties'>video compilation but I don't have that. Other than that, I'm afraid>there's nothing, although obviously there's lots of stuff in television >company archives everywhere in Europe... I have an entire Beat Club piece (my date says 1969, but it looks more like '71, judging from the material & presentation). I also have 2 others from the early Ayers line-up (1968?), which are full of shots of them playing live (surrounded by bubble-blowing hippies) & at home (comes from some Italian TV show apparently). Haven't watched 'em in a long while, but they're all quite nice. Craig Shropshire ------------------------------------------------------------------------- From: SPACETUNES@aol.com Subject: GONG 2000 Date: Thu, 23 Dec 1999 10:54:46 EST Hello all, Gong coming out with new cd in Feb 2000, can't wait!Also I have been trying to get a copy of an underground CD of Soft Machine from 1976 called the Hazard Profile, I do not know the policy here for bootleg stuffif I am out of line please tell me if not does anyone know where I can get a copy of this, I ordered once thru a website from New York called tunnelrecords.com, waited over a year before I canceled, any info would be helpful and like I said if I am out of line let me know and you will never hear this from me again Greg [The WR policy on bootlegs is understanding the musical and historical reasons for people wanting them but not to support bootlegging as a large-scale and profitable venture. Maybe the musicians on this list think otherwise, in which case they are welcome to express themselves - AL] ------------------------------------------------------------------------- I've just discovered an official John Etheridge website. It is particularly useful for live dates (John gigs regularly with various line-ups): http://www.johnetheridge.f9.co.uk/ ------------------------------------------------------------------------- From: Simon Ainley Subject: Shark Station Chef Date: Mon, 3 Jan 2000 18:40:07 -0000 Hi Aymeric, I thought you might like to hear about the following site - which is where I am nowadays. As Stephen Yarwood so kindly found me out last year I have been writing and recording some songs which the world may find interesting. http://www.mp3.com/sharkstationchef A mixture of songs exploring a range of emotions from 'stress and obsession' through 'a travelog of a British city in Maytime' to 'the recognition that we all are connected through time by the lunar force' and the 'uplifting tale of a dyslexic chef and his duck school queen'. I hope you and the readers like it - let me know what you think. Keep up the excellent work Simon Ainley - ex 801/Random Hold ------------------------------------------------------------------------- From: Jeremy Levy <jeza@jezaland.demon.co.uk> Subject: Y2K Upgrade at Jezaland Date: Mon, 3 Jan 2000 17:26:57 +0000 Hi and a wishing you a Happy New Century (still under debate) This is to let you know about some major Y2K changes I've been making at Jezaland. The main of which, apart from a whole new look and consolidated interface, is the inclusion throughout the website of Instant Play embedded QuickTime movies, featuring samples from my new CD 'jeza wined up'. Now you can listen as you browse before the graphics even finish loading !! - no messing about with RealAudio, Plus collected CD reviews etc. Also some fascinating and thought provoking new Y2K articles from my brother Eliazer Halevi, including 'The End of the World as we Blew it', 'Choosing the Right Music for the Second Coming' and 'Declaration of Generation Y'.. An Exclusive Sound Sample of a pre-Police Sting with members of Gong and Hawkwind as the RadioActors playing 'Strontium90' unreleased since 1977 on the Bandwagon pages, a revamped 'Songbook' with full lyrics and instant samples, and a revised up-to-the-minute Visitor's Book. And of course the Jezaland 'Guide to the Universe', 'Art Gallery', 1970s Free Festival Photos, and so much else to discover, I don't have room.... There's really no place else on the web you need to visit!! Hope to see you there. Optimised for Netscape Navigator with no special plug-ins.Please let me know if you have any particular browser problems. Cheers for now, hope to hear from you soon Jeza ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^ JEZA WINED UP the CD - Only 10.00 quid Produced by Basil Brooks in UK 1999 (c) JLevy ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^ JEZALAND 2000 http://www.jezaland.demon.co.ukMajor Y2K Upgrade includes Autoplay Interactive Quicktime Audio with Netscape NavigatorSome other browsers may experience the - micro$oft.con bug - Stay tuned ------------------------------------------------------------------------- From: "Ross Field" <Field@oceana.net> Subject: Canterbury memories Date: Wed, 5 Jan 2000 14:40:28 -0500 Hi Aymeric! As a long time Canterbury fan I look forward to every one of the What's Rattlin' issues. In fact, if I wasn't on the list, I never would have heard about Pip Pyle's excellent "7 Year Itch". I've been listening to Canterbury bands since the mid '70s. Started w/ Barbara Gaskin's old band, Spyrogyra, which I listened to in a record shop in Amsterdam under the influence some wonderful black afghani hash. When I returned to the States (and my senses) I mail ordered St. Radigunds and truly loved it, and wish I could somehow get my hands on all their other releases. Then when I was a college freshman ('76) I was bragging about my collection of Genesis LPs and a friend said, "Well, hell, you haven't heard anything until you hear Hatfield and the North!". He lent me their first release and it absolutely blew me away. I immediately delved into anything by Hatfield (then Health), the Softs, Caravan, Camel, etc., etc., etc...and continue to this day. All time old favorites: Rotter's Club, first National Health, Soft's I, II, II. However, the only "Canterbury" band I ever saw in concert was Camel (and their actually being a "Canterbury" band is questionable). They warmed up for Wishbone Ash around 1974 or 1975. Camel was fantastic, very hot, Bardens and Latimer were brilliant. Then Wishbone Ash came on, and at the end of their first song, the power went out, totally fucking over their equipment. As the roadies scrambled around trying to get the show back on the road, one of Ash's guitarists (Martin?) yelled into the crowd, asking, "Does anybody know any jokes?". Someone immediately replied "Yeah! Your equipment!", and the crowd roared with laughter (as did the band)!. They never were able to continue, and we collected refunds for our tickets thereby actually seeing a great Camel concert for free. Oh, by the way, a question for your readership: has anyone else noticed similarities between Hatfield/Health/Softs music and early Zappa/Mothers? Zappa's "King Kong" (particularly the version on "Ahead of Their Time") sounds like it could have been the Soft Machine on stage instead of the Mothers. Mutual admiration? Common influences (re Coltrane's modal stuff)?. Warmest regards, Ross Field Hard-By-The-Big-Lake, Michigan, USA ------------------------------------------------------------------------- From: chris cutler <cc@megacorp.u-net.com> Subject: Arthur Brown Date: Thu, 23 Dec 1999 14:47:33 +0000 my twopennothAs far as I'm concerned Arthur Brown was one of the great originals.A stunning performer and a hair-raising singer. Side 1 of his first LP is a monument still, conceived as a suite it combines the subtle complexity of Crane's inspired and ignored arrangements with proto-minimalist elemental melodies and possessed delivery, owing not much to anyone. And those instanly bannable texts. I still listen to it. And the band - for my money Drachen Theaker was a truly great drummer (better than his replacement) and this record may have been Crane's finest hour. Mad manic cabaret. Oscar Brown met Motown, all the way down to the dancing, a great dancer, Arthur, and a man in advance of his time. chris cutler ------------------------------------------------------------------------- From: ANDREW GARIBALDI <andygee@dial.pipex.com> Subject: Soft Machine videos Date: Thu, 23 Dec 1999 22:22:13 -0800 Hi to one and all - happy new year from Scotland, Last time around Aymeric mentioned about an official video featuring the Softs trio. Well, I don't own it either (another one that got away) but the title was 'Psychdelelia' or something like that. The ORIGINAL one was released only in Australia and available for quite a while on import but no-one apart from us ever imported the thing because basically no-one knew what it was all about, I suppose. This original lasted about 90 minutes and featured two tracks from Soft Machine, one of which is definitely the four-piece line-up from 1967 because, although you don't see Daevid on the video, his guitar can clearly be heard on the soundtrack and it's NOT from an LP. The other track (and here I have completely forgotten the titles altho' I'll bet someone out there is reaching for the computer as we speak) seemed to be the trio as no guitar was heard on this one. The video, much later on, got a release in the UK through Magnum Distribution, but for some reason had been radically edited, missing several key artists and performances, including one of the Softs tracks. Amazingly enough, the Aussie one came back into print and was certainly available until about a year ago, but we've not had reason to re-promote it since then, so no idea if it's still around, I'm afraid. It's a good video (the original) feat Family, Bowie, Arthur Brown, Beefheart (I think) and lots more '70's faves, if the memory serves. Andy G. (CD Services & Dead Earnest, Dundee) ------------------------------------------------------------------------- * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * ** FORTHCOMING CANTERBURY-RELATED CONCERTS ** * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * [for more info : check out the 'Concerts' page of CALYX] http://www.alpes-net.fr/~bigbang/concerts.html The "forthcoming gigs" section isn't back yet - the only live dates known to me are mentioned in the G.A.S. posting at the beginning of this issue. ------------------------------------------------------------------------- END OF ISSUE 146 _________________________________________________________________________ WHAT'S RATTLIN' ? - WHAT'S RATTLIN' ? - WHAT'S RATTLIN' ?_________________________________________________________________________ CALYX - The Canterbury Website http://www.alpes-net.fr/~bigbang/calyx.html THE ULTIMATE ONLINE CANTERBURY DISCOGRAPHY http://www.alpes-net.fr/~bigbang/cantdisco.html WHAT'S RATTLIN' ? BACK ISSUES - ONLINE ARCHIVE http://musart.co.uk/watrat/watrat.htm + search engine : http://musart.co.uk/ssearch.htm * To subscribe, send me an e-mail with 'WR sub' in the subject line.* To send a message for inclusion in the next issue, send it with 'WR: [subject]' in the subject line.* If your e-mail address changes, please notify me and mention both your old and new addresses so I can remove the former and add the latter.* If you can no longer receive WR or don't want to anymore, don't forget to unsubscribe! (i.e. send me a message)* PLEASE SEND ME PHOTOCOPIES OF MAGAZINE ARTICLES, LYRICS TRANSCRIPTIONS etc.!!!(Contact me beforehand at my usual e-mail address <bigbang@alpes-net.fr>)_________________________________________________________________________