CAMEMBERT ELECTRIQUE

This album definately is essential. I'm not much of a fan of later gong, but this album is 100% pure scorching jazz\rock. All members are in top form. The soloing in You Can't Kill me and Fohat Digs Holes In Space completely blow away anything Black Sabbath were doing around the same time. The songwriting itself is spectacular and wide ranged. I've Bin Stoned starts in a very etherial manner, with organ and Daevid Allen's voice echoing and weaving throught. Without any warning the rest of the band come crashing in as Gili Smyth repeats Daevid's lyrics in what can only be called a space whisper. The shift in tone from dreamy to nightmarish is quite intense upon first listen. "Dynamite" is another nightmarish track, describing a rape (fantasy?) from the womans point of view, and admittedly is not for every listener, yet like the rest of "Camembert," gets better with every listen. Fragments of songs will turn up later in other songs, as does lyrical themes and motifs. "Tropical Fish\Salene" is the perfect closer to a perfect album, my favorite all time art-rock\jazz-rock\progressive track. (seek out the BBC sessions for an extended jam version of this song.)

In later albums, gong put more emphasis on jazz and less on rock. This album preserves that rare delicate yin-yang balance between the two styles. Reccomended for those just starting out in the wonderful world of prog, as well as vetrans who are searching for top noch prog.