Camembert Electrique
Encyclopedia
Camembert Electrique is an album by Gong
, recorded and originally released in 1971. The album was recorded at Château d'Hérouville
near Paris
, France
, produced by Pierre Lattes and engineered by Gilles Salle. Jean Karakos (credited in Daevid Allen
's liner notes as "Byg Jean Kastro Kornflakes") was executive producer.
(catalogue number 529.353), and reissued in 1974 in the UK by Virgin Records
(catalogue number VC-502), where it sold for 59p, the price of a single, a marketing scheme Virgin had used the year before on an album by Faust
, in the hope that greatly discounted albums would give more exposure to the artists and encourage sales of their regularly priced albums, although these discounted albums did not qualify for album chart listings. It was also issued twice on Virgin's Caroline Records
budget label (catalogue number C-1505 also in 1974, and C-1520 around 1976), still at a discount price, but no longer priced as low as a single. In the late 1970s it was reissued on Charly Records
whose edition was in print in the UK concurrently with Virgin's. More recently it has been reissued in the UK on CD by Snapper Music
(catalogue number SNAP-009) and on 180-gram vinyl by Get Back Records (catalogue number GET-610).
Track 1 is titled "Radio Gnome Prediction" on Virgin editions and "Radio Gnome" on later CD editions to avoid confusion with the later song titled "Radio Gnome Invisible", released in 1973 on the Flying Teapot
album. Similary, Gong recorded a completely different song titled "Selene" on the Angel's Egg
album. Also, "Wet Cheese Delirium" is misspelled "Delirum", and "And You Tried So Hard" is shortened to "Tried So Hard" on some recent editions.
The first and last tracks on each side are short collages of sound effects which begin or end each side of the original LP. On both sides of the LP the audio begins in the widely spaced lead groove (on the original edition, but appearing as a banded track on most later editions), and at the end of the side, the audio continues into the locked groove.
Also listed among the personnel are "Venux De Luxe" (Francis Linon), the band's live sound engineer, as "switch doctor and mix master", and Robert Wyatt
's son Sam.
Gong (band)
Gong is a Franco-British progressive/psychedelic rock band formed by Australian musician Daevid Allen. Their music has also been described as space rock. Other notable band members include Allan Holdsworth, Tim Blake, Didier Malherbe, Pip Pyle, Gilli Smyth, Steve Hillage, Francis Moze, Mike Howlett...
, recorded and originally released in 1971. The album was recorded at Château d'Hérouville
Château d'Hérouville
The Château d'Hérouville is a French château of the 18th century located in the village of Hérouville, in the Oise valley near Paris. The castle was built in 1740 by Gaudot, an architect of the school of Rome. In the 19th century, it was used as courier relay station and stabled a hundred...
near Paris
Paris
Paris is the capital and largest city in France, situated on the river Seine, in northern France, at the heart of the Île-de-France region...
, France
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
, produced by Pierre Lattes and engineered by Gilles Salle. Jean Karakos (credited in Daevid Allen
Daevid Allen
Daevid Allen , sometimes credited as Divided Alien, an Australian poet, guitarist, singer, composer and performance artist is co-founder of psychedelic rock groups Soft Machine and Gong .-Biography:In 1960, inspired by the Beat Generation writers he had discovered...
's liner notes as "Byg Jean Kastro Kornflakes") was executive producer.
Release history
The album was originally released in France in 1971 on the label BYG ActuelBYG Actuel
BYG Actuel was a French record label specializing in free jazz. The label also released a small number of non-jazz recordings by artists such as Musica Elettronica Viva, Freedom and Gong.-History:...
(catalogue number 529.353), and reissued in 1974 in the UK by Virgin Records
Virgin Records
Virgin Records is a British record label founded by English entrepreneur Richard Branson, Simon Draper, and Nik Powell in 1972. The company grew to be a worldwide music phenomenon, with platinum performers such as Roy Orbison, Devo, Genesis, Keith Richards, Janet Jackson, Culture Club, Lenny...
(catalogue number VC-502), where it sold for 59p, the price of a single, a marketing scheme Virgin had used the year before on an album by Faust
Faust (band)
Faust are a German krautrock band. Formed in 1971 in Wümme, the group was originally composed of Werner "Zappi" Diermaier, Hans Joachim Irmler, Arnulf Meifert, Jean-Hervé Péron, Rudolf Sosna and Gunther Wüsthoff, working with record producer Uwe Nettelbeck and engineer Kurt Graupner.-History:Faust...
, in the hope that greatly discounted albums would give more exposure to the artists and encourage sales of their regularly priced albums, although these discounted albums did not qualify for album chart listings. It was also issued twice on Virgin's Caroline Records
Caroline Records
Caroline Records started out as a subsidiary of Richard Branson's Virgin Records label during the early to mid 1970s. The label originally specialized in putting out budget price LPs by mainly progressive rock and jazz artists generally not considered to have a great deal of 'mainstream' or...
budget label (catalogue number C-1505 also in 1974, and C-1520 around 1976), still at a discount price, but no longer priced as low as a single. In the late 1970s it was reissued on Charly Records
Charly Records
Charly Records is a British record label which specialises in reissued material.-History:Among the labels whose original releases are reissued by Charly are Vee-Jay, Sun, Immediate, BYG, Tomato, and Fania. Charly Records was founded in France in 1974 by Jean-Luc Young, who had been a promoter of...
whose edition was in print in the UK concurrently with Virgin's. More recently it has been reissued in the UK on CD by Snapper Music
Snapper Music
Snapper Music is an independent record label founded in 1996 by former head of Castle Communications Jon Beecher, Dougie Dudgeon and funded by the late Mark Levinson from Palan Music Publishing. In 1999 Snapper broke away from its parent company in an MBO in association with ACT and CAI venture...
(catalogue number SNAP-009) and on 180-gram vinyl by Get Back Records (catalogue number GET-610).
Side one
- "Radio Gnome Invisible" (Daevid AllenDaevid AllenDaevid Allen , sometimes credited as Divided Alien, an Australian poet, guitarist, singer, composer and performance artist is co-founder of psychedelic rock groups Soft Machine and Gong .-Biography:In 1960, inspired by the Beat Generation writers he had discovered...
) – 0:26 - "You Can't Kill Me" (Allen) – 6:23
- "I've Bin Stone Before" (Allen) – 4:53
- "Mister Long Shanks" (Allen) / "O Mother" (Allen) / "I Am Your Fantasy" (Gilli SmythGilli SmythGilli Smyth is a musician who performed with the bands Gong, Mother Gong and Planet Gong as well as several solo albums and albums in collaborations other members of Gong...
, Christian Tritsch) – 3:41 - "Dynamite" / "I Am Your Animal" (Smyth, Tritsch) – 4:32
- "Wet Cheese Delirium" (Allen) – 0:29
Side two
- "Squeezing Sponges Over Policemen's Heads" (Allen) – 0:13
- "Fohat Digs Holes in Space" (Allen, Smyth) – 6:24
- "And You Tried So Hard" (Tritsch, Allen) – 4:39
- "Tropical Fish" (Allen) / "Selene" (Allen) – 7:36
- "Gnome the Second" (Allen) – 0:26
Track 1 is titled "Radio Gnome Prediction" on Virgin editions and "Radio Gnome" on later CD editions to avoid confusion with the later song titled "Radio Gnome Invisible", released in 1973 on the Flying Teapot
Flying Teapot (album)
Flying Teapot is an album by Gong, originally released by Virgin in 1973. A later edition was issued by BYG in France and Japan in 1976. Co-titled "Radio Gnome Invisible Part 1", it is the first of the Radio Gnome Trilogy of albums, and was followed by Angel's Egg and You...
album. Similary, Gong recorded a completely different song titled "Selene" on the Angel's Egg
Angel's Egg (album)
Angel's Egg is an album by Gong, recorded and originally released on Virgin Records in 1973.It was recorded using the Manor Mobile at Pavillon du Hay, France, and mixed at The Manor, Oxfordshire, England...
album. Also, "Wet Cheese Delirium" is misspelled "Delirum", and "And You Tried So Hard" is shortened to "Tried So Hard" on some recent editions.
The first and last tracks on each side are short collages of sound effects which begin or end each side of the original LP. On both sides of the LP the audio begins in the widely spaced lead groove (on the original edition, but appearing as a banded track on most later editions), and at the end of the side, the audio continues into the locked groove.
Personnel
- Daevid AllenDaevid AllenDaevid Allen , sometimes credited as Divided Alien, an Australian poet, guitarist, singer, composer and performance artist is co-founder of psychedelic rock groups Soft Machine and Gong .-Biography:In 1960, inspired by the Beat Generation writers he had discovered...
("Bert Camembert") - guitar, vocals, bass guitar on "Tried So Hard" - Gilli SmythGilli SmythGilli Smyth is a musician who performed with the bands Gong, Mother Gong and Planet Gong as well as several solo albums and albums in collaborations other members of Gong...
("Shakti Yoni") - vocals - Didier MalherbeDidier MalherbeDidier Antonin Malherbe is a saxophonist and flautist. He was one of the founders of the Canterbury sound band Gong....
("Bloomdido Bad De Grass") - saxophones and flute - Christian Tritsch ("Submarine Captain") - bass, lead guitar on "Tried So Hard"
- Pip PylePip PylePhillip "Pip" Pyle was an English-born drummer from Sawbridgeworth, Hertfordshire, who later resided in France...
- drums
Also listed among the personnel are "Venux De Luxe" (Francis Linon), the band's live sound engineer, as "switch doctor and mix master", and Robert Wyatt
Robert Wyatt
Robert Wyatt is an English musician, and founding member of the influential Canterbury scene band Soft Machine, with a long and distinguished solo career...
's son Sam.