review by thomas

Here it is in all its charming naïve originality – the first album in the Radio Gnome trilogy. Not officially of course, but “Camembert Electrique” is in reality the starting album, where most things part of the Gong universe show up for the first time. The line-up for the album is Daevid Allen (a.k.a. Bert Camembert) on vocals and guitar, Gilli Smyth (Shakti Yonti) on space whispers and lady voice, Pip Pyle (Pip the Heep) on percussion, Christian Tritsch (Submarine Captain) on bass, Didier Malherbe (Blumdido Bad de Grass) on saxes and flute, and at last a person on keyboards known only as Venux de Luxe or The Switch Doctor.

The music is wild, energetic, spacey and anarchistic with plenty of quirky sax sounds from Malherbe. Here is almost no sign of the space-jazz that ruined Gong later on. Such Gong classics as the love/hate syndrome song “You Can’t Kill Me”, the weird “Tropical Fish: Selene” and the space-rock song “Fohat Digs Holes in Space” are here. Let’s not forget the half-minute extravaganza of “Wet Cheese Delirum”, the funniest half-minute in music history? However, all is not well in wonderland. “Dynamite: I am Your Animal” is just annoying when they sing “Dynamite” over and over and over again and the “fuck section” may seem a little lame or ambiguous regarding its purpose today and “I’ve Bin Stone Before” doesn’t really feel like a song as much as a provocation try; such a try can “Dynamite…” also feel like. But I guess you have to try and look at it through the eyes of 1971.

For those of you who only see Gong as a silly band with silly names and silly lyrics and because of that haven’t tried ‘em out I suggest you rethink and give it a try. There is more than what meets the ear. Just get this album and you have the test: either you hate ‘em or you are gonna love ‘em.