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You (Gong album)

You is the fifth studio album by the progressive rock band Gong, released by Virgin Records in October 1974. It is the last album by Daevid Allen's iteration of the group until 1992's Shapeshifter. Recorded at Virgin's Manor Studios in Oxfordshire, England, side 1 was mixed at Pye Studios, Marble Arch, London, while side 2 was mixed at The Manor. It was produced by Simon Heyworth and Gong "under the universal influence of C.O.I.T., the Compagnie d'Opera Invisible de Thibet", and also engineered by Heyworth.

You is the third of the "Radio Gnome Invisible" trilogy of albums, following Flying Teapot and Angel's Egg. The trilogy forms a central part of the Gong mythology. The structure of the album mixes short narrative pieces with long, jazzy instrumentals (such as "Master Builder", "A Sprinkling of Clouds" and "Isle of Everywhere"), building to a climax/conclusion with "You Never Blow Yr Trip Forever".

Preparation and Recording

The group had undertaken a gruelling tour from October 1973 through to May 1974 taking in Britain, France, Germany and Netherlands. As the tour progressed, they would compose and improvise new themes as a group for this album, subsequently all pieces are credited to the entire band under the pseudonym COIT (Compagnie d'Opera Invisible de Thibet). Allen felt "[t]here was a mystical, occult agreement between us: on the You album, we managed to create geometrically and mathematically perfect pieces of music that seemed to be totally improvised".

In June 1974, with the same line-up as the previous Angel's Egg album, they entered Virgin Records' Manor Studios to record this album. On 29 June they performed for free in Hyde Park, London.

During the sessions, they recorded the non-album single "Where Have All the Flowers Gone?", although it was unissued at the time it was subsequently included on the Gong Live Etc. 1977 collection. It was also re-recorded with altered lyrics as "Hours Gone" by Allen and New York Gong on the 1980 album About Time.

Touring and Promotion

The group toured extensively from 7 August 1974 visiting Britain, France, Germany, Netherlands, Belgium and Norway finishing on 10 September 1975 at The Marquee. There was a bewildering turn-over of personnel: Gilli Smyth (vocals) left before the tour began, her position taken up by Miquette Giraudy, the partner of Steve Hillage (guitar); Pierre Moerlen (drums) also left before the tour commenced, returning once again to Les Percussions de Strasbourg, the position being taken up variously by Chris Cutler (August and September), Laurie Allan for his third stint (September to November), Bill Bruford (November and December), Brian Davison (February to June) and back to Moerlen again (August onward) after he accepted Virgin's offer to lead the group.

Tim Blake (synthesisers) was forced out in March 1975 after Daevid Allen (vocals and guitar) had long-campaigned for his departure because he perceived Blake's drug use was making him violent and psychotic, while Allen himself left in April when he felt an "invisible force" prevented his getting on stage at Cheltenham Town Hall on 10 April. Dave Stewart (keyboards) appeared at some concerts in June, his position then being taken up by Patrice Lemoine.

During September the group began working on material for their next album Shamal, which Hillage only took a guest role on, signalling that he would leave at the end of the year as he felt that much the group's purpose had gone with Allen's departure. Only Didier Malherbe (saxophone) and Mike Howlett (bass) remained ever-present throughout the year.

Release

It was first released by Virgin on 4 October 1974 (catalogue V2019). Further re-pressings were made including as part of a re-issue programme in 1981 (catalogue OVED16). Virgin released the first CD version in 1990 (catalogue CDV2019), including a bonus track of an alternate version of "A PHP's Advice". A re-mastered CD was compiled in 2019 by Howlett and Hillage including further bonus tracks of "Where Have All the Flowers Gone?" and live performances from the Hyde Park concert (catalogue 7714152).

However, former BYG founder Jean-Luc Young began releasing the album on Charly Records in 1982 (catalogue CR30220), followed by releases on related labels such as Decal (catalogue CDLIK76) and Spalax Music (catalogue 14834).

Reception and influence

In a retrospective review for AllMusic, Rovi Staff assessed the album as "a more sophisticated musical vision that owed as much to jazz-rock fusion as to fellow space rockers... this is Gong's most "spacy" album, full of extended, ethereal passages that would inspire future generations of space rockers. The sound was equally defined however, by the jazzy flights of saxophonist Didier Malherbe and the sinuous rhythms of bassist Mike Howlett and drummer Pierre Moerlen".

Rolling Stone named You one of its "50 Greatest Prog Rock Albums Of All Time".

In 1997 the recordings were subject to remixes by a variety of artists and issued as You Remixed (Gliss Records catalogue glisscd001 in Europe, Hypnotic Records catalogue CLP0118-2 in North America). Remixes include those by Moodswings, The Orb, The Shamen, Youth, Electric Skychurch, Total Eclipse, System 7, Stephen Budd, Yamataka Eye, Doof and Graham Massey.

Lead guitarist Steve Hillage remade "Master Builder" as "The Glorious Om Riff" on his 1978 album "Green".

Japanese psych-rock band Acid Mothers Temple also frequently cover "Master Builder", entitled "Om Riff", and have released 2 full albums dedicated to album-length renditions of the song: 2005's "IAO Chant From The Cosmic Inferno" and 2012's "IAO Chant From The Melting Paraiso Underground Freak Out".

Track listing

Personnel

Gong

Daevid Allen ("Dingo Virgin") – gliss guitar, vocals ("vocal locust and glissandoz guitar")
Gilli Smyth ("Shakti Yoni") – vocals ("poems and space whisper")
Didier Malherbe ("Bloomdido Bad de Grasse") – wind instruments and vocals
Tim Blake ("Hi T Moonweed") – Moog, EMS synthesizer, Mellotron
Miquette Giraudy ("Bambaloni Yoni") – vocals ("wee voices and chourousings")
Steve Hillage – lead guitar
Mike Howlett – bass guitar
Pierre Moerlen – drums, percussion
Mireille Bauer – pitched percussion
Benoit Moerlen – pitched percussion