Rahul Sharma (Editor)

Continental Circus (album)

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Released
  
April 1972

Artist
  
Gong

Movie
  
Continental Circus

Length
  
34:13

Release date
  
April 1972

Label
  
Giacomo Records

Continental Circus (album) httpsuploadwikimediaorgwikipediaencc2Gon

Recorded
  
April 1971 at Château d'Hérouville, Val-d'Oise, France

Genres
  
Progressive rock, Psychedelic rock, Space rock

Similar
  
Gong albums, Progressive rock albums

Gong continental circus 1971 full album


Continental Circus is the original soundtrack album of the 1972 French documentary film of the same name directed by Jérôme Laperrousaz. Released in April 1972 on Philips Records, the album is credited to "Gong avec Daevid Allen" and was recorded and mixed in two days in the spring of 1971, a few months before the band's 1971 album Camembert Electrique was made. Laperrousaz was a close friend and supporter of Allen and his partner Gilli Smyth and the film, starring Jack Findlay and Giacomo Agostini, is about motorcycle road racing.

Contents

The track "What Do You Want?" is the same piece as "Fohat Digs Holes in Space" on Camembert Electrique, but the version here lacks the intro, has different lyrics and is played slightly slower. The track entitled "Continental Circus World" consists of dialogue and sound effects from the film, backed with a looped excerpt from "Blues for Findlay", the album's only new composition.

The album features English drummer Pip Pyle who had recently joined the band, having been introduced to Daevid Allen by Robert Wyatt during the recording of Allen's debut solo album, Banana Moon, in February.

Side one

  1. "Blues for Findlay" (Daevid Allen, Jérôme Laperrousaz) – 11:18
  2. "Continental Circus World" (Allen, Laperrousaz) – 4:13

Side two

  1. "What Do You Want?" (Allen) – 9:04
  2. "Blues for Findlay – Instrumental" (Allen) – 9:38

For legal reasons, Allen gave his writing credits on the album to his partner Gilli Smyth. He also did this for Magick Brother & a few other releases.

Various bootleg versions of the album exist on CD which include live and studio tracks from roughly the same period.

Personnel

  • Daevid Allen – guitar, vocals
  • Gilli Smyth – space whisper
  • Didier Malherbe – sax, flute
  • Christian Tritsch – bass
  • Pip Pyle – drums
  • Songs

    1Blues for Findlay11:19
    2Continental Circus World4:13
    3What Do You Want?9:04

    References

    Continental Circus (album) Wikipedia