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Other: Ed Unitsky? Creates Artwork For Classic Gong

Posted on Sunday, November 12 @ 06:30:07 UTC by nightowl

Ed Unitsky? art master from Belarus, known for his artwork for The Flower Kings, The Tangent, Guy Manning, and many others; has just completed the artwork commissioned by Ted Duggan, and presented to the Classic Gong during its 40th year Celebration concert November 3rd, 4th and 5th at The Melkweg in Amsterdam. Ted Duggan drummer extraordinaire has played drums for Elton John, The Drifters, Bad Finger, Desmond Decker, Pauline Black, Rankin Roger, Chevy, Time & Space, Chemical Beats, and Banco De Gaia, to name a few.



The Classic Gong members Daevid Allen, Gilli Smyth, Steve Hillage, Miquette Giraudy, Tim Blake, Didier Malherbe and Mike Howlett, with Chris Taylor, were presented with an Ed Unitsky Artwork Collage representing their 40 years of Classic Gong elements by Ted Duggan drummer during the Unconventional Gathering, A Joyous Full-Moon Conspiracy in honor of their long time honored wondrous careers. The original Classic Gong line-up (the most eccentric psychedelic band of the late sixties and early seventies) gathered for the first time since 1977 when Steve Hillage and Miquette Giraudy re-join Daevid Allen, Gilli Smyth, Mike Howlett, Didier Malherbe and Tim Blake on-stage as the climax of 3 nights of classic Gong-style entertainment spread over the two halls ('The Max' and the 'Old Hall') of Amsterdam's world famous Melkweg. The Classic Gong was joined by Pierre Moerlen & Pip Pyle ? Loving spirits from above.

The story of Gong began (again), full moon Easter 1966 when Daevid Allen had a vision which was to change his, and many other people's lives.

He had the vision that he was an experiment being supervised by intelligences far beyond his normal level of awareness that he was on stage in front of a large rock festival audience and experiencing an intense connection with them that had the quality of intense LOVE, at the same time being surrounded by an enormous cone of etheric light ... simultaneously drawing astral shadows from deep below us and dissolving them in the down pouring radiance focused at its peak.

This vision spawned the entire mythology around which the band was based. The concept of playing anything as remotely fashionable as pop music was a radical step for Allen. He says he would never have considered playing pop songs if he had not heard the Yardbirds.

ALLEN: "? for a time I forgot about this revelation, but before long, the act of offering myself to the powers that combine energies and transform all that lives through music became my only reason to exist. At this point I became aware of my life purpose?"

One of the exceptional highlights undoubtedly was the first performance since 1979 of the illustrious and iconic Steve Hillage Band.

Daevid Allen, Tim Blake, Steve Hillage, Miquette Giraudy, Mike Howlett, Didier Malherbe, Gilli Smyth with Chris Taylor System 7, Steve Hillage Band, Tim Blake & J.P. Rykiel, Hadouk Trio, Acid-Mothers-Gong, Eat Static, Mothergong, Daevid Allen unplugged, Zorch, Kangaroo Moon, Toolshed Lite, House of Thandoy, Here & Now, University of Errors, Glissando Orchestra, Sacred Geometry, Stroking the Tail of the Bird, Slack Baba, Purusha, Thom the Poet, more...

The concert was recorded and we might be hearing yet another amazing album by the Classic Gong! So stay tuned!

[Source: Nancy Carroll, mgr for Ed Unitsky]

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