Plk C'est Mort

In 1976, early electronic composer Mort Garson released an album called Mother Earth’s Plantasia, subtitled "warm earth music for plants… and the people that love them." In the decades following its release, the album went out of print while amassing a cult following among record collectors and plant enthusiasts alike. Sacred Bones has now announced the CD's first official reissue. Mort Garson was a pioneer of electronic music in the 1960s and an early user of Robert Moog's synthesizer. 'Plantasia' released in 1976 added warmth to the previously darker and colder melodies of earlier electronic releases. By turn playful, surreal or sinister, this is a diverse collection of sounds from a true innovator.

In 1976, early electronic composer Mort Garson released an album called Mother Earth’s Plantasia, subtitled "warm earth music for plants… and the people that love them." In the decades following its release, the album went out of print while amassing a cult following among record collectors and plant enthusiasts alike. Sacred Bones has now announced the CD's first official reissue. Mort Garson was a pioneer of electronic music in the 1960s and an early user of Robert Moog's synthesizer. 'Plantasia' released in 1976 added warmth to the previously darker and colder melodies of earlier electronic releases. By turn playful, surreal or sinister, this is a diverse collection of sounds from a true innovator.

A collection of rare and unreleased recordings from the archives of electronic music pioneer Mort Garson, composer of Mother Earth's Plantasia. The compilation plays like an ultimate Mort Garson playlist, and includes alternate takes of Plantasia tracks, music for never-aired radio advertisements, themes for science fiction films, erotic oddities, and much more from the prolific composer's '60s and '70s synthesizer oeuvre. This deluxe edition includes art by Robert Beatty and new liner notes by Andy Beta

This is a delightful recording from a conductor more closely allied than any other to Berlioz's music. With Berlioz the devil is always in the detail; he was an extraordinary orchestrator and capable of writing unidiomatically for instruments–especially the woodwinds–in order to get exactly the sound he wanted. Or rather, sounds, for the whole texture is made up of many layers. Davis understands this as if by instinct, and draws some beautiful playing from the instrumentalists without ever losing sight of the whole picture. It has been said that the French style of phrasing is all foreplay and no climax: the singers bring this teasing quality to their long, flowing lines but with a charmingly English home-counties blush too. Elsie Moris's light tone is a perfect match for Peter Pears' cool, silvery voice in this respect - and the choir too makes a good full sound without ever getting too heavy. The two discs also include some other gems from the pen of this most idiosyncratic of composers.

Kiri Te Kanawa does well by these songs, avoiding the billowing excesses of sentiment that in other hands (or vocal chords) can make them sound much too soggy. Although Berlioz gathered them all together under the present title, all of the songs were composed at different times for different singers, so they aren't really a cycle at all. I seldom listen to all of them at once, and you should feel free to take them in any order that suits you. "The Death of Cleopatra" is an early cantata that perfectly suits Jessye Norman's stately delivery. She's always at her best playing royalty, and if they're dying in mortal agony, so much the better.

Live album recorded during the first « Gong reunion » in May 28, 1977 in Hippodrome de Pantin (Paris), organised by Jacques Pasquier. The classic Gong line-up with founder Daevid Allen didn’t exist anymore at this date, but reconvened for this event, which also featured all bands formed by ex or current Gong members : Daevid Allen with Euterpe, Didier Malherbe’s Bloom, the « official » Gong led by Pierre Moerlen, Mike Howlett’s Strontium 90, Tim Blake’s Crystal Machine, Steve Hillage’s band etc…