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Aynsley Dunbar's Retaliation: unknown title [October 24] Victor Brox (vocals, harmonica); John Moorshead (guitar); Alex (Erroneous) Dmochowski (bass); Aynsley Dunbar (drums) Pink Floyd: Interstellar Overdrive [October 25] David Gilmour (guitar); Richard Wright (organ); Roger Waters (bass); Nick Mason (drums) Caravan: If I Could Do It All Over Again, I'd Do It All Over You [October 26] Pye Hastings (guitar & vocals); David Sinclair (keyboards); Richard Sinclair (bass & vocals); Richard Coughlan (drums) Blossom Toes: unknown title [October 26] Brian Godding (guitar, vocals & keyboards); Jim Cregan (guitar & vocals); Brian Belshaw (bass & vocals); Kevin Westlake (drums) Sam Apple Pie: unknown title [October 27] Sam Sampson (vocals & harmonica); Danny Barnes (lead guitar); Andy Johnson (slide guitar); Bob Renny (bass & vocals); Lee Baxter Hayes Jr (drums)

This is an amazing find that I'm sure will delight fans of Frank Zappa and the bands concerned alike. A little background : the Actuel festival was organized by the publication of the same name (who, under different editorship, went on to become a prime mover of the French counterculture in the early to mid-70s) in collaboration with the fledgling BYG label. It was originally going to take place in or near Paris, but French authorities forbid it and the marquee was eventually set up a few miles outside the French border, on Belgian soil. It took place over 5 nights, entertaining an audience of 15-20,000 to a unique mixture of progressive pop, free jazz and contemporary music. Frank Zappa was present at the festival (well, the first four days, it seems) in a twofold capacity. First, as Captain Beefheart's road manager; secondly, as M.C., assisting Pierre Lattes, a famous radio/TV presenter at the time (and the pop music editor for Actuel magazine). The latter task proved problematic given FZ's very limited mastery of French, the prevailing language among the audience, who themselves didn't seem to understand much English. Instead, FZ relinquished his M.C. job for one of occasional guest guitarist. As far as I know, with the exception of FZ's performance with Captain Beefheart, this collects all of his jams with participating bands. (Note: I understand FZ jammed with some of the free jazz players. Sadly the taper of the known circulating source was into rock, not jazz, and didn't bother recording any of the jazz acts.) A couple of films, directed by Jerome Laperrousaz and Jean-Noel Roy, came out in 1970 but were instantly banned because of objections from various bands (most notably Pink Floyd) whose permission hadn't been properly secured. Zappa's performance with Beefheart is included in one of them, and since the audio of the film (unlike the film itself) is in circulation, possibly in better sound than I could provide, I decided not to include it. The whereabouts of the master tapes for the festival, if any exist, are unknown. What recordings are circulating are either the soundtrack of the film, or taken from radio broadcasts (on Luxemburg's RTL and Belgium's RTBF). The source used here is an audience recording made by a young French member of the audience using a now antiquated amateur tape recorder. The original tapes have been newly transferred, but even so, the sound quality is rather poor. Still, it seems to be the only source available at this time, so that will have to do for now. Most legendary, of course, is Frank Zappa's jam with Pink Floyd on a very extended "Interstellar Overdrive". Apparently, despite the wealth of Pink Floyd bootlegs in circulation, no one seems to have their Amougies set, so this will probably delight a lot of people. Browing various PF-related websites, there even seems to be a debate on whether the jam ever took place. Well, here is the final proof that it did.

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Intermezzo from Karelia Suite (incl.organ improv) Country Pie / Brandenburger Concerto #6 4th Bridge - High Level Fugue Hang On To A Dream Pathetique Symphony 4th She Belongs To Me Rondo

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Yes: No Opportunity Necessary, No Experience Needed (Havens) tuning problems Then (Anderson) It's Love (Cavaliere/Brigati) Everydays (Stills) I See You (McGuinn/Crosby) Something's Coming (Bernstein/Sondheim) Jon Anderson - lead vocals Peter Banks - guitar & backing vocals Tony Kaye - organ Chris Squire - bass & vocals Bill Bruford - drums

Sam Apple Pie: unknown unknown Moonlight Man Sam Sampson - vocals & harmonica Mick Smith - lead guitar Andy Johnson - slide guitar Bob Renny - bass Dave Charles - drums

Pretty Things: soundcheck / band intro / unknown Phil May - vocals Victor Unitt - guitar John Povey - keyboards Wally Allen - bass 'Twink' Alder - drums

And now for the penultimate day of this legendary festival... I'm sure this is one of the most anticipated performances - a rare early performance by Yes, plus bits from the Pretty Things and Sam Apple Pie sets. With the exception of "Then", they only play covers, including the rare "It's Love" from The Rascals which extensively features Chris Squire on vocals and bass (there is a version with Steve Howe on the recent live boxed set) - and, already at that point, has Anderson quoting the introductory theme to Stravinsky's "Rite Of Spring" (as he again did on "Yessongs"). The climax of the gig, I think, is the very extended "I See You" which has one of those long, wild guitar/drums duets between Banks and Bruford that Banks has referred to repeatedly but here's the first real chance of hearing what it really was like. Of course, Yes went on to make great music, arguably better and more accomplished, but there's a wildness and freedom to their early incarnation that was missing in their later, superstar days.

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Soft Machine: Moon In June Facelift Eamonn Andrews Mousetrap / Noisette / Backwards / Mousetrap Reprise / drumlink Esther's Nosejob (incl. Pigling Bland) (15:15) 6. Hibou, Anemone And Bear Robert Wyatt - Drums & Vocals Mike Ratledge - Lowrey Organ & Hohner Pianet Hugh Hopper - Bass Elton Dean - Alto Sax Lyn Dobson - Soprano Sax Marc Charig - Cornet Nick Evans - Trombone

This is the only performance known to be recorded of a complete concert by the shortlived septet line-up of Soft Machine. Amougies wasn't quite their debut (they played a warm-up gig in Liverpool a few days before) but this is certainly where most people heard them for the first time. Although a major change in the band's instrumentation, the addition of a brass section didn't actually alter their basic set all that much, the only composition written especially for this line-up being "Pigling Bland", the new coda to "Esther's Nosejob". Everything else (including the rare coda to "Facelift" which shows up on the September trio gig from Amsterdam) had been played by the trio (and quartet with Brian Hopper). Similarly, the fact that Robert Wyatt doesn't sing much was not so much a consequence of the enlarged line-up than one of its causes - apart from Hopper and Ratledge's new compositions being all-instrumental, Wyatt just couldn't cope with his dual role very well. Actually, the Amougies concert has some of his best live singing, particularly the "New York" sequence of "Moon In June". This was in part due to the band's recent acquisition of an Echoplex echo chamber. But most of "Moon In June", alas, is played instrumentally... but it is played very well, particularly by Ratledge who makes expert use of fuzz and wah-wah. All in all, this is a precious document of an exceptional line-up, a welcome complement to what little is available commercially (on "BBC Radio 1967-71" and "Backwards"). Apparently, the first half of this set was broadcast on radio at the time, on either the Belgian RTBF or Luxemburg's RTL

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