Charly (label)
30 October 2015 (released)
21 October 2015
Gong are – and were – a completely indefinable and free-thinking outfit. They are still touring and touching minds, even after the death of founder Daevid Allen but this trilogy of albums was the best music that they ever produced.
Originally this was three separate releases but Charly are releasing all three albums in a triple vinyl / 4CD box set complete with the usual packaging (pictures, memorabilia etc), but the heart of this is the music. Even after all this time it intrigues, questions, puzzles and shocks as well as ever.
The trilogy is a series of progressive rock concept albums consisting of Flying Teapot, Angel's Egg and You, describing the adventures of Zero the Hero, the Good Witch Yoni and the Pot Head Pixies from the Planet Gong, who are green with propellers on their heads, and fly around in teapots.
The band at this time consisting of Allen, Gilli Smyth (The good witch Yoni), Didier Malherbe, Tim Blake, Laurie Allan and Steve Hillage – an incredibly varied and inventive crew who all added to the psych and pixie laden sound.
One of the most satisfying this about these albums, for me, is that there is no defining style – all of the artists in the band had their own direction but somehow they were guided into something that works rather than creating a nihilistic cacophony. I sense the hand of Daevid Allen on the tiller but he never took them in ways that the musicians didn’t want to.
For anyone unfamiliar with the music of Gong it is difficult to describe but the guitars, saxophone, early electronica and trippy imagery of the band defined the deep underground of 1973 – 74.
The remastering of this album – from the original master tapes – is exceptional, pulling details out that just weren’t accessible in the days of the original release. The music was challenging originally but now there is so much more to discover but it feels as though it makes more sense.
This is a great release – as it was in the early seventies – and for anyone who has the originals or who has an interest in underground music this is pretty damn essential listening.
