Moshkiae Gong Flying Teapot 1973

This is the start of the trilogy and story of Zero The Hero, and it is here that Gong becomes the well known band, and its musicians become well known for their work.

It has been thought, for a long time, and not just from more recent listens, that a lot of this material was mostly designed for the stoned mind, rather than the very idea and thoughts that the whole story is really about, which is centered on the Flying Teapot seemingly is emitting some kind of messages to the Pot Head Pixies, from the Plane Gong.

And here, you can see how Gong developed their work, and the addition of Tim Blake and Steve Hillage to the album, makes a huge difference. The music is given a much wider touch, and when you hear the title piece, it's difficult to think that you are not listening to something special, and its touches are really special, as the music develops. And, in reality, this is where the story starts, and is developed from this long piece that develops from a really nice introduction into a rocker towards its end. but in between the slow development of this piece is special and a treat ... as to how different their music was and is from almost anyone around, and with its touches that we might consider similar to the Canterbury Scene that Daevid Allen came from, in the end, Gong translates into something else, that is not just about a jazzy touch here and there ... it's about the story and its sequential work. Have another cup of tea?

And when you hear how the glissando of Daevid's in this piece, it is much more than just a solo instrument as it was seen in the previous album, but it also shows, how valuable and creative they became from the extra material on the previous album, that all of a sudden is not exactly as good, or as well thought out as this material seems to be ... and it is hard to not appreciate the touches and how this piece works itself, and how much of a difference both Tim Blake and Steve Hillage make on this album. I have a few times, just put on the title track from this album, as if nothing else was needed to listen to here ... it is that satisfying. Even if the ending of this is a bit on the weird side ... at least it gives the whole thing some kind of ... touch ... that can not exactly be defined, and at times, it is like it wasn't necessary, but it seems to work fine and leads well into the next part.

The continuation is clarified in the next piece about Zero The Hero, and then the piece that is well known by Gilli Smyth which closes the album. At this point in the story, I think that we might get confused, as to how the Witch's Spell comes into play, but I think that the next piece, the last in the album clarifies it ... sex was a part of the whole story.

This album is one that really shows how Gong became well known. The story itself, is what they played the most in its entirety in their concerts (all three albums plus a piece or two from before), and is somewhat known enough for many of us to suggest that this is a stoned out thing, although I am of the opinion that the drugs would not necessarily be that important given the story and how it comes about.

Some of the musical moments in this album are indeed neat, and special, and a shout out needs to be given to the thoughtfulness of how it was all put together and used, which is a credit to Daevid Allen, but the musicians that went on to work with him and helped define their story is ... excellent, and a rare treat altogether.

A wonderful album, even if we have to think something like it is just a stone head's paradise, which for me is not necessary at all, and it is not likely that some material as shown here can be played so well defined by being stoned. In that sense, there is a lot more here than what the story that Gong seems to have created that it was a stony band, specially as by this time, Daevid was already well known into his Zen thing, which would not allow drugs.

Moshkiae Gong Continental Circus 1972

This album is a soundtrack that belongs to a film by Jerome Laperrousaz, and it seems to be about motorcycle racing ... but even if we do not know the film, and there isn't a whole lot about it anywhere, the album, is, for all intents and purposes, a superb show of what Gong was to become. With the addition of Pip Pyle on drums, the trie of Gilli, Didier and Daevid, not had a much stronger touch, which was augmented by bassist Christian Tritsch, and made the long cuts listed in the LP valuable and you got to hear, for the first time, the thing that Daevid became very well known for ... his glissando style of playing the guitar, and here, he shows as a very strong lead guitar player, something that he did not exactly worked on the rest of his time with the Gong, preferring to stick with the story and augmenting its required touches and moments.

There are lyrics, loud and clear in the opening piece and it is likely that it is mostly ad lib as it seems to not exactly have any continuation that resembles what would be expected lyrically in a song. But, the glorious side of it, is Daevid's glissando, that is used so well and creates a wonderful touch and feel about the music, that is special and makes this album even more important.

After the first 4 pieces, which is what the LP has, a later release on a CD showed up with a lot of stuff that ... I'm not sure it was in the film, or belongs here, but, seems to have come from the same recording sessions.

The listing on the CD is as follows and a lot of it was used later in the story of Zero The Hero, which might suggest this stuff was already being worked on and was likely known that it would become some new material in the next albums. The CD also has Continental Circus as the 4th piece and What Do You Want? as the 2nd piece, with a replay of the first piece as an instrumental in the 3rd slot.

I can not tell you how it all fits or not, but the CD seems to sound fine, though I'm a bit wondering about the extra material, which likely was material to be worked on further and used later. It is possible that the material listed here is a part of the Flying Teapot album, which was released separately later, although it seems like most of it was now ready for prime time, and got cleaned up even more for the album later.

Est-Ce Que Je Suis Hip Hypnotize You Dreamin'it Never Fight Another War Excerpts from Camembert Electrique Est-Ce Que Je Suis Foghat Digs Holes in Space Dynamite I Never Glid Before I Am Your Pussy

An outstanding album, specially in the first 4 pieces all of which are very long and special, with extended glissando parts, all of which make this really special to have and enjoy. I'll reserve the comments on the rest of the album for the Flying Teapot release.

Moshkiae Gong Magick Brother 1969

While this is not, in any way, a good sample of what GONG went on to become, there are a lot of things in this album that show case some of the things that they ended up doing, as if this is how Daevid Allen and friends figured out what they wanted to do soon enough.

Only Gilly Smyth and Didier Malherbe from the normal line up later are in this album, And it isn't exactly a great album with outstanding musicianship, but it has some interesting things in it. It's close to the Syd Barrett and Kevin Ayers style in a weird, sort of way, as if the lyrical content was driving things a bit, though there are things that don't seem to fit, and the opening of the album is one of the things that came very clear and out front later, as done with and by Gilly Smyth. The vocal style, added something to the whole thing that Daevid Allen was able to work with, while also defining the one things that GONG featured in its life until Daevid Allen passed away .. it had a strong presence of women in the work, which the later version of Gong after Daevid Allen, does not have, and it becomes just simplistic rock music that supposedly is the aftermath of the GONG world ... in reality it isn't, though it tries to do so lyrically, and its music is more male oriented bs than it is something with strong women making it stronger and the very Zen touch that Daevid brought with even though some folks don't think it is really that.

The album seems to stick to a few songs, that do not exactly relate, and in many ways, it has been said that it is a very hippie album, and I'm not sure that is right or a good description of the whole thing. It is an album that I think is searching for an identity, and it ends up creating some nice things along the way, and the opening three songs on the album, are a really good example, of the attempt to create some meaningful work instead of some hippie bullshit.

But, don't be surprised to hear so much of the stuff that was cleaned up and used later to create the story of Zero The Hero and the 3 gigantic albums of that story and world, that made Gong valuable during the life of Daevid Allen. I think it died with Daevid, even if folks state that Daevid wanted it to keep going, but, the obvious thought and idea is that the folks that "continued it" did not get what the original thing was all about, and they did not have, or wanted to, have any connection with women, which is one of the things that ... Gong would not likely be well known without it ... and in many ways, it was like Gilly and Miquette and the other ladies involved, did not do much except just sit around and look pretty and make the band look like just another hippie commune ... in many ways, truth or not, a rather disgusting thing to think of, as the history of a lot of communes in Europe were more about sex and drugs, than they were anything else, even if some in Germany were, supposedly, about politics and ... yeah, that too!

All in all, a nice album, that is good to listen to, if you are not familiar with the rest of the work, although for many of us listeners that are well familiarized with this band's work, that is another story ... oohhh, there is that that was used later, and that, too ... and many moments, that kinda give us all an idea that most things in a rock band are not exactly just a song, and left there ... but a continuation of some major works, which you can say was the case with a lot of the stuff in this album.

As much as I like how Daevid made use of the women in his work, it is hard to not think that Gilly Smyth was not an strong influence in the whole thing, and her presence in this album, even in the background, seems to be much better than we give her credit for. AND, very visible in her own albums later, a very with person, and not exactly just another member of the "commune" to cook for the boys. And I think that Daevis knew that and decided right from the start that she has to be a strong part of it, and was ...and very special at that.

But, do give this a listen, and realize that this is the beginning of the history of Zero The Hero and the story that Gong made famous ... that defined their shows.

One of the things that is seen here, probably accidentally, is the touch, that comes off as "jazzy" in how the lyrics and some of the music are put together ... it is not like a rock song, where you have to make sure the guitar is there and the lousy/cheap drumming keeps time ... the wording, and that is very Daevid defined, is not quite in tune with the music itself, but it is sung with a type of alternative touch that was how he defined himself, and in a way, it could be said that his singing style was very "jazzy" and there were some folks playing with him that got it ... and made sure that it was all there, and working well together.

A nice album ... and sometimes, I couldn't help thinking ... is this a Syd Barrett album? But that is another story altogether ... nope ... it isn't ... it's totally Daevid, hippie or not!

FunkFreak75 Now de facto Pierre Moerlen's Gong, the lineup has become nearly 100% French--with only Englishman Allan Holdsworth representing the empire and language of the band's founders.

Line-up / Musicians: - Didier Malherbe / tenor sax, flute (5) - Francis Moze (Magma) / fretless bass, acoustic & electric pianos (6), gong (3) - Pierre Moerlen / drums, glockenspiel & vibes (3), marimba & timpani (3) - Mireille Bauer (Édition Spécial) / marimba (1,3,5), vibraphone (1,2,4), glockenspiel (5), tom toms (3) - Benoit Moerlen / vibraphone (1-5) With: - Allan Holdsworth ('Igginbottom, Ian Carr, Tempest, The Soft Machine, The New Tony Williams Lifetime) / pedal steel (3), electric & acoustic guitars, violin - Mino Cinelu (Moravagine, Chute Libre, Miles Davis) / congas (1,4,5), gong (2,4), cuica, triangle, maracas (3), talking drum, temple blocks (4)

1. "Expresso" (5:58) this sounds so much like BRUFORD (or even UK) with a more Latin-ized sound palette (due, of course, to Allan Holdsworth's domineering guitar tone--which is getting very, VERY close to the one he will use predominantly with the aforementioned bands in the next couple years--the result of recommissioning a new neck and fretboard and overhauling the pickups of his '73 Stratocaster. This is the guitar he will use for the next three years--the Bruford and UK albums--until his move to California in late 1981.) You can hear Allan's new-found confidence spilling over across the tape. The recording sessions of Gazeuse! were 15 months after those for The New Tony Williams Lifetime: Believe It! album--an experience that Allan often cited as being the single most transformative for him over his long career. Aside from Allan's opening solo, the music is very good Jazz-Rock Fusion: funky, somewhat smooth and governed by mathematical rules, with some excellent bass play from ex-Magma bassist Francis Moze, great vibraphone support from Mireille Bauer (both of whom would soon be shacking up together and moving on to help strengthen J-R Fusion band Édition Special) and of course Pierre Moelen's flawless drum play. (9.75/10)

2. "Night Illusion" (3:42) a solid song (with some great drumming) that lacks any melodic enticements. (8.75/10)

3. "Percolations, Part 1 + Part 2" (10:00) Benoit Moerlen, Mireille Bauer, and Pierre Moerlen weave together their tuned percussion instruments into something quite beautiful and hypnotic while Didier Malherbe adds some breathy flute. (Is this what Mike Oldfield heard that caused him to recruit Pierre for his Incantations album and tour?) At 2:10 a rock drum beat enters for a short bit, signalling the percussionists to shift their weave. Thereafter Pierre and Mireille's percussion work expand to cover timpani and tom toms and, eventually, drums. Leave it to Pierre to perform one of the most enjoyable/listenable drum solos rendered to vinyl. I love mathematical music like this. Again, I think this music previews (inspired) Brand X ("...and so to F"). (18/20)

4. "Shadows Of" (7:48) a song that starts out a little lackadaisacle despite Pierre's dynamic drumming and Allan's introductory guitar melody, but then, at 1:05, slowly speeds up into a nice cruising speed with Benoit's accenting vibes and Didier's folk-feeling flute play up front. Then Allan takes over at 2:50 with some of the weirdest saw-like bent-note play. It sounds like he's playing through a muted synthesizer clarinet or a Native American drone flute. Eventually he turns back to his regular (new) sound as he's joined/twinned by Didier's flute. At 5:30 the song seems to end, but then, weirdly, it slowly picks back up, one instrument at a time--sounding as if "Ooops! We forgot a round!" Bass and acoustic guitar here are awesome, but then Allan and the band return to a more BRUFORD sound and feel for the song's finish. Solid. Worth many listens. (13.5/15)

5. "Esnuria" (8:00) an interesting percussion weave opens this one before bass, guitar, and sax join in to coerce some funky rock out of it. Quite an interesting blend of sounds and styles: funk, Latin, R&B, rock, blues, jazz-rock, prog, even a little Canterbury. I'm not quite convinced it all works but it is certainly interesting. In the song's second half the band seems to smooth out and cruise down an easy straightaway but then at the end of the fifth minute they move back into a kind of intricate FRANK ZAPPA hodge-podge weave. I must say that Didier Malherbe's sax play coupled with the rhythm section's cohesive play make for some astonishing music. In the eighth minute Allan's guitar "power chords" with Francis Moze's bass and Pierre's amazing drum play make for the most melodic and engaging music on the album. A song that is up and down for me but very impressive. (13.5/15)

6. "Mireille" (4:10) Mireille was, at the time, Pierre's live-in girlfriend and a very popular human among the band (later to fall into relationship with Francis Moze--with whom she would leave Gong in order to join Édition Spécial--helping to make them one of my favorite French Jazz-Fusion bands of the 1970s). The pretty jazz-bar melody offered up to Mireille is given several renditions and variations within this same song: the first a sparse, PAT METHENY-like acoustic guitar with Fender Rhodes treatment, then a Mr. Rogers/Vangelis Blade Runner-like Fender with Ralph Towner-like filigree-style acoustic guitar (Allan showing that his acoustic guitar playing style was quite different than that of his electric axes: his runs much more feathery, like a scurrying mouse, than the slithery stop-and-go large rodent runs of his electric. The final capitulation of the theme is left to Francis' expressive piano, tout seul. (8.875/10)

Total Time: 39:38

There is so much to this album: so many amazing ideas, such amazing musicianship, so many breath-taking riffs and runs, weaves and solos, so many stunning performances, individual and collective, and yet, at the same time, there are so many discordant and even contradictory or combative sounds and styles that I find myself reeling in kind of "wait and see" retreat. This is the first time I've ever been exposed to this album. While I find myself so often feeling exhilarated I can claim almost equal instances of bewilderment and/or repulsion. In time I imagine that it will all become so familiar to me that it will all become accepted: "Oh. That's just Gazeuse!"

On another note, like The Soft Machine, I failed to ever give this band any credit or attention. This was due to their often-hard-to-take-serious first six albums. I never knew that so many of the Canterbury bands would outgrow their frivolous silliness to become quite serious jazz-rock fusion bands. So glad to be here, now! This is the first Gong album that I've heard that I can willingly call a masterful contribution to the elevation of prog and jazz-rock fusion.

A-/five stars; a minor masterpiece of highly entertaining Jazz-Rock Fusion from one of the most extraordinary ensembles you will hear.

snobb Founded in France in late 60s by Australian beatnik Daevid Allen Gong for decades was possible best known musical hippie commune, based in Europe. They never received a commercial success but after all these years there are still people around discussing their Radio Gnome Trilogy (I'm serious - I can even mention a name or few!).

So, right after the half of a century (serious age for active music collective, isn't it?) we get an offer to listen to the new music recorded by "Gong". What is in a menu?

Band's founder and spiritual/creative leader Daevid Allen passed away in 2015 and the yeasr after there was released an album contained his legacy (unfinished ideas and works and lot of music from his younger collaborators who played beside of him). It was quite a great memorial release if not really a Gong album. Now, three years later (and four years after Allen's death), we have an album of new material,not something from the vaults. I'm far not a person who idolize even a great artists, but in a case with Gong things are not so simple.

Original Gong has always been more then just a band, in fact at their best they were talented counter-couture commune playing for fun and time to time recording their hippie-dada-space tales to dedicated followers. There were lot of line-up changes and there were more then a few Gong versions as well. Even best of them (different then Allen "original" one) was a better-then-average jazz fusion band (I'm speaking about so-called "Pierre Moerlen Gong" and their "Shamal" and "Gazeuse!" albums from mid 70s), but they lost that Allen's childish playful freakiness from very first steps. It was Allen himself who saved this ingredient for any project ,he participated, no-one else.

Returning back to newest album,"The Universe Also Collapses" is surprisingly strong (for second decade of new Millennium) progressive rock release. Skilled musicians who all played on last Gong album with Allen still on board - "I See You"(2014) - do the great job here. From twenty-plus minute long space-rock opener "Forever Reoccurring" ("Hawkwind" fans must to hear it for sure)to short guitars driven well-arranged "If Never I'm And Ever You" (do you still remember American AOR bands from early 80s?)to "My Sawtooth Wake" (I really respect Steve Wilson music too)and finally the closer "The Elemental" (Jethro Tull goes AOR?)they play a high quality progressive rock of sort with enthusiasm and positive energy not so characteristic for the time when progressive rock too often become a form of self parody.

Still is it enough for calling themselves "Gong"?

seyo This video contains live performances from 1990 Live on TV album. Four original members of GonG are present: Pip Pyle, Didier Malherbe, Gilli Smyth and an oddball-harlequin persona of the spiritus movens, Daevid Allen.

Performance is focused on their legendary Radio Gnome Invisible trilogy, with 3 starters from Camembert Electrique. Since I have no idea what GonG looked like on scene back in the early 1970s (that is, before I took a peek at several Youtube clips recently), I guess this DVD makes up a lot for that, the age of the performers notwithstanding.

In fact, seeing these unique art-performers in their senior age can just assure you how the music and art in general can surpass generations, years and ages if you wish. Musicianship is great, movie direction very good with several cameras shooting from different angles, while only the engagement of the dancers to invoke the mystical gnomey creatures may be seen as too over-stressed.

The finale presents perhaps too long goodbye with the extended "I Am You" jam, but when Daevid jumps down into the audience you can actually see the highly emotional and spiritual connection between the band and the people, done in an almost religious-like chanting. This is excellent video and should be seen by all those who have at least some knowledge of the Planet GonG trilogy repertoire!