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!
