GONG — Flying Teapot: Radio Gnome Invisible, Part 1 (review)

GONG — Flying Teapot: Radio Gnome Invisible, Part 1 album cover

Album · 1973 · Jazz Related Rock

4.5/5 · 2025-03-06
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.