Arguably Gong’s biggest album, You marked the fruits of each the Radio Gnome Trilogy, and of singer, guitarist, and visionary Daevid Allen’s first tenure with the band. The Radio Gnome sequence, which was Allen’s brainchild, cumulatively informed a mythological parable that was as ingenious because it was ludicrously comedian.
1973’s Flying Teapot album opened the story with lead character Zero The Hero looking for which means within the bodily world, helped in his process by The Pot Head Pixies from Planet Gong. Angel’s Egg, launched later the identical yr, discovered a drug-induced Zero exploring the planet. Within the course of, he discovers the key of flying teapots, hangs out with house prostitutes, and uncovers a grand plan to activate everybody’s third eye by way of a worldwide live performance of freaks.
Soundtracking this madcap story was an amalgamation of jazz and prog dubbed “space-rock.” With excellent musicianship prevalent all through, it was a method characterised by synth wizard Tim Blake’s atmospheric swirls, Steve Hillage’s virtuoso guitar work, Didier Malherbe’s saxophone skronks, the tight rhythms of bassist Mike Howlett and drummer Pierre Moerlen, and Gilli Smyth’s distinctive “space whispers.”
You, the ultimate installment within the sequence, was recorded at Manor Studios, Oxfordshire, in the summertime of 1974, and launched that October. It finds our hero getting back from his journey to Planet Gong; as he makes an attempt to deliver his imaginative and prescient to life, he builds temples and organizes a Feast Of Freaks. Finally lacking out on the third-eye revelation, Zero is pressured to spend his life spinning across the wheel of births and deaths.
Musically, the album kicks off with a sequence of manically artistic, sonically various skits, with spoken-word opener “Thoughts For Naught” setting a suitably unique and ethereal tone. The trad-jazz of “A PHP’s Advice” segues into the spiritual chants and synth atmospherics of “Magick Mother Invocation.” The fourth observe, the majestic “Master Builder,” is the primary music correct, constructing a head of steam with flute and tribal drums earlier than some wild saxophone freak-outs and axe shreds from Didier Malherbe and Steve Hillage, respectively. The gorgeous, proto-ambient instrumental “A Sprinkling Of Clouds” follows, earlier than the hypnotically funky “Isle Of Everywhere.” Nearer “You Never Blow Yr Trip Forever” discovered them at their most manically artistic, with Mike Howlett’s bass grooves underpinning Daevid Allen’s space-jazz scats.
Following the album’s launch, husband and spouse Allen and Smyth departed the band. As conservatory-trained drummer Pierre Moerlin took over the artistic reigns, Gong went on to pursue a extra pronouncedly jazz-rock route, starting with the follow-up Shamal.
The Love From Planet Gong: The Virgin Years 1973-75 field set is out now.
