EXPRESSO II

By this point, Gong was completely unrecognizable from the Daevid Allen band that most fans were familiar with. Pierre Moerlen's group was a tight fusion band, with little linking it to the Canterbury group it sprang from. But as a fusion fan, I like this better than Allen's lineup.

Like "Expresso" or "Gazeuse", this album is a percussion heavy album, featuring fantastic tuned percussion, that only Ruth Underwood or Ed Mann could top. But here the songs don't stand out as much as they did on the previous album. Allan Holdsworth, credited as a full band member on the previous album, is now a guest on this, only appearing on four of the six tracks. The spaces, however are filled nicely, with the addition of other guest soloists, most noably Mick Taylor and Darryl Way.

I'd have to rate this 3.5 stars, rounded up.