THE OTHER SIDE OF THE SKY (A COLLECTION)

Like those other stalwarts of the free festival scene Hawkwind, Gong's back catalogue has been repackaged, compiled and bootlegged remorselessly, which makes purchasing albums a risky proposition for the newcomer. This compilation is probably the best currently available - a double CD for the price of a single which covers the main albums by Daevid Allen's Gong in the 1970s.

The bulk of the material is drawn from 5 albums - Camembert Electrique, Flying Teapot, Angel's Egg, You and Live Floating Anarchy '77, with a track from the bizarre 1979 New York Gong project thrown in for good measure. The tracks are not sequenced in strict chronological order, but rather are organised so that the music flows naturally (although established fans may find some of the juxtapositions a little strange). The package also includes informative sleevenotes which do a pretty good job of explaining Gong's convoluted history. The whole thing comes across as a labour of love put together by knowledgable fans of the band rather than as a cheap cash in, which is a welcome change from most compilation albums.

There are a couple of minor gripes - the packaging could inlude a little more information about the various line ups, and for the newcomer it isn't always clear exactly which track comes from which album, but if you're looking for an introduction to Gong's golden era you won't do any better than this.