Gong

They're all worth a listen. My favorite from the Allen era is Camembert Electrique and my favorite from the PM era is Downwind.

I prefer the Fusion stuff to the trippy drug addict stuff

Gazeuse, Expresso II (my fave), Downwind - all great!

Flying Teapot is my fave Allen era album

Gilly Smith bothers me

It's got to be "You"!
   You am I as I are you

With a line up that changed regularly, there's not really a 'best' Gong album, because i dont think there was ever a Gong album where they failed to achieve what they were trying to achieve. I ully understand how many people might like all the albums after Shamal yet i can really stand them. It just depends what you want in Music. So for me, its got to b e Camenbert Electrique. Never in Gong's discography were they so surrealistic, anarchic or insane as they were on that record. 'You can't kill me' is what punk could have been like if it was good and 'Fohot Digs holes in space', 'Selene' and 'you tried so hard' are all amazing. It also, more than any other Gong record, shows just how good a guitarist Daevid Allen is. I would give an honorable mention to both Flying Teapot and Magick Brother. The former featuring the finest lineup in Gong history and the latter being a criminaly overlooked alternative to 'Piper at the gates of dawn'. On an interesting note, Daevid Allen sees ''shapeshifter' as Gong's finest release.

of course having said all this, after a rather terrifying mushroom trip i haven't had the courage to listen to Gong in a good while. 

I think Angels Egg is their most musical record, but I love Teapot.  That thing was wired in from Jupiter.

In college, I tried to turn my friend on to Gong via Shamal.  He said  "Ha!, that's just the rhythm section!", and then fried my head with Flying Teapot.

Peace

I am a total Gong fanatic!  Even went to England to see them play in Nottingham with Hawkwind a few years ago and plan on going to Amsterdam this year too!!!!!!!!!!!

Btw, Daevid Allen did the coverart for my own CD UFOsmosis! 

Cyndee