This is more or less a appreciation/discussion thread for Gong.  I just recently received the predecesser of the Trilogy, Camembert Electrique, in the mail yesterday, listening to it quite a bit. On my fifth spin or so now and I just realized today how important/influential this band is.  Specifically touching on Daevid Allens interesting life and guitarist Steve Hillage.  I know they have a great drummer, but i guess I don't know if he was influntial or anthing.  Gong blended many different musical styles; folk, jazz, space, psychadelic, nursery rhyme, techo/electronica, hard rock, zheul dance, and so on. 

In addition two styles way before it's time.  Punk rock and Rap.  Although I guess they weren't influential in it's creation, they just used the style in their music from time to time, just part of the weirdness of Gong in general. 

David Aellen, the most important figure in the band.  He was around at the beginning of The Soft Machine.  One the most important psychadelic bands along with Pink Floyd.  He was also politically active, having to leave the UK, because of some riot?? where he was seen on camera or something bla bla bla.  Sounds pretty punk rock to me, songs like You Can't Kill Me, helps me argue the point I think.  Allen also ebraces punk rock in his album Live Floating Anarchy.  He tours with Magma at the beginning of their career.  And you can hear it in their music on songs like, Dynamite: I am Your Animal. I also think they are similar in that they are both themed bands.  Not just conceptual music, but the band itself is a concept. ( I think what is also funny about Daevid Allen is he also quite a bit older than everyone else.  Wasn't he about 40 during the trilogy?).  I also think Gong has quite a bit of rapping in their music.  It isn't urban sounding like the rap you normally here, but it is definitely there.  Allen was a beatnik/poet, or you could say"rapper". 

Steve Hillage, pretty much a hippy guitar god, perfecting the space rock guitar sound.  He also helps the development of techno if I remember correctly.

I dont understand how a band this influential isn't more popular.  I would love to read a book on the history of this band.  All the stories I have heard are great; playing at the MOMA, acid trips, Allen not being able to go on stage, his anti cannabis bit, just so much fun stuff.  Maybe the drug references and influences were a little over the top.  Oh well, it's so f**king good though.

I just wish I could understand the rest of their catalog after the trilogy, so many side bands/project, bands with multiple Gong names.  It's a bit confusing. 

Now this thread can go anywhere it likes, post anything GONG here

I left my body on my bed
I flew away inside my head
To dive right through the moon and find
A perfect world inside my mind
I want to take you there
Smiling through your hair

That is why I sing this song
And why there is a band called Gong
Voices in our heads are calling
Ringing bells and singing tales of
How this world could be
If only we could learn to melt together
Make such lovely weather

Maybe we will blow it like in bygone ages
Maybe we will make it if we care
You'll be there
We'll be there - love...

Love is how you live it
Love is how you give it
Love is how you make it
Love is how you take it
First you make it with your body
Everything you give to share
When you come together then you're
One with lovers everywhere, everywhere...

Give a little wink, give a little wink
You know...

You know just who the pot head pixies are
Have a little drink...

Aaron

yes

Aaron

Gong = Excellent! Though I like their Jazz-Rock stuff better than their space-fusion stuff.

Gazeuse is my favorite by them!

I just wanted to add/2nd something you mentioned above: a few months ago I got Floating Anarchy... [if you don't have it, get it! It's a frigging amazing disk!] & heard it for the 1st time. I was amazed at the very blatant punk often prevalent in it! I wanted to say 'precursor,' but actually punk was happening in '77. Do you think there was any relation of influences, or was it just chance that these things were happening at the same time?

Cleo

Bj-1 wrote: Gong = Excellent! Though I like their Jazz-Rock stuff better than their space-fusion stuff. Gazeuse is my favorite by them!

Same here. I never really got into the Radio Gnome stuff, but I loved what I've heard on Gazeuse and Expresso II. I'm going to buy them one of these days.

i love the songs magdalene, wise man in your heart and the pot head pixies got most of their albums very cool stuff they ought to be discussed more!!!

i have a DVD of them from 1990, it's great but does suffer from early 90's lameness.  I would love to see a video of them live in the 70's, anyone ever seen one, anyone here seen them live, what was it like

Aaron

I was thinking about getting some Gong this week. The guy at the shop showed me the CD cover of Acid Motherhood which looked completely hideous.

Well I shouldn´t judge a book by it´s cover I suppose but that cover was just too much!

listennow801 wrote: I just wanted to add/2nd something you mentioned above: a few months ago I got Floating Anarchy... [if you don't have it, get it! It's a frigging amazing disk!] & heard it for the 1st time. I was amazed at the very blatant punk often prevalent in it! I wanted to say 'precursor,' but actually punk was happening in '77. Do you think there was any relation of influences, or was it just chance that these things were happening at the same time? Cleo

Here and Now were a regular fixture on the free festival circuit in the 1970s and lived in a squat in Ladbroke Grove. Daevid Allen and Gilli Smyth teamed up with them in 1977 and the idea of marrying Gong's anarchic philosophy with the energy and back to basics ethos of punk was the main idea. They took the punk ideal further than most by travelling and living in a converted bus and playing for free wherever possible, and the original vinyl version of the album had the following message to potential purchasers on the cover: "Pay no more than 2.25, but better to rip it off if you can!" - at the time this was just under half the price of an LP in the UK. Daevid Allen followed up the punk connection a couple of years later with NY Gong featuring Bill Laswell. Here and now released a few other albums without Daevid Allen and members of the band also cropped up in touring versions of Gong in the 1980s and 90s, and they have sporadically reformed and toured in their own right over the intervening years.

Bj-1 wrote: Gong = Excellent! Though I like their Jazz-Rock stuff better than their space-fusion stuff. Gazeuse is my favorite by them!

 + Espresso II

BaldFriede wrote: Gong had a lot of top-notch musicians - drummer Pierre Moerlen and sax/flute player Didier Malherbe are second to none, and Steve Hillage on guitar and Mike Howlett on bass aren't slouches either.

this thread was not complete without the baldfriede's post!

i prefer the fusion-era of gong: albums like shamal, expresso , 2 and downwind...

Dr Know wrote: I was thinking about getting some Gong this week. The guy at the shop showed me the CD cover of Acid Motherhood which looked completely hideous. Well I shouldn?t judge a book by it?s cover I suppose but that cover was just too much!

I thought that album cover was awesome, A pregnant Daeved Allen is straight from the land of the pothead pixies! its a good album too, great throw back the radio gnome era while remaining quite contemporary (*see the manipulated GW Bush samples) Kawabata Makoto and Allen are kindred spirits,

Gong are my favorite!!!!!!!!!  Daevid Allen did the coverart for my CD...  And I am really looking forward to the 2006 Event in Amsterdam!  Anyone else here going?  (I will be doing a set in the theater room too!)

I am really excited about seeing Steve Hillage play with Gong in November,and in the Steve Hillage band too!!!!!!!!!!

Cyndee

Gong is one of my favourites... I think that "Radio Gnome", "Flying Teapot" and "You" are three of most awsome albums that I ever heard... Psychedelic, ironic, joyful, amazing arrangements... all you can ask to any band you can find it in these albums and in Gong's career mostly... Ah! His live album is awsome too...

Anyway I also like Pierre Moerlen's Gong and Daevid Allen, Shaktu, Tim Blake and Steve Hillage solo careers...

BUT YOU CAN'T KIIIIIIIILLLL MEEEEEE!!!