Gong: You
Before there were bands like Ozric Tentacles, there was Gong. Gong consisted of a bunch of French and English hippies who recorded a handful of albums in the 1970s about the mythical Planet Gong with all its characters like the Octave Doctors, and Pot Head Pixies, with forms of transportation like Flying Teapots.
In 1973-1974, the band released a trilogy called Radio Gnome Trilogy. The first installment was Flying Teapot (1973), the second installment was Angel’s Egg (1973), and the final installment was You (1974), the album I’m reviewing here.
You is regarded by many as Gong’s best album, and I have no argument about that. The band at that time consisted of Daevid Allen (vocals, glissando guitar), Steve Hillage (guitar), Didier Malherbe (sax, flute, bamboo flute), Tim Blake (synthesizers), Pierre Moerlen (drums, percussion), Gilli Smyth (space whispers), and Mike Howlett (bass).
The album starts off with a couple of quirky numbers, “Thought For Naught” and “A PHP’s Advice” before moving off in to so really trippy, synthesizer dominated space rock. The third cut, “Magick Mother Invocation” starts off with a voice repeatedly chanting, “Aum” against a spacy synthesized background, then it segues in to “Master Builder”, where you keep hearing strange chanting that keeps going, “IAO ZA-I ZA-O MA-I MA-O TA-I TA-O NOW” as the music gets more intense, as the chanting fades, then you get a bunch of jamming sax from “Bloombido” (Didier Malherbe) then the main vocal section comes in.
The next piece is a truly stunning instrumental called “A Sprinkling of Clouds” which starts off with some really cool spacy synths from Tim Blake, then the bass starts kicking in where Tim Blake creates even more interesting synths sounds, before the different band members get their chance to solo, including Didier Malherbe’s sax and Steve Hillage’s guitar, before ending with a truly stunning use of bamboo flute giving a rather exotic feel.
The next song is another short and quirky ditty, “Perfect Mystery” before going off to jam territory with “The Isle of Everywhere” and “You Never Blow Your Trip Forever”.
Gong was a band not known for a steady lineup, and after this album was released, Daevid Allen, Gilli Smyth, and Tim Blake all left, turning the band in to a more generic fusion band in the late 1970s. Regardless, if you like unusual space rock, you be sure to check out Gong’s You.
Original release date: 1974
Daevid Allen: vocals, glissando guitar
Gilli Smyth: space whisper
Steve Hillage: guitar
Tim Blake: synthesizers
Didier Malherbe: sax, flute, bamboo flute
Mike Howlett: bass
Pierre Moerlen: drums, percussion