"A Quest for Prog" is a series of 50 Progressive Rock reviews to be written over a year. The band selection is taken from the book in the first post on this blog. And the albums I am reviewing is based on the highest user ratings for each band on Progarchives.com.
Gong - Radio Gnome Invisible Vol. 3 - You (1974)
Produced by Simon Heyworth
Mike Howlett – Bass guitar
Pierre Moerlen – Drums & Percussion
Mireille Bauer – Percussion
Benoit Moerlen – Percussion
Steve Hillage – Lead Guitar
Didier Malherbe – Wind Instruments & Vocals
Tim Blake – Moog, EMS Synthesisers & Mellowdrone
Daevid Allen – Vocal Locust & Glissandoz Guitar
Gilli Smyth – Poems & Space Whisper
Miquette Giraudy – Wee Voices & Chourousings
Track listing:
Side one:
01. Thoughts for Naught (1:32)
02. A P.H.P.'s Advice (1:47)
03. Magick Mother Invocation (2:06)
04. Master Builder (6:07)
05. A Sprinkling of Clouds (8:55)
Side two:
01. Perfect Mystery (2:29)
02. The Isle of Everywhere (10:20)
03. You Never Blow Yr Trip Forever (11:22)
Released in 1974 “Radio Gnome Invisible Vol. 3 - You” is the seventh album by English band Gong. The band formed in 1967 after Daevid Allen at the time a member for the Soft Machine was denied access back into the UK. In France the first line up of the Gong was formed and since then the band have released 14 album in the last 30 years.
The album begins with the theatrical “Thoughts for Naught”. This is quite a strange tune with Waltzy keyboards and some really strange vocals. The vocals sound French and move around the stereo space from which is always fun with headphones. Fun tune.
“A P.H.P.'s Advice” follows and is another short and strange number. It sounds very English and zany kind of like early Pink Floyd mixed with Madness. Very minimal and childlike.
The space rock “Magick Mother Invocation” follows. There are layers of vocals in this one which are kind of like monks but these are Space monks. It’s a very spacey tune.
“Master Builder” follows a song that sounds like a Space Rock version of The Stooges Funhouse record. There’s Tribal drumming and percussion mixed with chanting and eastern flavoured keyboards. There is some cool sax on this track. The second half is really chopped up and disjointed. This is a seriously good tune.
The side closer is “A Sprinkling of Clouds” which continues the Space Rock feel of the previous track. The song has a Kraftwerk feel to it but bigger and less mechanical. The song builds and builds and get’s more chaotic as it goes along. There is also some great flute on the track. Another great song.
The flipside begins with the odd rock n roll song “Perfect Mystery”. It’s like of like a mashed up Kinks with some very strange lyrics and vocals.
The first of the 10 minutes plus tracks “The Isle of Everywhere” is a kind of soul tune with funk bass and guitar through a wah wah pedal. But over the top is some strange ethereal female vocals. The best way to describe the mix would be Space Soul. A strange but very interesting song that probably could have been shorter but doesn’t drag.
We finish on “You Never Blow Yr Trip Forever”. Another kind of strange funk work out which vocals that are pretty much gibberish. That said the melodies are really cool and have a Syd Barrett feel to them. Musically the track points to Cans “Futures Days” album. This track really does go on far too long and does get fairly boring later in the track. My least favourite track.
This album was pretty exciting a listen the first time through. It really goes to places other bands I have listen to have gone. One subsequent listen some songs don’t stand up but overall this is a really interesting listen an Gong are a band I would definitely be interested in listen to more of.
7/10
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