Gong

Profile:
Psychedelic rock band formed by Daevid Allen and Gilli Smyth in France in 1969. Gong became pioneers of a new brand of psychedelia/space-rock/trip-rock - with a conceptual ethos involving aliens and alternative realities. An international outfit, increasingly linked to other bands of the Canterbury scene, many musicians came and went. Without Daevid the band continued with Steve Hillage as leader for a short while, and then in various incarnations as the more jazz-rock styled Pierre Moerlen's Gong. There have been many other versions of Gong over the years, and many reformations since 1990.
See also band offshoots: Paragong, Planet Gong (2), Gongmaison, Pierre Moerlen's Gong, Mother Gong, New York Gong, Gong Global Family, Acid Mothers Gong, etc.
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  • Gong Discography

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Albums

Magick Brother

(15 versions)
BYG Records 1969

Continental Circus

(3 versions)
Philips 1971

Camembert Electrique

(22 versions)
BYG Records 1971

Angel's Egg (Radio Gnome Invisible Part 2)

(29 versions)
Virgin, Virgin 1973

Flying Teapot (Radio Gnome Invisible Part 1)

(19 versions)
Virgin, Virgin 1973

You

(31 versions)
Virgin 1974

Shamal

(24 versions)
Virgin, Virgin 1975

Gazeuse!

(13 versions)
Virgin 1976

Gong Est Mort

(8 versions)
Tapioca 1977

Live Etc.

(8 versions)
Virgin, Virgin 1977

Expresso II

(12 versions)
Virgin 1978

Live At Mallacoff

‎ (Cass, Album)
Ottersongs 1982

The Owl And The Tree

‎ (CD, Album)
The Magnum Music Group 1987

The Mystery And The History Of The Planet Gong

(5 versions)
Demi Monde 1989

Live At Sheffield 1974

(3 versions)
Mantra Records (France) 1990

Live Au Bataclan 1973

(3 versions)
Mantra Records (France) 1990

Shapeshifter

(3 versions)
Celluloid 1992

Daevid Allen / Banana Moon Band / Gong - Je Ne Fum' Pas Des Bananes (2 versions)

Legend Music 1992

Live On TV 1990

‎ (CD, Album)
Code 90 1993

Pre-Modernist Wireless: The Peel Sessions

(4 versions)
Strange Fruit 1995

The Birthday Party

(3 versions)
Voiceprint 1995

Camembert Eclectique

‎ (CD, Album)
GAS Records (2) 1995

You Remixed

(2 versions)
Hypnotic, Purple Pyramid, Outer Music 1997

Family Jewels

(2 versions)
GAS Records (2) 1998

Zero To Infinity

‎ (CD, Album)
One Eyed Salmon Records, Snapper Music 2000

Reviews & Discussion

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explosetoi

explosetoi Jun 23, 2012
Where have all the flowers gone?
Some still can be found in Daevid Allen's smile.
Thanx for they great Live performance, Gong is Psychedelic...Gong is the drug.

Zero The Hero And The Witch's Spell is the real name for Acid.

Daniacid

Daniacid Mar 06, 2012
edited about 1 year ago
apart from Hawkwind , I had never heard anything so psychedelic, some of my dads lps came close, but I heard angels egg first back in '92 heavily tripping on purple om acid tabs , and quite frankly it blew me away and tore my face off all at the same time . The thing with gong is , occasionally you don't get it or its not your "cup of tea" (get it?) but most of the time it's just psychedelic bliss, but then , that's what taking acid/shrooms/dots- whatever is all about , isn't it? You never know where it's gonna take you. Definitely go for the radio gnome trilogy of albums, and if you have some "good shit in stock" try gong est mort. I love underground black metAl and warehouse London acid techno but gong fill in the gaps . Remember it's fun to take a trip , put acid in your veins

johnbennett

johnbennett Jan 21, 2011
edited about 1 year ago
Definately one of the most tripped out funked up jazz psych folk rock psychedelic bands to have come out of the 60s hippy scene.. gong really are masterful purveyors of all things crazy and wonderful..
.. i first heard gong at a friends house after a couple of hot knifes and he stuck on camembert electrique.. a strange mix of raw rock mixed with raw psychedelic haze.. some tracks on this album i just couldnt get into i had not heard stuff like this before.. from strange poetic mutterings to unfathomable rhythms my stoned mind was left in a daze.. but when side 2 of the album was on i was blown into an almighty trip.. it was the first time id ever heard the glorious space whisper of gilly smyth and the masterful glissando sound of soaring guitars just swept me away.. a must listen to experience for all would be space cadets.. .. a true hashish experience without any doubt..
.. inevitabley i was to search out more releases of this myserious outfit and true to form the crazy tale of the pothead pixies on the flying teapot series only served to cement my liking.. i loved this band.. and along with my other favourite space trip band hawkwind, these two hippy outfits tripped my mushroom taking hashish smoking lsd induced brain for many years to come..
. you see gong are the trip, they take u on that crazy journey where only mushrooms can.. one of the ultimate psych trip tracks for me is definatley master builder from the you album.. if youve ever taken mushrooms and not listened to gong or hawkwind .. then where are u at man!!!
.. alternativley daevid allen as a solo is quite interesting too .. more gentle folk inspired tracks can be found on the owl and the tree album.. One great anthem still rings in my head twenty years on .. the sweet and innocent "deya godess" track from the "now is the happiest time of your life" album ... It brings back happy memories of tripping my ass off on a summers afternoon down by the riverside..
... i later got confused by the gong sound on later albums (daevid looks to have left the band at this point)..which is sort of taggged as pierre moerlens gong.. a more jazzy sound.. well produced but not exactly the daevid allen gong.. if u listen at the albums u will know what i mean..
.. happy memories sweet laughter and gong.. definatley a band to cherish and experience :-)

soundstorm

as reviewed by soundstorm Oct 09, 2005
edited over 7 years ago
After becoming a devout Ozric Tentacles convert in the early 90's I went on a quest to find out just who could have possibly influenced the Ozric's unbelievable sound. Conversations with older muso's revealed that I should look for the answer in a group called Gong. "Find the 'Radio Gnome Invisible Trilogy' and you will understand", they told me.

After some searching I found "Flying Teapot", the first album in the trilogy, and was treated to a bizarre hybrid of psychedelic jazzy jamming with a healthy dose of synthy noodling on some tracks. "Not bad", I thought, and definitely worth tracking down the second album of the trilogy, "Angel's Egg".

Things started to get really interesting on "Angel's Egg". The sound became bigger, more cosmic and spacey. More synth effects and bubbles....more beautiful. By the end of the album I could't wait to hear the final album in the trilogy, "You", which was supposed to be the best of them all.

Once "You" was in my hands I just looked at the cover for a bit and wondered what could possibly be inside. The album starts and time begins to slow down as you're drawn back into the story. The music kicks in and you just hold on for the ride. You'll have to listen for yourself.

I guess if you're on this page you must have at least heard of the group or been hyperlinked through something related. There is nothing like Gong and as mentioned above they influenced a huge group of musicians after them.

I highly recommend the trilogy as a starting point.

Remember, you are me, I am you, all of us together.....

Now go aummmmmmmmmmmmmm..................

earthdragon

as reviewed by earthdragon Sep 15, 2005
edited over 7 years ago
So you searched out Gong - the band who seeded the techno scene and have spawned so many cool bands - Ozrics, System 7, Orb ....... The early stuff is great - 'You' is the best imho. But for a real buzz try Gong You Remixed - a compilation of remixes of Gong material by The Orb, Shamen, System 7 etc - Phase1 and Phase 2 (2xCD) on glisscd001.

shadegate

as reviewed by shadegate Jun 22, 2002
gong are THE only band of their kind ever to grace the music world and other worlds alike, they need to be understood at deeper levels to grasp who they really are and to discover what YOUR relatinship with the planet really is all about, it is a self dicovery to look deeper into their past and present movements,spiritualy,lyricaly,and physically..

i love ya Zero!...

shadey.......
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