Wednesday, April 7, 2010

Gong - You (1974)


Aussie Daevid Allen was one of the original members of Soft Machine but was more or less replaced when his work visa expired and he wasn't allowed entrance back into England, instead seeking refuge in France. He basically lived on a commune and started Gong out of necessity- he needed to make music. And what he made was some of the finest space-prog of the 1970s, incorporating elements of psychedelia and jazz fusion along the way.

They also constructed a whole mythology of Gong; a fantasy world of their own universe. Apparently stemming from a vision Allen had during a full moon trip in 1966- he claims to have seen the future. This is where the "Radio Gnome Trilogy" was born, and out of that the third album of the trilogy was 1974's You. Sadly, this would be the last album featuring the classic line-up until reuniting in 1994, but (as you can probably guess) the magic was gone by then.

This is some seriously tripped-out shit. If you're an acid casualty there's a strong chance that you may get stuck somewhere in this record. Please don't stare at the cover too long...

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