When Shamal came out after YOU, and nobody knew about Gazeuse yet, Shamal was hitting you like a ton of bricks with it's absolutely mean clarity and impact. Good times, these seventies.
I'm going to split my list into the 2 eras. They are really different bands to me Daevid Allen era: 1. You 2. Flying Teapot 3. Angels Egg 4. Camembert Electrique 5. Continental Circus 6. Magic Brother Pierre Moerlen era: 1. Gazeuse! (AKA Espresso) 2. Shamal 3. Espresso 2 4. Downwind 5. Time is the Key Pete, glad you mentioned Gongzilla. It's a killer album!
Your listing is pretty spot and agree you have to have 2 listings as different musical styles and always though that. And I knew before listening to this that Pete being a Holdsworth fantastic would choose Gazuese and Expresso 2. But it is the Allen/Hillage Flying teapot trilogy era that is standout for long time fans and You being #1. But I have soft spot for Camembert as bought if for 52p back in 1973 when Virgin released that and Faust tapes for 49p in 1973 to get people into some strange but brilliant music.
Craig, you did what I was going to tell Pete about the 2 Gong eras. I saw the Shamal band and they were stunning. I also saw the Hillage version - same. The Shamal Gong ended with funky version of the Om riff!
Camembert Electrique has always been my favorite. The guitars sound really good on it and its just so delightfully all over the place. And I immediately vibed with Daevid Allen's whole deal, so consequently, I favor their 2nd-5th albums more than any other.
Much prefer the Daevid Allen years. With Steve Hillage especially. Although I like the Pierre Moerlen albums too. 1. You. 2. Angels Egg. 3. Camembert Electrique. 4. Flying Teapot. 5. Magick Brother. 6. Gazeuse. 7. Expresso II. 8. Shamal. 9. Downwind. 10. Shapeshifter.
I am fortunate enough to not only own the trilogy, but have one of them autographed by and dedicated to me from one of the times I saw and met Daevid and Gilli.
Love it. Both Gong and Amon Duul II featured in the same day. This is why I`m such a fan of this channel. From mainstream to way out there. Keep it up.
well it looks like you an i have some pretty different rankings of this bands catalog! love gong a whole ton, ive gotten heavily into them recently so im glad you made this video.
@@bengalgangster Great to hear from you old friend. I’m a big Steve Hillage fan so yes I like Gong. Just ordered Pete’s top choice with Holdsworth on guitar.Looking forward to diving into it.Want to wish you Happy Holidays and a healthy safe New Year!!!
@@captainbeyond7469 Not Holdsworth's best work IMO but it's still good. If you're a Holdsworth fan you won't be disappointed. Actually Gong is not Hillage's best either but there are definitely highlights
The Radio Gnome trilogy is obviously peak Gong for anyone who experienced them at the time - which i was fortunate enough to. You is one of the greatest psych/space rock albums ever made. What Pete describes as 'weird' and 'fun' is true, but also equates to top notch psychedelia. When Daevid Allen and the brilliant synth player Tim Blake departed after You, the magic was lost for many years and Gong became more of a jazz fusion band.
I actually saw Gong live in Boston in 1995. Pip Pyle, Didier Malherbe, Allen and Smyth were in the lineup, Daevid Allen looked like a grinning Gandalf, but they were incredibly tight. saw them again in '96, and they were just as great live.
Thanks for doing the Gong top 10. An often overlooked prog great. I was fortunate to see them live in the 1990s and they were so incredible. Killer sax. Master Builder is my favorite track by them.
I saw Gong play in a small club in 1973 when I was in high school. They looked like a weird bunch of hippies, but they could play. Hillage was an excellent guitar player. Moerlen was a very good drummer. Live, they sounded like Hawkwind, who I also saw a few times in the early 1970s. I bought Shamal when I was at college in 1976 and I agree with the selection. Gazeuze is a great jazz fusion record which still sounds good. European rock players never got much credit from American critics when they played fusion. Holdsworth was a phenomenal guitarist.
Was introduced to Gong in 1975, mostly Angels Egg and You......Each release after that was a killer evolution- Shamal, Gazeuse (called Expresso I on my vinyl cover), and Expresso II. Holdsworth elevated the band to a whole new level. My preference is Exp II, mostly because of Hansford Rowe on bass. Have to give honorable mention to their album Downwind, not as intense in a fusion way, but a solid album post-Expresso II. Also it cannot be overstated how great Pierre Moerlen played on the drums, he sadly passed in 2005, he could play any style and shred on a fusion level.
Hey Pete, great show! I bought Gazuese on vinyl back in 76. Album was originally released as "Expresso" and later retitled to Gazeuse, don't know why just thought it was a interesting bit of trivia. Take care.
I really only know the stuff with Daevid Allen. I like all of these pretty well, but my top 5 or 6 are a ways above the rest for me. I didn't include "Continental Circus" since it's a soundtrack, but I did include the colab. with AMT, since I really like it. 10) I See You 9) Acid Motherhood (with Acid Mothers Temple) 8) Shapeshifter 7) Magick Brother 6) Zero to Infinity 5) Camembert Electrique 4) 2032 3) Angel's Egg 2) You 1) Flying Teapot Thanks for the video, Pete!
A band that I have never listened to before but I do love Prog so I will download your top 2 albums and give them a go. If I like them then I will buy hard copies. Thank you for sharing your opinions as they are are a great help in expanding my musical taste and knowledge.
As Pete mentioned Gong took a lot of listens to sink in. However I love their music. That said I don't own his top 2 - I was always into the Daevid Allen stuff (seeing them love in 2000 as a 20 year old blew my mind). Check put the Radio Gnome trilogy (Flying Teapot, Angels Eggs and You). Steve Hillage on there is amazing
The presence of Gong in that glare! A wonderful overview and wouldn’t disagree with any of your choices. Glad you highlighted the baselines as they are prominent in driving so many of their songs- particularly some of the longer tracks on the trilogy. Moerlen and Holdsworth on Espresso 2 and Gazeuse are a jazz fusion/ prog rock master combination. The standard of playing by all musicians across the albums is outstanding. Quirky, yes, but also memorable and never boring.
Gong is another one of those prog bands that was a bit over my head when I was younger, and haven't revisited since. I'll be checking out Pete's top three to see what I think of Gong now.
Gazeuse is the only Gong album I have - first got into that when a friend played it to me in the mid-80s. I keep meaning to check out some others, especially the earlier ones with DA.
As a guy from France (nobody's perfect), I can tell you that we like to think over here that Gong is a genuine french band (even if the driving forces weren't french). In the 70's, the french prog band top 3 have always been Magma, Gong and Ange. I just think that the early Gong albums (the classic ones) didn't aged well to my opinion and I rather go to the jazz fusion albums but I have the feeling that it's a different band .. always this problem of continuity in a band with so many line-up changes with different musical orientations.
Yeah agreed that later Gong was a different band from the earlier Daevid Allen's Gong. I stay away from that Daevid Allen stuff on purpose, to me the later Pierre Moerlen's Gong is much better. But overall I'll also reach for classic 70's fusion before playing anything by Gong...I like a couple of Magma albums, also nothing by Ange (I don't do non-English lyrics)
Excellent choice! I have to get "Gazeuse!", it's the only one I'm missing from the 70's alongside the first one. I really dig "Continental Circus" as well, and in another genre (almost punk), I really dig "New York Gong" (About Time). Cool show!
I met Daevid Allen, via a mutual friend, at a Steven Wilson concert in Brisbane, Australia a few years ago. He was telling me that he was an invited guest of Steven's but was about to go backstage after the show but hadn't enjoyed the concert. He was feeling apprehensive about his inevitable review of the show to Steven. I told him that he should tell Steven what he really thought and I'm sure Steven would appreciate his perspective. Personally I thought the show was great. I came straight home from the concert and watched 'I Never Glid Before' on RUclips. Unfortunately Daevid passed away a few months later. A unique fellow.
I've been listening to Gong and their various affiliates/offshoots for over 40 years and seen them a couple of times including 'reunion' tour in noughties with Hillage, Allen and a very ill looking Gilli Smyth. I reckon their various 1970s live albums are the best way into Gong for a neophyte. Of the ten studio albums I have I would rank them as follows (not a fan of jazz fusion years): 10 - Acid Mother's Gong Tokyo (Daevid Allen backed by Acid Mother's Temple in noise freak out mode) 9 - Magick Brother; 8 - Gazeuse; 7 - Floating Anarchy (punky with Daevid Allen backed by Here and Now); 6 - Shamal; 5 - Flying Teapot; 4 - Angel's Egg; 3 - You; 2 - Electrique Camembert; 1- Obsolete by Dashiell Hedayat (French poet backed by Electrique Camembert line up from 1971 - a lost classic of psych weirdness from 1971 featuring William Borroughs and a five year old child on vocals). Tim Blake's (synth player) solo albums are also highly recommended along with Steve Hillage's early solo albums.
Thanks for this list. I started listening to Gong several years ago but did not check out the entire catalog. Of the albums I know, my favorites are Camembert Electrique and the Radio Gnome trilogy. I hadn't looked into the Pierre Moerlin albums. I'll definitely check them out now.
So many albums they have produced and styles. I like the Radio Gnome trilogy and early albums. People should certainly check out Gong`s live albums and also Daevid Allen`s Banana Moon. Many off shoots as you mentioned Gongzilla, also Mother Gong, and New York Gong. To say which is my favourite Gong album is hard to say, it all depends on how I feel that day. Thank you for a really interesting video.
Screwed up the numbers listing twice, repeated the outro and a shaft of sunshine kept putting him off ..Pete's been listening to Gong alright. A ranking show perfectly in sync with the band in question :-). Mate of mine once said "No-one's ever made the follow up album to "You"". I think they have an excellent point there and that has to be my number 1. The rest sort of float around, it's Gong after all, under that for me in no particular order depending on my mood.
I see your view, Pete, Holdsworth shines wherever he turns up, but I have experienced Gong in a very different manner. I would encourage those rocker mates who enjoy psychedelic space rock, Hawkwind and the first innovative era of Pink Floyd , just up to the excellent 'Meddle', to start with an album you have not quoted since perhaps it was not released all over the world. "Continental Circus" , a soundtrack released in 1971, just before "Camembert Electrique" , so their true second release. It features only four tracks, some of them the original takes of tracks included later in the "Camembert" album, but in my humble opinion, Gong's finest hour, standing out the incredible instrumental "Blues For Findlay" . So, my list would be like this: 1 Continental Circus 2 Camembert Electrique (both with Allen on guitar and Pip Pyle on drums) 3 Flying Teapot 4 Angel's Egg 5 You Among their further stuff I would also pick the Pierre Moerlen's Gong "Downwind" , shining especially the track with the same name, a must for every Mike Oldfield's fan. And finally, Steve Hillage's "Fish Rising" a debut album with great riffs and a powerful line-up. Grand.
Anglo/France/Australian collaboration. That’s how they started out. Daevid Allen was the guitarist with Soft Machine until he was kicked out of the UK. ( He’s Australian). He and Gilli Smyth (British) along with Didier Malherbe, met up in France and decided to start a band.
Many years back a friend at school had a comedy book entitled How To Be Cool. One thing it said was never get your friends into Gong. The other thing not to do was to point at a record at a particular moment in the music and say 'This bits really good'. The Gong albums I like are Shamal and Expresso II
I like the Gong ranking. Here is my list of Gong albums that I own; A). “Angel’s Egg”, B). “Gong Live Etc.”, C). “Downwind” by Pierre Moetlen’s Gong and D). “Wingful Of Eyes (Retrospective ‘75-‘78)”. It’s kind of an anthology of “Shamal”, “Gazeuse” and “Expresso ll”.
Ohmygodno! Ain't no Gong without Daevid. Moerlen, God bless him, had no idea what it was about. For my part: 1. Magick Brother 2. Flying Teapot 3. You And are you serious about ranking Zero to Infinity above the not-even-included I see you? Anyhoo, kudos to you for even doing this.
Finally yes! A old rocker pal introduced me to Gong around '98 (I was 18). We t to see them in 1999 or 2000 ish in Sheffield. Blew my mind. Daevid and Gilli were bonkers. The music was immense. The audience erm interesting. Took me a lot of years to really digest and dig them. The Radio Gnome trilogy are my top with Flying Teapot, You then Angels Egg being my 1,2,3. Never listened to ure 1 and 2 Pete so I'll get them ordered. I enjoyed I See You of later albums. I'll never forget that gig Daevid wore a cloak of cd's and a giant smurf type hat. His guitar has no head on it. Half way through he walked into the crowd to shake people's noses (I shit you not). Apparently that's how u say hello on Planet Gong. I was designated driver and I felt like a visitor to another planet for sure - glad I never had a cup of Daevids magic tea!
This is a great one...! finally there is our lovely "GONG" pothead pixies family .. just lot of fun Pete talking of this great band... for me the trilogy is the best the radio gnome and Angels egg and "You" is my favorite .. Pete I know you like live albums/concerts, this live dvd is a must see ' Gong live at the family unconventional, The Melkweg Amsterdam reunion with all gong members 2006.. just fantastic concert (and of course with Steve Hillage )
I used to have Expresso ii on cd. Interesting that it had Mick Taylor on some tracks. I thought that Gong was British? I did briefly have the Love From Planet Gong box, but I had to send it back to Amazon. One of the cds had a crack on it because they were packed in so tight. I do have the deluxe editions on Spotify. Just haven't listened to them yet.
Glad to have 5 of the top 10, but have only listened to Angel's Egg thus far. Got 'Rejoice' tonight to round up to 6. Have not yet heard but excited to hear You, Shamal, Gazeuse, Expresso II. I bought a ton of new cd's in '20 and '21 and there's a lot of competition, but I'll get there soon enough. Thanks mostly to SOT, plus Prog Archives and various other sites for expanding my horizons immensely.
A good selection, 10 solid albums there. I might have sneaked 2019's "The Universe Also Collapses" in at number 10 though, in place of "Zero to Infinity", if only to have the latest Gong incarnation represented. They might not be your cup of tea, but have you listened to Cardiacs yet? Another band who are a genre all on their own (with a Gong connection in Kavus Torabi)...
Good prog band, there are actually quite a few versions of Gong (like 8, and A TON of total albums). Not sure which flavors of the band we're addressing here but I don't have any from Daevid Allen's Gong so excluding that band myself, same with (mostly Allen) offshoots Shamal, Planet, New York, Mother, Gilli Smyth Daevid Allen and Orlando Allen & Gongmaison. I consciously avoided the Daevid Allen stuff, way too weird for me. The albums I've got & heard are from Pierre Moerlen's Gong. I don't have/haven't heard Pentatine...So here's my ranking (I have 8 of their albums including 2 best of collections but I've heard a few more): 1. Time Is The Key 2. Rejoice! I'm Dead! 3. Shapeshifter 4. Expresso II 5. Gazeuse! & 2032 & Leave It Open & Downwind & Live - five-way tie. Well maybe Gazeuse pulls ahead by a nose due to Holdsworth's playing... The best of's Love From The Planet Gong (The Virgin Years 1973-75) & especially Arista Years are also very good. Overall a pretty interesting prog band, spacey in a good way (after Allen's departure anyway), also quite jazzy at times & even hypnotic (like on "An American In England"). Pip Pyle & Steve Hillage are the big names here besides Holdsworth. Major influences on other Canterbury bands for sure. Some of it borders on fusion too. I don't say this very often but the vibraphone playing on some of these albums is fantastic, right up there with some of Ruth Underwood's best work. Pierre Moerlen's Gong actually had 3 (!) vibraphone players, as well as a marimba player. Don't worry, other "popular instruments like xylophone, glockenspiel, tympani & tubular bells were also covered. Nice violins too
Those first 8 albums from Magick Brother through Expresso II are all fantastic. And if you like those recent albums the 2009 album called 2032 is good too, very funky rhythmically.
I first saw Gong on a late night TV show in 1990 and was just amazed by what I saw. It was a dozen years before I bought an album which was Flying Teapot and that and the Subterania DVD were my only purchases for ten years. Although I was familiar with Angels Egg also. Teapot would have to be my number one followed by You, Camembert Electrique, Magick Sister, I See You, Shamal, Rejoice I'm Dead and The Universe Collapses. Although Mother Gong is a separate band Gilli Smyth's debit solo album would slot in between Flying Teapot and Magick Sister. As too would Steve Hillage's Fish Rising.
I was at both of the gigs the TV show was recorded in the Central Studios in Nottingham and Subterranea was in Ladbroke Grove fucking brilliant acid on both occasions...
Love Gong .. I was some young teenager (about 1971) walking across my town centre (from record store to record store) when this freaky looking girl came up to me and gave me 'Camembert Electrique' .. a member of the beand's fraternity .. they played the local pier that weekend .. :-) .. We got Hawkwind (many times), Procol Harum, Baker Gurvitz Arrmy, Groundhogs, Curved Air, Budgie and so on .. amazing stuff for a local pier.
Baker Gurvitz had some good stuff, Ginger Baker was great. Wonder if Kiss got their brilliant marketing idea for their "Army" from them? Their first record & best of Flying In & Out Of Stardom - The Anthology contain so good music
I know you always preface your picks by stating they might not be your favorites, Gong is one band where nobody's wrong because they are so out there. You do have to be in the mood for Gong when you listen to them.
If I recall correctly, you haven't done an album rankings for Barclay James Harvest yet, either. I know they're another one with a ton of albums and a couple different factions in the later years, so a Top 10 will suffice for them as well. Still also hoping for eventual rankings of The Nice, Rare Bird, The Steve Miller Band (probably the most high-profile classic rock act you still haven't covered), and, if you ever get to hear all their albums, The Pretty Things.
"probably the most high-profile classic rock act you still haven't covered" - how about Manfred Mann, has that one been done yet? Great band with lots of different-sounding output...Rare Bird was a great band too, not that into The Nice though. Miller's a classic, again at least two different bands (like Fleetwood Mac), the original Blues band & the later pop/rock stuff. Both great
@@ukrocksounds3419 I'll have to search for it (I thought I had), never heard it...OK just found it, it was from about a year ago, watching it now. Thx!
@@wolf1977 Do you mean just Manfred Mann or Manfred Mann's Earth Band? They're actually 2 different bands, with Manfred Mann (the man, not the band 😏) being the only common denominator.
I agree overall with Pete's rating though I would rate Cambert Electrique and Flying Teapot somewhat higher, and Shamal a bit lower. I agree Gazeuse (a.k.a. Expresso) is their strongest, an incredible album.
@@captainbeyond7469 I thought L was OK, my fave albums of his are Dusseldorf, Motivation Radio & Fish Rising. The package Live At The Gong Family Unconvention has some interesting music on it
Not prog. Some call Supertramp a "prog lite" band (not me though) but Asia might be that band actually. And even that's actually a stretch, I think some of their songs are prog-adjacent but no proggy albums start to finish, and much of their material is outright AOR & pop/rock (and more pop than rock at that). Really commercial band with a great guitar player at all times (Howe/Pat Thrall/Guthrie Govan/Steve Lukather/Al Pitrelli/Sam Coulson), can't help but feel that all of those wonderful talents were largely wasted
Doesn't really matter if they are prog or not...I haven't ranked their catalog because I'm missing quite a few of their albums. To be honest too, other than the first album, can't say I'm much of a fan of the others that I have and have heard.
@@seaoftranquilityprog They did a prog covers album called Recollections A Tribute To British Prog (covering Crimson, UK, ELP) & their live Spirit Of The Night: The Phoenix Tour Live In Cambridge 2009 has some covers on it too, those two records are pretty good (and mostly very un-Asia). Other than that I liked Omega, that's about it for albums though. Way too commercial/poppy for me
Pete, you gotta check out the John Peel sessions "Radio Gnome Direct Broadcast " and "Zero the Hero and the Orgasm Witch".... MEGA TRIPPY......🤯😱😵💫🥳🥸👌👌👌
Downwind always seems to not get the love that the other Pierre Moerlen Gong albums get but it is my fave from that period. The title track is absolutely amazing.
When Shamal came out after YOU, and nobody knew about Gazeuse yet, Shamal was hitting you like a ton of bricks with it's absolutely mean clarity and impact. Good times, these seventies.
I'm going to split my list into the 2 eras. They are really different bands to me
Daevid Allen era:
1. You
2. Flying Teapot
3. Angels Egg
4. Camembert Electrique
5. Continental Circus
6. Magic Brother
Pierre Moerlen era:
1. Gazeuse! (AKA Espresso)
2. Shamal
3. Espresso 2
4. Downwind
5. Time is the Key
Pete, glad you mentioned Gongzilla. It's a killer album!
Your listing is pretty spot and agree you have to have 2 listings as different musical styles and always though that. And I knew before listening to this that Pete being a Holdsworth fantastic would choose Gazuese and Expresso 2. But it is the Allen/Hillage Flying teapot trilogy era that is standout for long time fans and You being #1. But I have soft spot for Camembert as bought if for 52p back in 1973 when Virgin released that and Faust tapes for 49p in 1973 to get people into some strange but brilliant music.
Craig, you did what I was going to tell Pete about the 2 Gong eras. I saw the Shamal band and they were stunning. I also saw the Hillage version - same. The Shamal Gong ended with funky version of the Om riff!
Their actually 13 albums in the daevid era
Thanks for revisiting this great band! Brings back lot of great memories of being 18 years old and going down that rabbit hole.
Exactly... I was the 1st to buy Teapot in my local area when it came out..."..brain to brain..."
Camembert Electrique has always been my favorite. The guitars sound really good on it and its just so delightfully all over the place. And I immediately vibed with Daevid Allen's whole deal, so consequently, I favor their 2nd-5th albums more than any other.
Best album ever made!
…but you can’t kill me
I have a hard time with people tell me “you” is the best gong album
@@goatuscrow4135 My Lord i looooooooooooooooove yoooooooooooou
Much prefer the Daevid Allen years. With Steve Hillage especially. Although I like the Pierre Moerlen albums too.
1. You.
2. Angels Egg.
3. Camembert Electrique.
4. Flying Teapot.
5. Magick Brother.
6. Gazeuse.
7. Expresso II.
8. Shamal.
9. Downwind.
10. Shapeshifter.
Time is the Key!!!!!
Left out two of my favorites: Time Is The Key and Leave It Open. Vibraphone heaven!
FINALLY!! Everyone should own The Trilogy.
The truth!
I am fortunate enough to not only own the trilogy, but have one of them autographed by and dedicated to me from one of the times I saw and met Daevid and Gilli.
@@chris4973that’s amazing
Love it. Both Gong and Amon Duul II featured in the same day. This is why I`m such a fan of this channel. From mainstream to way out there. Keep it up.
Pete you've introduced me to so many bands and artists. Your knowledge is huge man. Thank you so much
well it looks like you an i have some pretty different rankings of this bands catalog! love gong a whole ton, ive gotten heavily into them recently so im glad you made this video.
Never heard of them, checked out your #1 and 2 picks, and it's love at first listen. Thanks Pete!
Nice to see the return of ranking the albums. My favorite episodes on the site. Keep them coming Pete.
hello old friend! Are you a fan of gong? i havnt tryed them yet!
@@bengalgangster Great to hear from you old friend. I’m a big Steve Hillage fan so yes I like Gong. Just ordered Pete’s top choice with Holdsworth on guitar.Looking forward to diving into it.Want to wish you Happy Holidays and a healthy safe New Year!!!
@@captainbeyond7469 Not Holdsworth's best work IMO but it's still good. If you're a Holdsworth fan you won't be disappointed. Actually Gong is not Hillage's best either but there are definitely highlights
@@wolf1977 Correct Steve’s solo work is off the hook excellent
@@captainbeyond7469 Yes I really like his solo Dusseldorf, Fish Rising & Motivation Radio
The Radio Gnome trilogy is obviously peak Gong for anyone who experienced them at the time - which i was fortunate enough to. You is one of the greatest psych/space rock albums ever made. What Pete describes as 'weird' and 'fun' is true, but also equates to top notch psychedelia. When Daevid Allen and the brilliant synth player Tim Blake departed after You, the magic was lost for many years and Gong became more of a jazz fusion band.
IMO, You is THE psychedelic rock lp. Bar none. Conversation over.
And I own most of the vinyl among which this conversation MIGHT be held…
Yes they became jazz fusion and released much better albums
Whatever floats your boat. Space rock and psychedelia does it for me. Vive la difference.@@rporta
@@petertaylorson5783 I love psychedelic stuff as well
Excelent stuff bro!! Gong is amazing!
This is a difficult task. Great job Mr Peter. 👍
Thanks. I listened some records. Your list helps me to listen more records. Great Job Pete!
I actually saw Gong live in Boston in 1995. Pip Pyle, Didier Malherbe, Allen and Smyth were in the lineup, Daevid Allen looked like a grinning Gandalf, but they were incredibly tight. saw them again in '96, and they were just as great live.
Thanks for doing the Gong top 10. An often overlooked prog great. I was fortunate to see them live in the 1990s and they were so incredible. Killer sax. Master Builder is my favorite track by them.
I saw Gong play in a small club in 1973 when I was in high school. They looked like a weird bunch of hippies, but they could play. Hillage was an excellent guitar player. Moerlen was a very good drummer. Live, they sounded like Hawkwind, who I also saw a few times in the early 1970s. I bought Shamal when I was at college in 1976 and I agree with the selection. Gazeuze is a great jazz fusion record which still sounds good. European rock players never got much credit from American critics when they played fusion. Holdsworth was a phenomenal guitarist.
They sounded nothing like Hawkwind
Great choices all. Meeting Daevid in 1992 was a huge thrill. One of a kind is an understatement.
Was introduced to Gong in 1975, mostly Angels Egg and You......Each release after that was a killer evolution- Shamal, Gazeuse (called Expresso I on my vinyl cover), and Expresso II. Holdsworth elevated the band to a whole new level. My preference is Exp II, mostly because of Hansford Rowe on bass. Have to give honorable mention to their album Downwind, not as intense in a fusion way, but a solid album post-Expresso II. Also it cannot be overstated how great Pierre Moerlen played on the drums, he sadly passed in 2005, he could play any style and shred on a fusion level.
Hey Pete, great show! I bought Gazuese on vinyl back in 76. Album was originally released as "Expresso" and later retitled to Gazeuse, don't know why just thought it was a interesting bit of trivia. Take care.
I really only know the stuff with Daevid Allen. I like all of these pretty well, but my top 5 or 6 are a ways above the rest for me. I didn't include "Continental Circus" since it's a soundtrack, but I did include the colab. with AMT, since I really like it.
10) I See You
9) Acid Motherhood (with Acid Mothers Temple)
8) Shapeshifter
7) Magick Brother
6) Zero to Infinity
5) Camembert Electrique
4) 2032
3) Angel's Egg
2) You
1) Flying Teapot
Thanks for the video, Pete!
It's good to see an enthusiastic Gong fan. I've been a fan of theirs since the 70s. I definitely agree that there's nobody quite like them.
A band that I have never listened to before but I do love Prog so I will download your top 2 albums and give them a go. If I like them then I will buy hard copies. Thank you for sharing your opinions as they are are a great help in expanding my musical taste and knowledge.
As Pete mentioned Gong took a lot of listens to sink in. However I love their music. That said I don't own his top 2 - I was always into the Daevid Allen stuff (seeing them love in 2000 as a 20 year old blew my mind). Check put the Radio Gnome trilogy (Flying Teapot, Angels Eggs and You). Steve Hillage on there is amazing
I almost forgot I have Camembert on vinyl. Thanks for this ranking Pete, it's been awhile since I listened to them.
Another great top 10 enjoy the show Pete :) Yeah my 2 faves are You and Expresso II... yep very different albums for very different moods both great
I gotta go with the early ones - top 5:
5. Magic Brother
4. Camembert Electrique
3. Angel's Egg
2. You
1. Flying Teapot
The presence of Gong in that glare! A wonderful overview and wouldn’t disagree with any of your choices. Glad you highlighted the baselines as they are prominent in driving so many of their songs- particularly some of the longer tracks on the trilogy. Moerlen and Holdsworth on Espresso 2 and Gazeuse are a jazz fusion/ prog rock master combination. The standard of playing by all musicians across the albums is outstanding. Quirky, yes, but also memorable and never boring.
Gong is another one of those prog bands that was a bit over my head when I was younger, and haven't revisited since. I'll be checking out Pete's top three to see what I think of Gong now.
Gazeuse is the only Gong album I have - first got into that when a friend played it to me in the mid-80s. I keep meaning to check out some others, especially the earlier ones with DA.
I think that's the Gong album most who don't know the band will have at least heard of due to Holdsworth's involvement
As a guy from France (nobody's perfect), I can tell you that we like to think over here that Gong is a genuine french band (even if the driving forces weren't french). In the 70's, the french prog band top 3 have always been Magma, Gong and Ange. I just think that the early Gong albums (the classic ones) didn't aged well to my opinion and I rather go to the jazz fusion albums but I have the feeling that it's a different band .. always this problem of continuity in a band with so many line-up changes with different musical orientations.
Yeah agreed that later Gong was a different band from the earlier Daevid Allen's Gong. I stay away from that Daevid Allen stuff on purpose, to me the later Pierre Moerlen's Gong is much better. But overall I'll also reach for classic 70's fusion before playing anything by Gong...I like a couple of Magma albums, also nothing by Ange (I don't do non-English lyrics)
Excellent choice! I have to get "Gazeuse!", it's the only one I'm missing from the 70's alongside the first one. I really dig "Continental Circus" as well, and in another genre (almost punk), I really dig "New York Gong" (About Time). Cool show!
I met Daevid Allen, via a mutual friend, at a Steven Wilson concert in Brisbane, Australia a few years ago. He was telling me that he was an invited guest of Steven's but was about to go backstage after the show but hadn't enjoyed the concert. He was feeling apprehensive about his inevitable review of the show to Steven. I told him that he should tell Steven what he really thought and I'm sure Steven would appreciate his perspective. Personally I thought the show was great. I came straight home from the concert and watched 'I Never Glid Before' on RUclips. Unfortunately Daevid passed away a few months later. A unique fellow.
I've been listening to Gong and their various affiliates/offshoots for over 40 years and seen them a couple of times including 'reunion' tour in noughties with Hillage, Allen and a very ill looking Gilli Smyth. I reckon their various 1970s live albums are the best way into Gong for a neophyte.
Of the ten studio albums I have I would rank them as follows (not a fan of jazz fusion years):
10 - Acid Mother's Gong Tokyo (Daevid Allen backed by Acid Mother's Temple in noise freak out mode)
9 - Magick Brother;
8 - Gazeuse;
7 - Floating Anarchy (punky with Daevid Allen backed by Here and Now);
6 - Shamal;
5 - Flying Teapot;
4 - Angel's Egg;
3 - You;
2 - Electrique Camembert;
1- Obsolete by Dashiell Hedayat (French poet backed by Electrique Camembert line up from 1971 - a lost classic of psych weirdness from 1971 featuring William Borroughs and a five year old child on vocals).
Tim Blake's (synth player) solo albums are also highly recommended along with Steve Hillage's early solo albums.
Thanks for this list. I started listening to Gong several years ago but did not check out the entire catalog. Of the albums I know, my favorites are Camembert Electrique and the Radio Gnome trilogy. I hadn't looked into the Pierre Moerlin albums. I'll definitely check them out now.
So many albums they have produced and styles. I like the Radio Gnome trilogy and early albums. People should certainly check out Gong`s live albums and also Daevid Allen`s Banana Moon. Many off shoots as you mentioned Gongzilla, also Mother Gong, and New York Gong. To say which is my favourite Gong album is hard to say, it all depends on how I feel that day. Thank you for a really interesting video.
Screwed up the numbers listing twice, repeated the outro and a shaft of sunshine kept putting him off ..Pete's been listening to Gong alright. A ranking show perfectly in sync with the band in question :-). Mate of mine once said "No-one's ever made the follow up album to "You"". I think they have an excellent point there and that has to be my number 1. The rest sort of float around, it's Gong after all, under that for me in no particular order depending on my mood.
Good ranking Pete, you’re right, they are themselves. Love this band. Lol
I see your view, Pete, Holdsworth shines wherever he turns up, but I have experienced Gong in a very different manner. I would encourage those rocker mates who enjoy psychedelic space rock, Hawkwind and the first innovative era of Pink Floyd , just up to the excellent 'Meddle', to start with an album you have not quoted since perhaps it was not released all over the world. "Continental Circus" , a soundtrack released in 1971, just before "Camembert Electrique" , so their true second release.
It features only four tracks, some of them the original takes of tracks included later in the "Camembert" album, but in my humble opinion, Gong's finest hour, standing out the incredible instrumental "Blues For Findlay" .
So, my list would be like this:
1 Continental Circus
2 Camembert Electrique
(both with Allen on guitar and Pip Pyle on drums)
3 Flying Teapot
4 Angel's Egg
5 You
Among their further stuff I would also pick the Pierre Moerlen's Gong "Downwind" , shining especially the track with the same name, a must for every Mike Oldfield's fan.
And finally, Steve Hillage's "Fish Rising" a debut album with great riffs and a powerful line-up. Grand.
Great list…and I pretty much agree with you. I would PROBABLY switch 1 and 2, though. I love that Espresso II album!
Anglo/France/Australian collaboration. That’s how they started out. Daevid Allen was the guitarist with Soft Machine until he was kicked out of the UK. ( He’s Australian). He and Gilli Smyth (British) along with Didier Malherbe, met up in France and decided to start a band.
Many years back a friend at school had a comedy book entitled How To Be Cool. One thing it said was never get your friends into Gong. The other thing not to do was to point at a record at a particular moment in the music and say 'This bits really good'. The Gong albums I like are Shamal and Expresso II
One of my all-time favorite, guilty pleasures!!!
Spot on, BRAVO.
I like the Gong ranking. Here is my list of Gong albums that I own;
A). “Angel’s Egg”,
B). “Gong Live Etc.”,
C). “Downwind” by Pierre Moetlen’s Gong and
D). “Wingful Of Eyes (Retrospective ‘75-‘78)”. It’s kind of an anthology of “Shamal”, “Gazeuse” and “Expresso ll”.
Ohmygodno! Ain't no Gong without Daevid. Moerlen, God bless him, had no idea what it was about. For my part:
1. Magick Brother
2. Flying Teapot
3. You
And are you serious about ranking Zero to Infinity above the not-even-included I see you?
Anyhoo, kudos to you for even doing this.
Finally yes! A old rocker pal introduced me to Gong around '98 (I was 18). We t to see them in 1999 or 2000 ish in Sheffield. Blew my mind. Daevid and Gilli were bonkers. The music was immense. The audience erm interesting. Took me a lot of years to really digest and dig them. The Radio Gnome trilogy are my top with Flying Teapot, You then Angels Egg being my 1,2,3. Never listened to ure 1 and 2 Pete so I'll get them ordered. I enjoyed I See You of later albums. I'll never forget that gig Daevid wore a cloak of cd's and a giant smurf type hat. His guitar has no head on it. Half way through he walked into the crowd to shake people's noses (I shit you not). Apparently that's how u say hello on Planet Gong. I was designated driver and I felt like a visitor to another planet for sure - glad I never had a cup of Daevids magic tea!
I was at that gig too. I am very interesting.
This is a great one...! finally there is our lovely "GONG" pothead pixies family .. just lot of fun Pete talking of this great band... for me the trilogy is the best the radio gnome and Angels egg and "You" is my favorite .. Pete I know you like live albums/concerts, this live dvd is a must see ' Gong live at the family unconventional, The Melkweg Amsterdam reunion with all gong members 2006.. just fantastic concert (and of course with Steve Hillage )
I used to have Expresso ii on cd. Interesting that it had Mick Taylor on some tracks. I thought that Gong was British? I did briefly have the Love From Planet Gong box, but I had to send it back to Amazon. One of the cds had a crack on it because they were packed in so tight. I do have the deluxe editions on Spotify. Just haven't listened to them yet.
Glad to have 5 of the top 10, but have only listened to Angel's Egg thus far. Got 'Rejoice' tonight to round up to 6. Have not yet heard but excited to hear You, Shamal, Gazeuse, Expresso II. I bought a ton of new cd's in '20 and '21 and there's a lot of competition, but I'll get there soon enough. Thanks mostly to SOT, plus Prog Archives and various other sites for expanding my horizons immensely.
Thanks for the ranking, very interesting that you put the albums sans David Allen ahead. You missed the terrific Shapeshifter from 1996😀
Love it...and gong!
A good selection, 10 solid albums there. I might have sneaked 2019's "The Universe Also Collapses" in at number 10 though, in place of "Zero to Infinity", if only to have the latest Gong incarnation represented.
They might not be your cup of tea, but have you listened to Cardiacs yet? Another band who are a genre all on their own (with a Gong connection in Kavus Torabi)...
Have you done one on Ozric Tentacles yet? If not, why not? You know you want to!
Yes!
Funny enough I never cared for jazz until I started listening to Gong. I was hooked on Gong the first time I heard them.
Good prog band, there are actually quite a few versions of Gong (like 8, and A TON of total albums). Not sure which flavors of the band we're addressing here but I don't have any from Daevid Allen's Gong so excluding that band myself, same with (mostly Allen) offshoots Shamal, Planet, New York, Mother, Gilli Smyth Daevid Allen and Orlando Allen & Gongmaison. I consciously avoided the Daevid Allen stuff, way too weird for me. The albums I've got & heard are from Pierre Moerlen's Gong. I don't have/haven't heard Pentatine...So here's my ranking (I have 8 of their albums including 2 best of collections but I've heard a few more):
1. Time Is The Key
2. Rejoice! I'm Dead!
3. Shapeshifter
4. Expresso II
5. Gazeuse! & 2032 & Leave It Open & Downwind & Live - five-way tie. Well maybe Gazeuse pulls ahead by a nose due to Holdsworth's playing...
The best of's Love From The Planet Gong (The Virgin Years 1973-75) & especially Arista Years are also very good. Overall a pretty interesting prog band, spacey in a good way (after Allen's departure anyway), also quite jazzy at times & even hypnotic (like on "An American In England"). Pip Pyle & Steve Hillage are the big names here besides Holdsworth. Major influences on other Canterbury bands for sure. Some of it borders on fusion too. I don't say this very often but the vibraphone playing on some of these albums is fantastic, right up there with some of Ruth Underwood's best work. Pierre Moerlen's Gong actually had 3 (!) vibraphone players, as well as a marimba player. Don't worry, other "popular instruments like xylophone, glockenspiel, tympani & tubular bells were also covered. Nice violins too
Ive listen to theor first 3 albums so far and love the sountrack the most ao far
Those first 8 albums from Magick Brother through Expresso II are all fantastic. And if you like those recent albums the 2009 album called 2032 is good too, very funky rhythmically.
Yes the Gong fusion albums are brilliant. Gong are still a great live band,
I first saw Gong on a late night TV show in 1990 and was just amazed by what I saw. It was a dozen years before I bought an album which was Flying Teapot and that and the Subterania DVD were my only purchases for ten years. Although I was familiar with Angels Egg also. Teapot would have to be my number one followed by You, Camembert Electrique, Magick Sister, I See You, Shamal, Rejoice I'm Dead and The Universe Collapses. Although Mother Gong is a separate band Gilli Smyth's debit solo album would slot in between Flying Teapot and Magick Sister. As too would Steve Hillage's Fish Rising.
I was at both of the gigs the TV show was recorded in the Central Studios in Nottingham and Subterranea was in Ladbroke Grove fucking brilliant acid on both occasions...
Saw Gong play in the late 70s (I think 😁) with Pierre Moerlen on drums, but before PMs Gong. It was spacey, weird and amazing.
Saw them at, Reading Festival, they were touring the, Shamal album.
GONG..They're definitely unique. I listened to two songs, this could take awhile. They define that era well. Alright, good quirky band!
Love Gong .. I was some young teenager (about 1971) walking across my town centre (from record store to record store) when this freaky looking girl came up to me and gave me 'Camembert Electrique' .. a member of the beand's fraternity .. they played the local pier that weekend .. :-) .. We got Hawkwind (many times), Procol Harum, Baker Gurvitz Arrmy, Groundhogs, Curved Air, Budgie and so on .. amazing stuff for a local pier.
Baker Gurvitz had some good stuff, Ginger Baker was great. Wonder if Kiss got their brilliant marketing idea for their "Army" from them? Their first record & best of Flying In & Out Of Stardom - The Anthology contain so good music
My Top 10 list would definitely include "The Universe Also Collapses" from 2019, which I think is a terrific album.
I am
You are
We are
Crazy
Hey Pete you gotta meet The Pothead Pixies
I know you always preface your picks by stating they might not be your favorites, Gong is one band where nobody's wrong because they are so out there. You do have to be in the mood for Gong when you listen to them.
If I recall correctly, you haven't done an album rankings for Barclay James Harvest yet, either. I know they're another one with a ton of albums and a couple different factions in the later years, so a Top 10 will suffice for them as well.
Still also hoping for eventual rankings of The Nice, Rare Bird, The Steve Miller Band (probably the most high-profile classic rock act you still haven't covered), and, if you ever get to hear all their albums, The Pretty Things.
"probably the most high-profile classic rock act you still haven't covered" - how about Manfred Mann, has that one been done yet? Great band with lots of different-sounding output...Rare Bird was a great band too, not that into The Nice though. Miller's a classic, again at least two different bands (like Fleetwood Mac), the original Blues band & the later pop/rock stuff. Both great
@@wolf1977 Pete has done Manfred Mann band, a long time ago on the channel i remember it.
@@ukrocksounds3419 I'll have to search for it (I thought I had), never heard it...OK just found it, it was from about a year ago, watching it now. Thx!
@@wolf1977 Do you mean just Manfred Mann or Manfred Mann's Earth Band? They're actually 2 different bands, with Manfred Mann (the man, not the band 😏) being the only common denominator.
Live in Sherwood Forest is fantastic...shows you more how they played for real, instead of the occasional nonsense in the studio
I didn't care much for the earlier stuff. Gazeuse was my introduction to them, thanks to Allan Holdsworth's participation. Expresso 2 also.
Flying Teapot will always be my fave.
Mine too
Yup! Their best and the funniest too.
Pete I saw you ranked The Tea Party. I just found out about them bc of a band you might like called Big Wreck. BTW You is the only Gong I own
You has got to be #1… from a dedicated Gong fan…!
Great Band!! Groovy and Trippyn
Shamal and expresso 2 are the Best for me
The live shows Ive heard from the Allen/Hillage era are really really good
A bit of a tenuous link, but what do you think about Cardiacs? Kavus Torabi played with both bands. Don't think I've heard you mention them before
Knifeworld too. I love them!
You is the best for me!
The whole concept is about THE PLANET GONG ---- Daevid created a whole world around this. WE ALL COME FROM THE PLANET GONG ❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️
Kind of like Magma?
I would categorise Gong music as delightfully daft.
Me too, at least their better/later albums
I agree overall with Pete's rating though I would rate Cambert Electrique and Flying Teapot somewhat higher, and Shamal a bit lower.
I agree Gazeuse (a.k.a. Expresso) is their strongest, an incredible album.
You got it right brother!
Hillage is God
One of the all time greats. “L” is my favorite.
@@captainbeyond7469 I thought L was OK, my fave albums of his are Dusseldorf, Motivation Radio & Fish Rising. The package Live At The Gong Family Unconvention has some interesting music on it
@@wolf1977 Copy that my friend happy holidays!
@@captainbeyond7469 You too, Happy Christmas & Merry New Year!
I love "SHAMAL".
You [1974] is great.
I thought 'I See You' was a great album and '2032' had its moments. Thanks for all the chat! 🌠
Flying teapot, You, Camembert Electrique, Angel's Egg. Their greatest.
please do The Residents please they are very good !!!
Yeah, and also Chrome ( D. Edge & H. Creed). Both amazing bands!
Great stuff Pete, might need to work on some of those French pronunciations though!
Camenbert Electrique(1974) by far the best album.
You, Shamal, Gazeuse and Espresso are four albums that have never come of my ipod
I gotta go for “You” for number one. Tea Pot numbers 2.
Indisputably "You" for the top spot. Wacky, but also philosophical!
Thank you Pete, excellent! How about Asia?
Not prog. Some call Supertramp a "prog lite" band (not me though) but Asia might be that band actually. And even that's actually a stretch, I think some of their songs are prog-adjacent but no proggy albums start to finish, and much of their material is outright AOR & pop/rock (and more pop than rock at that). Really commercial band with a great guitar player at all times (Howe/Pat Thrall/Guthrie Govan/Steve Lukather/Al Pitrelli/Sam Coulson), can't help but feel that all of those wonderful talents were largely wasted
Doesn't really matter if they are prog or not...I haven't ranked their catalog because I'm missing quite a few of their albums. To be honest too, other than the first album, can't say I'm much of a fan of the others that I have and have heard.
@@seaoftranquilityprog They did a prog covers album called Recollections A Tribute To British Prog (covering Crimson, UK, ELP) & their live Spirit Of The Night: The Phoenix Tour Live In Cambridge 2009 has some covers on it too, those two records are pretty good (and mostly very un-Asia). Other than that I liked Omega, that's about it for albums though. Way too commercial/poppy for me
Pete, you gotta check out the John Peel sessions "Radio Gnome Direct Broadcast " and "Zero the Hero and the Orgasm Witch".... MEGA TRIPPY......🤯😱😵💫🥳🥸👌👌👌
2021 Album by Acolyte called Entropy...Check it out. Don't think it's been reviewed. Really good.
What about 1979's Downwind? Different but very good.
Downwind always seems to not get the love that the other Pierre Moerlen Gong albums get but it is my fave from that period. The title track is absolutely amazing.
R.I.P. Michael Nesmith....Oh the silence
Magma next!!!!!
Yes please. And Univers Zero.
I would like to point out that Magick Brother IS a Daevid Allen solo album...