Rod Stewart - Every Picture Tells A Story
Rod the Mod finds his solo footing, headed for stardom, with the Faces in his wake.
6:00 AM GMT 22/06/2011
Features Disc of the day
Gong
Magick Brother
(BYG, 1969; reissued Charly, 2004)
A psychedelic jazz-rock, stoner-folk manifesto. As approved by Massive Attack!
Escaping from the heavy scene they’d encountered in riot-torn Paris in late ’68, ex-Soft Machine émigré Daevid Allen and his partner Gilli Smyth fled to Deya, Mallorca. There, the duo’s musical and ideological stance coalesced further, manifesting itself on this debut that, while originally intended for release under their dual names, is now regarded as Gong’s debut outing. The original vinyl album was split between Early Morning (side one) and Late Night (side two), reflecting the diverse mood music that characterises this whimsical, blissful and gloriously stoned album. Signed to the radical BYG label and counting the likes of Don Cherry and Sun Ra as labelmates, Allen and Smyth – aided by fellow future Gong cohort Didier Malherbe on flute and soprano sax, as well as a selection of earthy jazzers – unleashed a complex and sprawling 10 tracks that mixed surreal lyricism with post-Softs freak-adelia. Moreover, tracks like Rational Anthem, Five & Twenty Schoolgirls and Gong Song reflected Allen’s wildly esoteric influences ranging from The Yardbirds to Charlie Mingus via William Burroughs, George Formby and Syd Barrett. Close to 40 years on, Allen, now a sprightly 70 years young, and Smyth have continued to make music that draws on the roots laid down here, travelling fearlessly beyond the margins of genre and, in some cases, time itself. Indeed, as if to emphasise the point, Gong’s next stop is Massive Attack’s Meltdown on June 14 at London’s Royal Festival Hall where they’ll share a bill with dub pirate Adrian Sherwood.
Phil Alexander
Posted by Danny_Eccleston at 6:00 AM GMT 24/05/2008
Further Listening
Soft Machine – Volume 2 (Probe, 1969)
Gong – Camembert Electrique (BYG, 1971)
Henry Cow – Leg End (Virgin, 1973)
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