Listening to Gong: Flying Teapot, Side 2 

Yeah, Angel's Egg next. Accept no other. Love the way that Didier Malherbe becomes Bloomdido Bad de Grasse in Gong. It's what happens when you put his real name back and forward through a French/English translator three or four times while listening to Charlie Parker. I used to hate saxophone when I was a wee lad as I had only heard it played on the cheesiest of TV/movie soundtrack jazz until I discovered David Jackson and Bloomdido, then later John Coltrane. Ah! 'That's what it can do', I thought.

What a great review, glad you enjoyed it. I bought my first Gong LP in 1974 and have everything they have ever produced, have seen them live so many times and also with the new line up, have also met Daevid Allen a couple of times, once in the late 70's on the Planet Gong Floating Anarchy tour and again more recently in 2014 at Band on the Wall in Manchester just a couple of years before his passing, I managed to talk to him for around 20 minutes where he signed a copy of his Good Morning solo LP for me and I have a great photograph of us together, (one of my most prized possessions). Daevid was a founder member of The Soft Machine along with Kevin Ayres (another artiste you should listen to), Robert Wyatt & Mike Ratlidge, he toured around with Robert Wyatt in the early 60's as a beatnik band before forming Soft Machine. Daevid considered himself to be a poet more than a musician and was also married to Gilly Smyth also a poet (Shakti Yoni, Space whisper) at the time of the Gong Trilogy. The next album in the Trilogy, Angels Egg was re released on Vinyl in April this year, it's a half speed abbey road master limited edition on 180gm vinyl, there are still copies available on ebay and the Gong website, a good investment in my opinion. P.S. I'm also a huge Frank Zappa fan. P.P.S. You should remove the stylus protector from the cartridge on your turntable and re-balance the arm, it's acting like a sail picking up airbourne vibrations from your speakers and travelling back through the stylus. I'm a bit of an Hi Fi nerd as well.🥱 Keep the video's coming Jim, Loving them. 😃👍

Somebody somewhere has got to be high...

I have been trying to see Gong live for 50 years now. I'll finally get to see them in July at Zappanale!

It’s fun watching you react to music that’s ingrained in my brain, thanks, Jim.

Just love 💕 this and Angels Egg 🥚❤️

Funtastic!

You'll enjoy the Ozric Tentacles/Gong gig. They also played together last year and I saw them at The Trinity in Bristol which was awesome. Plenty of Pot-Head Pixies in the audience that night!

It's always a joy seeing someone experience this music for the first time. Well done. I'd love to see you react to Carla Bley's "Escalator over the hill". (Quite a bit of weirdness and blasting saxophone there, as well.)

First heard of this album when a friend at college back in '90's was into them. At the time I thought he was mad, but nowadays I like it!

Now you've started you have to complete the trilogy, "Angel's Egg" and "You" incoming, hopefully...! Steve Hillage adds his guitar magic to the mix for those two albums to make the brew even more potent 😏

"Gong were a cheesecake in a world seemingly filled only with baked beans." I'm paraphrasing ... but it's close. I think The Orb said that. Might have been the KLF. Love and Light.

Gilli Smyth released her first solo album Mother in 1978 some musicians on it are from Gong. It’s a great record Jim very spacey.

I used to check vynal for warpin and scratches. My flavourit Gong trak is Cat in Clarks shoes. PS look Yoni..

If you want more after the trilogy, then I highly recommend Daevid Allen-Banana Moon and Now Is The Happiest Time Of Your Life.

Crazy! But I kinda like it!!

Zappaish.....🎼🎼🗽🗽

Request: next time take some acid (or mushroom tea more appropriate for the flying teapot) and film yourself playing it. The two videos would make an interesting comparison.

Definitely do their next album angel’s egg after this

Good evening again Jim, Well, I try again with Gong. Magic mushroom tea I guess. There are some parts, like the saxophone piece, that I like but in overall it’s a bit too bonkers for me. I don’t like Zappa either.

I knew they were groovy back in the day, because my GF's bro played them a lot, and I could hear that they were advancing the cause. After yesdy's show (TM) I asked Alexa to play Gong which she did for hours, to my delight. They are in league with Zappa, Gentle Giant, Spark, Bongwater, PFM, Van Der Graaf Generator, Captain Bee Fart, et les autres avec beaucoups de l'imagination et choral reefer. Looking ford and even shevalay to earring side this.

That annoying little click was supposed to replicate a scratch on the record. It exactly matches the RPMs.

WARNING! Totally addictive, proceed with caution lest ye fall into the web :)

I like Gong but sometimes they are a bit too far out! I prefer Daevid Allen’s “Now is the Happiest Time of your Life” album. Especially “Poet for Sale”!

Be honest Jim, you found that lp just a little leftfield even for your tastes - total madness making Frank Zappa look like Reece-Mog.