Ranking the Albums: Gong 

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!

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.

Left out two of my favorites: Time Is The Key and Leave It Open. Vibraphone heaven!

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.

Thanks for revisiting this great band! Brings back lot of great memories of being 18 years old and going down that rabbit hole.

FINALLY!! Everyone should own The Trilogy.

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.

Never heard of them, checked out your #1 and 2 picks, and it's love at first listen. Thanks Pete!

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

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.

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.

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.

Nice to see the return of ranking the albums. My favorite episodes on the site. Keep them coming Pete.

Great choices all. Meeting Daevid in 1992 was a huge thrill. One of a kind is an understatement.

I gotta go with the early ones - top 5: 5. Magic Brother 4. Camembert Electrique 3. Angel's Egg 2. You 1. Flying Teapot

Excelent stuff bro!! Gong is amazing!

Thanks. I listened some records. Your list helps me to listen more records. Great Job Pete!

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.

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 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.

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!

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.

This is a difficult task. Great job Mr Peter. 👍

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 almost forgot I have Camembert on vinyl. Thanks for this ranking Pete, it's been awhile since I listened to them.

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.

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.

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.

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 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.

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.

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!

Spot on, BRAVO.

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.

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 RU-vid. Unfortunately Daevid passed away a few months later. A unique fellow.

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.

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.

I am You are We are Crazy

Great list…and I pretty much agree with you. I would PROBABLY switch 1 and 2, though. I love that Espresso II album!

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 )

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.

One of my all-time favorite, guilty pleasures!!!

Funny enough I never cared for jazz until I started listening to Gong. I was hooked on Gong the first time I heard them.

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.

Yes the Gong fusion albums are brilliant. Gong are still a great live 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 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.

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 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.

Shamal and expresso 2 are the Best for me

Good ranking Pete, you’re right, they are themselves. Love this band. Lol

Great Band!! Groovy and Trippyn

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”.

I once saw Daevid Allen in a small venue in London. If I remember correctly he was playing a didgerydoo amongst other things. He was a very quirky individual which is very clear to anyone who listens to Gong from the early seventies.

Thanks for the ranking, very interesting that you put the albums sans David Allen ahead. You missed the terrific Shapeshifter from 1996😀

Flying Teapot will always be my fave.

My Top 10 list would definitely include "The Universe Also Collapses" from 2019, which I think is a terrific album.

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.

You [1974] is great.

Live in Sherwood Forest is fantastic...shows you more how they played for real, instead of the occasional nonsense in the studio

Have you done one on Ozric Tentacles yet? If not, why not? You know you want to!

You is the best for me!

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.

Saw Gong play in the late 70s (I think 😁) with Pierre Moerlen on drums, but before PMs Gong. It was spacey, weird and amazing.

I love "SHAMAL".

Saw them at, Reading Festival, they were touring the, Shamal album.

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

One of those groups I only discovered about 10 years ago and where I didn't understand why I never knew them since I'm into music since about 1973. So I went back in time and bought all their albums . Acid Motherhood would be in my top 10 for being very wacky. I had plans to see them when the concert was cancelled due to Allen's sickness . Saw them then later in 2017 and was allowed to take pictures frontstage . The current singer reminds me of Syd Barrett , my opinion. Great band ....the music might not be for everyone .....but always had good musicians ( think of Bill Bruford or their sax player who later played for Steven Wilson ) .....

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.

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.

Hillage is God

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

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.

You got it right brother!

I didn't care much for the earlier stuff. Gazeuse was my introduction to them, thanks to Allan Holdsworth's participation. Expresso 2 also.

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.

You has got to be #1… from a dedicated Gong fan…!

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

The live shows Ive heard from the Allen/Hillage era are really really good

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.

please do The Residents please they are very good !!!

What about 1979's Downwind? Different but very good.

Flying teapot, You, Camembert Electrique, Angel's Egg. Their greatest.

You, Shamal, Gazeuse and Espresso are four albums that have never come of my ipod

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.

I gotta go for “You” for number one. Tea Pot numbers 2.

Great stuff Pete, might need to work on some of those French pronunciations though!

I would categorise Gong music as delightfully daft.

Thank you Pete, excellent! How about Asia?

Magma next!!!!!

The whole concept is about THE PLANET GONG ---- Daevid created a whole world around this. WE ALL COME FROM THE PLANET GONG ❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️

I would like to point out that Magick Brother IS a Daevid Allen solo album...

How about Acid Motherhood from Gong ?

I thought 'I See You' was a great album and '2032' had its moments. Thanks for all the chat! 🌠

You gotta listen to Shapeshifter from 1992- easily their best album after the trilogy. Superior playing and production with a beautifully poignant last song.

R.I.P. Michael Nesmith....Oh the silence