Gong (Band)
Gong is a band founded in 1968, which is expected to Canterbury scene. The Group offered in its eventful history of different musical styles such as progressive rock, fusion, space rock and jazz rock dar. Among the best known of the many changing musicians of the band include the founder Daevid Allen, the drummer and later musical director Pierre Moerlen and guitarist Allan Holdsworth and Steve Hillage. From the core group Gong sprang numerous follow-up and side projects such as Planet Gong, Mother Gong, New York Gong, Gong Maison and Gongzilla.
History
Early years with Daevid Allen
Daevid Allen ( born 1938 ) in 1967 was guitarist of the British band Soft Machine. When his visa expired and his residence permit during a soft -machine tour in France and his re-entry to the UK was refused, he remained in France. At the time of the student riots in Paris, he founded the band Gong with his then partner Gilli Smyth ( born 1933), the partly futuristic Space Whispering afforded as a singer. A little later, Allen and Smyth left France and moved temporarily after Deia in Mallorca, where they saxophonist Didier Malherbe and the flautist (* 1943) first met.
Back in France, the group received a comprehensive multiple albums recording contract with the label BYG Actuel and played in 1969 with bassist Christian Tritsch ( b. 1940 ) and the percussionist Rachid Houri 's debut album Magick Brother -in. Then came the former drummer of delivery, Pip Pyle (1950-2006), the band, the soundtrack of the film Jérôme Laprrousezs Continental Circus and in rapid succession and the second album Camembert Electrique and Allen's solo album, Banana Moon (among other things beside Tritsch and Pyle recorded with Robert Wyatt of soft Machine ). Gong played at the Glastonbury Festival in 1971 and then undertook a tour to England.
As with many bands that are expected to Canterbury scene, there was also at Gong frequent personnel changes, which were due to the chaotic creative environment and the internationality of the musicians. The albums were recorded partly in France and partly in England. After the decline of the label BYG Gong was one of the first bands who came in late 1972 with the new label Virgin Records. For the BBC, the band 1971-1974 played a series of sessions with Kevin Ayers ( 1944-2013 ) as a second guitarist.
Radio Gnome trilogy in 1973/74
Was established in 1973 under the auspices Daevid Allen with guitarist Steve Hillage ( born 1951 ), keyboardist Tim Blake ( born 1952 ), bassist Francis Moze (Magma) and drummer Laurie Allan ( b. 1943 ), the album Flying Teapot, which is a complex and humorous mythology to flying teapots, green men, benign witches, hallucinogenic drugs and the like had to content that was indeed it has begun already indicated in previous publications.
With bassist Mike Howlett ( born 1950 ) and drummer Pierre Moerlen ( 1952-2005 ) emerged in 1973/74 then the album Angel's Egg and You, which form the so-called Radio Gnome trilogy with Flying Teapot, which is the central motif of the group as well as later side projects was.
In 1973, Allen and Smyth moved temporarily back to Mallorca, meanwhile, graduated from the rest of the main cast as para Gong a tour of France. In the spring of 1974 also Hillages partner Miquette Giraudy came ( b. 1953 ) joined the band, the first Gilli Smyth supported and this ultimately replaced because Smyth withdrew for family reasons ( two children together with Daevid Allen) from the band. After Tim Blake had left the band, Giraudy also took part, whose keyboard parts.
Daevid Allen resigned in the spring of 1975. The remaining band came on and worked on new material for the album, produced by Nick Mason Shamal, but in the spring of 1976 also left Hillage and Giraudy the band. Steve Hillage had published in 1975 his first solo album with the participation of several Gong musician and sought a solo career. Drummer Pierre Moerlen also turned away from the group to go with the Percussion Ensemble Percussions de Strasbourg on tour.
Pierre Moerlen 's Gong
Virgin Records persuaded drummer Pierre Moerlen to return to Gong and to take over the musical direction. The style of the group changed then and purely instrumental jazz-rock with a strong percussive touch, because in addition to drummer Pierre Moerlen only his brother Benoit Moerlen and Mireille Bauer ( born 1951 ) had remained on percussion and bassist Mike Howlett. As a new guitarist Allan Holdsworth ( born 1946 ) has been committed. After bassist Howlett in May 1976 also left the band, originated in 1977 with bassist Francis Moze, who had already counted years before temporarily joined the band under the name Gong Album Gazeuse. From 1978, the bassist Hansford Rowe counted for fixed occupation.
Under Moerlens guide several albums emerged in connection with the group name Pierre Moerlen 's Gong. On these albums were heard among other things, Mike Oldfield, Steve Winwood and Mick Taylor. The group was active until the early 1980s, published in 1986 again an album and then only appeared sporadically in appearance.
Bassist Hansford Rowe, percussionist Benoît Moerlen and guitarist Allan Holdsworth were formed in the 1990s, the group Gongzilla, which is linked to the percussive style of Pierre Moerlen 's Gong and has since released several albums. Pierre Moerlen was especially active after the time with gong drums of musical ensembles, graduated in 2002 with Gongzilla still a tour and died 2005.
Daevid Allen's Gong
Daevid Allen grabbed his departure from the original group for future projects on the name Gong back. In 1977 he formed with musicians of the English festival band Here & Now, the live band Planet Gong, he recorded with a studio single. In 1980 he published with Bill Laswell and his band material an album under the band name New York Gong.
Gilli Smyth, who had broken in 1978 by Allen, meanwhile, came in 1979 as Mother Gong in appearance, supported by her new partner Harry Williamson and, initially, by Didier Malherbe and Nik Turner ( Hawkwind ). The 1980s spent Allen, Smyth and Williamson predominantly in Australia. 1987 brief break in Smyth and Williamson a purely Australian cast of Mother Gong, the 1991, several albums grossed up to the end of their relationship and numerous concerts graduated.
1988 Daevid Allen returned to England and founded with veteran Didier Malherbe Gong the project Invisible Opera Company of Tibet, whose name Gnome trilogy refers to a motif of the radio. The formation was called from 1989 Gong Maison and hers temporarily Harry Williamson to.
In 1992 was called back Gong. The Reunion joined other former band members, including drummer Pip Pyle, bassist Mike Howlett and singer Gilli Smyth. In addition, younger musicians belonged to the occupation as a violinist Graham Clark ( born 1959 ) and saxophonist Theo Travis (born 1964 ). The group with the albums Shapeshifter (1992) and Zero to Infinity (2000) again builds on the Radio Gnome trilogy and graduated as Classic Gong 1996-2001 numerous tours.
Since that is only occasionally to see " classic cast ". Drummer Pip Pyle died in 2006. Daevid Allen enters since 2003 with the formation of Acid Mothers Gong in appearance, which also includes Gilli Smyth back and occasionally their son Orlando Allen Kawabata Makoto addition of Acid Mothers Temple.
Members
Among the musicians who have played in Gong include:
- Laurie Allan
- Daevid Allen
- Orlando Allen
- Mireille Bauer
- Tim Blake
- Bill Bruford
- Francois Chausse
- Mino Cinelu
- Brian Davison
- Dieter Gewissler
- Miquette Giraudy
- Burton Greene
- Charles Hayward
- Steve Hillage
- Allan Holdsworth
- Rachid Houari
- Mike Howlett
- Daniel Lalou
- Pete Lemer
- Patrice Lemoine
- Bon Lozaga
- Didier Malherbe
- Charlie Mariano
- Benoit Moerlen
- Pierre Moerlen
- Francis Moze
- Barre Phillips
- Jorge Pinchevsky
- Pip Pyle
- Hansford Rowe
- Howard Scarr
- Gilli Smyth
- Tasmin Smyth
- Theo Travis
- Christian Tritsch
- Darryl Way