GONG
Genres: Jazz Related Rock, Jazz Related Soundtracks, Fusion • Multi-National

Unlike their European contemporaries Hawkwind, Neu! Can, and Amon Düül II, the ever-evolving collective known as Gong were not nearly as well-known for their pioneering brand of psychedelic space rock with conceptual ideas that involved aliens and alternative realities. They were also among the first of these bands to embrace -- and welcome -- improvisation during the late '60s and '70s. Gong was so influential, several of its one- (or two-) time members enjoyed careers leading their own projects, including Gilli Smyth, Steve Hillage, Didier Malherbe, Allan Holdsworth, and Pip Pyle. Founded in France by Daevid Allen (a founding member of Soft Machine) and Smyth in 1967, their trippy music was full of humor and Dadaist passages drenched in labyrinthine grooves, sophisticated charts, and a healthy dose of improvisation. Magick Brother, the band's 1969 debut was released by France's BYG label and included vanguard jazz bassist Barre Phillips as a read more...