I usually divide the creation of Gong on 3 periods:
1) Classical Gong: It's the Musical Kingdom of Madness. In that period Daevid
Allen who organized the band was "the Soul and Mind of Gong", he just created
the Gong's conception and philosophy.
2) Post-classical Gong: This period started since Allen and his wife Gilly Smith
have left the band; it's characterized with strong jazz-fusion influences.
3) Reincornated Classical Gong: in 2000 year two albums (studio and live) were
released (with Allen and Smith again!). Is it the continuation of Insane Story...?
...But this Insane Story has started after Allen's quit out of British-Canterbury-Scene-Band The Soft Machine (that's why Gong is the one of the Canterbury's Family's members, those always played art-rock with influences of jazz-rock and folk). These album were released in 1969 in Continental Europe and in 1970 in UK, that's why we have a lot of discussions around a year of release of MAGICK BROTHER. This conceptual album tells us rather dark (but funny) fairy story of crazy gnome Camembert (the alter ego of Daevid Allen) divided on 10 chapters-songs of the album. It's my favorite album of Gong (their debut album is the strongest one as King Crimson's too, to my opinion), because it's the craziest and the most sincere one and it's full of absolutely wonderful musical material. The album begins from pseudo-folk psychedelic composition MYSTIC SISTER: MAGICK BROTHER. It can remind you some songs of Syd Barrett from 1st Pink Floyd's album and also from his solo-albums. Allen also was closed to hippies, and some of his records are maybe similar to Grateful Dead, Barretish Pink Floyd, Frank Zappa and Amon Duul. But it doesn't mean that Gong is a parody to these bands; Gong has always its own creative style.The 2nd song is a powerful psychedelic hard-rock number influented with San Francisco Sound. I think, it's my favorite song on the album, it's named GLAD TO SAD TO SAY. I like such powerful compositions of late 60s very much (that's why I like GIMME SHELTER of Rolling Stones and INTO A GAME of VDGG so much, for example). Then RATIONAL ANTHEM follows, a mellow psychedelic song with apocalyptical motives. It's very dark-pretty, and I like it very much. The next composition is really interesting humorous suite CHAIN STORE DREAM: PRETTY MISS TITTY ("Titty's Theme" will be developing in the following albums of the band). But I can't understand what means "pockets full of blood": what is about? It was sung so sarcastically! The next song HOPE YOU FEEL OK is very pleasant optimistic ballad and it really makes you feel OK. The 6th song EGO is maybe about deceased Ego of our Hero. It begins rather funny but is developing to rather dark atonal psychedely to the end. After this crazy waltz GONG SONG follows with its very beautiful saxophone playing. This song is rather hard and powerful but it gives me light and joyful emotions. Maybe hey are necessary before deadly-mystically atmosphere of the next song PRINCESS DREAMING. Very dreadful song! (in good sense of word "dreadful"). When I listen this song it seems to me that I'm awaken at cemetery in the autumn moonfull night. This atonal-sounding psycedelic composition contains instrumental "cryings and wailings of wicked dead's souls". (You can feel similar emotions while listening). Very impressive number! Then another hard-rock number 5 AND 20 SCOOLGIRLS follows, but unlike GONG SONG it's rather dark and aggressive-sounding. ...And the last song 'COS YOU GOT GREEN HAIR, rather usual meditative number but ear-pleasant to relative mood. Allen sings as Maharishi Mahesh Yogi here, sometimes it seems funny. You also can find the similar song on Pink Floyd's OBSCURED BY CLOUDS at the end of the album too. But Gong's MAGICK BROTHER is much-more stronger than OBSCURED BY CLOUDS. I even might give this album the highest rating, that's why it's very strong and impressive. At least, it's the one of the strongest albums of "golden" 1969 year.
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This album is not so great as previous but it's only soundtrack. This record has a lot of very strong instrumental passages but they are rarely interesting musically; it's rather short (35 minutes) and consists of 4 compositions only. The 1st song BLUES FOR FINDLAY is almost Deep-Purplish hard-rock number with some psychedelic-meditative sound, but it's too meditative and BASICALLY BASED on rhythm-section with lack of interesting musical ideas, with very good electric guitar though. It's hard to say that Allen sings here, I hear only his monotonous speaking. It might be very good being shorter on half, but it's too long and even became rather dull after 5th minute listening of such monotonous rhythm. The 2nd song CONTINENTAL CIRCUS ... eh ... it's rather difficult to call it "song", because basically it's the set of speaking, noises and other sounds of the motobikers racing with some fragments of BLUES FOR FINDLAY. The 3rd song WHAT DO YOU WANT? Is the single composition that I really can call very good. It has the same themes as some songs from the next (the same time recorded) Gong's album CAMEMBERT ELECTRIQUE. Though it has other lyrics. Very nice powerful song with magical cosmic intonations in 1st part of it. As on he songs from 1st album it has excellent playing of saxophone, and guitar sounds excellent too. No problem with this composition! And the final track of album is only the instrumental remaking of BLUES FOR FINDLAY which adds nothing new. As sound track this record is good, but I cannot cal it as normal album. Though sometimes I get a good enjoy of it.
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Another one masterpiece of the band! CAMEMBERT ELECTRIQUE is almost so excellent as MAGICK BROTHER, it even is more irreaproachably-played than the 1st album, but it has no those unlimited sincerity and wonderful errors which were so nice on the debut album! I can compare MAGICK BROTHER and CAMEMBERT ELECTRIQUE with two songs of Rolling Stones: crazy-powerful, sincere, non-perfectly-sounding SATISFACTION and also powerful, perfectly-played, but more restraint BROWN SUGAR. Though CAMEMBERT ELECTRIQUE is more favorite fore the majority of Gong’s fans. This album continues the line of MAGICK BROTHER with the general hero of conception Bert (Daevid Allen). The album begins from Bert’s speech with idiotic voice (this track is called RADIO GNOME). Then the 1st real song begins. YOU CAN’T KILL ME is one of the most popular songs of Gong’s fans. It’s very powerful song with fast-tempered rhythm and it’s about madness again (all the album is such mad as debut one is). As usually you also can listen magical back-voice of Gilly Smith. The next song I’VE BEEN STONED BEFORE sounds as pathetic anthem and Allen sounds very unusually, unlike other songs. Then it transforms into joyful insanity of 2nd part of the song. Two next songs OH, MOTHER, I AM YOUR FANTASY and DYNAMITE: I AM YOUR ANIMAL are the prototypes of two years later released on ANGEL’S EGG – PROSTITUTE POEM (this theme has began with PRETTY MISS TITTY of the 1st album) and EAT THAT PHONE BOOK CODA with its loud fast joyful speaking. The 1st of them is a mellow tale of streetwalker and the 2nd is another number with joyful insanity (but with dark-playing guitar). The 2nd side of LP also begins with strange speaking. And after this two songs follow: SQUEEZING SPONGES OVER POLICEMEN'S HEADS and FONATDIGS HOLES IN SPACE sound without interval between them. They have the same theme as WHAT DO YOU WANT? From CONTINENTAL CIRCUS, another text only. Greatest songs, particularly back-vocal singing “wooh-hooh” after every Allen’s phrase. The next song is rather traditionally-sounding (similar to early Fleetwood Mac or The Who) rock-mainstream-stylized TIRED SO HARD, but anyway it’s rather pleasant, though without usual Gong’s avant garde. The next song TROPICAL FISH: SELENE on the contrary is rather extraordinary and impressive, and maybe t can remind you the style of VDGG (the bass-line and the sax sound like the Potter’s and the Jackson’s ones). But anyway, the song is really Gongish with mad singing of Allen and sexy-whispering of Smith. At the end of the Gong you can hear the finishing theme of DYNAMITE: I AM YOUR ANIMAL. And the album has such coda as intro: the short speech of Bert Camembert. Excellent record! No more comments.
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