GONG — Flying Teapot: Radio Gnome Invisible, Part 1 (review)

GONG — Flying Teapot: Radio Gnome Invisible, Part 1 album cover Album · 1973 · Jazz Related Rock Buy this album from MMA partners
4.5/5 ·
Sean Trane
With this opening chapter of the Radio Gnome Invisible Trilogy , we find that the Flying Teapot is actually a spaceship emiting Radio Gnome waves to expand the minds and awareness of the Planet GonG whose inhabitants are Pot Head Pixies. Quite a programme as you can see. Gong was always subject to personel changes and comes in Tim Blake and Steve Hillage , both will influence the music to a point that they are much instrumental in the success of YOU.

Side 1 has only two tracks and Radio Gnome Invisible takes you back at the Camembert days but with all the subtleties of the musical progress of the group. One of my favorite track is the title track and its 12 min filled with spacey noises over an infectious rythm. With this track on can listen on how YOU will be such a success. This is easily the highlight of the album.

Side 2 starts with two shorter track , one allowing Tim Blake to expand on his universe of early synths. But clearly the last two tracks are another highpoint of this album: Zero The Hero is another central piece of this album but also of the whole trilogy as well as it introduces the Frodo equivalent of LOTRing trilogy. It is filled with absolutely mirific ambiances and previews some of the beautyful athmospheres of Angel's Egg. Malherbe is again top notch here. The last track Witches Song/I Am Your Pussy is dedicated to Gilly Smyth's charater and is schizophrenic in musical style and provide a great end to this chapter.

Again for years , so many different reissues (both on vinyl and Cd ) of this album have not done justice to the great sleeve artwork which is absolutely necessary to understand (is that possible?) the story . Recently Charly Records released a mini sleeve Lp restauring the full original artwork complete with the innerfold (but strangely enough not the lyrics) on the Victor label, cat. # VICP 61172.

Share this review
more

Review Comments

Post a public comment below | Send private message to the reviewer
Please login to post a shout
No shouts posted yet. Be the first member to do so above!

Review Index

Member Zone

Username:
Password:
Stay signed in

Jazz Subgenres

Artists Alpha-index

JMA TOP 5 Jazz ALBUMS

Rating by members, ranked by custom algorithm
Albums with 30 ratings and more
A Love Supreme Post Bop
JOHN COLTRANE
Buy this album from our partners
Kind of Blue Cool Jazz
MILES DAVIS
Buy this album from our partners
The Black Saint and the Sinner Lady Progressive Big Band
CHARLES MINGUS
Buy this album from our partners
Blue Train Hard Bop
JOHN COLTRANE
Buy this album from our partners
My Favorite Things Hard Bop
JOHN COLTRANE
Buy this album from our partners

New Jazz Artists

New Jazz Releases

Cecil Taylor Unit : Live At Fat Tuesdays, February 9, 1980 First Visit Avant-Garde Jazz
CECIL TAYLOR
Buy this album from MMA partners
Solo Bern 1984 - First Visit Avant-Garde Jazz
ANTHONY BRAXTON
Buy this album from MMA partners
Ernesto Rodrigues, Bruno Parrinha & Johannes von Buttlar : Whispers and Reveries Jazz Related Improv/Composition
ERNESTO RODRIGUES
Buy this album from MMA partners
Ernesto Rodrigues, Nuno Torres & Johannes von Buttlar : Cosmic Collision Jazz Related Improv/Composition
ERNESTO RODRIGUES
Buy this album from MMA partners
Ernesto Rodrigues, Carlos Bechegas, João Madeira & Monsieur Trinité : Free to Open Jazz Related Improv/Composition
ERNESTO RODRIGUES
Buy this album from MMA partners
More new releases

New Jazz Online Videos

Songs My Mom Liked EPK - Anthony Branker
ANTHONY BRANKER
js· 1 day ago
“INFLUENCES” by Jared Hall, trumpeter & composer
JARED HALL
js· 1 day ago
Jean-Pierre (feat. Darryl Jones)
BILL EVANS (SAX)
snobb· 1 day ago
Magic Box
CHRISTOPHE MARGUET
snobb· 1 day ago
The Peacocks
ANTOINE DRYE
js· 2 days ago
More videos

New JMA Jazz Forum Topics

More in the forums

New Site interactions

More...

Latest Jazz News

members-submitted

More in the forums

Social Media

Follow us
Follow us on Twitter Become a Facebook fan RSS Feed