Does anyone still listen to Gong?
 

I know there is a sort of Gong thread kicking around here, which is coupled with Hawkwind. But I wanted to start a thread devoted solely to Gong. Because they deserve it.

I used to be a great Gong fan in my teens and I still am after all these years. Still listen to them. Their last album called 2032 was excellent. And according to the reviews on Amazon I'm not the only one who thinks so.

Then there was the re-release of Camembert Eclectique (not to be confused with Camembert Electrique) which contains some really early recordings of Gong.

I see Gong as sort of visionary. They are very original, but they have that sort of friendly, warm vibe about them. They are Psychedelic Rock at its best in my opinion.

What's a Gong?

Que?

Gong is a hippy band.....

Or are you referring to my terrible English? :D

I first heard Gong after buying Camembert Electrique (1971), when it was reissued a few years after the original release for only 49p. I was only a child at the time, so I could afford to buy it with my pocket money (although it had to be ordered). When I went to collect the record, the man in the record shop had clearly played it for himself and said, "It's really weird you know." Despite the silliness, there was some great space rock and I now also have (on CD this time, not vinyl) Camembert Electrique, You (1974), Flying Teapot (1973) and Angel's Egg (1973/2004). I prefer Steve Hillage on his first solo album, Fish Rising, which was really him with Gong, and the Pierre Moerlen version of the band is not bad either. There can never be enough space rock in my opinion.