Gong - Shapeshifter (15 tracks) +Album Reviews

Gong - 'Shapeshifter'

Mike Reed | USA | 10/03/2004

(4 out of 5 stars)

"Hard to believe this 21-track CD by Gong is of mostly new/er material with the exception of "OM Riff",which is a live remix.I was somewhat stunned to hear just how fresh and lively these veteran cosmic rockers STILL sound.I truly believe that the formula for a good Gong album requires the combined efforts of vocalist/guitarist/founder/zany frontman Daevid Allen and woodwind instrumentalist Didier Malherbe.Tunes that I liked best were the title track "Shape Shifter","Dog-O-Matic","Give My Mother A Soul Call","Elephant La Tete" and the live snippet performance of Malberbe's "Can You:You Can".On the previously mentioned "OM Riff",there's a twelve-minute jam with the entire 'classic' Gong line-up of Allen,Gilli Smyth,Malherbe,Tim Blake,Mike Howlett and long-missed guitarist Steve Hillage.Trippin'!!A great reunion effort."

Gong's best studio album

kireviewer | Sunnyvale, Ca United States | 06/14/2001

(5 out of 5 stars)

"This CD comes from 1992. The group consists of all of the original members from Radio Gnome days, except Steve Hillage and Pierre Moerlen. Even the troubled Mike Howlett is here. This is the first time this group has gotten together since 1974 and recorded a studio album. There were reunion tours in the eighties, but only the main trio was involved. This CD is about 74 minutes long.This is not your typical inept reunion album. Gong has taken the original sound and evolved it and mixed it with several different styles. The result is more interesting, rich and varied than anything else Gong has done. All kinds of styles are mixed together, including, Eastern, Indian, Space and straight ahead rock.To compensate for Hillage being gone, Graham Clarke on violin has been added. This adds a whole new dimension to the music.There are only a few minor flaws to this CD. The tracks are ordered so the musical style radically changes from track to track. It gives the CD a jumpy quality. It may have been better to group the tracks by style. The last 14 minutes are a live version of an old song. But, that still leaves 60 minutes of new and very fresh music."

Gong shapeshifts again!

Peter Williams | Pasadena, CA United States | 01/16/2004

(5 out of 5 stars)

"A really nice piece of work, and proof that Daevid Allen and Gong have continued to evolve and grow while remaining true to their musical vision. As others have said, it does have a somewhat inconsistent quality, but this is partly because it utilizes so many diverse musical idioms. Let's face it: some albums we approach as if to a meal, and others we approach as if it were the appetizer table. This album is the latter. And appetizers abound here! Gong shifts shape from one song to the other, and as far as I'm concerned, that's its main strength.But what really strikes me about the album is its sense of whimsy , and its lighthearted --yet serious-- outlook on life. And there are space jams a-plenty to satisfy fans of Teapot-era Gong, like myself. And I wouldn't hesitate to recommend it to Gong newcomers as a first taste of this great, always-evolving band."

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