Punk rock meets Gong-style space rock
BENJAMIN MILER | Veneta, Oregon | 06/18/2004
(4 out of 5 stars)
"I never could have imagined the combination of late '70s punk rock and progressive space rock as pioneered by the likes of Gong could work so well, but this 1978 album from Here & Now demonstrates it can work. I guess comparing them to Gong is pretty easy, after all they did back up Daevid Allen, before going their own way. The punk elements come from the heavy British accent in the male vocalist and lots of themes dealing with anarchy, while unlike actual punk bands like Sex Pistols, The Clash, Ramones, etc., this band wasn't afraid to go in to lengthy jams, explore Tim Blake-like spacy synths, Daevid Allen-like glissando guitar, and Steve Hillage-like lead guitar. The band also had a female vocalist who obviously learned a thing or two from Gilli Smyth, although unlike Smyth, she doesn't do any of those "space whispers". I have the old CD reissue on the Decal label, which unfortunately failed to mention who was in the band, I am aware someone named Steffi Sharpstrings was responsible for guitar. He was also a member of Gong during their 1990s reunion, filling in for Hillage (who of course was busy with the techno outfit System 7). The CD reissue not only contains the original LP (which consists of the first six pieces), but five bonus cuts, all from a 1979 EP entitled A Dog in Hell. Give & Take starts off with "What You See is What You Are". The first half of the piece is mainly vocals and synthesizer, the second half is a killer jam with glissando guitar and Hillage-like lead guitar. "Nearer Now" is a more straighforward piece almost reminding me of Pink Floyd. "Grate Fire of London" is one of the more bizarre numbers, mainly Tim Blake-like synths and glissando guitar with bizarre female vocals. "This Time" is the closest to punk, and is a pretty hilarious little song. "70's Youth" is another Pink Floyd-like number, with lyrics dealing about '70s youth in Great Britain who seem down and out, which was often the theme of any given punk band you can think of. The final piece, "Improvisation" is, as you might guess, an improvisation, which is one amazing and lengthy space rock jam going that gets intense. Now for the bonus cuts, I don't think they quite live up to the greatness of Give & Take, but many of their trademarks of combining punk with space rock is still there. I thought the last piece, "Choke a Koala" was more silly for the title, since it was just a typical instrumental piece. "A Dog in Hell" itself is a pretty silly piece, you get to hear a totally mangled version of "How Much is That Doggie in the Window", done in a style that you can be very certain isn't Patti Page. Even if the description of Give & Take might not sound the most appealing, it's still another excellent space rock album worth having, especially if you like Gong and don't mind a more punk rock twist to it."
Track Listings (6) - Disc #1