Like the other Pierre Moerlen's Gong albums, the album is predominantly jazz-fusion as well as has footling to exercise amongst the psychedelic space rock of Daevid Allen's Gong, fifty-fifty though the bands part a mutual history.
Expresso II is a companion slice to the band's previous release, Gazeuse! (called Expresso inwards North America). It is an extension of the melodic mallet percussion infused progressive jazz/rock that dominated this incarnation of Gong, as well as would live on the final album released on the band's Virgin contract before Pierre Moerlen changed the elevate to Pierre Moerlen's Gong to distinguish this incarnation from that of the Daevid Allen-led chapter.
As interesting as well as fun equally the artist/daevid-allen-mn0000669876">Daevid Allen menstruum was, the elevate artist/gong-mn0000949619">Gong became to a greater extent than meaningful inwards the context of the music equally percussionist Pierre Moerlen assumed the piece of work of bandleader. An emphasis on percussives of all sorts became clear on Gazeuse!, the band's kickoff completely instrumental album, as well as the music became much jazzier, though never considered jazz. Expresso II finds Pierre Moerlen's artist/gong-mn0000949619">Gong at their peak. Like their previous studio release, Gazeuse!, the album is instrumental, the music is really polished, the audio really clean. Vibes as well as xylophone dominate on this album, somewhat reminiscent of the audio artist/zappa-mn0000138699">Zappa achieved through artist/ruth-underwood-mn0000765804">Ruth Underwood on One Size Fits All simply 3 years earlier. The kickoff 2 tracks, "Heavy Tune" as well as "Golden Dilemma," are the highlights here, partially due to the fact that the remainder of the cuts all blend together as well as audio quite similar. The listener is pleasantly assaulted amongst a barrage of vibes, yet what a unique audio it is when heard on a rock-oriented album. Guitar combos rarely instruct much improve than on "Heavy Tune," equally artist/mick-taylor-mn0000470588">Mick Taylor rips out leads over artist/allan-holdsworth-mn0000002252">Allan Holdsworth's grinding beat guitar. The collective guitar audio achieved is 1 of restrained power; however, the slice tin comparatively live on considered a rocker. artist/gong-mn0000949619">Gong shifts to a dissimilar gear amongst the next track, "Golden Dilemma," a faster-paced, jazzy slice amongst incredible solos from guitarist artist/bon-lozaga-mn0000081048">Bon Lozaga. Formerly of artist/curved-air-mn0000144538">Curved Air, artist/darryl-way-mn0000955614">Darryl Way's violin is a highlight on "Sleepy" as well as "Boring" (neither of which apply). "Sleepy," which combines artist/way-mn0000955614">Way's violin amongst artist/holdsworth-mn0000002252">Holdsworth's guitar leads, prefigures the audio of the kickoff United Kingdom of Great Britain as well as Northern Ireland of Britain as well as Northern Republic of Ireland album (artist/holdsworth-mn0000002252">Holdsworth went on to cast United Kingdom of Great Britain as well as Northern Ireland of Britain as well as Northern Republic of Ireland amongst violinist artist/eddie-jobson-mn0000166702">Eddie Jobson). Influenza A virus subtype H5N1 really curt album, Expresso II is maybe the strongest of the post-artist/allen-mn0000669876">Allen artist/gong-mn0000949619">Gong, as well as an essential album.
This was my introduction to Gong. After all I'd read close stoned-out pixies as well as the like, this was the kickoff Gong I e'er heard. I was surprised, to state the least. This was non what I'd expected. I was non disappointed, however. To the contrary, Gong exposed me to a whole novel cast as well as mode of music that I hadn't known before. To this day, fifty-fifty later having collected the major (and a few offshoot) Gong releases, it is the '76-'78 Gong as well as the '80's Pierre Moerlen's Gong that I honey most. Jazz-fusion inwards my sense isn't commonly then percussion-oriented equally Gong; as well as zilch is equally awe-inspiring. This is very, really ahead-of-it's- fourth dimension material, as well as for sure does non stand upward for inwards amongst before Gong. Basically, truthful Gong (as opposed to the many splinter bands) are 2 completely dissimilar bands. You simply convey to choose, or not, but in that place are many differences. I bask all Gong. But the version led yesteryear Piere is the ruling class, as well as all of their albums are essential. I tin recommend "Expresso 2" equally your kickoff Gong purchase, because it has evidently worked for me.
Track listing
1. "Heavy Tune" Pierre Moerlen 6:22
2. "Golden Dilemma" Hansford Rowe 4:51
3. "Sleepy" Mireille Bauer 7:17
4. "Soli" Hansford Rowe 7:37
5. "Boring" Mireille Bauer 6:23
6. "Three Blind Mice" Benoît Moerlen 4:47
Personnel
Pierre Moerlen - drums, glockenspiel, xylophone, tubular bells, tympani, vibraphone
Hansford Rowe - bass, beat guitar (2, maybe likewise at the halt of runway 3)
Mireille Bauer - marimba, vibraphone
Benoît Moerlen - glockenspiel, vibes, xylophone, tubular bells, claves
François Causse - congas
Additional personnel
Allan Holdsworth - guitar (1,3,4)
Mick Taylor - Pb guitar (1)
Darryl Way - violin (3,5)
Bon Lozaga - guitar (2,3)
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