RADIO GNOME INVISIBLE PART 1 - FLYING TEAPOT

A good word to describe this album is ''goofy''; at least on FLYING TEAPOT, Gong are a band that sound like they absolutely do not take themselves seriously in both the words and the music. This ''Radio Gnome Invisible'' stuff is just plain out of left-field, and Daevid Allen seems to punctuate everything with a very ''hippie'' tone in his voice.

Now, the music is very goofy, but it is by no means weak. Maybe there's a few dead spots on the album, particularly the last two songs, but FLYING TEAPOT has very many catchy moments. Francis Moze is the unsung hero here as his fat bass sound provides stellar grooves throughout, but particularly important on the title track. Speaking of the title track, that song is one of the best jam-y tunes I've ever heard with the great bassline, subtle yet sublime wah guitar licks, spacey keys and the chanting around the middle of the piece.

Another special shoutout goes to the ''Pot Head Pixies'' cut, the very first song from Gong that I ever got into. It has that party-like rockin' feel, but with some of the goofiest things I've ever heard from a prog rock group (particularly the middle section).

Be sure to be open-minded when exploring this album. This is not a serious work of art, but rather a happy escapism thingy. This is one of those albums where you must not overthink all of the details or you'll think that it sucks and regret getting into Gong. Let the craziness rub off on you and enjoy.

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