LIVE AT THE GONG FAMILY UNCONVENTIONAL GATHERING

It is safe to say that anyone who can state which Gong members played on what albums, and what line-ups were deemed 'official' and possibly even name all the offshoot bands would be a certifiable but paid-up member of the Gong fan club, and probably made every effort to be at The Gong Family Unconvention at the Melkweg club in Amsterdam in November 2006. This was a unique 3-day event where all the surviving original members of the band came together (drummer Pierre Moerlen had died the previous year) to form a new line-up which I am sure had never previously shared a stage. After performing sets with their own bands, they came together to play for well over 2 hours, and anyone who enjoys this band is bound to find their own favourite on this set. 15 years to the day from the performance, this was made available both in audio and DVD, and while I only have the former I do already have plenty of Gong DVDs in my collection so was just able to sit back and really savour this.

For the aficionado, the line-up that night was Daevid Allen (guitar, vocals), Gilli Smyth (vocals, space whisper), Steve Hillage (guitar), Didier Malherbe (flute, soprano sax, duduk), Theo Travis (tenor sax), Tim Blake (synthesiser, vocals), Miquette Giraudy (synthesiser), Mike Howlett (bass), Chris Taylor (drums), and together they concentrated on the classic albums 'Camembert Electrique', 'Flying Teapot', 'Angel's Egg' and 'You' with just one song from 'Zero To Infinity' and nothing else. 18 tracks, classics all, with the band combining and creating something incredible special in the way that only Gong can. We get plenty of glissando, Gilli provides her poetry, and this is far more of an event or happening than just a gig. By concentrating on the second album and then the three which form the 'Radio Gnome Invisible' trilogy the band were giving the fans exactly what they wanted, even though the most recent of the albums was already more than 30 years old (and now nearly 50), yet it is striking at just how relevant and exciting they are even today.

Gong were a very special band indeed (yes, I know they are still in existence as Daevid Allen wanted them to continue after his death), and although there have been multiple line-ups over the years, for me it is when Daevid, Gilli and Steve were all playing together that this band became something very special indeed and this live recording captures all that and so much more. If you consider yourself a proghead but have never seriously investigated Gong, then this is the place to start.

The climactic performance at the 2006 Gong Family Unconventional Gathering - following on from various performances from solo projects and bands in the wider Gong universe - found a range of Gong veterans taking to the stage for a triumphal trip through the hits. The focus is very much on the Radio Gnome Invisible trilogy and Camembert Electrique, which most would say constitute the best material of the band's first era, prior to Daevid Allen's first departure.

This is, to be honest, exactly what you want out of a reunion exercise like this - let later lineups and other projects in the wider galaxy go more experimental and strive for novelty. Most of the lineup here would come together again in the studio to put together 2032, which can be seen as the final chapter of "old Gong" - after that, Allen and Gilli Smyth used the I See You album to pass the torch to a much younger and more or less entirely new lineup, who have kept the spirit of the group going after Allen and Smyth's deaths. 2032, though, seems to have had a fairly tepid reception. Perhaps this is a better way to remember the early 1970s veterans of the group - together again, playing the material which won over the hearts of their fanbase, and at peace with each other after the ups and downs of prior years.