DAEVID ALLEN & EUTERPE: GOOD MORNING!

Amongst the sleeve notes of this 2nd solo album proper, Daevid exclaims ' At last .... a band without a Drummer ! Hooray ! ' This album is the product of Daevid's getting together with a Spanish troupe of acoustic musicians called 'Euterpe', whilst he was based in Majorca. 'Euterpe', by the way, is the name of a Greek God of Music..... and there is no Drummer !! The music is as whimsical and dreamy as anything Allen has created (before and after). Most of this material is purely 'personal' sounding and stream-of-consciousness stuff. It is surely Spacey and Psychedelic, original and weird. Even if Allen is an out- to-lunch sort of character, his individual ideals, beliefs and approach always sound way ahead of their time. And he does have a valid perception of the world in which we live in. The musical illustrations presented here by Daevid and his 'bunch of Catalunatics' only occasionally display some form of melody, and for the most part, have a strange structure, if indeed any at all. For these traits alone, the album stands its own ground. I came across this record during the mid-90's, and haven't listened to it that often, but it's certainly excellent. I adore the cover-art - it's so Gong. The highlight and masterpiece track off the album is the big one on side 2 - 'Wise Man In Your Heart' (11.35) - featuring none other than his trusty Gong-mates Pierre Moerlen (Perc.) and Mike Howlett (Bass). This tune alone is amazing. A phenomenal, mesmerising Glissando Guitar heavy travel, with a superb rhythmic backing, and kozmik rant from Allen. This composition is precious and reason alone for tracking down this release. Those familiar with the extended, Space-excursions from Gong, 'You' (in particular), along with the more Jazz-oriented Moerlen- led ensemble, will discover a perfect marriage between the two styles. The title track is another strong piece of music. I'm not really convinced it belongs in the Canterbury camp, but Space-Heads and Gong- Freaks should enjoy this excellent album regardless.

Back in the mid 60s, most progressive musicians at the time were putting out songs that were, well, silly. That doesn't make them bad, but just listen to Piper at the Gates of Dawn by Pink Floyd, or Steve Howe's pre-Yes band, Tomorrow, or Giles Giles & Fripp, or The Nice. At some point around 1970, most bands got verrrrry serious. This never happened to Daevid Allen.

As far as I know, to this date, Daevid Allen is making the same funny, whimsical music that he always has. And this is a good thing. Nobody does it better.

This album is just what you would expect. I like it.

Daevid Allen's first solo album after his resignation from Gong after You is a collaboration with Euterpe, a mainly acoustic group of Spanish musicians. The album is a bit more cohesive than his previous solo effort, Bananamoon, and finds Allen in a contemplative mood. His famed sense of humour and whimsy is still present, of course, but this time around there's heavy doses of reflection and ponderings on the way people hurt each other and the struggle not to repeat the mistakes of the past - topics which are of great interest to Allen, but which had only been communicated through whimsical comedy in his previous work.

Euterpe are a fine backing group for Allen's musings, Gilli Smyth is of course on hand to add Gong-esque space whispers, and the album comes to a peak with The Wise Man In Your Heart, on which fellow Gong veterans Mike Howlett and Pierre Moerlen guest, and which in its swirling futuristic-psychedelic rhythms seems to provide a precedent for the dance music of a couple of decades later. On the whole, Allen couldn't have judged this one better - the album not only reassures fans that he's still the mischievous wizard of times past, but also has a distinctly different sound from his work with Gong, proving that there's more to Allen than pothead pixies.

3.5 stars. Rounded up. Daevid Allen's second release is a good one, better than the debut or the one that follows in my opinion. He has the Spanish acoustic band EUTERPE helping out and these guys are players despite my distaste for acoustic music.

Gilli Smyth adds vocals and it's pretty cool that Mike Howlett adds bass to "Wise Men In Your Heart" while Pierre Moerlen adds percussion to this song that they both composed. It's the longest at 11 1/2 minutes and my favourite. The bass here is outstanding to say the least. Love the atmosphere and we get vocals coming and going. Vocal expressions too. The opener is a top three, a beautiful song called "Children Of The New World" with acoustic guitar and almost spoken vocals. How about "French Garden" a song that stood out for me from the start. Pleasant vocal melodies before the singing starts. It all turns fuller. So good. I don't usually mention bonus tracks as I like to stick to the original album but once in a blue moon I come across a really good bonus tune like "Euterpe Gratitude Piece" a live one at almost 10 minutes. So spacey and it's like the soundtrack to a movie scene where someone enters Heaven. Check out the psychedelic laughter at one point as the audience roars. The rooster from the title track makes an appearance later.

A solid album that has that Allen charm in spades. Can't go lower than 4 stars for this 1976 release.