The space/drug/progrock band Gong was formed almost by accident in the late sixties when Daevid Allen was refused entry back into Britain when he was in Soft Machine (due to narcotics). Calling Paris his home, Allen began working alongside Gilli Smyth and various musicians on what would eventually be the band- Gong. Before Allen left and the band started to wander into a more jazz-influenced group, Gong was recorded on French TV.
The material on the DVD inludes an in the studio performance filmed in 1971 for French television. This earliest filmed examples of the band had a lineup of: Daevid Allen, Gilli Smyth, Didier Malherbe, Christian Tritsch, and Laurie Allen. Other material included is: a film made at the bands house in the French countryside while the band performs and is being interviewed. The roughly 60 minutes of rare and never commercially available make this not only a curiosity, but a real treat for fans of early Gong.
I must interject that I am a fan of the band Gong, but my least favorite Gong-era is from the early 70's- just a bit too druggy for me, regardless, there is a lot to like about this DVD. The footage quality for it's age is quite good and the sound is just as clean. Black and white footage is crisp, and color, though it cries out 70's is quite well-preserved. The 70's multi-layered music video has amazing clarity and color. Regardless of what I feel about this era, this is remarkable footage and an exclusive as it has never been commercially available.
If you like early 70's Gong, this is a MUST BUY to the Gong aficionado. If you are more into the Steve Hillage or Pierre Morlein era of Gong, I would check out a youtube clip before buying. Nevertheless, this release is an important and historical time capsule of early Gong and space prog-rock.
For early Gong fans- a must buy
