01	Heavy Tune						06:25
	02	Golden Dilema						04:53
	03	Sleepy						07:18
	04	Soli						07:39
	05	Boring						06:26
	06	Three Blind Mice						04:49

HEAVY TUNE (Pierre Moerlen) - Pierre Moerlen drums, glockenspiel, vibraphone; Benoit Moerlen vibraphone; Mireille Bauer marimba; Hansford Rowe bass; Mick Taylor lead guitar; Allan Holdsworth rhythm guitar.
GOLDEN DILEMMA (Hansford Rowe) - Pierre Moerlen drums, xylophone; Benoit Moerlen vibraphone; Mireille Bauer marimba; Francois Causse congas; Hansford Rowe, bass, rhythm guitar; Bon Lozaga guitar.
SLEEPY (Mireille Bauer) - Pierre Moerlen drums; Benoit Moerlen vibraphone, marimba and percussion; Mireille Bauer vibraphone; Hansford Rowe bass, solo with Dr. Q; Francois Causse congas; Allan Holdsworth guitar: Darryl Way violin; Bon Lozaga rhythm guitar.
SOLI (Hansford Rowe) - Pierre Moerlen drums; Benoit Moerlen vibraphone solo; Mireille Bauer vibraphone; Hansford Rowe bass; Francois Causse congas; Allan Holdsworth guitar.
BORING (Mireille Bauer) - Pierre Moerlen drums timpani, tubular bells; Benoit Moerlen vibraphone; Mireille Bauer marimba; Francois Causse congas: Hansford Rowe bass; Darryl Way violin.
THREE BLIND MICE (Benoit Moerlen) - Pierre Moerlen drums; Benoit Moerlen vibraphone, tubular bells, glockenspiel, claves, xylophone: Mireille Bauer vibraphone, marimba: Hansford Rowe bass; Francois Causse congas.

Produced by GONG and JOHN WOOD;
Engineered by JOHN WOOD
Executive producer GRAHAM LAWSON for 6 Fernhead Road, London W9 SET. (969-8307)
Mick Taylor appears courtesy C.B.S Records Inc.
Sleeve design and art direction by Splash Studio Photography by Sheila Rock
Thanks to Charles Levison ® .©1989 Virgin Records Ltd.

Recorded at Pye and Matrix studios (engineer Nick Bradford).
Mixed at Britannia Row Studio
Mastered at Trident Studio



Tentative Review #154
Gong
Expresso II
(released 1978)

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Track: Rating:
1. Heavy Tune
2. Golden Dilemma
3. Sleepy
4. Soli
5. Boring
6. Three Blind Mice

Personnel:
Mireille Bauer: marimbas, vibraphone
Francois Causse: congas
Allan Holdsworth: rhythm guitar
Bon Lozaga: acoustic guitar
Benoit Moerlen: glockenspiel, vibes, xylophone, tubular bells, claves
Pierre Moerlen: drums, glockenspiel, xylophone, tubular bells, timpani
Hansford Rowe: bass, rhythm guitar
Mick Taylor: electric guitar
Darryl Way: violin
Credits:
"Heavy Tune" written by Pierre Moerlen.
"Golden Dilemma" and "Soli" written by Hansford Rowe.
"Sleepy" and "Boring" written by Mireille Bauer.
"Three Blind Mice" written by Benoit Moerlen.


--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Comments:
By 1978, Gong -- in its European incarnation, at least -- was thoroughly under the control of Pierre Moerlen. Gone were the days of pot-head pixies, interstellar witches and, well, vocals -- from the ashes of Daevid Allen's project had emerged one of the continent's premiere jazz-fusion ensembles, essentially a different band from the unit which had first spawned it.

Opinions on Moerlen's Gong were (and still are) quite divided, of course. Some fans of Daevid Allen's space-hippy conceptual themes never quite managed to get into P.M.'s preference for trance rhythms; by contrast, many within the "musicianship comes first" camp regarded the new lineup as a vast improvement over the former (the latter view, incidentally, may still be found in the All-Music Guide's Gong reviews). This reviewer's own opinion is a bit more nuanced: there's no question that some of the "fun" in Gong departed with Allen (and that a bit more departed with Steve Hillage). But the musicians who remained in the band still managed to create some beautiful, wonderful music in tune with their own sensibilities, and it would be somewhat unfair to condemn them for not following exacting in the footsteps of the band's original founders. P.M. Gong ultimately deserves to me measured on its own terms, whatever some diehards in the Allen camp (and, believe me, there are such people out there) may say.

So, then, how is this Gong to be assessed?

On the standards of Expresso II, probably fairly highly. Each track on the album resonates with the sort of assuredness and (to use a term lately in vogue among political types) "gravitas" that musicians of this calibre are capable of. Centering the band around an array of percussion instruments, Moerlen joins forces with his usual team (as well as a pair of refugees from Curved Air and the Rolling Stones) to create the sort of music that other musicians look upon with awe. One contributor to Pierre Moerlen's website has described his drumming as being "like breathing", smooth to the point of perfection. And it's hard to argue with such a description, quite honestly.

And yet. And yet, Expresso II itself doesn't quite reach the same level of perfection. As per many other bands of this sort, the musicians tend to become locked in their grooves for a bit longer than one might desire; too much attention is focused on mid-song soloing, and the entire album starts to sound somewhat 'samey' after a bit.

Most readers will have a good idea of the kind of work I'm speaking of -- one of those albums that's far more revered than loved, and (perhaps) more praised than actually listened to. The sort of album, in other words, that appears as a draught of pure air in small doses, but stifles if experienced too long in isolation.

I would advocate that all fans of jazz-fusion acquire this album, and I might even go as far as to recommend it for the merely curious, interested in Gong's history throughout the late '70s. But an album of this sort has to be used wisely -- in most cases, this means, "sparingly".

As to the individual tracks ...

"Heavy Tune" is rather as the title implies, with a deliberately metallic riff to kick off and conclude the piece. The mid-section, thankfully, is metallic in a much different way, with various melodic percussives in the foreground. One wonders if this was intended as a tribute/parody of Mick Taylor's former bandmates.

"Golden Dilemma" is an essential work for those in love with xylophones, though some might take offense at the vaguely disco rhythm which seems to surface on occasion.

"Sleepy" is further proof of the band's adherence to "truth in advertising", a dreamily ambient piece which uses Way's violin to great effect. The bass line is quite nice also, and the percussive effects seem to resonate (just briefly) with Daevid Allen's legacy.

"Soli" is perhaps the most Weather Report-esque track on the album, with the sort of "intelligent cocktail" feel sometimes associated with that group. In spite of the credits, by the way, I am not convinced that Allan Holdsworth isn't playing the lead guitar solo towards the end.

"Boring" starts as a bit of a foray into Steve Reich minimalism (heh), shifting to something more in tune with the album's general standard before it ends. A nice melody.

"Three Blind Mice" is another strongly xylophonic track, with another nice melody. Are these capsule reviews starting to sound the same? If so, there's a reason for it.

In sum: a solid album, not really a great one.

The Christopher Currie
(review originally posted to alt.music.yes on 8 Aug 2000)