Daevid Allen - Gentle Genie (2004)

The songs on Gentle Genie all come from 1985-2000 and are the best of the period's acoustic songs. The album is the companion to Dreaming A Dream and has been remastered for release. Various permutations of Gong have worked together over the years under various names including Mother Gong, Expresso Gong, Gongmaison, Planet Gong and so on and so forth. An amazing array of musical talent have moved through the ranks; some versions of the band have Daevid Allen on board and others do not. Allen has once again become the leading light and inspiration behind the very fluid Gong concept that began over thirty years ago, when the band came into being almost by accident in the late '60s. Allen was refused entry back into Britain following European dates with Soft Machine, decided to stay in Paris, and began working alongside Gilli Smyth and various musicians on what would eventually be recognized as Gong. The first recordings from the band, Magick Brother, Mystic Sister, were released in 1970, followed by the Radio Gnome Invisible Trilogy: Camembert Electrique; Flying Teapot; Angels Egg and You (which tell the tale of Zero The Hero and the pothead pixies). This mythological story was extremely popular and the resultant albums sold exceptionally well. Following the departure of Allen, Smyth and Steve Hillage, the band moved in a more jazz-oriented direction with the addition of Allan Holdsworth alongside Pierre Moerlen and Didier Malherbe.