I have no recollection of buying this CD or listening to it, and I was not aware I had it. It's a 2CD archive set, part of the 20 part Bananamoon Obscura series (only 17 of which were released).
CD1 comes from 1977 rehearsals for the Gong Reunion, after Allen had decamped to Mallorca and hooked up with local group Euterpe, having made the charming album Good Morning the previous year.
The disc starts with Mystic Sister, a Gilli Smyth 'space whisper' and glissando guitar (could anything be more Gong?) followed by it's companion piece, Magick Brother, both unremarkable early Gong songs. Sitting In A Teashop is a rambling piece of nonsense, but Have You Seen My Friend (from the Good Morning album) is brighter, if more raw than the album version. Even delivered by Smyth, I Am The Rapist is glib and pointless, leading into Brothasista Invocation, more Smyth/glissando poetry. Wee Bit More is a more orthodox, but quite dull song, followed by Prostitute Poem (revisited from Gong's Angel's Egg album), with a Lili Marlene accompaniment replacing the Gallic saxophone melody, not particularly successfully. Five and Twenty is another early Gong song, which didn't merit revisiting, and Time Of The Bananamoon is an ill advised reggae attempt. CD1 ends with the longer Deya Goddess, originally on Allen's solo album Now Is The Happiest Time Of Your Life, a joyful piece, and an enjoyable listen, although no improvement on the album version.
It's a rehearsal tape on which there's nothing new of merit, and old stuff isn't improved on, and as such, while a little piece of history, musically, it adds nothing to the Gong/Allen legacy.
CD2 is a live recording from 1998 of Allen's band Brainville, with bassist Hugh Hopper and drummer Pip Pyle. I saw the trio in 2006 (soon after Pyle's death, Chris Cutler ably standing in on drums) and they were very enjoyable.
It opens with a frantic version of Gong favourite Fohat Digs Holes In Space, always welcome, but Allen's limited guitar playing is no substitute for Didier Malherbe's original sax solo. Who's Afraid dates from Allen's collaboration with kramer, and is quite dull and repetitive. Flowers Gone is lively and anarchic, but not ten minutes of fun (and what sounds like seven people applauding politely at the end seems to bear that out). Shadow is much softer and laid back at the start, becoming livelier as the song progresses, and keeping it thankfully short, Thinking Thoughts plods along. Hope For Happiness revives an old Soft Machine song, and the slower treatment both works and makes it drag a bit, while final track Bullshit and Be is very ordinary. Again as a snapshot of the band early on, it’s interesting, but there’s no excitement of a live performance.
2* - Bananamoon Obscura were intended as historical releases, rather than great listening. But ultimately, they’re to be listened to, and need to hold the interest. This is a collectors’ piece only.
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