Thus quoth the Raven ...
 MT> It seems impossible to me to like it and not the _You_.
 MT> Do you have _Continental Circus_?  I don't have that, the _Greasy
 MT> Truckers_ thingy they're on, nor _Vive Gong_.
 MR> I discovered Gong in about 1976 with the _Expresso_ album. 
 MR> I bought  a few more after that, but kind of lost interest 
 MR> after Pierre Moerlen  took over the group in about 1979. 
Actually, Moerlen was in charge by the time of _Expresso_, although they 
didn't take on the "Pierre Moerlen's Gong" name until _Downwind_ in 1979.  
Daevid Allen, the founder of Gong left in after _You_.  _Shamal_ is the first 
album under Moerlen's direction and it shows. 
 MR> I've never heard the albums you're  mentioning (above). Are 
 MR> they all prior to _Expresso_ and the Moerlen  era
Yes, they are all earlier albums except for _Gong Est Mort! Vive Gong!_ which 
was recorded in live in 1977.  The _You_-era Gong reformed for a tour and 
they played in the _You_ style, but they never recorded another studio album 
in this formation.  The style of music that Gong played under Allen's 
influence is quite different from that played under Moerlen's direction.  
Moerlen played a straight fusion that was often bland and had a high noodle 
factor.  Early Gong is psychedelic more akin to early Pink Floyd and was 
occasionally silly.  By the time of the Planet Gong trilogy (_Flying Teapot_, 
_Angel's Egg_ and _You_), Gong were perfected into a great space fusion band 
with a sort of hippie whimsey.  For my money, this band was head and 
shoulders above PM's Gong, although _Shamal_ is a good album.  If you are 
curious, I suggest you listen to _You_ (prefered) or _Angel's Egg_.  If you 
like, work your way backwards chronologically until you either have them all 
or don't like it any more.
 MR> I've only ever heard Hillage's _L_ and _Green_, but not for a 
 MR> long time.
I like _L_ a lot.  If you get a chance, give it another listen.  It's 
produced by Todd Rundgren and has most of his band playing on it.  If you get 
Gong's _You_ and like it, then go for Hillage's _Fish Rising_ which is very 
similar in nature.  _Motivation Radio_ is also supposed to be very good but 
he becomes erratic after _Green_.
Below is an edited discography culled from a massive Canterbury discog. Hope 
you find it useful.
GONG - Magick Brother, Mystic Sister, 1970 (Byg) [CD : Charly/Spalax]
GONG - Camember Electrique, 1971 (Byg)
GONG - Continental Circus, 1971 (Philips) [CD]
GONG - Glastonbury Fayre, 1971 (Revelation)
  [Gong play on one side of a triple LP recorded at this free festival]
GONG - Radio Gnome Invisible Part 1 - Flying Teapot, 1973 (Virgin) [#] [CD]
VARIOUS - Greasy Truckers : Live At Dingwall's Dance Hall, 1973
  [1 side is Gong; the other three sides are by Camel, Henry Cow and the
  Global Village Trucking Co]
GONG - Radio Gnome Invisible Part 2-Angel's Egg, 1973 (Virgin) [#,CD]
GONG - You, 1974 (Virgin) [CD : Charly/Virgin]
GONG - Shamal, 1976 (Virgin) [CD]
GONG - Gazeuse!, 1977 (Virgin) [CD] [aka _Expresso_]
GONG - Gong Live Etc, 1977 (Virgin) [2LP] [CD] [Rec. 1973-1975]
GONG - Gong Est Mort, Vive Gong !, 1977 (Tapioca/Celluloid)
GONG - Expresso II, 1978 (Virgin) [#] [CD]
GONG - Wingful of Eyes, 1986 (Virgin) [CD] [Compilation]
GONG - The Owl and the Tree, 1986 (Demi-Monde) [CD]
GONG - The History and Mystery of the Planet Gong, 1989 (Demi-Monde) [#,CD]
  [Rec. 1964-1989]
GONG - Live au Bataclan '73, 1990 (Mantra) [CD]
GONG - Live at Sheffield '74, 1990 (Mantra) [CD]
GONG - Shapeshifter, 1992 (Celluloid)
GONG - Live On TV 1990, 1993 (Demon/Code 90) [CD]
GONG - Camembert Eclectique, 1994 (G.A.S.) [Rec. 1970]
GONG - The Birthday Party, 1995 (G.A.S./Voiceprint)
GONG - Pre-Modernist Wireless, 1996 (Strange Fruit) [Rec. 1971-1974]
Daevid Allen appears on all of the above except for _Shamal_, _Gazeuse_, 
_Expresso II_ and the _Wingful of Eyes_ compilation, the selections of which 
are taken from the other three.
Pierre MOERLEN's GONG - Downwind, 1979 (Arista) [CD : Great Expectations]
Pierre MOERLEN's GONG - Time is the Key, 1979 (Arista) [CD : Great Ex...]
Pierre MOERLEN's GONG - Live, 1980 (Arista) [CD]
Pierre MOERLEN'S GONG - Leave It Open, 1981 (Arista)
Pierre MOERLEN's GONG - Breakthrough, 1986 (ARC) [#]
Pierre MOERLEN's GONG - Second Wind, 1989 (Line) [CD]
This doesn't even begin to cover the many mutations such as Gongmaison, 
Planet Gong, Mother Gong, Gongzilla, New York Gong, Paragong
HILLAGE (Steve) - Fish Rising, 1975 (Virgin) [CD]
HILLAGE (Steve) - L, 1976 (Virgin) [CD]
HILLAGE (Steve) - Motivation Radio, 1977 (Virgin) [CD]
HILLAGE (Steve) - Green, 1978 (Virgin) [CD]
HILLAGE (Steve) - Live Herald, 1979 (Virgin) [double album] [CD] Steve
HILLAGE (Steve) - Rainbow Dome Musick, 1979 (Virgin) [CD]
HILLAGE (Steve) - Open, 1979 (Virgin) [CD] Steve Hillage (voc/g/g-syn/syn) -
HILLAGE (Steve) - For To Next, 1982 (Virgin) [CD]
HILLAGE (Steve) - And Not Or, 1983 (Virgin) [CD]
HILLAGE (Steve) - BBC Live In Concert, 1991 (Windsong) [CD] [Rec. 1976/9]
Hillage has done some work recently as System 7 and 777 but they are 
techno/trance type things which is apparently where Stevie is at these days.
            Mike
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