b o b

I think this is overall my favorite album from the Radio Gnome Invisible trilogy, but that may just be because it was the first one I heard. This disc strikes a nice balance between the lyric-heavy first album and the largely instrumental third album. Flying Teapot set up the characters and plot (such as it is), Angel's Egg continues the story but also goes off on whimsical tangents that outline Daevid Allen's philosophies as much as they do the universe of the Pot Head Pixies. Musically the album is a bit more song-oriented than You, but there are still a few long, spacey interludes. These tend to be more laid-back and atmospheric than the ones on the third album, but occasionally take off into upbeat, jazzy territory particularly in the second half of the disc. Overall, if you're just in it for the music, start with You. If you also want a taste of Allen's quirky and charming lyrics, start here. I should also mention that the final song in the track listing, "Ooby-Scooby Doomsday", is a bonus track - the first CD I bought didn't have it. I ended up buying the album again for that song. The track's not bad, but don't go out of your way looking for a copy with it. Besides which, "Eat that Phone Book Coda" brings the album to a definite conclusion, so having another song after that seems kind of anticlimactic. Whenever I'm listening to the entire trilogy, I use the Angel's Egg disc without the bonus track. review by Bob Eichler — undated —

j o e

The second album in the Radio Gnome Invisible trilogy, Angel's Egg features all the familiar sound elements of classic-era Gong. Here the emphasis is not on blissed-out, psychedelic-fusion jams like the next one, You, but more on shorter vignettes developing Allen's Zero the Hero story. If one can say that it has any development. Daevid Allen's work is a very acquired taste, and even if you acquire it, there's usually bound to be a couple of annoying tunes (for me, that would be "Selene" and "Ooby-Scooby etc."). Still, there's also a few that take off quite well (e.g. "Oily Way"). Anyway, Angel's Egg is definitely inferior to You and I generally find it to be overrated with a good chunk of filler, but it's still got some enjoyable moments. Would...you...like some...tea? review by Joe McGlinchey — 6-20-00 —

m a t t

Gong founders Daevid Allen and Gilli Smyth took a break from the band in 1973 after Flying Teapot was recorded; the rest of the group toured without them as Paragong. When Allen and Smyth returned a few months later to record the second installment of the Radio Gnome trilogy, the dynamics of the group had changed. Probably as a result of touring successfully without their conceptual leaders, the other members of the band — plus newly-added drummer Pierre Moerlen — exerted a significant creative influence on Angel's Egg. The album is still steeped in Allen's Planet Gong mythology; indeed, this record is easily the least instrumentally-oriented of the Radio Gnome trilogy. However, most of the songs were written or co-written by someone other than Allen or Smyth. What is most immediately apparent about the album is how different it sounds musically from the previous Gong releases. Truly, Angel's Egg is the epitome of a transitional release: it shares content and structure with the two earlier Gong albums, but the polished sound and synthesizers point towards the band's future. The results are consistent and mostly impressive, although the strict adherence to the concept and the shortness of some of the songs keep things from quite taking off and regularly reaching the highs of the more uneven Camembert Electrique or Flying Teapot. The vaguely Eastern-sounding opener "Other Side of the Sky" — all bubbling synthesizers, airy saxophone and the occasional space whisper — sets the tone for the new Gong sound. There are some excellent groovy numbers that capture the essence of past Gong highlights like "Flying Teapot" and "Fohat Digs Holes in Space," ("Sold to the Highest Buddha," "Oily Way," the great "I Never Glid Before" and "Ooby Scooby Doomsday"), but they're shorter, slicker and they smooth over some of the previous albums' edginess; only "Ooby Scooby" sounds like it could actually have come from one of the previous albums. The other pieces show the band expanding their musical vocabulary, from short guitar and synthesizer interludes, to Pierre Moerlen's malleted "Love is How You Make It," Didier Malherbe's zany "Eat That Phone Book Coda" and Gilli Smyth's erotic cabaret-style "Prostitute Poem." This is an album (like all Daevid Allen Gong albums) that rewards repeated exposure. Its diversity and the shortness of some of the songs can make it elusive to hone in on, but eventually I think most listeners will regard it as one of the better entries in the Gong discography. review by Matt P. — 4-20-05 —