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Flying Teapot was the first of the Radio Gnome albums (I hesitate to call it a trilogy, since 1997's Shapeshifter and 2000's Zero to Infinity are apparently the fourth and fifth albums in the series, and who knows if Daevid Allen plans on adding more). As the saga's starting point, this album introduces the major characters of the "story": the Pot Head Pixies, the Octave Doctors, Zero the Hero, etc. If that all sounds a little goofy to you, don't worry about it. You can safely enjoy the albums without spending a moment trying to figure out what in the heck Allen is talking about. And there are long instrumental breaks, although the balance doesn't shift fully from lyrics to music until the series' third album, You. Highlights of this album are the twelve minute title track and the catchy "Pot Head Pixies". "Zero the Hero and the Witch's Spell" isn't bad either. But that last track... well, I imagine when it was first recorded 30+ years ago, it achieved its goal of being a very sexy song. But last time I saw the band play live, Gilly Smyth (now at least in her late 50s or early 60s) was still singing "I am Your Pussy" and it was kind of embarrassing. Anyway, for my own personal tastes this is probably the weakest link in the original three Radio Gnome albums, but the entire trilogy is still well worth hearing. review by Bob Eichler — 4-6-05 —

m a t t

Cut from much the same cloth as the previous Camembert Electrique, Flying Teapot is the first album in the "Radio Gnome Invisible" trilogy, a (very loose) story centered on the utopian Planet Gong and its inhabitants' travels to Earth. This album gets pretty deep into the band's mythology and is even less song-oriented than Camembert Electrique. The music never gets as abrasive as the less accessible parts of Camembert, though, so I don't find the lack of succintness to be much of a distraction. Plus, you really get the idea that it is Allen's mythology that provides a context for the musical strangeness rather than the other way around, which would likely be the case in the hands of a lesser band. The band's lineup had changed somewhat from the previous album, as Francis Moze assumed the bass-playing duties for Christian Tritsch (who became more ancillary as the slide-guitarist), Laurie Allen took over for the departed Pip Pyle on drums and Tim Blake (synthesizers) and Steve Hillage (guitar) were added. The latter two make a definite impact, as Flying Teapot is certainly the band's most sonically diverse album to date. Blake's synthesizers, in particular, add a texture that suits the spacey atmospheres that the band previously had been trying to achieve with guitars and reeds alone. Despite the increased size, Gong was still Daevid Allen's (and, by extension, Smyth's) band, though it was the last Gong project over which the two would exercise primary creative authority. Unlike the previous album, which I thought got stronger towards the end, I find Flying Teapot to be a much more front-loaded affair. "Radio Gnome," the title track and "The Pot Head Pixies" add up to an impressive opening twenty minutes of music that only gets better with repeated listenings. "Radio Gnome" picks up right where Camembert left off. It's a string of catchy, sing-song melodic themes complete with the sound affects, voices and other psychedelic accouterments that were typical of this era of Gong. "The Pot Head Pixies" could almost qualify as a pop song, it being a zany romp with the emphasis on the lyrics; "somebody somewhere has got to be high!" summing things up fairly well. The title track is my favorite tune on the album. It's a 12-minute jam that presents this incarnation of Gong in the most positive light: wacky lyrics, twisted melodies, a totally infectious groove and adept musical experimentation. I think the second half of the album is still good, just not as good as the first. "Octave Doctors" is a short synthesizer piece that would be effective in the right context but seems a bit out of place as it is sequenced here. "Zero The Hero And The Witches Spell" is another jam like "Flying Teapot"; however, this one is longer on atmosphere and shorter on memorable music, even if the synthesizer effects do contribute positively to the spacey sound. "Witches Song, I Am Your Pussy" revives some of the sexual and occultish content of Camembert: "I am your pussy / And you are my trap / But I don't want to fuck you / Just hear your rap," breathes Smyth. The tune breaks down into a total freakout, replete with eerie synthesizers and Smyth's manic cackling. Consumers note: This album has subpar sound for a 1973 recording. The problem lies in the initial recording, not the CD transfer, so any present or future remastered versions will not significantly improve the sound. review by Matt P. — 3-30-05 —