Gazeuse!

Editorial Reviews
Product Description
Stellar Release featuring Allan Holdsworth on Guitar. --This text refers to the Audio CD edition.

Gazeuse!,Gong,Blue Plate Caroline,British Psychedelia,Canterbury Scene,Electronic,Experimental Rock,Pop,Popular Music,Prog-Rock/Art Rock,Psychedelic,Rock,Rock/Pop,Space Rock

Gazeuse!

Tracks:

Expresso
Night Illusion
Percolations: Part 1
Percolations: Part 2
Shadows Of
Esnuria

Album Details

Stellar Release featuring Allan Holdsworth on Guitar.

Customer Reviews:

This is as good as they say!.......2007-03-07

If you are a fan of fusion or modern electric jazz, this one stands out as being particularly magical. The compositions, instrumentation, and arrangements take this group far outside of the realm of the ordinary. There's just something curiously compelling about the combination of bass, drums, saxophone, flute, vibes/marimba, and rock guitar. The only other group that approaches this is Scott Henderson's early Tribal Tech...which was no doubt influenced by releases like this one. By all means, check this out!

HYPNOTIC! ease into it and enjoy........2006-07-16

if you are reading this review,I am prepared to assume you
have at least a passing interest in high quality,well recorded
jazz fusion.If I am correct,this may be one of your new favorite albums.
This was my personal first experience with giving GONG
a good listen.It will not be my last.This effort is a crisp,clean
mix of heavy guitar leads,mellow vibe-like sounds from
the keyboard instruments,and top notch jazz percussion.
Many of the GONG recordings have vocals on them--this disk is all instrumental.
Features Alan Holdsworth on guitar instead of Steve Hillage.
He does not miss a beat.
VERY HIGHLY RECOMMENDED.this is a very worthwhile
expenditure of your entertainment $.

Gong - Gazeuse .......2006-02-28

Allan Holdsworth featured on all tracks. Even acoustic guitar on one track. Great extended drum solo in 7 also featured.

This prog fan likes this mallet-heavy jazz rock album.......2005-12-16

For those fans of the Daevid Allen period of Gong, the shift from spacey prog rock to the realm of jazz-rock starting with the transitional Shamal album in 1975 must have come as a bit of a shock. Notwithstanding, their jazz-rock output during the 75-77 period is actually quite good and mirrors the shift from prog to jazz-rock exhibited by a lot of prog bands in the mid-late 1970's (PFM comes to mind). The Gazeuse album was released in 1976 and marks the full-blown emergence of Gong as an instrumental jazz rock outfit. Featured prominently on the album is the "world class" electric and acoustic guitar playing of virtuoso Alan Holdsworth (Soft Machine, U.K.) along with the superb drum/percussion work of the late Pierre Moerlen. Holdsworth's blindingly fast, legato lines on the electric/acoustic guitar are truly something to behold - I can't think of many people out there that play like him. Other musicians on the album include fretless bassist Francis Moze (one of many imitators of Weather Report bassist extraordinaire Jaco Pastorius), sax/flute player Didier Malherbe (who left Gong after this album), percussionist Mino Cinelou, Benoit Moerlen on vibraphone, and Mireille Bauer on vibraphone, marimba, glockenspiel, and toms. It is worth noting that mallet instruments are featured quite prominently and their use sets Gong apart from other jazz rock groups of the time including the synth heavy works of Weather Report and the nearly inhuman, impossibly fast playing of the synth heavy Return to Forever. As somebody who listens to jazz rock in addition to (tons of) prog, I can say that as far as jazz-rock goes this is a pretty good album. From a composition perspective, the pieces are well-constructed and with the exception of a short (and blazing) drum solo by Pierre Moerlen, solos are not too intrusive. I also found that there is enough dynamic contrast and textural variation to keep my interest too - the album opens with a vigorous jazz-rock flourish on Expresso and closes on a contemplative note with the acoustic guitar and electric piano duet on Mireille. I guess I should just consider myself lucky because I can enjoy all of Gong's 1970's output - it seems as if hardcore fans of the Daevid Allen era Gong do not appreciate the Pierre Moerlen led version of Gong all that much. Accordingly, this album is highly recommended (without hesitation) to fans of jazz rock, open minded prog heads, and Gong completists.

gadzukes, it is Gazeuse!.......2005-09-15

what an eclectic mix of electric fusion! Alan Holdsworth leads this band of merry Frenchmen to a place visited by few bands. Eleventh House comes to mind. Syncapated rythyms with hot licks from all; with the kicker being the vibes player who follows the melody on most cuts parallel to the guitars and the keyboards. Get ready to wake up when you start spinning this disc. After 3rd time, you are still trying to get a grip on what they are doing, but they have you in their grip. Interesting and technical, funky and rock influenced. Not for the faint of heart. If you like Eleventh House or Tony Williams Project, or even Spock's Beard, you will love this older 80's wild ride...