| Expresso II | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | ||||
| Studio album by | ||||
| Released | March 1978 | |||
| Recorded | July–August 1977, Pye & Matrix Studios, London | |||
| Genre | Jazz rock | |||
| Length | 37:17 | |||
| Label | Virgin | |||
| Producer | (Pierre Moerlen's) Gong, John Wood | |||
| Pierre Moerlen's Gong chronology | ||||
| ||||
| Review scores | |
|---|---|
| Source | Rating |
| Allmusic |   [1] |
Expresso II is the eighth studio album released under the name Gong and the de facto second album by Pierre Moerlen's Gong. It released in February 1978.[2]
Featuring an all-instrumental jazz-driven sound, notable for the prominent use of vibraphone, it has little to do with the psychedelic space rock of Daevid Allen's Gong, even though the two bands share a common history. Although the album was issued by Virgin Records under the "Gong" name for contractual reasons, and the name "Pierre Moerlen's Gong" would not be adopted for a few more months, the lineup involved and the nature of the music are those of the Moerlen-led band.
This was the final Gong-related album released by Virgin; the band continued on Arista Records.
Track listing[edit]
| No. | Title | Writer(s) | Length |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Heavy Tune" | Pierre Moerlen | 6:22 |
| 2. | "Golden Dilemma" | Hansford Rowe | 4:51 |
| 3. | "Sleepy" | Mireille Bauer | 7:17 |
| 4. | "Soli" | Hansford Rowe | 7:37 |
| 5. | "Boring" | Mireille Bauer | 6:23 |
| 6. | "Three Blind Mice" | Benoît Moerlen | 4:47 |
Personnel[edit]
- Pierre Moerlen's Gong
- Pierre Moerlen – drums, vibraphone, xylophone, glockenspiel, tympani, tubular bells
- Benoît Moerlen – vibraphone, marimba, xylophone, glockenspiel, percussion, claves, tubular bells
- Mireille Bauer – marimba, vibraphone
- Hansford Rowe – bass, rhythm guitar (2)
- Additional personnel
- Mick Taylor – lead guitar (1)
- Allan Holdsworth – lead guitar (3, 4, 6), rhythm guitar (1)
- Bon Lozaga – lead guitar (2), rhythm guitar (3)
- Darryl Way – violin (3, 5)
- François Causse – congas
In popular culture[edit]
The track "Heavy Tune" is featured on Fusion FM radio in the game Grand Theft Auto IV.
References[edit]
- ^ Ros Smith, David (2011). "Expresso II - Gong | AllMusic". allmusic.com. Retrieved 24 June 2011.
- ^ "Gong: Expresso II". www.discogs.com. Retrieved 4 June 2017.
- Macan, E. L., Macan, E. (1997). Rocking the Classics: English Progressive Rock and the Counterculture. Germany: Oxford University Press. p. 243
