Release date: 2000
Label: One Eyed Salmon Records
Production: Gong and Mike Howlett
Length: 63:24
Genre: progressive rock / space rock
Rating: 9/10
Eccentric Australian musical genius Daevid Allen probably never imagined that taking back control of the name of the legendary prog pioneers Gong in 1992, with the album »Shapeshifter«, would go so well that interest in one of the key bands of the Canterbury progressive rock scene would surge all over again. Through to the end of the nineties, the revived Gong played plenty of gigs, with Allen’s partner Gilli Smyth and bassist Mike Howlett coming back into the fold, along with drum maestro Pierre Moerlen for a short while, who went on to lead his own version of Gong. Moerlen was already out of the band when Allen, Smyth, Howlett and woodwind player Didier Malherbe got down to recording a new Gong album titled »Zero to Infinity«, which came out in 2000.
It continued the Gong mythology about the adventures of the anti-hero Zero the Hero, who has apparently survived his (physical) death on planet Gong. After that experience, his essence became free and underwent a transformation into an android spheroid called Zeroid. With the help of a strange animal, the gongalope, he learns that all the world’s wisdom now resides within him. From then on he busies himself with laughter yoga, brewing tea and a carefree life in the ‘Invisible Temple’, where the two of them become united in one person.
During the recording of »Zero to Infinity«, Moerlen, who clearly preferred to carry on with his own jazz fusion version of Gong, was replaced on drums by Chris Taylor, while Mark Robson handled the keyboards. The biggest gain was definitely the arrival of woodwind player and keyboardist Theo Travis (later of Soft Machine), which meant Gong now had no fewer than two woodwind players in the band at the same time. The end result was surprisingly mellow, meditative and ambient-leaning, with psychedelic-avant-garde freakouts only sprinkled in here and there, which makes it one of the most accessible Gong albums in the history of this legendary band. The frequent use of electronic synth textures and mostly jazz-flavored woodwind parts came with Allen’s guitar experiments, though they were subtler this time than usual.
After the short instrumental opener »Fooleare«, which sounded like a funeral march, we slide into »Magdalene«, a rather serene piece with calm, jazzy woodwind parts, ethereal synth drapes and an unusually melancholic Allen vocal. The instrumental-leaning, epic space rock adventure »The Invisible Temple« was the centerpiece of »Zero to Ifinity«. This is where Smyth makes her first appearance with a monologue, in her traditional role as the good witch Yoni, while minimalist saxophone and synth sounds accompany her in the background. Gradually an ethereal atmosphere takes shape, typical of Far Eastern folk music or some Buddhist temple, while jazzy saxophone harmonies crank up the mysterious, mystical mood even further.
»Zeroid« was a more tongue-in-cheek space rocker with occasional psychedelic-spiced vocal mantras from Daevid and almost mocking sax passages. »Wise Man In Your Heart« was an ethereal-psychedelic rhapsody with a meditative atmosphere, marked by subtle synth textures, eclectic sax passages and Allen’s almost blissful-sounding vocal turn. On »The Mad Monk«, the more traditional, goofy ‘Gong-style’ vibe returns, with Daevid’s usual vocal mockery, bold sax flashes and plenty of psychedelic effects.
»Yoni On Mars« was another fairly serene cosmic journey, with occasional chanting from Smyth and some fun sax variations, while »Damages Man« was an even more experimental moment, with some psychedelic-avant-garde improvisations in the closing section. The wacky, loopy psychedelic treat »Bodilingus« ranks among Allen’s more eccentric moments on this album, despite its ethereal, melodic harmonies. »Tali’s Song« was a psychedelic-cosmic little number with a dreamy vibe that had a lot in common with classic Gong. The closing instrumental experiment, »Infinitea«, with its ethereal ambient meanders riding waves of effects and melancholic sax variations, was the final voyage toward cosmic ‘infinity’.
With »Zero to Infinity«, Gong, under Allen’s brilliant leadership, pulled off one of the most interesting achievements of their rich and varied career. The two-saxophone combo proved to be a hugely successful experiment on the final album about the adventures of the anti-hero Zero the Hero, which makes it a shame that this was Travis’s only Gong album. As a member of The Soft Machine Legacy and later Soft Machine, he became one of the most in-demand saxophone names in modern progressive rock. For his next studio experiment, »Acid Motherhood« (2004), the only Gong album with no saxophones and with three guitars, Allen put together a completely new band and a new sonic concept.
Review by: Peter Podbrežnik
Track list:
1. Foolfare (0:42)
2. Magdalene (3:57)
3. The Invisible Temple (11:35)
4. Zeroid (6:08)
5. Wise Man In Your Heart (8:03)
6. The Mad Monk (3:24)
7. Yoni On Mars (6:07)
8. Damaged Man (5:13)
9. Bodilingus’ (4:02)
10. Tali’s Song (6:25)
11. Infinitea (7:48)
Gong:
Daevid Allen – vocals, guitar, piano, electronics (9)
Gilli Smyth – vocals
Theo Travis – tenor and soprano saxophone, flute, keyboards, organ (3), electronics (9)
Didier Malherbe – alto saxophone, bamboo flute, duduk
Mike Howlett – bass guitar, electric guitar (9), co-producer
Chris Taylor – drums and percussion
Guest musician:
Mark Robson – keyboards and backing vocals (5)
