and/or


TIPS
You have no items in your basket


HOME | NEWS | TOURS | SUBSCRIBE | ENCYCLOPEDIA | NEW RELEASES | LINKS | CONTACT US | FAQ | PRIVACY POLICY
ENCYCLOPEDIA

Encyclopedia entry for 'Daevid Allen' LETTER:

StyleAvant-jazz, rock
 Allen solo albums: Magick Brother Mystic Sister (BYG, 1970), Banana Moon (BYG, 1971), Good Morning! (Virgin, 1976; as Daevid Allen & Euterpe), Now is the Happiest Time of Your Life (Affinity, 1977), N'Existe Pas! (Charly, 1979), Divided Alien Playbax '80 (Charly, 1981), The Death of Rock'n'Roll and Other Entrances (Shanghai, 1982), Alien in New York (Charly, 1983), Don't Stop (Shanghai, 1986; as The Ex), Oz Becoz (Invisible, 1988) and The Owl and the Tree (Demi Monde, 1989; both as The Invisible Opera Company of Tibet), Australia Aquaria/She (Demi Monde, 1990), Stroking the Tail of the Bird (Amp, 1990; with Gilli Smyth and Harry Williamson), The Seven Drones (Voiceprint, 1991), Live at the Witchwood (Voiceprint, 1992; as Daevid Allen & The Magick Brothers), Invisible Opera Company of Tibet (Voiceprint, 1992), Twelve Selves (Voiceprint, 1993), Voiceprint Radio Session (Voiceprint, 1994).

History
During the 1960s and 1970s, guitarist Daevid Allen was one of the most respected rock/avant-garde/jazz musicians working on the UK and European scene. His work with the original Soft Machine and Gong is still highly regarded by aficionados, but in Australia he remains relatively unknown.

Beatnik poet and musician Allen left Australia in 1960 to travel around Europe. He came into contact with the likes of poet Allen Ginsberg, novelist William S. Burroughs and poet Robert Graves. Daevid Allen provided the music for a dramatisation of Burroughs' The Ticket that Exploded. By 1966 Allen was living in the UK, and playing with a group of Canterbury musicians in Soft Machine. Being an experimentalist of some note already, Allen brought the influence of Terry Riley (free-form improvisation and tape-loops) into the band. Soft Machine was named after the Burroughs novel, and Allen is credited with contacting the author to obtain permission for its use. The band was at the forefront of the British psychedelic movement alongside Syd Barrett-era Pink Floyd, The Crazy World of Arthur Brown, Tomorrow and Dantalion's Chariot.

Allen recorded only one single with Soft Machine, `Love Makes Sweet Music'/`Feelin' Reelin' Squeelin' (February 1967). Following the band's temporary move to France in late 1967, he was refused re-entry into England (due to an expired visa and appearance deficiencies apparently!) and Soft Machine continued as a three-piece. In Paris, Allen set up a community of musicians that included his partner Gilli Smyth (space whisper) and recorded two solo albums, Magick Brother Mystic Sister and Banana Moon. By now referring to himself as Dingo Virgin or Bert Camembert, Allen formed Gong in 1970 and recorded Camembert Electrique and Continental Circus for the French label BYG.

Gong's music mixed space rock and psychedelia with avant-experimentation and hippy philosophy. In England, Gong became popular on the festival circuit (alongside Hawkwind, Pink Fairies, Skin Alley, etc.) and recorded the Radio Gnome Invisible album trilogy for Virgin Records (The Flying Teapot, Angel's Egg and You). The trilogy was full of eccentric detail and revolved around Allen's tale of Zero the Hero and The Pot Headed Pixies from the Planet Gong.

Allen left Gong in 1974 and recorded a series of well-received solo albums. Then, as Planet Gong, he recorded the single `Opium for the People' and album Live Floating Anarchy 77 (1978); as New York Gong (Allen plus the band Material), he recorded the single `Much Too Old' and About Time (1980). He returned to Australia in 1984 and teamed up with David Tolley (ex-Tolley and Dara) as The Ex. That collaboration resulted in the Don't Stop mini-album. Then, as The Invisible Opera Company Of Tibet, Allen issued the single `Trial By Headline' and the albums Oz Becoz and The Owl and the Tree.

While in Australia, Allen also continued his pursuit of esoteric wisdom by working on Drones, training as a `Conscious Connected Breath' therapist and organising Healing Festivals to put his various themes of self-advancement into communal practice. In January 1988, he returned to the UK, re-formed Gong as Gong Maison, toured and recorded a series of new albums: Gong Maison (1989), Shapeshifter (1992), Live On TV 1990 (1993), 25th Birthday Party (Gong Live) (1995) and How to Nuke the Eiffel Tower (Gong Global Family) (1995). Allen continued to record solo albums, most of which have only been issued in the UK or Europe.



Encyclopedia of Australian Rock and Pop / Ian McFarlane 1999
under licence from Allen & Unwin Pty Ltd

EXCLUSIVE FEATURES

1200 Techniques
Alex Lloyd
Bluebottle Kiss
Casanovas
Cassar-Daley, Troy
Cat Empire, The
Church, The
Cog
george
Hayes, Darren
Jebediah
Jet
Kayne Taylor
Lazy Susan
Little Birdy
Living End
Nubreed
Paul Kelly
Plunja
Powderfinger
Secret Life Of Us
Sleepy Jackson
Something For Kate
Speedstar
Spiderbait
WHAMMO 2003 CHARTS!
Whammo Feature Guide

BROWSE BY GENRE

Adult Contemporary
Alternative
Compilations
Country/Blues/Roots
Dance/Electronica
DVD/Video
Female Vocals
Hip Hop/R&B;
Male Vocal
New releases
Popular
Punk
Rock
Soundtracks

GUARANTEE

Pay Types
Whammo ensures secure shopping online. Australian prices are inclusive of GST. Overseas prices are an estimate and may differ slightly from the final price. Whammo does not pass on customer details or email addresses. If you have any concerns please email us at help@whammo.com.au