Gilli Smyth first started performing with Soft Machine in the sixties when the band played their mixture of poetry/music gigs. Gilli became more active as a performer following the formation of Gong with her partner Daevid Allen following his departure from the aforementioned Soft Machine in 1968. Following her departure with Allen from Paris following the Paris riots of late 1968 Gilli along with Allen decamped to Spain although the duo once again returned to France in 1969 where the second edition of Gong became a reality. Gilli was the only female in the band originally and developed her "Space Whisper" which became an integral part of the Gong sound. Following her departure from Gong in 1974 Gilli moved to Spain and spent her time writing material that would find its way onto her debut solo album Mother in 1978. It is with this album the story of Mother Gong begins. The band has been through a number of personnel changes over the years with Gilli at the helm of all the various incarnations of the band. Gilli has also managed to resume working alongside Daevid Allen in various incarnations of Gong including but not limited to Planet Gong, Gongmaison and more recently the Gong Acid mothers line up. The performances contained on this album were drawn from Mother Gong's performances at the legendary Glastonbury Festival and captures the band, which included at this time Gilli and Harry Williamson and Gilli's fellow Gong band mate Didier Malherbe. The recordings on this album which include key Mother Gong tracks Robot Woman 1 and 2 have been remastered for this release to give the album the best possible sound.
Tracks:
Dogs, Dreaming It, Rats Amok, Robot Woman 1, Birds So High, Beautiful Country, Evidance, Disco at the End of the World, Robot Woman 2, Machine Song, Searching the Airwaves, Customs Man