| Expresso II | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | ||||
| Studio album by | ||||
| Released | March 1978 | |||
| Recorded | July–August 1977 | |||
| Studio | Pye & Matrix, London | |||
| Genre | Jazz rock | |||
| Length | 37:17 | |||
| Label | Virgin | |||
| Producer |
| |||
| Gong chronology | ||||
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| 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. 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 – 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)
- 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.
Notes
[edit]- ^ This incarnation of the band was later named Pierre Moerlen's Gong
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
