Gilli Smyth — Mother
The album takes in 10 tracks, and just over forty one minutes of music. And if you are familiar with Gong around their classic period in the mid 1970’s, you’ll know what to expect here, as this is no great departure from their sound at that time. Through as expected there is certainly a more pronounced feminist leaning to the lyrics, and a few inventive sonic twists/ surprises along the way.
The tracks move from quite buoyant & playful jazzy psychedelic rock with swinging violin elements & honking sax work. Onto tripped out & mind-melting ambient blends of space whispers & drifting Glissando guitar textures (courtesy of Daevid Allen fellow founding Gong member ). Through to dips into powerful female vocals over tight tribal work-outs, and guitar/ synth weaves. Onto blends of shifting spoken word/ tapes elements & acoustic strum. Through to heady story time & mind melting mixers of sawing string work, Gilli's sensual yet wordy vocals, & lute/ harpsichord earthiness.
The album has received a 24 bit digital re-master, which Gilli was involved in, so the whole thing certainly feels more defined & focused in it’s subtle sonic detail, yet with out losing any of its 1970’s analogue gold-ness. There are no extra tracks here, but there is a 16 page colour booklet- which takes in a new essay about the album & Gilli. Along with a selection of pictures, and reproductions of original lyric sheets/ song planning’s. All in all it’s another nicely presented reissue from Esoteric Records, which of course is in the Cherry Red family of albums.
All in all Mother is a worthy first solo album; though it’s not as consistent or vital as the three classic Gong albums( Flying Teapot, Angels Egg, You), or even Mr Allen’s solo album of the time(Now Is The Happiest Time Of Your Life). But if you already a fan of the Gong family, it’s well worth checking this out, as it’s a important part of that crucial period in the bands history.