- Vinyl
- Number of Discs: 1
- Label: Virgin
- ASIN: B004H9TJI4
- Other Editions: Audio CD | Vinyl
- Average Customer Review: 3.9 out of 5 stars See all reviews (8 customer reviews)
- Amazon Bestsellers Rank: 174,912 in Music (See Top 100 in Music)
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Customer Reviews
Most Helpful Customer Reviews
8 of 8 people found the following review helpful
Format:Audio CD
Shamal is one of the best album's Gong made. It was made in the transition between 'trilogy' Gong and Pierre Moerlen's Gong. A far more serious album than they had made before and yet with a similar psychedelic sensibility and spirituality to it.
The first track 'wingful of eyes' is a beautiful piece of psychedelia and progressive fusion. Steve Hillage plays some wonderful guitar and Mike Howlett provides vocals and bass.
Other highlights are Didier Malherbe's excellent Bambooji and Pierre Moerlen's 'Mandrake'. Although there is not a bad track on the album which seems to become more enjoyable each time I listen to it.
Brilliant album! But if you don't like Gong you won't like it.
5 of 5 people found the following review helpful
Format:Audio CD
Anyone remember a show on Radio 3 in the mid seventies hosted by Derek Jewel? Despite the "classical" nature of the channel, some wonderful "prog" and "jazz-rock" music was played on his show and, through this show and presenter, I discovered all manner of new music by the likes of Brand X, Isotope, Alan Parsons and this excellent outing by (post Daevid Allen) Gong.
The whole album has a lovely "flow" with superb musicianship throughout. The vocals here and there don't really intrude, the lyrics on the first two tracks having a true meaning which is beautifully integrated into the tracks themselves. "Chandra" was the first track I ever heard from this album and it still remains a favourite of mine.
As a gentle introduction to the "Gong" vibe, it makes a great start, bridging the gap between the "Fying Teapot" era and the jazzy, then more percussive releases that followed. I can't recommend it highly enough...
The whole album has a lovely "flow" with superb musicianship throughout. The vocals here and there don't really intrude, the lyrics on the first two tracks having a true meaning which is beautifully integrated into the tracks themselves. "Chandra" was the first track I ever heard from this album and it still remains a favourite of mine.
As a gentle introduction to the "Gong" vibe, it makes a great start, bridging the gap between the "Fying Teapot" era and the jazzy, then more percussive releases that followed. I can't recommend it highly enough...
13 of 14 people found the following review helpful
Format:Audio CD
Without Daevid Allen, Gong lost their quirky character... but they didn't lose it immediately. Here, in the first post-Allen album, they achieved a delicate balance beween his whimsy and the serious skills possessed by the remaining musicians. Steve Hillage is half-out of the band, so there is also a balance between his beautiful and mostly acoustic contributions and the natural, woody sounds of the xylophone, saxophone & fiddle. Mike Howlett's not much of a singer, but sounds pleasant and sincere. Pierre Moerlen's drumming is perfectly assured. A beautiful album with some great playing and atmosphere. In some ways, the best Gong album ever made.
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Most Recent Customer Reviews
What about a remaster then?
I've had this CD for years and it is my twin favourite Gong album alongside 'You'. I find it staggering that such a brilliant album has not yet been remastered with some decent... Read more
Published 6 months ago by Savita
Different for Gong!
After hearing their previous albums with Daevid Allan, this really is different! Steve Hillage is still there but only on 2 tracks. Read more
Published 6 months ago by Villageidiot
Impulse buys
I bought this on an impulsde buy a while ago. If you look on the Discogs site it describes this as "Jazz fusion". Read more
Published 13 months ago by Mr. Carl Jackson
Land of the exotic
Missing the endearing lunacy of the Radio Gnome trilogy, "Shamal" is no less interesting. It places the emphasis on the band's ability to weave imaginative and original... Read more
Published on 22 Nov 2005 by D. J. H. Thorn
French hippy jazz with a tinge of Indian mysticism
Post Daevid Allen and featuring a cameo performance from the departing Steve Hillage this album moved Gong into a hippy-jazz fusion minus flying teapots and the stoned twee-ness of... Read more
Published on 9 April 2000
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