Downwind (album)
Encyclopedia
Downwind is an album by Pierre Moerlen's Gong
, issued in February, 1979 (see 1979 in music
).
Like the other Pierre Moerlen's Gong albums, Downwind is predominantly jazz fusion
and has little to do with the psychedelic space rock
of Daevid Allen
's Gong, even though the bands share a common history. It marks a slight departure from the formula of Pierre Moerlen's Gong's previous records Gazeuse!
and Expresso II
, towards conventional pop/rock.
"Aeroplane" and "What You Know" are short-form pop songs featuring lead vocals by Moerlen, the first time vocals appeared on a Gong record since 1975. Keyboards, some of which are provided by Steve Winwood
, augment or even replace mallet percussion on a few tracks. Mike Oldfield
contributes guitar on the title track.
with
Pierre Moerlen's Gong
Pierre Moerlen's Gong is a jazz fusion outfit which is very different from the first incarnation of Gong, the psychedelic space-rock act led by Daevid Allen...
, issued in February, 1979 (see 1979 in music
1979 in music
See also:Record labels established in 1979* 1979 in music This is a list of notable events in music that took place in the year 1979.-January–February:*January 1...
).
Like the other Pierre Moerlen's Gong albums, Downwind is predominantly jazz fusion
Jazz fusion
Jazz fusion is a musical fusion genre that developed from mixing funk and R&B rhythms and the amplification and electronic effects of rock, complex time signatures derived from non-Western music and extended, typically instrumental compositions with a jazz approach to lengthy group improvisations,...
and has little to do with the psychedelic space rock
Space rock
Space rock is a subgenre of rock music; the term originally referred to a group of early, mostly British, 1970s progressive and psychedelic rock bands such as Hawkwind and Pink Floyd, characterised by slow, lengthy instrumental passages dominated by electric organs, synthesizers, experimental...
of Daevid Allen
Daevid Allen
Daevid Allen , sometimes credited as Divided Alien, an Australian poet, guitarist, singer, composer and performance artist is co-founder of psychedelic rock groups Soft Machine and Gong .-Biography:In 1960, inspired by the Beat Generation writers he had discovered...
's Gong, even though the bands share a common history. It marks a slight departure from the formula of Pierre Moerlen's Gong's previous records Gazeuse!
Gazeuse!
Gazeuse! is an album by Pierre Moerlen's Gong, issued in 1976. In the U.S., it was called Expresso.The album is jazz fusion and has little to do with the psychedelic space rock of Daevid Allen's Gong, even though the bands share a common history...
and Expresso II
Expresso II
Expresso II is an album by Pierre Moerlen's Gong, issued in 1978.Like the other Pierre Moerlen's Gong albums, the album is predominantly jazz-fusion and has little to do with the psychedelic space rock of Daevid Allen's Gong, even though the bands share a common history.Expresso II is a companion...
, towards conventional pop/rock.
"Aeroplane" and "What You Know" are short-form pop songs featuring lead vocals by Moerlen, the first time vocals appeared on a Gong record since 1975. Keyboards, some of which are provided by Steve Winwood
Steve Winwood
Stephen Lawrence "Steve" Winwood is an English international recording artist whose career spans nearly 50 years. He is a songwriter and a musician whose genres include soul music , R&B, rock, blues-rock, pop-rock, and jazz...
, augment or even replace mallet percussion on a few tracks. Mike Oldfield
Mike Oldfield
Michael Gordon Oldfield is an English multi-instrumentalist musician and composer, working a style that blends progressive rock, folk, ethnic or world music, classical music, electronic music, New Age, and more recently, dance. His music is often elaborate and complex in nature...
contributes guitar on the title track.
Track listing
Personnel
- Pierre MoerlenPierre MoerlenPierre Moerlen was a French drummer and percussionist, best known for his work with Gong and Mike Oldfield.-Biography:...
: drums, vibraphone, marimba, timpani, keyboards, vocals - Hansford RoweHansford Rowe (musician)Hansford Rowe is a fusion bass guitarist.Basically a self-taught musician, Rowe played bass in a local New York City band in jazz clubs until he met drummer Pierre Moerlen...
: bass - Ross Record: guitar, vocals
- Benoît MoerlenBenoît MoerlenBenoît Moerlen is a French percussionist, best known for his work in Gong, Pierre Moerlen's Gong and a later off-shoot Gongzilla.-History:...
: vibraphone and laughter - François Causse: percussion
with
- Didier LockwoodDidier LockwoodDidier Lockwood is a French jazz violinist. He played in the progressive rock/jazz fusion band Magma in the 1970s and is known for his use of electric amplification and experimentation on different sounds on the electric violin....
: violin (2,6,7) - Didier MalherbeDidier MalherbeDidier Antonin Malherbe is a saxophonist and flautist. He was one of the founders of the Canterbury sound band Gong....
: saxophone (3) - Mike OldfieldMike OldfieldMichael Gordon Oldfield is an English multi-instrumentalist musician and composer, working a style that blends progressive rock, folk, ethnic or world music, classical music, electronic music, New Age, and more recently, dance. His music is often elaborate and complex in nature...
: guitar, solina strings, bass, Irish drum (3) - Steve WinwoodSteve WinwoodStephen Lawrence "Steve" Winwood is an English international recording artist whose career spans nearly 50 years. He is a songwriter and a musician whose genres include soul music , R&B, rock, blues-rock, pop-rock, and jazz...
: Hohner clavinet, Moog, Tom solo (3) - Terry OldfieldTerry OldfieldTerence "Terry" Oldfield is an English composer. He is brother to well-known music composers and performers Sally and Mike Oldfield.- Early life :...
: flute (3) - Mick TaylorMick TaylorMichael Kevin "Mick" Taylor is an English musician, best known as a former member of John Mayall's Bluesbreakers and The Rolling Stones...
: guitar (5)