Gong Essentials

Though he got his musical start as an early member of Soft Machine, Daevid Allen will forever be known for his work with the long-running psych-prog-jazz group Gong. And through numerous lineup changes and permutations, he remained the sole original member, sticking with the project right up until his passing in 2015. Gong's other constant was a joyous sense of humor that cut through everything they did. They were serious musicians but refused to take the self-important prog scene they were part of very seriously at all, gleefully poking fun at peers like Pink Floyd and King Crimson.