Downwind (album)
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Downwind is an album by Pierre Moerlen's Gong, released in February 1979.[2]
Featuring a mostly instrumental jazz-driven sound, notable for the prominent use of mallet percussion, it has little to do with the psychedelic space rock of Daevid Allen's Gong, even though the two bands share a common history.
Downwind marks a slight departure from the formula of the previous Pierre Moerlen's Gong's albums, Gazeuse! and Expresso II. "Aeroplane" and "What You Know" are short-form pop songs with vocals, the only time that Moerlen would attempt this. The lengthy title track displays an emerging progressive rock influence and features lead guitar by Mike Oldfield (for whom Moerlen was also playing at the time), keyboards by Steve Winwood and saxophone by ex-Gong member Didier Malherbe. For the first time, keyboards augment or replace mallet percussion on some tracks.
Track listing
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| 1. | "Aeroplane" | Moerlen, O'Lochlain | 2:42 |
| 2. | "Crosscurrents" | Moerlen | 6:13 |
| 3. | "Downwind" | Moerlen | 12:34 |
| 4. | "Jin-Go-Lo-Ba" | Olatunji | 3:27 |
| 5. | "What You Know" | Moerlen, O'Lochlain | 3:44 |
| 6. | "Emotions" | Moerlen | 4:46 |
| 7. | "Xtasea" | Moerlen | 6:40 |
Personnel
- Pierre Moerlen - drums, vibraphone, marimba, concert toms, timpani, organ, synthesizer, electric piano, assorted percussion, lead vocals
- Hansford Rowe - bass
- Ross Record - guitar, vocals
- Benoît Moerlen - vibraphone
- François Causse - percussion
- Additional personnel
References
