Critic's Review
John W. Patterson, All Music Guide
After a stint with Gong as their trippy, hippy, New-Agey, guitar guru of cosmically and extremely raga-esque trance rock and improv heaven, Steve Hillage went solo. He branched out to carry his own version of the Gong gospel of personal freedom via his special blend of cosmic brotherhood/ eastern religion/ new age/ pyramids/ ley lines/ crystals and some ferociously jazz fusion and progressive rock guitar blended with space rock synths.
Hillage reinterprets some well-known tunes by other artists like Donovan and George Harrison here as well as penning some of his more memorable sonic treats. His awesome riffing and speedy solos on his Fender Strat rival those of Hendrix and Frank Marino but go further compositionally via exotic scales from other cultures. Add in Todd Rundgren's engineering and production genius, his Utopians guesting and several others like Don Cherry on brass and Tibetan trumpet alongwith a 15th-century Hurdy Gurdy and you have a wild romp into eclectic rock.
The 12 minute long "Lunar Musick Suite" is the pinnacle moment of the release and "Om Nama Shivaya" comes in a close second for Hillage's most blissed-out, trance rock. Both Gong and Steve Hillage's solo career have served to bring us such superb musical echoes and legends such as veteran space rockers, the Ozric Tentacles.
Hillage reinterprets some well-known tunes by other artists like Donovan and George Harrison here as well as penning some of his more memorable sonic treats. His awesome riffing and speedy solos on his Fender Strat rival those of Hendrix and Frank Marino but go further compositionally via exotic scales from other cultures. Add in Todd Rundgren's engineering and production genius, his Utopians guesting and several others like Don Cherry on brass and Tibetan trumpet alongwith a 15th-century Hurdy Gurdy and you have a wild romp into eclectic rock.
The 12 minute long "Lunar Musick Suite" is the pinnacle moment of the release and "Om Nama Shivaya" comes in a close second for Hillage's most blissed-out, trance rock. Both Gong and Steve Hillage's solo career have served to bring us such superb musical echoes and legends such as veteran space rockers, the Ozric Tentacles.
