Daevid Allen Banana Moon 180g LP

Debut solo album by the legendary purveyor of music that daringly blurred the boundary between psychedelic rock and raucous, riotous Dadaism.

Australian vocalist-guitarist Daevid Allen was a part of the highly experimental Canterbury scene, alongside the likes of drummers Robert Wyatt and Pip Pyle, before he relocated to Paris in the late '60s, formed Gong and made music that had a rare blend of on-the-fly creativity and off-the-wall humor. However, Banana Moon was a solo effort by Allen that saw him reunite with the aforementioned British kindred spirits as well as bassist Archie Legget and vocalist Maggie Bell, among others.

The nine songs on the record run from interludes of just under a minute to epic suites that exceed ten, making it clear that Allen, as his work with Gong suggested, gave full vent to his imagination whether he was writing songs with a quasi-Beatles pop appeal or engaging in unrestrained sonic flights of fancy. With lyrical curveballs being thrown on every track, none more so than "Fred the Fish and the Chip on His Shoulder," the music has a wry charm to match the performance skills of the band.

This remastered version of Banana Moon brings Allen's uncommon musical vision back in to view and serves as a reminder of the feverish and fearless energy that spurred on an artist whose work has lost none of its seductive shock value.

With a smile and wink, the irrepressible, mischievous Allen has the ability to sound completely stoned yet totally likeable....Suffice to say, Banana Moon is quite weird, but it's also non-threatening and a great deal of fun.