Expresso II is the eighth studio album released under the name Gong and the de facto second album by Pierre Moerlen's Gong. It released in February 1978.[2]

Expresso II
Studio album by
ReleasedMarch 1978
RecordedJuly–August 1977, Pye & Matrix Studios, London
GenreJazz rock
Length37:17
LabelVirgin
Producer(Pierre Moerlen's) Gong, John Wood
Pierre Moerlen's Gong chronology
Gazeuse!
(1976)
Expresso II
(1978)
Downwind
(1979)
Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
Allmusic[1]

Featuring an all-instrumental jazz-driven sound, notable for the prominent use of vibraphone, it has little to do with the psychedelic space rock of Daevid Allen's Gong, even though the two bands share a common history. Although the album was issued by Virgin Records under the "Gong" name for contractual reasons, and the name "Pierre Moerlen's Gong" would not be adopted for a few more months, the lineup involved and the nature of the music are those of the Moerlen-led band.

This was the final Gong-related album released by Virgin; the band continued on Arista Records.

Track listing

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No.TitleWriter(s)Length
1."Heavy Tune"Pierre Moerlen6:22
2."Golden Dilemma"Hansford Rowe4:51
3."Sleepy"Mireille Bauer7:17
4."Soli"Hansford Rowe7:37
5."Boring"Mireille Bauer6:23
6."Three Blind Mice"Benoît Moerlen4:47

Personnel

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Pierre Moerlen's Gong
Additional personnel
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The track "Heavy Tune" is featured on Fusion FM radio in the game Grand Theft Auto IV.

References

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  1. ^ Ros Smith, David (2011). "Expresso II - Gong | AllMusic". allmusic.com. Retrieved 24 June 2011.
  2. ^ "Gong: Expresso II". www.discogs.com. Retrieved 4 June 2017.
  • Macan, E. L., Macan, E. (1997). Rocking the Classics: English Progressive Rock and the Counterculture. Germany: Oxford University Press. p. 243