This wacky, whimsical musical cartoon emerged several years after
Daevid Allen left the legendary
Soft Machine, and soon after he'd launched his classic hippie
prog rock band
Gong. It was initially released on the French label
Byg in 1971, and re-released in England on the
Virgin subsidiary
Caroline in '75. Joining
Allen here is an all-star troupe that includes
Robert Wyatt (
Soft Machine and
Matching Mole),
Gary Wright (
Spooky Tooth),
Maggie Bell (
Stone the Crows), and
Gong members "Submarine Captain"
Christian Tritsch,
Pip Pyle, and
Allen's girlfriend
Gillie Smyth (aka "Shakti Yoni"). It's no surprise that the musical anarchy here resembles early
Gong, as opposed to the artist's later, more reflective solo recordings. With a smile and wink, the irrepressible, mischievous
Allen has the ability to sound completely stoned yet totally likeable. He also shreds a few guitar strings on the balls-out rocking
"It's the Time of Your Life." And the moody version of
"Memories," sung here by
Wyatt, is probably the best of at least a half-dozen floating around the Canterbury scene. Suffice to say,
Banana Moon is quite weird, but it's also non-threatening and a great deal of fun. Also recommended and of a similar vein are
Gong's
Camembert Electrique, which is a bit more
avant-garde, and
Magick Brother, which is slightly more
psychedelic. ~ Peter Kurtz
