Gong’s Radio Gnome Invisible trilogy (1973-1975) is a touchstone of the prog-psych movement. If you’ve never heard Gong before, I can guarantee it will be a unique experience listening to these three albums: Flying Teapot, Angel’s Egg, and You.

Flying Teapot (1973) starts the trilogy as a pot-fueled fantasy story written by Daevid Allen from a vision he had in 1966. The entire mythology of Radio Gnome Invisible is laid out in this first album. Flying teapots (if flying saucers, why not?), Pothead Pixies from planet Gong, Buddhist Nirvana philosophy, and telepathic gurus are all there to be absorbed. The track “Flying Teapot” showcases the hallmarks of this era of Gong…slide guitar, jazz noodling, droning space synth à la Hawkwind, and funky basslines permeate the song. Another standout is the genre-twisting “Zero the Hero and the Witch’s Spell.”

The second album Angel’s Egg is where the consummate lineup comes together—Daevid Allen (vocals, glissando guitar), Gilli Smyth (space whisper), Didier Malherbe (woodwinds), Tim Blake (synthesizers), Mike Howlett (bass), Steve Hillage (guitar), and Pierre Moerlen (drums). Smyth’s vocalizations and Blake’s synth lines start the album off with “Other Side of the Sky;” the track ending with a stellar Hillage volume swell/delayed guitar solo. The jazzy R&B-tinged second track “Sold to the Highest Buddha” cements Gong’s reputation of leading the listener down blind alleys of the genre. The funky-jazzy “Oily Way” is a Gong classic where Moerlin’s drumming and Hillage’s guitar riffing stand out.