Great deal Re-issue of the Infinity albums
kireviewer | Sunnyvale, Ca United States | 09/27/2002
(4 out of 5 stars)
"This is a double CD that has combined two previously released single CD's, Zero To Infinity and Live 2 Infinitea. This double CD set is priced cheaper than a single CD. Both CD's were originally released in 2000. They are over 60 minutes each. The sound quality is excellent, even on the live album.Zero To Inifinity continues the Radio Gnome and Zero the Hero saga. Live 2 Infinitea is a live version of the album. The live album is kind of pointless in that it consists mostly songs from Zero To Infinity done almost the same as the studio version. There are some other songs, but those have already been covered on previous live Gong CD's. There are few extended sax solos, but they don't make the live album worth getting. But, with the two CD package at this low price, the live album is now just a nice bonus.Gong continues to evolve while sticking to its roots. On this set, the music is more jazz oriented space rock. Without a strong lead guitar player (like Steve Hillage or Steffi Sharpstrings), sax is featured even more than before. With the tenor sax, there are stretches that sound like EZ jazz, or Sunday Brunch jazz. There are some great tracks on this album. There are also a few clunkers. The studio album has annoying theme that repeats from time to time across different tracks. But overall, it is very interesting space rock.The biggest complaint about this CD set is the liner notes. The liner notes from the original CD's are not included. There is no list of the musicians or details on where the live recording was made. All that is included is the inane ramblings of some record company underling and his first meeting with David Allen. It is something you would see in a bad high school newspaper.While this is a good set, and a must have for any Gong fan, I prefer Shapeshifter for a studio album and the 25th Anniversary for a live album."
Track Listings (24) - Disc #1
