Gong, as history has it, was an offshoot of the experimental/psych/free-form powerhouse Soft Machine.
The eccentric co-founder of Soft Machine, Daevid Allen abruptly broke ranks sometime in 1967 and relocated to France where he began to craft a wildly experimental unit he aptly named Gong.
Gong was (and still is for the most part) one of those missing links when it comes to talking about the Progressive Rock/Free-form Movement that sprang up in the late 60's through mid-1970's.
Because the band were so eccentric and so blatantly anti-commercial, it immediately appealed to Richard Branson at Virgin Records and they were promptly signed and enjoyed a successful run and creating a far reaching fan base all over the world.
In the early 1970's they did a series of sessions for the BBC and tonight it's Oily Way, recorded in 1974, I believe for the John Peel Program.
A little something in the abstract to kick off your weekend.
