Description
Mother Gong With Daevid Allen – The Owl And The Tree – Compact Disc
Mother Gong with Daevid Allen – The Owl and the Tree, released in 1989, is a deeply mystical, poetic, and musically adventurous collaboration that beautifully merges the feminine, spiritual energy of Mother Gong with the surrealist, cosmic whimsy of Daevid Allen, co-founder of the original Gong collective. This album sits firmly within the psychedelic, space rock, and progressive folk realms, weaving together spoken word, ambient textures, experimental jazz, and cosmic storytelling into a dreamlike sonic experience.
At its heart, The Owl and the Tree is an exploration of myth, nature, and transformation. The album features Gilli Smyth, the driving force behind Mother Gong, delivering her signature “space whisper” vocals—breathy, enchanting, and filled with elemental mysticism. Her poetry forms the narrative thread of the album, often addressing themes of ecology, the sacred feminine, mythological archetypes, and planetary consciousness. Her voice doesn’t simply sing or speak—it floats, guides, and at times confronts.
Daevid Allen’s presence is felt in both voice and guitar, adding that familiar Gong-like absurdist edge and shimmering instrumental color. His contributions are more subtle and complementary than dominant, lending a sense of continuity to the broader Gong mythology, but allowing the Mother Gong energy to lead the journey.
All of this supports the narrative arc, which feels like a ritual or sonic ceremony more than a conventional album. Tracks like “Owly Song,” “I Am a Tree,” and “La Dea Madrí” reflect this fusion of environmental themes and spiritual insight. The music flows more like a continuous suite than a collection of separate songs, inviting the listener into a meditative or visionary state.
The Owl and the Tree is not an album of hooks or traditional song structures—it’s atmospheric and poetic, designed for listeners who appreciate lyrical mysticism and sound as a medium of transformation. It appeals strongly to fans of Gong’s deeper lore, as well as those into new age, pagan folk, ambient psych, and free-form jazz.
In the wider Gong universe, this album represents a more feminine, earthbound counterpart to Daevid Allen’s space-jester persona—a kind of Yin to the original Gong’s Yang. It’s also a strong document of late 1980s underground progressive counterculture, existing far outside the mainstream but resonating with listeners drawn to visionary, consciousness-expanding art.
If you’re a fan of albums like Gong’s Angel’s Egg or You, or enjoy the introspective side of psychedelic music (think early Clannad, Lisa Gerrard, or even the ambient works of Brian Eno mixed with spoken word), The Owl and the Tree is a hidden gem worth diving into.
Brand new, never played and still sealed in the factory plastic
Track Listing
The Owly Song
I Am My Own Lover
I Am A Tree
Lament For The Future Of The Forrest
Hands
Unseen Ally
La Dea Madri
