The sole album by the sense-shattering union of the pre-Gong Steve Hillage and the post-Arthur Brown Nick Greenwood, Space Shanty has long been regarded as one of the touchstones of the early- to mid-'70s space rock boom -- albeit one that has been heard all too rarely. Originally released in 1972, this often-thunderous collision of driving riffs, blistered rhythms and swirling organ (courtesy of special guest Dave Stewart) has been unavailable for more than a quarter of a century, but now returns fully, beautifully remastered, and as powerful today as it was back then. Not one of the six tracks is less than five-minutes in length; three of them hover around nine, with the dynamic title track and the closing Hollow Stone bookending the ferocious mash of guitar and organ lines that lurk within the album's visceral core. Nor does the fun stop there. Appended to the album itself: two bonus tracks take us back to the earliest days of the album sessions, via the previously unheard Break the Chains, and a substantially different take on Mixed Up Man of the Mountains, itself little more than half the length (and half the ambition) of the released version. Long thought lost, the two tracks were discovered on an old acetate disc but have been cleaned up so well that their source is scarcely noticeable. Khan were never going to break out of the tiny prog rock circles in which they moved; not for them the sudden shock of a Hawkwind-style hit single. But still Space Shanty stands as a vibrant signpost in the history of space rock, and a wicked reminder of just how much invention Hillage brought to Gong. ~ Dave Thompson, Rovi

1		Space Shanty
2		Stranded
3		Mixed Up Man of the Mountains
4		Driving to Amsterdam
5		Stargazers
6		Hollow Stone
7		Break the Chains
8		Mixed Up Man of the Mountains [First Version]

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