Banana Moon

For his second album for BYG, Daevid Allen returned to London, as Jean Karakos wanted some Soft Machine star power on board. His visa issues resolved, Allen could legally enter the UK; and after a gig supporting Soft Machine at the Roundhouse, BYG booked Marquee Studios and the ensuing Banana Moon album was recorded over a period of “bacchanalia-filled” days. Gongster Christian Tritsch’s guitar and bass ignite the opening “It’s the Time of Your Life,” which also features Delivery’s Pip Pyle on drums. The wistful “Memories,” penned by Hugh Hopper and a staple from early The Wilde Flowers days, features Robert Wyatt on vocals, thus fulfilling Karakos’s wish. Wyatt and bassist Archie Legget provide the rhythm section for most of the album. “Fred The Fish and the Chip On His Shoulder” has a sing-along feel, obviously reflecting the pub-like mood of the recording session. “White Neck Blooze” features Allen performing an uncanny and dead-on Kevin Ayers impersonation, complete with backing vocals from Barry St. John and Legget’s cohorts, Maggie Bell and Gary Wright. The second side features Allen’s “Stoned Innocent Frankenstein”-a lovely and melodic number that descends into the darker space of “And His Adventures in the Land of Flip.” The latter track is a full-on monster of spontaneous jamming, featuring Wyatt, Legget and violinist Gerry Field. The side closes with “I Am a Bowl,” another instant composition graced with Soft Machine guest Nick Evans’s trombone. The album saw release in July on the French BYG label and was reissued by Caroline Records in 1975.