Fairy Tales

by Mother Gong

Fairy Tales cover art
  • Type: Album
  • Released: 23 November 1979
  • Label: Charly
  • Country: United Kingdom
  • Length: 49:46
  • Community rating: 3.45/5 from 2 ratings

Album Notes & Community Reviews

Spearheaded by Gilli Smyth, 'Fairy Tales' weaves whimsical, matriarchal storytelling into the sprawling, jazz-inflected soundscapes of the Canterbury scene. The album employs extended spoken word narratives backed by fluid, improvisational space-rock, creating a surreal, child-like yet philosophically dense atmosphere. It serves as a fascinating extension of the broader Gong mythology, highlighting Smyth's unique poetic and vocal presence.

Genres

Tracklist

  1. Wassilissa: Three Riders (2:55)
  2. Wassilissa: The Baba-Yaga's Cottage (4:05)
  3. Wassilissa: The Forbidden Room (2:37)
  4. Wassilissa: Time Machine (1:36)
  5. Wassilissa: Flying (4:24)
  6. Wassilissa: Wassilissa Returns Home (3:05)
  7. Wassilissa: Through the Machine Again (1:03)
  8. Wassilissa: The Baba-Yaga (2:38)
  9. The Three Tongues: The Shoemaker's Son (2:12)
  10. The Three Tongues: Land of Dogs (2:19)
  11. The Three Tongues: The Frog (0:50)
  12. The Three Tongues: An Irish Inn in Rome (1:42)
  13. The Three Tongues: The Arena (0:45)
  14. The Three Tongues: Turtles (1:31)
  15. The Three Tongues: Birds (1:05)
  16. The Three Tongues: The Feast (2:14)
  17. The Pied Piper: Hamelin (1:03)
  18. The Pied Piper: Rats Amok (0:59)
  19. The Pied Piper: An Angry Crowd (2:20)
  20. The Pied Piper: Rat-Rock (2:16)
  21. The Pied Piper: A Thousand Guilders? (1:55)
  22. The Pied Piper: Children! (2:32)
  23. The Pied Piper: Magic Land (3:28)

Credits

  • Mother Gong - primary artist
  • Trevor Darks - bass
  • Harry Williamson - composed by, guitar, written-by
  • Nik Turner - flute [muzma], oboe
  • Eduardo Niebla - guitar
  • Marianne Oberasher - harp
  • Mo Vicarage - keyboards
  • Chris Turnbull - painting [paint brushes]

More from Mother Gong: full discography