Steve Hillage: Rainbow Dome Musick (1979)

Rainbow Dome Musick, released in 1979, is quite different from all of Hillage’s other solo efforts. For one thing, this is an all-instrumental work, with just him on guitar, glissando guitar and synthesizers, and Miquette Giraudy on synthesizers. Only two side length cuts. Apparently the music to this album was for an event held in London in April, 1979 called The Festival For Mind-Body-Spirit. If the event was as interesting as the music on this album, I would have loved to have attended that event.

Let’s get with the music. The opening cut, “Garden of Paradise” starts off with some very tranquil sounds of water, before you hear some electric piano and spacy synthesizers. Eventually you start hearing a droning synth pattern that pretty much sticks for the rest of the album, with guitar eventually being added. The second and final cut, “Four Ever Rainbow” is by far the most mindblowing cut I have ever heard, beats anything Gong had ever done. A better portion of this cut features Hillage playing on his glissando guitar creating this eerie sliding sound. Lots of great spacy synthesizers.

Rainbow Dome Musick has a big influence to today’s ambient and chill-out music. It’s kinda like listening to a Gong album, but without drums, or vocals, and of course, it’s much more electronic. Great album, and recommended to all who enjoy spacy electronic, Gong, and Hillage.