GRYPHON – GRYPHON/MIDNIGHT MUSHRUMPS – 1973/1974 (UK) progressive folk rock

Richard Harvey (keyboards, woodwinds, mandolin), Brian Gulland (renaissance wind instruments, bassoon, keyboards, vocals), Graeme Taylor (guitar, bass, recorder, mandolin, 1971-75, 1998-2003), David Oberl (drums, percussion, flageolet, vocals), Philip Nestor (bass, 1974, 1998-2003), Bob Foster (guitars, vocals, 1977), Alex Baird (drums, 1977), Malcolm Bennett (bass, flute, 1975, 2002), Jonathan Davie (bass, 1977)
Gryphon
This magnificent album is VERY acoustic: the miscellaneous childish but complex MEDIEVAL and slightly Celtic textures of string and wind instruments really steal the show here! The music is VERY sophisticated and well synchronized, rather funny and very disciplined. The bassoon and krumhorns make perfect and solid patterns with the acoustic guitars and mandolin. The rare keyboards I have noticed are harpsichord and harmonium if I am correct. There are no bass, and the rare drums are rather replaced by primitive percussions and small bells. There are many not bad lead & backing vocals like Ian Anderson's ones on the "Rover" track: I think this music does not need such vocals, because they negatively contrast with the delicate and graceful textures. I'm completely transported by the fluid, addictive and catchy second part of the more serious "Unquiet Grave" track. There are NO ordinary tracks. The overall style is a bit like Gentle Giant's Talybont track, without the electric guitars. On the next albums, Gryphon add bass, excellent keyboards and more drums, and they are more progressive rock still with many medieval parts.

1 Kemp’s Jig 3:07
2 Sir Gavin Grimbold 2:45
3 Touch and Go 1:29
4 Three Jolly Butchers 3:54
5 Pastime with Good Company 1:31
6 The Unquiet Grave 5:40
7 Estampie 4:53
8 Crossing the Stiles 2:25
9 The Astrologer 3:12
10 Tea Wrecks 1:06
11 Juniper Suite 4:49
12 The Devil and the Farmer’s Wife

Midnight Mushrumps
I have always preferred the Gryphon originals on their debut album, and Midnight Mushrumps explain why! Here are five lenghty instrumental originals and one traditional song, and it is the latter ("The Ploughboy's Dream") which represent the only non-perfect on this album. The song is good, but even an good song is out of place on an album that is perfect on all other ways. The remaning five instrumentals are beyond what I have ever heard: Harvey's 19 minute opus "Midnight Mushrumps (Suite)" is a composition, which at first seems to be line of melodies and shiftes tumbled together, will after some listenings reveal its true meaning, and everything forms into a synthesis. The suite is a blend of beautiful melodies and intelligent instrumentation. Wonderful all the way! Note Graeme's guitar playing at 10:49.
The three middle instrumentals have often by other reviewers been neglected, but I couldn't disagree more: Graeme's melodic "The Last Flash Of Gaberdine Tailor" with superplaying by GT himself and some intelligent percussion details by Oberlé, Gulland's "Gulland Rock" with its haunting keyboards and suddenly apparant beautifulness, and with Graeme's "Dubbel Dutch" it reach its peak. The intro and outro of "Dubbel Dutch" is perhaps, although still good, not what makes the tune noteworthy. But if you listen all that's inbetween (1:10 - 4:33), this really shivers and moves me, and that is why I regard "Dubbel Dutch" as one of the best compositions of all time, and clearly Graeme's best piece. And in the end we have "Ethelion", this piece has recieved alot of acclaim, and I can only agree with that. It has a beautiful melody-line, played by crumhorns, recorders and bassoon shifting in and out, great drums (of course) and acoustic guitar and a killer bass line from Nestor.
And as a final note, few people may note Nestor's bass alot on this album, and it was not until a sat down and listened for it, that I got surprised! Because the bass-lines are there, and they unbelieveable great, just listen to how Nestor plays with Graeme's guitar on "Dubbel Dutch" that is infact one of the reasons why this tune (and indeed album) is as great as it is. Amazing how Nestor in such a way makes memorable this with the clearly Renaissance folk sound, the band were still having. And topped with Graeme Taylor's amazing guitar playing, the various woodwinds (never have they sounded so great and appropriate as on this album), Harvey's various key instruments and some of the best compositions ever, this album is among the (very) few who gets the top grade.

1 Midnight Mushrumps 18:58
2 The Ploughboy's Dream 3:02
3 The Last Flash of Gaberdine Tailor 3:58
4 Gulland Rock 5:21
5 Dubbel Dutch 5:36
6 Ethelion 5:15

Highly recommended!
Rip from CD 256@ (full artwork included)
Download links
http://link-protector.com/314214/
http://link-protector.com/314217/