GRYPHON

'Gryphon'. A superb debut album from a folk band that would eventually settle into prog territory. This record is just a collection of fun, relaxing neo-medieval folk ditties, ranging from simplistic and facile to complex and layered. This album I used to ignore (when I first discovered it I was more interested in 'Red Queen to Gryphon Three' and 'Raindance'), but I quickly realized (and by that I mean just a few listens) that that was unfair on my part and I should have put my prog necessities on hold. And this album is not prog. It is kind of experimental, definitely complicated, but not prog. Yet it is still great. The record starts with 'Kemp's Jig', an instrumental track that shows you everything that is to come in the rest of the album: the great percussion, bassoon, crumhorns, harpsichord, and so much more. Three of the best minutes in Gryphon's entire existence. 'Sir Gavin Grimbold', an acoustic medieval ballad about a young man who left home and will never come back. One of the best songs on this album. 'Touch and Go' is my favorite Gryphon song of all time. It is only a minute and a half long, but I find it so beautiful that the length doesn't matter. 'Three Jolly Butchers' just sounds like an older Irish bar jingle. The vocals are not trying to be great, they are there, apparent, fun, and honestly very cool. These oddities are the things that make Gryphon Gryphon. Two minutes in, the melody makes an interesting, dark transition that returns to the original melody after a minute. 'Pastime with Good Company' is basically a two-minute recorder solo. It is very fun. 'The Unquiet Grave', the most serious song on this album, is another medieval ballad about a widower whose wife rose from the dead after the man's oddly specific request of desert-water, stone-blood, and breast-milk. This is the most progressive song on the album. A bassoon solo interlude adds to this factor. Maybe second to 'Touch and Go' in a ranking of this album's tracks. 'Estampie' is a nice little medieval instrumental, much like 'Kemp's Jig'. There is some very nice percussion and woodwinds here. Close to the end the flute explodes. Truly very fun. 'Crossing the Styles' is a beautiful acoustic guitar piece. Graeme Taylor really shows off his talents on this one. 'The Astrologer' is another vocal track about (guess what?) an astrologer who could tell the fortunes of young women. A fun little track, and one of the best ones on this album. 'Tea Wrecks' is too short to say much about, but it's pretty good. One minute of bassoon's alright with me. 'Juniper Suite' is one of the most progressive tracks on the album, with fast- paced acoustic guitar plucks and layered woodwind sections. A great song. The closing track, 'The Devil and the Farmer's Wife'. There are some great lyrics here. One of my absolute favorite Gryphon songs. Anyways, while not entirely progressive, 'Gryphon' is an excellent album to any prog music collection. Prog (folk) on.

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