TREASON

This was Gryphon's last album with an expanded line up. Guitarist Bob Foster replaces Graeme Taylor, drummer Alex Baird (famous for playing The William Tell overture on his skull in concert) and bassist Jonathan Davie have joined the remaining 3 original members in a mainly electric line up.

Sadly, this is well below the creative genius of some of their earlier albums. The album kicks off promisingly with the magical 10 minute Spring Song, a track which rivals anything else they did, with some glorious guitar, keyboard and woodwind playing and fine lyrics and vocals, especially in the chorus. From then on, it's downhill with the songs being short, uninspired if not unpleasant but fairly anodyne. Falero Lady is the only one which grates a bit. The musicianship of all the members is exemplary (I saw this line up on the Treason tour in 1977 and they were sensational), but the material on this album lets them down.

Sadly, punk came and condemned this once brilliant band to oblivion, but on this evidence, they were well past their peak. Spring Song is a 5* song, but the rest is 3* at best.

RIP Gryphon - but may you rise again one day.