Gryphon - 2020 - Get Out Of My Father's Car!

(58:42; Gryphon)

If ever there were a band who typifies all that is good and right about 70’s progressive rock then it must be Gryphon, who managed to confuse the music establishment so much that they once had music played on Radio 1, 2, 3, and 4 all in the same week (which was when Radio 1 was mostly pop and some rock/indie, Radio 2 mostly easy listening and older music, Radio 3 was classical and Radio 4 was highbrow). Between 1973 and 1977 they released five incredibly important albums, and most music lovers were amazed when the band reformed for a new album in 2018, and now they are back with the next. Original members Graeme Taylor (acoustic & electric guitars), Brian Gulland (bassoon, bass crumhorn, baritone saxophone, recorders, piano) and Dave Oberlé (drums, percussion, vocals) have been joined again by Andy Findon (clarinets, saxophones, flutes) while there are two new members in Rob Levy (bass guitar) and Clare Taylor (violin, keyboards). Yes, you read that correctly, they use both crumhorn and bassoon in a rock(ish) band.

Here we have a group who have steadfastly refused to conform to any expectations of them as they mix folk, progressive and classical music in a way which is totally their own. They do not sound like anyone else, and it is difficult to think of many bands to which that applies. Gryphon in 2021 are very similar to Gryphon in the Seventies – years may have passed, and many musical styles have come and gone, but Gryphon are still Gryphon and long may it continue. There is a light-hearted feeling to this album, from the title through much of the music, with “Suite for ‘68” a classic dance tune, while “The Brief History Of A Bassoon” tells the story of the instrument from the perspective of the wood from which is made. There are complex instrumentals, and we drop back in time to Baroque and medieval periods, all of which make perfect sense when in the hands of these guys.

This album is a breath of fresh air, light and refreshing with plenty of space and it acts like a time machine as it takes me back to the very first time I heard crumhorns. Is it classical? Is it folk? Is it something else together? Arguably it is progressive music at its very finest, as boundaries just do not exist in their environment and all one can say is that it is music of the very highest order, and an album I enjoyed immensely the very first time I played it and since then it has only got better.   

Kev Rowland, March 2022

Links:
http://www.thegryphonpages.com/