Gryphon -Mushrumps

[Scrotum Scissor]

I think Richard Harvey (founding and essential member) has left last year. Don't know if he was replaced and by whom.

Let's just hope it's not Yngwie.

[mogrooves]

Was there widespread suspicion that the Gryphon guys perhaps were prone to non-macrobiotics, carnal foods and beverages other than herbal tea?

Nah; the audience lacked the palate for bassoons and crumhorns.....

[chalkpie]

Let's just hope it's not Yngwie.

Ahmet Zappa - he's suing Harvey.

[moecurlythanu]

Nah; the audience lacked the palate for bassoons and crumhorns.....

When you're there for your religious experience, the last thing you want to see is friggin' crumhorns.

[rcarlberg]

Ach. Graeme Taylor would play Howe's ass off.

Hmmm, didn't realize he even had one. Never seen him credited with "asses jaw" anyway.

[Mister Triscuits]

Hmmm, didn't realize he even had one. Never seen him credited with "asses jaw" anyway.

Howe? Sure, he plays it on "Quijada the Sunrise."

[NogbadTheBad]

Nah; the audience lacked the palate for bassoons and crumhorns.....

When you're there for your religious experience, the last thing you want to see is friggin' crumhorns.

Damn that sounds perfect to me. Gave Mushrumps another listen yesterday, it's right up there with Red Queen. I really should listen to those two more often.

[yesstiles]

Graeme Taylor would play Howe's ass off.

In 1974? You're delusional.

[Scrotum Scissor]

In 1974? You're delusional.

Only to your personal axiom/assiom. But yeah, (already) ol' Steve was MUCH better at sweeping.

Of course, Yngwie would play Segovia's butt right off too - otherwise I'd surely be delusional.

[Jubal]

I caught that tour as well, and "grief" is right!

I think the main issue is no electric guitar. There are many Yes fans who love their heavier rocking style, especially Howe and Squire (RIP). That was especially true here in Atlanta back in the 70s. It was somewhat embarrassing hearing someone screaming "ROCK AND ROLL!" to a primarily woodwind-based instrumental group. How are you going to make those instruments ROCK?
Go grab a beer, hit the bathroom, talk to your girfriend in the hallway, or check out the merchandise table if you don't like the opening act!

[Galactic Bulldozer]

Mushrumps is essential for its uniqueness and beauty.

[Trane]

Midnight Mushrumps is Gryphon's best album. It has everything.

I'm inclined to agree. Although I love the first three altogether.

I've always had trouble with their début (maybe the band at their truest and most authentic form).
Mushrumps is more authentically medieval, but Red Queen is more GG-like, IMHO..
Raindance, sounds like tiouring with Yes certainly influenced them a bit too much (though the disaster would be in aptly-titled Treason)

Tooooo bad they're not tempted to emigrate to the continent.

Is Raindance highly regarded??

It does get some heat from purists, but Helde,leben is my fave track from them

My favourite used to be red queen but it gradually shifted to Mushroomps- much more varied to my ear.

Indeed, Red Queen's four lengthy tracks are too samey-sounding

[Trane]

Damn that sounds perfect to me. Gave Mushrumps another listen yesterday, it's right up there with Red Queen. I really should listen to those two more often.

Then afterwards, you listen to UZ's 1313 and yoi've got an idea that DD was aware of Gryphon.

[chalkpie]

Indeed, Red Queen's four lengthy tracks are too samey-sounding

Really? Not for me. Production wise or musically?

[chalkpie]

Any love for the live albums? One of them has better sonics (can't remember which) and it has a killer version of "Midnight Mushrumps" on it.

[ProgArtist]

Really? Not for me. Production wise or musically?

Not "too samey" for me, either. I mean, they all have crumhorn and/or bassoon, recorders and no electric guitar (as I recall), so compared to music from other bands there will be a certain "samey-ness" to them for that reason alone, but the compositions are plenty different.

A friend and I used to work together in a stockroom and could play our music rather loud because we were the only ones working back there usually. Our boss would come in and look at stock to place orders on occasion, and one time we had "Red Queen..." playing nice and loud. At the end of one song there's a really frenetic part with the recorders playing repeated eighth notes in harmony, and my boss couldn't take it anymore and yelled "what IS this?!?". We smiled and politely tried to "explain" the music, to little avail (but didn't turn it off). It's funny, because to me there's nothing particularly odd about Gryphon's music. I love it. But to many others it's from a completely different musical world than they're used to.

I'm sure I've told this before here, but at a different time we had Bach organ music playing, and the very famous "Tocatta and Fugue in D Minor" came on. As my boss left the room he said "what is this, the Munsters?". My friend, who had only been working there a few days (weeks?) yelled out "It's Bach, you uncultured swine!!!"

[Mister Triscuits]

I'm sure I've told this before here, but at a different time we had Bach organ music playing, and the very famous "Tocatta and Fugue in D Minor" came on. As my boss left the room he said "what is this, the Munsters?". My friend, who had only been working there a few days (weeks?) yelled out "It's Bach, you uncultured swine!!!"

Ah...Bach!

(Actually the better TV reference would be Sybil Fawlty telling Basil to "Turn off that racket" and Basil explodes "Racket? That's Brahms! Brahms' Third Racket!")

[chalkpie]

"It's Bach, you uncultured swine!!!"

Ha! Good on him!

[mogrooves]

I think the main issue is no electric guitar.

Well, yeah, there was that!

It was somewhat embarrassing hearing someone screaming "ROCK AND ROLL!" to a primarily woodwind-based instrumental group.

At least they didn't yell "Free Bird."

[yesstiles]

I love Taylor's electric guitar on "Raindance."

[Scrotum Scissor]

At least they didn't yell "Free Bird."

Nah, that was a different audience during Jon's "[...] cha-ch-cha'h ch-cha'h!" solo spot at Yes' support slot for a Skynyrd tribute band from Spokane and their series of concerts in public toilets sometimes during the late 90s (The Grand Lavatoury). Jon being quite confident he was the very embodiment of juicy r&r.

[Trane]

Really? Not for me. Production wise or musically?

I guess it's mainly the production values of the album, but all four tracks being around the same length (between 8 & 10 mins), with the same instruments ...

[DavidRA]

Gryphon are live at the Union Chapel in London on Friday 16th September. They also have a new website.

[rcarlberg]

Damn, I wish I could be there.

[ProgArtist]

"When [tomorrow's gig is] done and dusted, we plan to go into the studio to start what will probably be a six to eight month gestation period, creating a long-awaited new album, to be released in 2017, our first for a mere 40 years...!!!"