Gryphon

[adap2it]

Look at that young whippersnapper in the middle!

and all stoned too! eyes like piss holes in the snow!

[Lopez]

Dave, who are the other two? Look like David Kaffinetti and John Lodge.

[Mister Triscuits]

I believe John Martyn opened for YES on the previous tour (TFTO); I knew someone whose older brother saw them at the B.C.C. on that tour and from what he described the opening act as all about [weird folkie guy with good voice and acoustic guitar and a ton of echo machines], it had to be John Martyn.

The east lucks out again...in San Diego, the advertised opening act for the TFTO show was Steeleye Span, which would have been great, but on the night it turned out to be a useless solo act named Charlie Starr who played rock & roll on electric guitar without a band. (Apparently not the same Charlie Starr who is now in Blackberry Smoke.)

[Steve F.]

The east lucks out again...in San Diego, the advertised opening act for the TFTO show was Steeleye Span, which would have been great

I saw Steeleye Span open for King Crimson at the Kennedy Center on June 27, 1974.

They were very good and when they finished, nearly half the audience left; they were there for SS, not KC!

I got to move up quite a few rows in an already fairly nicely small hall because of that. Huzzah.

On the positive side of being left coast based, you have much better dragonflies.

[adap2it]

Dave, who are the other two? Look like David Kaffinetti and John Lodge.

No Lou, they are just a couple of my close friends. The one on the left is now deceased and the one on the right is still breathing and we still socialize on a regular basis.
: of note, I believe that Red Queen was the 1st Gryphon album to be released domestically. The one we are holding is the British import. The domestic copy had a dark or black surround on the cover. The first two were not released in NA. I could be wrong...the Googlers will soon let me know!

[Guitarplyrjvb]

Further influence of the tour with Yes on Gryphon: 2 or 3 of them appeared on Steve Howe's debut release. If memory serves, they play on "The Nature of the Sea", to my ears, the best song on the album by a long shot!

[adap2it]

I saw Steeleye Span open for King Crimson at the Kennedy Center on June 27, 1974.

They were very good and when they finished, nearly half the audience left; they were there for SS, not KC!

I got to move up quite a few rows in an already fairly nicely small hall because of that. Huzzah.

On the positive side of being left coast based, you have much better dragonflies.

Wow Steve! That's hard to conceive. By 1974 KC were headliners here in Toronto, playing 2-3000 seaters. SS I saw the same year playing 1000 seaters. Getting a bit off topic here...

[Steve F.]

Wow Steve! That's hard to conceive. By 1974 KC were headliners here in Toronto, playing 2-3000 seaters. SS I saw the same year playing 1000 seaters. Getting a bit off topic here...

hi Dave

1. DC has always had a very, very strong 'folk' scene.

2. Capacity at the Kennedy Center was about 2400. It wasn't sold out as I recall, although nicely full, and hundreds left after Steeleye Span.

[adap2it]

One of Gryphon's early gigs was in London's Wandsworth Prison. They said that they played to a "captive audience".I recall reading this in the NME, which I subsribed to and where I got most of my musical info at the time.

[Mister Triscuits]

: of note, I believe that Red Queen was the 1st Gryphon album to be released domestically. The one we are holding is the British import. The domestic copy had a dark or black surround on the cover. The first two were not released in NA. I could be wrong...the Googlers will soon let me know!

I don't know for sure about Canada, but Red Queen was the only Gryphon album released in the USA.

[adap2it]

I don't know for sure about Canada, but Red Queen was the only Gryphon album released in the USA.

You are probably right about that. Are you Biffy?

[GuitarGeek]

No Lou, they are just a couple of my close friends. The one on the left is now deceased and the one on the right is still breathing and we still socialize on a regular basis.
: of note, I believe that Red Queen was the 1st Gryphon album to be released domestically. The one we are holding is the British import. The domestic copy had a dark or black surround on the cover. The first two were not released in NA. I could be wrong...the Googlers will soon let me know!

That might explain why I've never seen either of the first two on LP. Not more than a year or so after finding Treason at Record Revolution, both Raindance (unopened, as I recall) and Red Queen... turned up at Wax Stax. Eventually, though, I got CD editions of the first two albums.

[rcarlberg]

On the positive side of being left coast based, you have much better dragonflies.

That's because they feed on the mosquitoes

[Progbear]

No Lou, they are just a couple of my close friends. The one on the left is now deceased and the one on the right is still breathing and we still socialize on a regular basis.
: of note, I believe that Red Queen was the 1st Gryphon album to be released domestically. The one we are holding is the British import. The domestic copy had a dark or black surround on the cover. The first two were not released in NA. I could be wrong...the Googlers will soon let me know!

You’re right, neither of the first two nor Treason received a N.A. release. RQTG3 was released on Bell, of all labels. Being on the same label as the Partridge Family, Barry Manilow and Tony Orlando & Dawn just strikes me as bizarre. Raindance was only released in Canada, on the oddball Bomb label, with different cover art. Note that all of the first four received US release on CD in 1994, on the Progressive International label.

[GuitarGeek]

You’re right, neither of the first two nor Treason received a N.A. release.

Huh, I wonder how a copy of Treason ended up in a used record store in Cleveland Heights, then. I mean, obviously I know how, I'd just like to meet the person in my area who was hip enough to Gryphon to own one of their import only albums (and to be sure, I've run across quite a few imports here, but few as esoteric as Treason).

RQTG3 was released on Bell, of all labels. Being on the same label as the Partridge Family, Barry Manilow and Tony Orlando & Dawn just strikes me as bizarre.

Is it any more bizarre than Magma being on the same label as Herb Alpert, The Carpenters and Peter Frampton?! And yes, I know it's been said it was Alpert himself who courted the band and got them to sign a Stateside deal with A&M, which makes the whole thing sound like a particularly warped Twilight Zone episode (or maybe it was a Venture Brothers episode).

Raindance was only released in Canada, on the oddball Bomb label, with different cover art.

Is that the one with the ballet dancer's legs on the front cover? If so, then that's the one I have. I imagine someone probably thought the painting of the naked man listening to an old fashioned gramophone was in "poor taste" or whatever (though they did make good use of the Droste effect).

[Progbear]

Is that the one with the ballet dancer's legs on the front cover? If so, then that's the one I have.

Yes, that’s the one. Funny, the disc label lists alternate titles (“Ormolu” becomes “Eventide Clockworks,” “Wallbanger” becomes “(Red Queen) Bet You Can’t Dance”).

[rcarlberg]

Apologies for the radio silence but we have not been idle. A whole new albumsworth (with some left over!) of new material has been written and arranged and a substantial amount of recording has already been done at Graeme’s studio where we have ultimate control over the whole project.

Graham Preskett (keyboards, fiddle, mandolin, etc), Rory McFarlane (bass), Brian Gulland (bassoon, crumhorns, recorders) and Graeme Taylor (guitars) have all contributed compositions which stretch the skills and musicianship of the band and move it on in a positive and slightly proggy direction.

Meanwhile we have also been working with Robert Cooper on mixing and editing the DVD of our performance last September, which is now approaching completion - it’s looking great so watch out for further announcements soon.

We hope some of you caught us at the end of August at the New Day Festival near Faversham in Kent and amongst others on the same day just prior to Gryphon’s set late afternoon, Home Service, Graeme and Rory’s other band, the powerful brassy 8-piece folk-rock band made an appearance. It was a fab day!

We also have to announce a new member, another crossover from Home service, the great star instrumentalist Andy Findon, who is replacing Keith Thompson on wind and reeds. We are honoured to count him as one of us.

Love to all.

..

[Plasmatopia]

I just found the LP version of "Treason" a couple weeks ago at a yard sale. Haven't heard it yet. Still need to get a turntable!

[chalkpie]

I just found the LP version of "Treason" a couple weeks ago at a yard sale. Haven't heard it yet. Still need to get a turntable!

Nice score, mate!

Yeah, me too (TT). I'm pulling the trigger on a Pro-Ject soon(ish).

[chalkpie]

This might be common knowledge to some of you (or not), but I have just been noticing that the production on the 1st album is downright phenomenal. The music is wonderful, and the production and the way they captured these acoustic instruments (both strings and winds) is to be highly commended. The next time you spin this, pay specific attention to how GOOD this album sounds. Mushrumps, although en equally wonderful album, is thinner and brighter to my ears (at least on disc; never heard the vinyl).

PS - I am basing this assessment on the 2fer that I'm sure most of you have

PPS - why is this in the O/T? This is Olde World Prawg!

[Scrotum Scissor]

^ True dat.

Greatest moment (besides the obvious "Unquiet Grave" and "Juniper Suite", as well as Taylor's phenomenal guitar playing throughout) is the mid-passage in "Three Jolly Butchers" where Gulland's verbal vocals also feature as bass. This is actually the one Gryphon album I've played the most; I guess the reason why it usually doesn't come out as people's fave is the fact that it's essentially not a "rock" record at all.

[Mister Triscuits]

I guess the reason why it usually doesn't come out as people's fave is the fact that it's essentially not a "rock" record at all.

It's always been my favorite. And yeah, I love that "Then Johnson, being a valiant man..." vocal bit.

[Plasmatopia]

Nice score, mate!

Yeah, me too (TT). I'm pulling the trigger on a Pro-Ject soon(ish).

Just a few more weeks....waiting for that bonus check right before Xmas.

[rcarlberg]

Just a few more weeks....waiting for that bonus check right before Xmas.

These days buying a turntable is cheaper than buying an LP.

[Jerjo]

A Yes fan that I used to work with saw the tour where Gryphon opened (likely in Illinois or Indiana). He said the response to them was so enthusiastic an encore was demanded. They came out and did an instrumental version of the old Popeye theme but cranking it up and playing it faster and louder with each cycle. That too got a big ovation.

All I have is Red Queen and it's a fine album.