Search - Gryphon :: Crossing the Styles: Transatlantic Anthology

I think I figured out the tracklisting

S. Duncan | Mount Vernon, WA | 10/02/2007

(5 out of 5 stars)

"Based on the track times, it appears that Ethelion does not appear on the CD. The track listed as Ethelion on disk 1 is actually Dubbel Dutch. The track listed on disk 1 as Gulland Rock is actually The Last Flash of Gabberdine Taylor (which also appears on disk 2 with the correct title). The track listed on disk 1 as Dubbel Dutch is actually Gulland Rock. So the only missing tracks from the first four albums are Touch and Go (from Gryphon), Ethelion (from Midnight Mushrumps) and Wallbanger (from Raindance). Too bad they put The Last Flash of Gabberdine Taylor on there twice because they probably could have fit another track or two. Still well worth the price even with the mistakes."

Four Gryphon LPS for the price of ONE CD on a 2CD set.

W. T. Hoffman | Pennsylvania, United States | 06/25/2008

(5 out of 5 stars)

"I never knew about this band, until I think it was listed on one of those "GREATEST UNKNOWN PROG ROCK" lists. I love those lists. Anyway, I got this 2CD set, because I was not sure which of the first four "classic" GRYPHON albums I wanted to purchase. Plus, the individual CDs are a bit pricey, cos they are all imports. So, think of my surprise, when I get this TWO CD SET, and find out that TWO ALBUMS ARE COMPLETE ON THIS "BEST OF", and two other albums, each had one minor 3 minutes song deleted from the running. So, all the songs off the first album (from 1972) except one, are here. The band started out sounding more or less like a renassance instrumental ensemble. If that sounds boring to you, hear a good one. It's about as boring as diVinci or Botticelli. Anyway, the basic sound is Tenor Recorder, a Krummhorn (very large, bass recorder with crooked end), a guitar, and a percussionist. Most of the songs are instrumental, but not all of them. The musicians are all academy trained, and it's evident in their playing, without becoming an ego fest of technical riffs. Now, you might be asking, "Is this art rock, or something else?" I think that if the progressive-art rock movement taught people anything, its that ROCK IS ATTITUDE. And, that ROCK attitude applies if you only know three chords on a guitar, or if you are fluent on 700 year old instruments. YES, this is ART. Yes, it was recorded by hippies. I think they inhailed too. So anyway, the first album is just their starting point. Its the next album, where the "individual" sound arrives, and its a cool sound. MIDNIGHT MUSHRUMPS (from 1974) is complete on this set. The first song, lasts for the length of the first side of the LP, ie, around 19 minutes. So, the art rock rules are in place, composistional ideas expanded, and the backing of the band also expanded. Unlike the first album, their second effort has harpsichord all over the place, along with Bassoon besides the Krummhorn, and more percussion effects. I loved it. The times don't get as crazy as some art rock (ie BILL BRUFORD), but if you like a waltz, or regular four four time, its here. It's the range of dynamics, and the textural changes, which make this music interesting. MIDNIGHT MUSHRUMPS as an album is totally instrumental. Great to listen intently to, or for the backround of a game of Dungeons and Dragons. However, if thy game be chess, the third album by GRYPHON is for thee....RED QUEEN TO GRYPHON THREE. Again, this album is complete on this 2cd set. Here is where the critics seem to agree, that GRYPHON recorded their first masterpiece. The entire album, nearly forty minutes, is devoted to the analogy of a chess game. Again, long extended instrumental songs, just four, fill out this album from 1974. It's not much different than the previous album in sound, except you can tell the band has been polished to their utmost playing proficancy, from a lot of gigs. The recorders finger those melodies at lightning speed. I was awed. The fourth album, RAINDANCE, from 1975 is present here as well, minus only one song. From my perspective, the band is starting to sound a little more "Commercial" here. Same old thing, shorter songs, no overarching theme to the album, and even some SINGING, like on a cover of that Beatle's staple from the White Album...MOTHER NATURES SON. (I hate to say it, but I actually LOVE Gryphon's version of this song, just a LITTLE more than the Beatle's version. Sorry, Macca.) Anyway, there you have it. The history of one of the more interesting side roads that UK PROG FOLK ROCK took during its heyday in the early to mid 70s. If you want to compair to some band's sound to Gryphon, so you know what you might hear, I would say VERY early STRAWBS. (Their first album, and maybe their second...the ones where sitar work, upright bass, and other acoustic instruments predominate.) You might hear a bit of very eary GENTLE GIANT, when they tried those little mideaval songs. I really took to this band right off. That's because I've played soprano recorder for many years, and love that sound. Now, this album does have a little problem. The CD set gives you great notes, so you can get a feel for the history of the band, and good reproductions of the album art. (I always felt a huge part of ARTROCK is the album cover art. Seriously.) What they dont do in the liner notes, is tell you which songs, belong to which albums. (Altho the copyrights tell you that for the most part.) Since the songs on the 2 CD set were not arranged chronologically, nor programmed in their proper running order, you will have to do that yourself. Even there, mixing the songs randomly lets you hear each CD as a little story about the band, rather than a part of a "PROG ROCK CONCEPT ALBUM". So, what you lose for the money you save, is the proper running order for the albums. You need to write down the actual order of the album's tracks (Amazon has it all right here, so dont worry where to find it.) Once you do that, just program your CD player, or MP3 player if you rip the CDs, and you have the actual albums as they were intended. So, am I going to pay 70$ or more for the 4 rare imported individual albums, or just 12$ for a new copy of this 2CD set? Hey, if you already know the band, and you are independently wealthly, PLEASE just buy the albums! Otherwise, lose those two songs, and the running order of the albums, and get this music cheap, on this 2CD set. Because, seriously, I'd give this band MORE than 5 stars if I could. I'd love all lovers of folk prog to hear this material. Of all that folk art rock, from England, Germany, Russia, etc that I've heard, this is for my ears, the most unusual and professional take on PROG FOLK ART from that period, that i've heard. No freak out sound effects, no boring drum solos, no electric guitar pyrotechnics, no vocals, just obsolete, mideavel instruments, played by top notch musicians. As far as I know, there are no prog rock renassance music projects out there. So, get your recorder rock here, or forget it."