01	Opening Move						09:44
	02	Second Spasm						08:16
	03	Lament						10:13
	04	Checkmate						09:45
	05	Down The Dog						02:44
	06	Raindance						05:14
	07	Mother Nature's Son						03:03
	08	"Le Cambrioleur Est Dans Le Mouchoir"						02:12
	09	Ormolu						01:03
	10	Fontinental Version						05:34
	11	Wallbanger						03:17
	12	Don't Say Go						01:51
	13	(Ein Klein) Heldenleben						15:56

RED QUEEN TO GRYPHON THREE

Year Of Release: 1974
Record rating = 10
Overall rating = 12

"Symph-rock" par excellence.
Best song: all four parts are equally good. Hard to tell.

Score! But I gotta warn you, there's no middle ground for this album. You'll love it or you'll hate it. But either way, it'll be a strange kind of love, and a stranger kind of hate. Lovers of this album will torment themselves with the question 'is this really so good? then why isn't it at all memorable?', and haters will torment themselves with the question 'if it sucks, then why does it sound like nothing else?'.
I do think it's the best album Gryphon ever came up with, and in this way you're presented with a case of me sharing a rare agreement with diehard prog fans (most fans consider this to be the band's pinnacle as well). But, of course, I have my reservations, which I'll be explaining in a minute. First of all, though, I have to say that it's particularly nice that no two subsequent Gryphon albums actually sound the same: for a band with such a short lifespan, this is a real achievement. Red Queen To Gryphon Three is a fully instrumental record, consisting of four long tracks, two per side. Essentially, it is a symphony loosely based around a 'concept' of a chess game, hence track names like 'Opening Move' and 'Checkmate'. I don't think the 'chess concept' came out as anything more than just a retrospect thought, though; in my mind, none of the tracks really associate with a chess game by themselves - only after I attune my senses to the idea, certain associations can spring to mind as an afterthought. But that's not important.
What is important is that this is certainly a far more rocking album than anything they had before. And not just because they finally add the electric guitar to their battery of instruments; in fact, there's not a single electric guitar solo on here anyway, just some mild soft-hearted riffage. It's just because there's a lot of rock energy and bombast here in general. Oberle, for instance, lays off his timpani and assembles an entire drumming kit, which he pounds with enough verve and professional skill to rank up there with the... okay, no, but he does come close at times. There are also synthesizers, with tones ranging from soothing to nasty, all played by Harvey who is able to make them sound downright mean and mind-boggling at times. In all, the arrangements are rockin'.
And yet, the music itself is anything but rock. What is it? I'm not really sure. It's a huge mish-mash; no musical theme lasts longer than three or four minutes, really, and in a certain way they can be said to just carry on the vibe of 'Midnight Mushrumps', but all of these parts are better than 'Midnight Mushrumps', because they're not only more energetic, they're also more diverse and even challenging. Yeah, as usual, I find this album a challenge, a real healthy challenge that I'm glad to accept. I acknowledge these melodies and yeah, I got a lot of problems assimilating this material, but these are the same problems I'm a-havin' with assimilating certain well established classical chef-d'oeuvres, so I don't worry about that much.
The four parts themselves are, as usual, hard to describe, but it does sound like there's a certain mood running through each of them. 'Opening Move' is essentially the 'introduction', which means that it's grand and bright, but not as grand as the finale. It's optimistic in mood, as if it were indeed the start of a chessgame; all about it, from Harvey's barocco paino solo in the beginning to the stern aggressive wall-of-sound synthesizer onslaught of the end, symbolizes vital energy, inrush and, er, well, a certain lustiness, I'd say. 'Second Spasm' is just as energetic, maybe symbolizing the "second part" of the game when all the initial 'predictable' moves have been made and the partners begin planning some real devastating attacks on each other. Its central focus is the medieval martial rhythm that's at certain points underpinned by really spooky synthesizer grunts; the section I don't quite get is that hilarious krumhorn break in the middle, but hey, maybe it's one of the players leaving for a minute to take a pee... (??).
The second side opens with 'Lament' - a milder, more introspective section. Maybe it's the "third part" of the game, either when both of the players get tired and bored and tension is at an all-time low. Or maybe it represents the depression of the gradually losing side. Lord knows. Dominated by the bassoon for the most part, playing an unmemorable but ear-pleasing melody that never grates on you and provides a really relaxing atmosphere. And finally, as expected, we close with 'Checkmate', where the energy is once again regained, but if we're to be honest, it doesn't really happen until the eight minute when these synthesizer loops come out to astound you if you were playing it at high volume. The climax, in fact, could have been much grander; I find it to be a flaw.
But all in all, this really is a very nice experience. Totally unpretentious; there's not a single guy on here who's trying to pull the blanket on himself. Totally unique; there's not a single album in my rock collection that comes close to this stuff. Totally competent; I challenge you to find a single 'mistake' in the stuff they're playing. Of course, you can say - and you will say - and I will agree - that all of this stuff is unmemorable, meaningless and in a certain sense, boring. But to my ears, so is at least half of classical music "chef-d'oeuvres", and I really don't hear that much difference. So what if it isn't particularly 'involving'? Not everything is supposed to be. It's adequate, original and quite melodic, and I'll be happy to have this as background music whenever I'm playing chess. Not that I actually played a chess game since the age of twelve, mind you... tee hee, but that's not meant to be ironic. Oh, and, goes without saying, if you're a prog fan and you don't own this album, your prog collection ain't worth nothing. Take this from a non-prog-fan.


AMG EXPERT REVIEW: Red Queen to Gryphon Three is only available coupled with the Raindance album on the same disc, but it has stood the test of time as an excellent progressive rock piece. The album centers around a game of chess, with each track around ten minutes in length. The symphonic structure of the movements intricately combine rich textured strings with medieval horns, reminiscent of 16th century England. The keyboards bridge together certain passages with just the right intensity so that they keep from modernizing the album's feel. While some progressive rock can seem over the top or contrived, Gryphon mixes subtlety with diversity to formulate beautiful streamline music. The use of the bassoon and krumhorn gives this album depth and a profound musical element not found in other bands of the same nature. The tempos and accents express moods that are structured for each piece precisely, such as the brainstorming arrangements in "Opening Move" and the victorious finale heard throughout "Checkmate," the last song on the album. The absence of vocals lets the music carry extra weight, enhancing the vision of the chessboard in the mind's eye. - Mike DeGagne


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RAINDANCE

Year Of Release: 1975
Record rating = 9
Overall rating = 11

Branching out? No, really? A strangely diverse listen indeed.
Best song: MOTHER NATURE'S SON

Like I said: no Gryphon album ever sounds the same. Their bombastic peak having been reached, Gryphon found themselves kinda at a loss: the earlier 'hardcore medieval' image has been totally ruined, yet apparently they didn't intend to make all their future albums sound like Red Queen, because, heck, that'd be boring. A hint at the reasons of the shift can be seen in David Oberle's liner notes: 'Raindance is a comprehensive mix of all the influences which Gryphon had used, plus a newer feel that the band had been developing whilst performing to much larger audiences than before' (italics are mine). On the Yes tour, that is. Hmm, doesn't that dangerously reek of commercialism? Selling out? Sacrificing identities in favour of the yellow devil?
God knows, and frankly, I don't care. What I do care for is the music. The compositions are now being much shorter, although one of them is still lengthy - the fifteen-minute suite '(Ein Klein) Heldenleben', if I'm not mistaken, this should be translated from German as '(A Small) Hero's Life'. It has nothing in common with 'Midnight Mushrumps' at all; medieval influences do exist on here, but they're more or less on equal footing with rock influences and jazz influences. Whether I like the suite or not is a complex question; one thing I know for certain is that it is very much inspired by Yes, containing lots of solo passages and key changes that remind me of Yes' style. More than that, the powerful, epic synthesizer-led coda is built exactly according to the pattern of 'Wurm' - you know, the repetitive build-up with all sorts of crescendos and wall-rattling guitar solos. But rip-off or no, it's a good coda, and since that same theme also crops up in different other places of the mini-suite, you could call it the saving link which adds a major sense of unity to the composition. Overall, though, I find the whole thing a bit too scattered and 'all over the place'. Maybe it would have helped if they'd label the separate parts with specific names. As nice as the 'main theme' is, it doesn't exactly help to understand what is "going on" - I dare say the hero is born, raised, goes to war (martial rhythms in the middle) and then probably dies, but which is which? Well, anyway, at least it makes up for nice background music.
The 'shorter' compositions are the real gems of the album, though. What they display is an obvious desire to branch out; as if compensating themselves for the lack of variety on their first albums, Gryphon now are ready to try out virtually everything. 'Down The Dog' opens the album, for instance, on a funky note, with jerky Synclavier basslines, before settling it down in a peaceful rustic Camel vibe. The title track drops that vibe completely - to my ears, it sounds as if they were trying to imitate Mike Oldfield on here, with its ambient-sounding synth loops, becalming rain sounds and tranquil flute background. As the song buids up its crescendo, it then unexpectedly transforms into a pretty cover of the Beatles' 'Mother Nature's Son', with Oberle handling the vocals. He's no McCartney, but he's still good - even if it was a nice idea that Paul's 'du du du' vocals be replaced by recorder solos. Of course, the title of best song immediately goes to that stuff - every time a prog-rocker covers a Beatles song it just goes to show how everything prog-rockers do pales and withers in comparison to the true genius of the XXth century. Then again, not any prog-rocker can cover a Beatles tune effectively, right?
From there, we head on into French folk territory with the subtly hilarious 'Le Cambrioleur Est Dans Le Mouchoir', with radio-encoded French vocals and joyful sly acoustic guitar. 'Ormolu' is an equally weird playful acoustic interlude with strange, almost drum-machine like clock-work percussion that can't be traced to any particular style. It functions as an intro to the beautiful ballad 'Fontinental Version'... ballad? It's a beautiful ballad for about thirty seconds, and then it turns into a Jethro Tull-like Elizabethan-style rocker with dirty electric guitar. Going from balladry to rockin' and back and again and back and again until you're all dizzy and really don't know what to think. Strange, strange song.
Then there's 'Wallbanger', which is kind of a cross between a jig and an avantgarde jazz instrumental, and a Gentle Giant-like vocal pastiche called 'Don't Say Go' with an existent, but hard-to-discern melody. And then there's the epic closer.
In all, maybe I didn't provide enough of a credible description, but even from the snippets you may have read I think it's possible to understand what kind of a mess Raindance really is. It has absolutely no kind of conceptual unity like its predecessor(s), the songs are all over the place, incompatible with each other, drawing on all the influences indeed. And yet, I kinda like it. Hey, conceptual unity is not necessarily a good thing - and look at all those wonderful eclectic albums like The Beatles or The Who Sell Out which have nothing to unify them and yet have managed to stand out as classics. Raindance, to my ears, sounds accessible and inviting, and even if, as usual, the melodies aren't particularly memorable, the atmosphere of experimentation, joy, and slight naivete totally redeems for that sin. Plus, there's really tons of great musical ideas on here. Hey, the percussion part on 'Ormolu' is worth a fortune alone.
And I sure rejoyce at the sight of the album placed on one 2-fer CD with Red Queen To Gryphon Three. It makes for a great "breather" after the four complex pieces of the first album. I'd even suggest reprogramming your CD and interspersing the bigger pieces with the smaller ones, but if the idea seems blasphemous to you, just let it rest. Together with this review.

AMG EXPERT REVIEW: The group's fourth album is more electronic than folk, and, indeed, the electronics are dominated by Richard Harvey's electronic keyboards. The lineup here is Harvey (keyboards, krumhorns, recorders), Graeme Taylor (guitars, backing vocals), Brian Gulland (bassoon, backing vocals), Malcolm Bennett (bass, flute), and David Oberle (drums, vocals). The sound is surprisingly new age-ish, especially the title track, which, like most of this album, seems rather cold and mechanical. The exceptions are a cover of the Beatles' "Mother Nature's Son," which doesn't seem to have much point or purpose in these surroundings, and Graeme Taylor's aimless, folkish "Fontinental Version" and insultingly slight throwaway rock number "Don't Say Go." Most of the rest is hardly memorable, especially the meandering keyboard instrumental "Wallbanger," which sounds like a leftover from the Red Queen to Gryphon Three album, which does, indeed, date from a year earlier than most of the rest of this. A 16-minute instrumental called "(Ein Klein) Heldenleben" is better than anything else here, a bracing and exciting piece of music whose pyrotechnics seem to reflect the group's contact with Yes as an opening act on the latter's tour, but all in all hardly a track to justify this album - everything it has to say that was special to Gryphon was said better on the Red Queen album, although anyone who absolutely needs more of what was there could do worse than purchasing this disc, at least for this and "Wallbanger." - Bruce Eder




Gryphon - "Red Queen to Gryphon Three" (1974)
Probably their best album. This masterpiece combined their medieval style with a Gentle Giant-ish progressive rock edge, and it sounds AWESOME! There are four long and very complex track on the album, and all of them are classics. My favourite track on the album has always been "Lament". EXTREMELY beautiful track. It starts with a wonderful theme played on flute, while the acoustic guitar plays some chords that are pure genius. Then the track turns into a part which in fact reminds me of a part from Mike Oldfield's "Hergest Ridge". I don't know who took it from who, but Gryphon is the best anyway. After a while, a more uptempo part with the unmistakable krumhorn appears, before the piece ends with the whole band playing the fantastic main theme from the beginning. This track is simply very, very, very GOOD! And that's only one track! "Checkmate" starts very jazzy, but it soon turn into a complex track with lots of recorders. The wonderful opening track "Opening Move" is in the same awesome vein. "Second Spasm" is the most uptempo and joyful track here with some humour in it too, but of course also a lot of the usual Gryphon-beauty. I feel sorry for anyone who don't own this album.


Gryphon - "Raindance" (1975)
Another awesome album. Structurally it's quite different from "Red Queen..." with 8 tracks from 1-5 minutes, and a 16 minute track called "(Ein Klein) Heldenleben". The last mentioned track is of course also the highlight of the album. A fantastic and incredibly complex piece in the typical Gryphon style. And the themes are as always extremely beautiful. The rest of the album is very varied. "Down the Dog" and "Wallbanger" are both very catchy and joyful tracks, while the title-track is not too far away from Ashra's "New Age of Earth"! They had also done a cover of The Beatles' "Mother Nature's Son". Not everything here is of the same high class (after all, Gryphon were just humans they too!), but overall this is another essential Gryphon album.





Gryphon - Red Queen to Gryphon 3

Track Listing
1) Opening Move 9:44
2) Second Spasm 8:21
3) Lament 10:45
4) Checkmate 9:50

Member: progfellow

This is Gryphon's third release and is generally regarded as their best. While still heavily in the English medieval/folk vein, this album shows Gryphon taking one more stride towards the progressive rock sound while not copying any of their contemporaries of the genre in the least.

Red Queen to Gryphon 3 is broken down into four entirely instrumental tracks, supposedly representing an imaginary chess match but musically is much grander than that. Most melodic passages are played on non-rock instruments such as the bassoon, crumhorn (similar sound to the bassoon), recorder and some sort of bright-sounding organ. This is backed by acoustic guitar (sometimes coming into the foreground), bass, drums, piano and augmented by some powerful lead keyboard/synth work. The compositions are rather symphonic in nature and I would describe many of the passages as soaringly beautiful, and others as intricate and intertwining, some as soft and contemplative, and a few as comical (in a good way!)

The overall effect is very satisfying. I would classify this as the most essential Gryphon recording and as one of the 25 or so essential progressive rock recordings. Although the sound is quite different, I would guess that fans of Jethro Tull's "Songs From the Wood" type compostions or Gentle Giant's medieval-type pieces would very much like this recording. Gryphon played these pieces opening for Yes in the mid-seventies. Now that would have been an incredible double-billing!




Gryphon - Raindance

Track Listing
1) Down the Dog 2:44
2) Raindance 5:45
3) Mother Nature's Son 2:52
4) "Le Cmbrioleur Est Dans Le Mouchoir" 2:13
5) Ormolu 1:00
6) Fontinental Version 5:35
7) Wallbanger 3:34
8) Don't Say Go 1:52

Member: progfellow

This album follows their epic "Red Queen to Gryphon 3", the which I can't say enough good about. In contrast I am hard pressed to find much good in "Raindance", Gryphon's fourth album.

Whereas "Red Queen..." features four compelling long structures, "Raindance" is mostly taken up by short, inconsequential tunes. "Le Cambrioleur Est Dans Le Mouchoir" is easily one of the sillier tunes, as it sounds like a drunk Frenchman singing as he hits various kitchen objects with a spoon (no, really). Some of the various short instrumentals are pleasent enough but don't have the kind of compelling arrangements featured on their first three albums.

This isn't to say the album doesn't have it's moments. The title track is an atypical Gryphon tune that has a pretty, etherial build to it. The end track is an epic-length piece (16 minutes) harkening back to the album's predacessor and perhaps "Midnight Mushrumps" title track even more (though I wouldn't say it's quite as good as any of those songs). It does have an amazing recorder solo somewhere in the middle that floors me every time.

Thankfully at this time this album can be bought on one disc with "Red Queen..." for the price of one. This way people can buy "Red Queen..." for all its splendor (I can't stop recommending that one) and be able to filter through the highly disappointing "Raindance" without having to buy it on its own.



Gryphon
Red Queen to Gryphon Three
Transatlantic (ESMCD460)
UK 1974

Richard Harvey, keyboards, recorders, krumhorn;
Brian Gulland, bassoon, krumhorn;
Graeme Taylor, guitars;
David Oberle, drums, percussion, tympani;
Philip Nestor, bass guitar

Tracklist:
1. Opening Move - 9:43
2. Second Spasm - 8:16
3. Lament - 10:14
4. Checkmate - 9:45

total time 37:49


conrad

After having produced a couple of mixed bags in terms of both quality and style, Gryphon's third album stands out as their most coherent. Inspired by a game of chess and written in symphonic form, this is generally regarded to be Gryphon's finest hour. The combination of woodwinds and accoustic guitar remain very much the same from Midnight Mushrumps, but the group gained a more traditional rhythm section, with Philip Nestor joining the group on bass guitar and David Oberle playing behind a drum kit rather than just assorted percussion.
Certainly the bassoon-dominated acoustic instrumentation combined with a Gentle Giant penchant for unusual melodies prdouces a unique result, but for some reason I just don't get as excited about this album as others do. Perhaps it's because, despite a couple of moments of musical inspiration, there's too little here that captures my imagination. Maybe it's just because I prefer obvious tunes.

Highlights of the album include the introduction to "Opening Move", the conclusion to "Checkmate", and the return of the main theme in "Lament", with Richard Harvey's synth work providing one of the few non-accoustic moments.

This is not an album you can just let wash over you; it's an album that requires the listener's full attention. If you want something that challenges you in a way other than making your eardrums bleed, this may be just the tonic, especially for Gentle Giant fans who don't mind their music instrumental and acoustic. For me, I must confess I categorise it as mildly interesting and quirky, but by no means essential. I still sometimes play it when I'm playing chess online.

3-25-04 - post a comment (0)



Gryphon - Red Queen To Gryphon Three

Released: 1974 / 1994
Label: Bell / Progressive International
Cat. No.: 1316 / PRO 042
Total Time: 38:06


Reviewed by: Tom Karr, May 2004
Red Queen To Gryphon Three was the third release by the English band Gryphon. Gryphon began as a medieval/folk/progressive band, and released their self-titled debut in 1973. They released two recordings in 1974, the much ballyhooed Midnight Mushrumps and their third album, reviewed here, Red Queen To Gryphon Three. The group initially produced fairly faithful adaptations of renaissance pieces and re-arranged early English folk music. An all acoustic band, they had a couple of full blown instrumental virtuosos on their hands, Richard Harvey on recorders and keyboard instruments, and Brian Gulland, who excelled on the early reed instrument the crumhorn, and its modern cousin, the bassoon. Initially, the two were joined by guitarist Graeme Taylor and percussionist/vocalist David Oberle. The release of Midnight Mushrumps would see the addition of bassist Philip Nestor, and a move toward electric, and quite eclectic progressive rock music, still heavily influenced by the ancient styles, but now incorporating elements of more standard English symphonic progressive rock, similar to Gentle Giant and Yes, and classical music, using influences of the late Romantic period composers

This release is an all instrumental concept album of sorts, a musical representation of a chess game, laid out in four compositions. The pieces are all fairly lengthy, and provide the band ample time to fully explore the themes laid out This is intelligent art rock, with the group producing a work that is absent most of the cliches of the genre. Their affinity for the electric sound they had only recently added is nothing short of amazing, and their sound is exciting and blends their previous acoustic focus well with their new synthesizers and electric guitars

The first track "Opening Move" starts with a Yes like barrage of Moog and speedy, Howe like licks on electric guitar. It morphs into a section reminiscent of "Starship Trooper" and just as quickly becomes a solo piano interlude, and then back to true progressive bombast. We will get a series of gentle interludes contrasted with electric generated pomp, and well developed themes that carry us through this number. Bassoon and crumhorn are used as well as some mind blowing lines on the recorder. Where many people can perform nice melodic work on the recorder, Richard Harvey really rips on this instrument. This tune ends with penetrating cathedral organ and rich lines from the bassoon.

"Second Spasm" opens as a medieval dance on recorders and acoustic guitar, and is contrasted with another passage of Yes like material, a section that might be looked at as similar to the single note lines played Howe and Squire in the beginning of "Heart Of The Sunrise." This tune again goes back and forth between passages of subdued acoustic dances and full on progressive instrumental firepower. David Oberle's drumming is spare but full of pep and energy when called for.

"Lament," the third track begins with acoustic guitar and lovely bassoon and flute, eventually joined by tasteful, melodic electric guitar. The lush guitar sound leads into the second theme, with the vibrant bassoon taking the lead role. This work reminds me quite a bit of the early days of The Paul Winter Consort. We then get a reprise of the first theme as a bouncing rocking dance, and several more contrasts in dynamics, acoustic, electric, and contrasts in mood, studied and precise, and joyful. This work ends with a final triumphant theme graced with a restrained moog solo.

Track four, "Checkmate," begins sounding quite a bit like Gentle Giant with a busy, complicated flourish of keyboards and guitar, and a difficult counterpoint. This leads to a traditional Celtic sounding section contrasting the early musical melee. The playing on the pipes is especially noteworthy in this section, which segues into an acoustic piece featuring the bassoon and piano. Many changes of tone and tempo occur within the finale to this awesome CD, and the last few minutes of "Checkmate" allow Harvey to show some serious ability on his bank of keyboards, with impressive work on the clavinet and his Moog.

This album is an essential addition to any good collection of English progressive, and it is the best example of this odd, eclectic style of mid 70s British folk/prog.. Bands like The Strawbs and Steeleye Span produced some interesting blends of early English music and rock, but no one came anywhere close to the mastery of Gryphon, and Gryphon made their premiere musical statement with this release.

Rating: 5/5

More about Red Queen To Gryphon Three:

Track Listing: Opening Move (8:15) / Second Spasm (9:42) / Lament (10:45) / Checkmate (9:50)

Musicians:
Richard Harvey - Keyboards, Recorder, Crumhorn
Brian Gulland - Bassoon, Crumhorns
David Oberle - Drums, Percussion, Tympani
Graeme Taylor - Guitars
Ernest Hart - Organ
Peter Redding - Acoustic Bass

Discography

Gryphon (1973)
Midnight Mushrumps (1974)
Red Queen To Gryphon Three (1974)
Raindance (1975)
Treason (1977)
The Collection (1991)
Collection II (1995)
About As Curious As It Can Be (2002)
Glastonbury Carol (2003)