About As Curious As It Can Be

his combines two mid-'70s BBC sessions onto one CD, the first part containing three songs from a May 1974 appearance, the second comprising five cuts from a November 1975 show. The personnel's the same on each session, other than the replacement of bassist Philip Nestor (who plays on the 1974 tracks) with bassist/flutist Malcolm Bennett on the 1975 segment. Most of the repertoire is taken from their third and fourth albums (Midnight Mushrumps and Raindance), with the rock and electronic keyboards taking a greater role on the second session than on the first. Gryphon really owed as much to folk and medieval music as they did to progressive rock, and this document shows them to be pretty capable of blending the forms with skill and some whimsy in a live setting, without as much of the bombast and pretension usually associated with ambitious art rock. It couldn't have been that easy to make it as tight as it was with the combination of standard rock instruments and uncommon ones like recorders, krumhorns, flute, and bassoon. Those kind of abilities have not been too chic to admire in many circles since the advent of punk and new wave, but they are, well, admirable to those with a reasonably open mind. Good sound and liner notes by Gryphon guitarist/mandolinist Graeme Taylor enhance the value of a worthy supplement to the group's discography, certainly of interest to the small coterie of fans of this largely forgotten band. ~ Richie Unterberger|