Rococo’n’ Roll
Fifty years ago, Gryphon entered one of their busiest periods. The release of not just Midnight Mushrumps but also Red Queen To Gryphon Three found them reaching a bigger audience than before, aided by a North American tour with Yes. Founding members Brian Gulland, Graeme Taylor and Dave Oberlé recall those early years, and why they continue to champion Gryphon’s unique blend of medieval, classical and prog to a highly appreciative audience.
Words: Chris Wheatley
In the history of prog, there’s never been a band quite like Gryphon, and in the history of Gryphon there’s never been a year like 1974. Across 12 months, the group released not one but two fantastically ambitious albums; they also embarked upon a spectacular North American tour as the opening act for Yes. But the band’s genesis goes back even further.
Co-founding guitarist Graeme Taylor explains, “I always thought the seeds were sown at Tiffin’s [boys’ grammar school in Kingston upon Thames in Surrey] where I met [fellow founding member] Richard Harvey.”
Gryphon outside London’s Old Vic on July 11, 1974. L-R: Dave Oberlé, Philip Nestor, Brian Gulland (who loved the “deep farting noises” of the bassoon), Richard Harvey, Graeme Taylor.
Image:
Evening Standard/ Hulton Archive/Getty Images
Taylor had begun playing at an early age. He was nine when he first heard The Beatles and describes the feeling as “like a cannonball [that had] hit me”. His parents promised to buy him a guitar and, on Christmas Eve, says Taylor, “I woke up in the middle of the night and went halfway through the instruction book by about five in the morning. From then on, I was just fanatical about this instrument.”
Taylor and Harvey soon hit it off. Not only did they share a number of interests, but they were both also involved in ensembles inspired by medieval and Elizabethan music. A few years later, Harvey encountered Brian Gulland while both were studying at the Royal College Of Music, and soon the three began playing as a trio.