GRINGO

Actually I've never heard the name of this band before and indeed some websites describe them as an overlooked early British progressive act. Well, I won't deny this assessment, at least in the broad sense of proto-prog bands hailing from that era between late sixties and early seventies. I can only imagine that their Canterbury tag is coming from the fact that they were opening act on a CARAVAN UK tour. This band comprised of Simon Byrne, Annette Casey, Henry Marsh and John G. Perry, who joined Caravan for their Girls Who Grow Plump album and played later on with Quantum Jump, Curved Air and Aviator. Traces of other band members vanished in the haze of some pop bands like Sailor or Brotherhood of Man. The songs on this album here present some pleasant, but in terms of prog rather uninspiring material. I dare saying that this album is only interesting for the general collector of early 70's prog-related music and thus not deserving more than 2,5 stars on this site here. Nevertheless it's a very nice and well-done album, if one likes to listen to some more light-prog-ish stuff. Highlights are the two longest songs "Cry The Beloved Country" and "Patriotic Song"!

Yes, of course this band is not a milestone of the Canterbury scene, and is also evident that no member of it shall give an important contribute to the progressive music. But it does not mean that this album is bad. On the contrary, from some point of view, it seems to me this album presents an interest mix between a Canterbury tradition and something of Yes (with the due proportion). So, I must recommend this rare album as a simple addition to any prog music collection. 3,5 stars.

If you believe this is a normal Canterbury scene album with all the trimmings, you will be disappointed.

The music here is a mix of musicals (Hair), Eurovision, 1970's pop music, Curved Air and Caravan. Gringo did one tour with both bands and there was an affinity between these groups. The first two tracks Cry The Beloved Country and I'm Another Man sounds like Caravan at their most accessible. Both tracks have a jazzy keyboard theme. Only those two tracks has any quality. The rest of the album is very commercial pop-rock. Commercial without any good songs. The vocals and the musicians are OK. But the songs are really letting them down. No quality and no purpose. Gringo only released one album. I cannot say I am in mourning.

2 stars

I have to respectfully take exception with the reviews concerning Gringo. While I will concede that if one's main expectation of Prog in general, is typified by the long, instrumental dominated Jazz and Classical influenced compositions found on LP's by Yes, Crimson and Soft Machine - then this recording is going to be outside your comfort zone. But if the above is the only criteria which qualifies a performance as 'Progressive', then a lot of excellent music along the lines of Kayak (Royal Bed Bouncer), Rare Bird, Wishbone Ash, late period Gentle Giant, 'Grand Hotel' era Procol Harum, Home, mid-period Caravan, Eno and numerous others are going to be needlessly downgraded. Over time, my listening habits have altered my sensibilities in terms of what defines quality. I think the length of a track falls well below whether the group is able to essentially write a good song that stands on its' own. Correspondingly, there is a lot of 'Symphonic Prog' that is quite forgettable because the melodic concept doesn't support the ambition of the musicianship.

Now - about Gringo. The songs are all well written, the vocal harmonies are superb and the tracks are well recorded. I'm a sucker for good keyboard playing, and here the focus is on the Fender Rhodes. As such, there is a nice, funky groove folded in with the jazzy prog flavor of the music. I classify the musicianship and production values as 'tasteful' - in otherwords, the playing supports the intentions of the song as opposed to virtuosity for its' own sake. The sound of Gringo is unique and therefore, I can't directly fit it in with a sub-genre of prog. The best I could do to give you an idea whether you would enjoy them is to say that the vibe is energetic and upbeat in a similar way to Capability Brown for example. I'd also say that if you (like me), believe that the first two Yes albums were, as outstanding as anything they recorded later - you will find a lot to like with Gringo. 'I'm Another Man' and 'Cry the Beloved Country' are worth the purchase of the album by themselves, but none of the other tracks are filler.

Sorry but this just isn't Canterbury Scene, hell is it even Progressive Rock? If this is on the archives it should be filed under Crossover or Prog Related in my humble opinion. To me the Canterbury Scene can not exist in a non progressive form. The Canterbury Scene to me is more than just jazzy 70s pop, it's about the changes, the extended song form. This is simply not present at all on this album, sure they are Jazz tinged but they are only songs. Additionally there is no Avant Garde touch to any of the songs which I think is no less essential to the Canterbury Scene sound then any other attributes. I dare say it is one of the most important aspects.

Anyways that out of the way I shall review the music based on its merit, not due to my issues with its wrongful placement (they had a dude that played on one Caravan album wow what a connection! There are bands like Six North actually playing Canterbury Scene, having legitimate Canterbury Scene members play on their music and still being filed under Jazz Rock/Fusion. Total BS but anyways?)

Ffs there isn't even an organ!!??

Cry The Beloved Country is a strong opener, easily the best track. On this one they don't have a thin girly voiced guy singing but a deeper fella.

I'm Another Man sounds like the Archies, cheesy 60s/70s music, not my cup of tea.

More And More is pretty similar to the previous track.

Our Time Is Our Time could be a filler song on a The Who album.

Gently Step Through The Stream is a folksy tune, I don't mind it, a step up from the previous three tracks. The chorus isn't as good as the verse so the song is still pretty meh.

Emma And Harry could be a The Beatles filler track.

Moonstone opens with e piano and bass, good start. This one could have shone if it wasn't bound to the restrictions of regular songs, a shame.

Land Of Who Knows Where starts off like Moonstone and my opinion is the exact same.

Patriotic Song starts like an 80s power ballad. Building up all the energy so they can be the best, then it remembers its 1972 so it plays regular rock with vocals reminiscent of Geddy Lee.

Overall I'm not really a fan of rock music so I think that has really hampered by appreciation of this album which isn't bad, but not good in my opinion. ABSOLUTELY NOT RECOMMENDED FOR THOSE SEARCHING FOR PROGRESSIVE ROCK

Canterbury Sound Score 1/5

Starting out as Toast in 1967, the trio of Henry Marsh (guitar, vocals), John G. Perry (bass, vocals) and Simon Byrne (drums) stuck it out for three years but only managed to release a sole single titled "Flowers Never Bend With the Rainfall" in 1970 which mixed those groovy 60s styles of sunshine pop and baroque pop however the band decided to change things up a bit and soon after changed its name to GRINGO (after a short stint as Utopia) and added the Irish born Casey Synge to sing lead to give the band some feminine charm. Casey offered the charisma to interact with audiences in a live setting and added the element that Toast had been missing.

GRINGO was a short-lived act that only existed for a couple years and these days is more famous for hosting future Caravan bassist John G. Perry who appeared on the "For Girls Who Grow Plump in the Night" as well as the live release "Caravan & The New Symphonia." Despite being a relative forgotten act today in the 21st century, the band did have a moment of minor success which actually found the band headlining a tour with Barclay James Harvest. The band also toured with Caravan during the "In The Land Of Grey And Pink" album which is how Perry made the connection.

The band released one self-titled album on the MCA label in 1971. The music was a very melodic style of progressive pop that featured an occasional reference to prog but mostly GRINGO's sole offering reminds most of the sunshine pop of the Toast days with cheerful uplifting sugary melodies almost bordering on bubblegum at times. The music though was a bit more demanding delivered organ dominated psych rock. The band could be compared to Carol Grimes' Delivery or even bands or even the German Frumpy at times because of its strong pop hook dominance only with just the occasional references to anything remotely prog. Perry's bass playing is one of the stronger aspects of the album with beefy grooves that clearly qualified him for the role of a Caravan member.

While the majority of the album is mostly based on pop rock, the track "Moonstone" actually emphasizes more demanding workouts with heavy psych-tinged keyboard sweeps and clever use of brass and percussive workouts. Casey Synge delivers some strong vocal performances and the rest of the band offers excellent harmonies to support her. Despite the strong performances the album still sounds more like it should've been released in 1968. GRINGO was clearly not in touch with the modern prog world and how quickly it had developed. This is one of those puzzlers that i don't quite comprehend why this is even considered prog at all because the few moments that hint towards anything progressive are more akin to just plain melodic art rock.

This is an OK album to check out. The melodies are strong and the tracks are performed very well however it's not anything to get overly excited about for sure. Sometimes the harmonies remind me of The Mamas & Papas and the album definitely feels dated. While it's loosely affiliated with the Canterbury Scene there are no traces of jazz or the abstract whimsy that bands in that scene were known for and certainly none of the complexities. This is pretty much psychedelic pop rock with a few moments that hint at prog. Overall not a bad album but honestly not one that really warrants hunting down at all costs as it is a fairly average representation of what the era had to offer for bands that were behind the times a bit.