GRINGO

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.

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

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.

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"!