Customer Reviews

My Griffin Is Gone

5 star:		(14)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(2)

 

 

It has been many years since the late, great Hoyt Axton lived nextdoor to my parents and I in the Hollywood Hills. He always had an open heart and mind to music and song and his philosophy of life is forever embeded in his album "My Griffon is Gone".

This is such a beautiful album as many of his others are, but this one is especially wonderful and heartfelt. Some of the melodies and lyrics are soft and meanigful, uplifting and thought provoking. Others are strong and exciting. His voice fills the soul.

My original album is old and scratched, well played and loved. I am very glad to have found this CD. It means that I will have many more precious hours to listen to this great man.

I highly recommend this CD to all of Hoyt's loyal fans, old and new and to those who appreciate the gifts that song can bring. Hoyt will always be remembered as a loving father, husband, and neighbor.

I was first introduced to My Griffin is Gone in 1971. It quickly became the most treasured album in our home and remained as such until it eventually wore out. Grieving ever since and after searching everywhere for so long, I can't believe we actually found it!

Thank you!

ps: I'm going from memory here:
"I am told truth is a great white bird. Here are some feathers I found."

Hoyt, you will be forever in our hearts.
We love you.

While Hoyt Axton may be best known to some for writing memorable music for others (Steppenwolf's 'The Pusher,' Three Dog Night's 'Joy To The World,' etc.), it's this obscure 1969 release that captures his brilliance (and occasional eccentricity) better than any of his other solo work. An eclectic mix, it's been dismissed outright by some critics (Rolling Stone Record Guide once dismissed it as a "psychedelic relic"), but it has, in fact, withstood the test of time quite nicely. Stellar musicianship, production and song writing combine to create a thoroughly memorable experience. The string arrangements (by three different arrangers) on a few of the songs are amongst the most beautiful I've heard on a pop album. I use the word "pop" loosely here, since much of this music is difficult to classify. Though some traditional country music instruments are used (dobro, for example), it's not really country music. Lyrically, much of it is a reflection of a man going through an emotional and spiritual crisis, which Axton certainly did at one point when his excesses took control of his life. That makes it all the more ironic that this album contains the cocaine song 'Snowblind Friend,' which could have been autobiographical of Axton's own life for awhile. (This is the man, after all, who wrote 'The No No Song' for Ringo Starr). The drug references here are indeed perplexing. In 'On The Natural' he sings: "Up on the mountain you don't need to blow no grass." Later, in 'Gypsy Will,' he's singing: "Out comes the baggie, out comes the Gold, out come the stories that like to be told." So many memorable tunes here; not a dud amongst them. And they run the musical gamut -- from the lushly floating 'Sunshine Fields of Love' to the raw-voiced 'Sunrise' (this man could SCREAM when he wanted to! He unleashes some more of this vocal power on 'It's All Right Now'). The strange 'Kingswood Manor' -- probably most responsible for the "psychedelic" label some have given this album -- takes its place alongside David Bowie's 'Ashes To Ashes' as one of the more memorable tunes chronicling madness. The song is pure magic, with a haunting, drifting chorus. The whole album is magic. Don't try to judge it by the brief sound clips here; they don't begin to convey the feeling this album invokes. This is an album you need to listen to in its entirety to experience its magic. 'Nuff said.

In 1969 there was a little folk joint in Redondo Beach, CA. called "Aunt Dinahs Quilting Party" named after a regional folk group of the time with the same name. When Hoyt Axton was booked there for a week I was sure to show up for at least one set. During the show he announced that he had recorded another album which would soon be released. As I had, and thoroughly enjoyed, all his previous albums that announcement was indeed good news. Then he said that this was the first time he had recorded with a symphony orchestra. I wasn't sure if that was good news or not as most of his recordings and live shows that I loved featured his vocals accompanied only by his guitar.

When I got the album, "MY Griffin is Gone" it totally blew me away. His voice was as good as ever and the quality of the recording was first rate. To this day I don't understand how come thousands of people show up to see Garth Brooks or Alan Jackson while only a handful would show up a Aunt Dinahs, The Troubador, The Golden Bear, Ledbetters, Cosmos etc. when Hoyt was there in top form. And I'm sorry folks but Garth, Alan and Dwight, good as they are, can't hold a candle to Hoyt when he was in top form. He didn't need any back-up singers or musicians. He didn't travel with a hundred person entourage. He'd arrive in his aging VW, take the stage alone, prop his guitar on his knee and sing his own songs with his great voice and it didn't seem to matter to him whether the audience was big or small as long as they where into what he was doing. It didn't get any better than that. None of his albums match the impact of his live shows, but this one is close. I recommend it.

Hoyt Axton the tunesmith was definitely in top form when he wrote the songs for this album. It's a treasure.

Worth mentioning here is the wonderful arrangements that accompany the tunes. While Edsel Records generally does a great job with sound quality and sleeve notes, they goofed in a major way when they removed the credits for the arrangements that appeared on the original vinyl release of this album. So to give credit where credit is due, here they are:

Tracks 1, 3, 4, 6, 8, 9, 11 & 12 were arranged by Paul Lewinson (who also contributed keyboards.)

Tracks 2 & 7 were arranged by Perry Botkin, Jr. (yes, the same Perry Botkin, Jr. who composed the tunes "Bless the Beasts & the Children," "Nadia's Theme," "The Young & the Restless," among many others.)

Tracks 5 & 10 were arranged by Al Capps.

And while I'm at it, I'll also mention that the outstanding engineering on this album was done by Brian Ross-Myring and Sy Mitchell -- another credit from the vinyl release that Edsel didn't see fit to mention.

There, now you have it: credit to all who helped make this album as good as it is. Now buy it and enjoy!

This album is one of Hoyt's best. His new one, The A&M Years is also good because it contains four complete albums. So is Spin of the Wheel. Now, if we could just find Hoyt's original Horizon recordings on CD!!

I recently took all my old records out of the garage. It had been at least 20 years since I'd played them. So many of them were dated and laughable. When I played "My Griffin is Gone" I immediatly felt that this music was modern and beautiful. I'm a musician, and so many of todays musicians are trying to create a beautiful sound like this alblum. Hoyts' voice, the arrangements, the orchestration, and above all the connected emotional ease of this music is timeless.
People often try to label music, like "phycodelic", or whatever, but good music is just good music, no matter when it was made or where it was made or who made it. Perhaps labeling music and people is a way of not having to listen.
The song "Way before the time of towns" is remarkable lyrically and atmospherically. "Kingswood Manor" is gorgeous. I have never seen this record in stores and it seemed to have vanished. It appears now that its becoming a collectable. Those who have lived with this alblum seem to know its special qualities.

Have been trying to fill in the gaps of my Hoyt Axton collection, and just came upon this one, which is a great treat - Hoyt at the time he was, in my opinion, doing his best work!

Without a doubt, this is Hoyt's best album ever. It's not quite folk, not quite country, but just right. Now, if I could only find "Life Machine" on CD.

I had the LP of this album, so I wanted it on CD so I could play it on my ipod. My son only remembered Hoyt Axton as the dad on Gremlins, so it was fun to let him hear the man's music, and to be able to share how Hoyt Axton was really one of the first crossover musicians.