Gordon Giltrap-Perilous Journey (1977)

In the mid-1970s, guitarist Gordon Giltrap was immersed in late progressive rock, his folk roots temporarily set aside until later when he would return to his natural style. During those years, Giltrap released a series of ambitious albums such as "Visionary", "Perilous Journey", "Fear of the Dark", and "The Peacock Party", all oriented towards symphonic rock. Surrounded by a wide array of collaborating musicians, including drummer Simon Phillips, saxophonist Malcolm Duncan, keyboardist Rod Edwards, and bassist John Perry, Giltrap here gives greater prominence to keyboards such as the organ, synthesizers, and Mellotron, in addition to wind instruments, without abandoning his unmistakable guitar touch. "Perilous Journey" is an entirely instrumental work that moves between atmospheric and ambient passages and orchestral arrangements, offering a highly enjoyable and engaging experience. Pieces like "The Desert", "Morbio Gorge", "Heartsong" or "Cascade", are a perfect example of the explorations in the avant-garde field of this iconic British guitarist.

Gordon Giltrap-The Peacock Party (1979)

Gordon Giltrap is one of the most renowned acoustic guitarists with a folk-rock style, and alongside contemporaries like Bert Jansch and John Renbourn, he is a legend in British folk music. Born in 1948 in Brenchley, Kent, England, he began his musical career in 1968, and under his own name or as part of notable collaborations, he has amassed a vast catalog of recordings. In the mid-1970s, Giltrap released his most acclaimed albums, which were also among the most progressive of his career: "Visionary" (1976), "Perilous Journey" (1977), and "Fear of the Dark" (1978), considered his progressive trilogy. In 1979 came "The Peacock Party", inspired by the works of artist and designer Alan Aldridge, known for his book "The Butterfly Ball and the Grasshopper Feast", which Roger Glover adapted into his own rock opera, discussed on this blog some time ago. Aldridge is also famous for his album covers for pop and rock music, such as Elton John's "Captain Fantastic and the Brown Dirt Cowboy" and The Who's "A Quick One", and he was also responsible for the Hard Rock Cafe logo. By the time "The Peacock Party" was released, Giltrap's main challenge after the aforementioned trilogy was to live up to its success. Despite this, he continued to embrace the progressive and electric sounds that infused his songs, which had a distinctly acoustic folk character, following the path of musicians like Mike Oldfield and Anthony Phillips. An album that, with a certain jovial atmosphere and without abandoning traditional English music with subtle approaches to medieval sounds, achieves a fantastic work, starting with the ferocious "Headwind-The Eagle", where the band composed of Rod Edwards (keyboards), John Etheridge (electric guitar), John Gustafson (bass), and Ian Mosley (drums) brings us closer to the progressive jazz sounds of the era. In contrast, "Magpie Rag" is a cheerful, danceable composition; the captivating "Tailor Bird" is a beautiful song with countless arrangements; while the exciting "Black Rose-The Raven" comes to a singular life thanks to Giltrap's 12-string guitar and Rod Edwards' keyboards and flutes; or "Dodo Dreams", an anthological piece performed solo that crescendos with a basic structure of melodic chords before adding layers of elegant guitar lines, saxophone, and keyboards.