Short Reviews [Mormos - 1972 - "Magic Stone / Hey Gilles"]

The second single from Mormos was also released prior to the next album and again features two songs which are not available elsewhere. The ‘A’ side marks the first appearance of flautist Ernie Mansfield as composer, while the ‘B’ side is by Ernie and guitarist Elliott Delman along with their friend Dan Fogelberg (who later had Top 10 hits in America with “Longer”, “Same Old Lang Syne”, “Hard to Say” and “Leader of the Band”). “Magic Stone” commences with the melody being played on flute, Annie the Hat then repeating this, while in the background there is dramatic percussion. Sandy is plucking the cello, and with the introduction of harmony vocals it feels like a very different style for Mormos, as with this number they are definitely moving in much more of a pop direction, and at under three minutes it again seems very much a song of its time which should have gained much wider credit at the time. Any song which includes harmony whistling needs to be taken seriously! “Hey Gilles” feels somewhat more dramatic with a broader sound, plenty of power chords on the piano, and Ernie taking more of a backseat, adding rippling flute over the top while the sax solo is just perfect. I am still very much at a loss as to why Mormos were not more well known at the time, but I guess that is the penalty of being an American band living in Paris, but at least their albums and singles have now been remastered and made available by Ernie Mansfield, and they have been a true delight to discover.