GIANT FOR A DAY

I wish that there was a 0/5 stars option so that I could express my contempt for the absolute trash that is this album. What truly baffles me is the fact that it came from Gentle Giant, a band who is known for its masterful compositional skills, which are able to manifest in their music while there is still plenty of emotion and soul. This album has soul, but it's the same kind that every other radio-rock album has. Cheesy vocal harmonies... check. Predictable vocal melodies and predictable music in general... check. Stupid, pretentious lyrics pretending to be meaningful... check. Guitar work that was stolen from other artists... check. A song called "Words From the Wise" that literally sounds like a carbon copy of "We Built This City"... check. A sellout band... quadruple check.

I actually struggle often to remember a whole lot of the music on here, despite the fact that I've listened to this album multiple times. What surprises me even more is that I can't remember things despite the fact that they stole from songs that have been ingrained into my head. Perhaps the vocals do this. They fail at being catchy so much that it is downright embarrassing. The simple tone of the vocals doesn't suit the music, as it did previous material from this band.

I'm aware that this is a very short review that hardly describes the music, but there is hardly anything to describe, as this album has little to no character of its own. Other pop-rock albums of the late 1970s could be described in a similar manner. This album is an absolute travesty against man and beast alike and because it failed to achieve the commercial success that Gentle Giant was looking for, the band split up. Possibly for the better, as I would hate to imagine them continuing and having this music as their main legacy.