THREE FRIENDS

Shortly after the release of ''Acquiring the taste'' and upon returning from another short European tour, Martin Smith decided to part ways with Gentle Giant, partly due to personal conflicts with Phil and Ray Shulman, partly due to musical differences and reputedly because he wanted to become an antique dealer.An 18-years old drummer surfaced after exhausting auditions, it was Malcolm Mortimore, who had a week to learn the band's live setlist.Surprisingly around the time Gentle Giant's live shows were still heavily relying on tracks from their debut with only sone sporadic references to their second, masterful album.At the fall of 1971 the band recorded the third album ''Three friends'' at the Advision Studios and the Command Studios in London, released in April 72' on Vertigo and through Columbia for the Canadian and US markey.

This marked the first attempt of the band on a concept album, talking about three close friends, each takes his own lifepath after growing.However, unstatisfied with their lives, they decided to rejoin forces and focus on their goals in a more collaborative way.Musically this is some sort of a backfall compared to the previous release, of course this is still a fantastic GG experience, which however lacks deep inspiration at specific moments.''Prologue'' is an exception, led by some great and doomy guitar riffing and featuring the odd combination of Moog synth and Hammond organ in complex alternations.''Schooldays'' is very mellow unfortunately, even if the excellent talent of this band is still revealed.A collection of orchestral, rural and jazzy spices with complicated breaks and intense singing harmonies, sounding maybe a bit Avant-Garde during the piano and Mellotron parts and rather soft for the rest of its length.Still there is so much going on in here.''Working all day'' features the band's classic clavinet and the odd lead vocals of Derek Shulman in a song, that combines Brass, Psychedelic and Progressive Rock in equal doses.''Peel the paint'' is a real winner and, despite a very slow start, this will become an instant classic in the process, with impressive string arrangements supported by organ, hard guitar lines -reminding of the band's debut- some limited jazzy improvisations and the complex instrumentals with the fiery guitar and keyboards battles.''Mister class and quality?'' is the most rhythmic track of the album, albeit far from accesible, with soft interplays and careful tempo changes, surfacing as a fusion of Classic Rock, Hard Prog and Classical Music.The closing title-track is a masterpiece to say the least with the classic GG sound of muddy electric guitar work over orchestral strings, highlighted by the Gospel-influenced vocals of the members and the lovely rhythm from the start to the very end.

One of Gentle Giant's uneven efforts during their early career, containing both amazing and simply decent pieces.But even so, their sound was so professional, rich and inventive few groups could top it (only Italians Premiata Forneria Marconi come to mind).Strongly recommended for all fans of Prog Rock, intricated by the tempo, the atmosphere and the instrumental depth changes...3.5 stars.