GTR - A 1* album

The discussion about Free Hand has given me the idea of this poll.

I'm obviously provoking. I know that at least you and Dean love this album, but as I have written in the post it's following all the polemics about Gentle Giant's Free Hand.

We have discussed about it in another thread long time ago, unless I have discussed it with you and I'm so stoned to be confused . 

I liked it when it came out, but i honestly wouldent play it today, it didnt age well.

It's far better than anything Asia ever recorded.

octopus-4 wrote: The fact that I had big expectations is surely a reason, but what I dislike most is Max Bacon vocals. It was the year of "The Final Countdown" and I hated Europe because they had a great guitarist so poorly used. GTR sounded to my ears like an Europe clone. I have listened to it a lot during that summer. If you take it as pop is not too bad (vocals apart).  I can't comment about Asia. Somebody actually told me to save my money and I have followed the suggestion. Basing on the few things that I have listened, probably you are right. And in terms of 80s poppy prog, everybody knows that I absolutely love 90125. I've gone 600 Km by train to see it live.

Max Bacon is  a great vocalist, much more pleasant for the ears than the guy with his horrid vocals in Gentle Giant.

Being the clone of another band isn't a bad thing, as long as the musicians are competent and deliver something good.

It has qualities....it has memorable melodies. For example, I like the chorus of Jekyll and Mr Hyde which alternates 4 chords of vocals with 4 chords instrumental with a nice guitar melody. That sort of chorus with an instrumental melody is uncommon but Hackett has used that form in other songs.

In the eighties I had a melody stuck in my head that I liked .For a long time I thought it came from an album by King Cobra. It turned out it wasn't that album. Not until 2002 I discovered the origin of the melody, which was GTR. That was cool because by then I was a Hackett fan since 1997, but had not heard GTR since the eighties. The song was Here I Wait, the nice instrumental part in the middle of the song, with the guitar melody.

They could have had a boring guitar solo, but instead all instrumental parts are very melodic. But the album is a bit dated with the vocal style coupled with the big reverb/room ambiance, a bit messy arena-rock sound. It's worth 3/5 at least.


Edited by wilmon91 - April 03 2013 at 21:01

octopus-4 wrote: GTR sounded to my ears like an Europe clone.

I had to listen to some samples to refresh my memory, havent heard this in many years. It's not in any way near Europe in my opinion. It is prog. The songs are varied and unpredictable and richer in structure than some ordinary radio rock band. And they didn't express a narrow stereotypical rock attitude. There is more romantic stuff like Sketches in the sun, Toe the line, Imagining...

I listened to "Reach Out (Never Say No) " , a song I have forgotten completely. Some nice riffs, and very nice instrumental parts with synth soloing.

Sonia, Kati where are you at 

This was how I reviewed it back in March 2004, when I was but a forum newbie among a total population of less than 100 (yes, it was a 1 star review):

me in 2004 wrote: This is probably the most disappointing album I have ever bought - the idea of two of the greatest progressive rock guitarists getting together filled my imagination with the idea of soaring guitar solos, epic musicianship, and the best progressive rock album of the 1980's. The actual result was far less than the sum of its parts - basically, this is a watered down AOR album, with high pitched Journey-like vocals; if you like mid 1980's American AOR, then you may find this album worth a listen, otherwise I would avoid this - even the 2 solo pieces by Hackett/Howe are solo-by-numbers

Harsh, perhaps, but the basic idea still holds water for me - I was expecting a considerably different album... Maybe I should revisit the album at some point - maybe