THE POWER AND THE GLORY

This album contains some of their best material, starting with the fantastic opening track Proclamation. This is a song you could play for someone if you wanted to show them with a single song what GG is all about. Great counterpoint and vocal melodies and harmonies, excellent playing and complex composition that still flows beautifully. The second song I used to really like because of its extreme quirkiness and complexity. But listening to it nowadays, it seems they may have gone a bit too far with the quirkiness. So Sincere doesn't really seem to have anything in the way of melody, and seems to be all about strange tempos and abrupt stops. Still, it is impressive that they could pull this one off live (and it sound a lot better live as well). I love all the Kerry Minnear lead vocal songs, and this is one of the best. A beautiful, mellow song that is almost simple by GG standards (though more sophisticated than Think Of Me With Kindness from Octopus, also sung by Minnear). Great stuff. Playing the Game is another wonderfully complex piece that GG does so well. Cogs In Cogs is an incredible song, packing so much into such a short time. One of their best rockers, while still remaining deeply complex and interesting. No Gods A Man is mainly centered around the counterpart vocals that dominate the song. Great melodies and interplay for those. The Face is perhaps the least interesting song on the album, but still pretty good. Valedictory is basically the second part of the Proclimation (duh) and wraps up the album nicely (live they combined both parts into a single song........see Playing The Fool).

The only bad thing is that on my copy, they tacked on a horrible and cheesy title track that wasn't on the original album. Wish they hadn't done that. If you have it on your copy, listen once to see how this band could actually make bad music, then just stop the CD from then on before this track can play.

I can't quite call this a masterpiece, and really only consider that to apply to my favorite (Acquiring The Taste), but this comes darn close. let's say 4.5 rounded down to 4. Essential for fans, certainly a good place to start for anyone else.

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