INTERVIEW

Most fans cite 'Interview' as Gentle Giant's last great album, and I agree. Most fans, however, do not think of it as one of their best albums... i happen to believe it is. This and 'The Power and Glory' have long been my two favorite Giant records, and i believe both are masterpieces.

Some slate 'Interview' for being their first album that didn't make a huge progressive step-up from the previous album... this is somewhat true I think: Interview is indeed quite similar to it's predecessor 'Free Hand'. But what GG did do here is take all the best ideas from their previous seven albums and distill their essences and then refined and perfected those ideas in these 7 songs. This album is the culmination of all that came before... and the last hurrah for their bold unique sound.

From start to finish, there is not one bad note: 'Design' is similar to 'Knots' and 'On Reflection'... made up mostly of insanely complex interweaving vocal lines; it's simply mind-bending. 'Give it Back' is their much-maligned 'pseudo-reggae' song, but i think it's excellent and as interesting and challenging as anything else they've done. 'Another Show' is a fast aggressive song that reminds of 'Cogs in Cogs' and is one of my favorite tracks here.

The second side has always been my favorite though: 'Empty City' is gorgeous and mellow... a melancholic and atmospheric number that reminds me of the 'Acquiring the Taste' days, while 'I Lost My Head' rocks as hard as 'Valedictory' from 'The Power and the Glory'.

The only weak element of this album is the mock interview sections... they add nothing to the album and really didn't need to be there. They're only a small nuisance though, and very short so they don't lessen the brilliance of the album.

BEWARE: i advise you to avoid the 'BGO Records' 2-on-1 CD which contains the 'Interview' and 'Free Hand' albums on one disc. I own this CD and there is a terrible background hiss that is very distracting... a defect in the mastering stage I believe. Get the Terrapin Records version if you can find it.