EDGE OF TWILIGHT

"Edge Of Twilight" is a compilation of Gentle Giant, presumably comprising their best studio material from 1970 to 1974, which was released in 1996. It's interesting to note that the line up on "Edge Of Twilight" covers the six first years of the band's life, and comprises all members of the group. So, it goes from their first eponymous debut album "Gentle Giant" to their sixth album "The Power And The Glory". Here we have the participation of the three Shulman's brothers, Derek, Phil and Ray, Kerry Minnear and of their three drummers, John Weathers, Martin Smith and Malcolm Mortimore.

"Edge Of Twilight" has thirty one tracks. "Funny Ways", "Nothing At All", "Why Not?", "Isn't It Quiet And Cold?" and "Alucard" are from "Gentle Giant". "Funny Ways" is mellow with an exploration of several instruments, acoustic and electric. "Nothing At All" is one of the most interesting songs of them. "Why Not?" is a heavy rock, a bit dark and frantic, influence by the medieval music. "Isn't It Quiet And Cold?" is mellow and reminds me The Beatles and the early King Crimson. "Alucard", "(Dracula)", has hard rock influences, good instrumental passages and disturbing vocals. "Acquiring The Taste", "The House, The Street, The Room", "Wreck", "Plain Truth", "Pantagruel's Nativity", "The Moon Is Down" and "Edge Of Twilight" are from "Acquiring The Taste". "Acquiring The Taste" is an avant-garde exploratory track with nice and catchy moments. "The House, The Street, The Room" is an avant-garde track, a bit apocalyptic, with nice melody and exploration of sounds. "Wreck" is a strong song with the typical vocal harmony and great interesting musical passages. "Plain Truth" is a solid rock with the typical band's guitar work and some nice vocal harmonies. "Pantagruel's Nativity" has a nice melody and the use of many instruments. "The Moon Is Down" has a nice exploratory passages and a beautiful vocal work. "Edge Of Twilight" is an avant-garde track, a bit dark, with a short vocal line and a good exploratory work. "Peel The Paint", "Schooldays", "Mister Class And Quality?" and "Three Friends" are from "Three Friends". "Peel The Paint" is inspired by classical music. It starts slow and delicate, but develops more intense and dense. "Schooldays" is a track with experimental vocals, musical passages and the use of several instruments. "Mister Class And Quality?" is a good rock song with nice melody and interesting breaks. "Three Friends" is a song where all comes together, keyboards, guitar, bass and the other instruments. "The Advent Of Panurge", "The Boys In The Band", "Raconteur Troubadour", "A Cry For Everyone", "Knots", "River" and "Think Me With Kindness" are from "Octopus". "The Advent Of Panurge" is influenced by jazz. It's full of energy, varied melodies and different singing styles. "The Boys In The Band" is a complex and fast jazz composition with different rhythms and tempos. "Raconteur Troubadour" has medieval influences, although it explores different types of music. "A Cry For Everyone" is an energetic song with nice melody, stunning vocals, great guitar riff and nicwe keyboard work. "Knots" is an avant-garde song with cappella vocals by all members. "River" is an experimental rock song that flows by different themes. "Think Me With Kindness" has a beautiful tune, simple singing and good musicianship. "Cogs In Cogs", "Playing The Game", "Proclamation", "Aspirations", "The Face", "No God's A Man", "So Sincere" and "Valedictory" are from "The Power And The Glory". "Cogs In Cogs" is a ballad with intricated orchestral arrangements and complex multi-part vocal harmonies. "Playing The Game" is a dynamic and complex theme, a real multi-faceted and pure prog song. "Proclamation" has the typical Gentle Giant's complex arrangements and a great melody. "Aspirations" is a calm, relaxing, melancholic and ethereal ballad, one of their most beautiful. "The Face" has a great instrumental section. It's a nice example of the creativity of the band. "No God's A Man" is a song with intricate, complex, intriguing arrangements and multi-part vocal harmonies and tempo changes. "So Sincere" is an experimental and avant-garde song with some jazz influences. "Valedictory" is a reprise of "Proclamation". It's heavier, dissonant, and darker than "Proclamation" is.

Conclusion: "Edge Of Twilight" is a generous compilation. It covers almost all their career from 1970 to 1974, with the exception of "In A Glass House". From "Gentle Giant" it has 5 tracks of 7, from "Acquiring The Taste" it has 7 tracks of 8, from "Three Friends" it has 4 tracks of 6, from "Octopus" it has 7 tracks of 8 and from "The Power And The Glory" it has the 8 tracks. But, "Edge Of Twilight" isn't their final compilation. By unclear reasons, probably copyright reasons, "In A Glass House" wasn't included and "Free Hand" and "Interview" weren't included too. Still, "Edge Of Twilight" is a great introduction to Gentle Giant. If you aren't a hard fan of them, you can buy "Edge Of Twilight", "In A Glass House" and "Free Hand" and you own almost all band's works. But, if instead of "Free Hand" you buy "Free Hand/Interview", you own almost all their discography. So, with "Edge Of Twilight", "In A Glass House" and "Free Hand/Interview" you have their first eight studio albums with less 6 tracks. With only three CD's you have almost all you need from the band.

Prog is my Ferrari. Jem Godfrey (Frost*)

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