INTERVIEW

Where to begin...... Gentle Giant's unique brand of head spinningly complex music can often dangerously close to veering from intriguing to downright irritating. Staying on the right side of the line between great and grating is a skill in itself and I have to say GG have generally not crossed that line despite getting awfully close on a few occasions.Unfortunately on their follow- up to Free Hand which struck such a perfect balance between sophistication and accessibility they really do cross that line on at least a couple of occasions.The first example is the instrumental section of the otherwise excellent opening title track when the band suddenly sound like they have been submerged underwater at the 4 minute mark after a fairly enjoyable crazy piano lead instrumental break.It is just so irritating.Ever time I hear it I just go "Why?"The other track which I'm sorry but just does my head in is "Design" featuring Kerry Minnear doing one of his madrigal-like arrangements but this one just irritates me for some reason.I think the reason is the see-sawing background vocals.I actually admire these type of vocal arrangements especially on "Knots" and "On Reflection" but here the whole thing is so incoherent it just well I've already said it. Another track which I just cannot get into is "Give it Back" which is a stab at reggae but just seems forced to me. Fortunately the rest of the album is actually pretty good although I have a feeling they rushed into the studio to knock this one out quickly and there is a dearth of really good melodies and songwriting generally.The real exception is the closing track "I Lost My Head" Now that track is a bona fide Classic slice of Prog Rock.Another 2wo hander similar in arrangement to "Peel The Paint" from Three Friends.I love the opening few minutes with Kerry Minnear's delicate vocals and medieval flavoured instrumental sections featuring harpsichord and recorder before the band comes crashing in with Derek Shulman taking over on vocals. If only the rest of the album had the same level of songwriting and arrangement as that one, it would be another 5 star album.Unfortunately I can only give this album 3 stars-it's just too uneven even for a GG fan like myself.