THE MISSING PIECE

Being relatively new to Gentle Giant, all I knew about them at the time was that they had a reputation for being an A grade prog group. So, when I saw The Missing Piece in the record store I jumped at the chance of owning my first slice of GG pie...

A lot of people have said that the best place for newcomers to GG is within the first 4 or 5 records - and they are probably correct. However, The Missing Piece is no slouch, especially compared with a lot of records other prog bands with releasing at the time. 1977 is when the record was released and goes up against punk in full swing as we all know and it seemed that most prog groups went a couple of different routes. They either withered and disappeared forever or they commercialised their sound and struggled on (or in Yes and Genesis' case rose to new heights of fame). While GG may have streamlined their sound somewhat and added some single style songs to the track list, The Missing Piece is still a highly accomplished and enjoyable record, especially compared to counterpart records by other bands at the time. When you think of what the more commercial prog groups were releasing at this time you realise how much GG had actually stuck to their guns, it is certainly one of the most enjoyable "late era" prog records I own.

Highlights include "Two Weeks in Spain", a catchy and eccentric tune that really gets stuck in your head with a really driving guitar/synth riff. "I'm Turning Around" which was obviously intended as a shot at a bit of rock radio airplay, very much evoking the sound of And Then There Were Three/Duke era Genesis in it's chorus, but overall a high quality and memorable rock song. Jumping over to the second side yields a slightly more "proggy" experience, "Memories of Old Days" - the longest running track of the record at just over 7 minutes long sounds a lot more like early GG, an intricate and delicate acoustic guitar and synth laced song. Finally, "For Nobody" is an awesome and "proper" prog rock rocker, a high paced, driven song again with the now familiar dueling guitar and synths.

The Missing Piece is probably what most would summarise as a "mixed bag", yes there are a few bits of filler in the middle and it probably doesn't live up to the outstanding and seamless quality of the previous records, but given how many albums the band were into their career and the changing demographic of the fickle record buying public they were doing a grand job. Once you have sifted through the dust this album has plenty of gems to satisfy and is highly enjoyable a sign of how good Gentle Giant really were, even in the tough times. If you like prog - get this - and everything else GG has done!

4 stars.