GENTLE GIANT

I'm not a big fan of Gentle Giant, and this album is partly to blame for that, the music is not bad, but it is lacking something for my taste, good passages are abundant, but so are the weaker passages. The music reminds me of a cross between VDGG and King Crimson, with some Jazzy sections thrown in here and there., with complex structures, lots of tempo changes, and pretty decent drumming.

The good parts about the album are mostly the interplay between guitar and drums, that complement each other well, and the slower/softer sections where they show they can not only really rock, but can also create a soft melancholic mood. Also there are no real big solo's, but rather a unique symphonic-sound, with all instruments adding to the total sound experience. Also the vocal harmonies are great on occasion, so enough good points to warrant a three star rating, and understand why some people rate it even higher.

1. Giant (6:22) Great opening track, and the reason I didn't stop my exploration of GG's music after this album. great drums, firm rock, with some jazzy moments, great bass line and lots of changes in tempo and sound, best song of the album. 2. Funny Ways (4:21) Great soft ballad, with very soft delicate classical sounding music to accompagnie the fabulous vocals.

3. Alucard (6:00) Like the song title is dracula spelled backwards, so seems the music to be played backwards at times, with frantic changes, it all sounds very complex. For me it never really gets off the ground. Some good moments though, especially near the end. 4. Isn't It Quiet And Cold? (3:51) A soft ballad, a bit faster and more cheerfull than "Funny Ways", with nice violin and keyboards, and again good vocal harmonies, gets a little boring near the end.

. 5. Nothing At All (9:08) Again great soft melancholic vocal harmonies, softly build up of the music, get's more heavy near the middle, and that's where it looses me, though I generally like the drumming of Martin Smith, he playes a completely useless, and not a very good drumsolo in the middle of the song, but the piano adds some nice melodies in the background, bonus points for Kerry Minnear, but it doesn't lift this song above mediocre. The end of the song however is again good though, a little reminiscent of the softer Genesis songs.

6. Why Not (5:31) This song reminds me very much of VDGG, dark heavy rock&roll, a bit frantic at times, with some softer passages, to good to be considered filler, but nothing special. 7. The Queen (1:40) God Save The Queen, like Queen did 5 years later, but not as good.

Overall I think it's a reasonable good debut, just short of 4 stars, because it doesn't hold my attention for the full 37 minutes. Listen before buying.