INTERVIEW

Gentle Giant were one of, if the only prog band to write lyrics bemoaning the music industry and touring. Think about it. You won't find any of the big prog bands writing anything compariable. For that, I give this album an extra star. Music wise, it's a bit of a letdown from the vastly superior 'Free Hand'. Sure, it has the GG sound, quirky beats, herky jerky rhythms, Ray's booming voice and the occasional a cappella vocalization but the whole of the album seems streamlined, kinda a bastard child of the better 'In A Glass House'. I guess I miss Minnear's melotron work. One member who shines is Weathers. I tend to gravitate towards his drum work. It's just plain wonderful keeping up with the funkiness. My favorite songs are the great "Give It Back" with the awesome keyboard and xylophone play by Minnear and Weathers drums and Ray's bass break inside the 3 minute mark. One of my favorite GG tracks. The other track which just blows me away everytime is "I Lost My Head", it has everything that makes GG one of the best bands that ever was. It should have been a staple on FM radio back in the day. With Minnear's twittering keyboards, Green's acoustic guitar, and Derek's flute and delicate singing in the beginning then the blast of instruments 3 minutes in is pure awesomeness. For those two songs alone, I rate this last pure prog GG album 4 stars. Other albums by the band may be better, but it's a neccesary album for the two tracks I mentioned. Hate the cover, tho. Oh well, can't win them all...