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Gentle Giant - In a Glass House CD (album) cover

IN A GLASS HOUSE

Gentle Giant

 

Eclectic Prog

4.35 | 1930 ratings

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lor68
Prog Reviewer
4 stars By forgetting such an heavy lack- like that one of Phil Shulman- and regarding also of a melodic jazz approach, this album remains as one of their best and most original ones!!

So without any doubt you can add another "half star" at least and-moreover-you can start appreciating a more accessible band...the breaking of a glass, becoming a rhytmical pattern in the intro of "The Runaway", is a G.G.'s trademark: the explosion of a funny glass, introduces a remarkable song, where Derek Shulman is treating us to his own style of singing!!That is a great loudness and softness in his approach, even though by alternating cleverly these music features by means also of the melodic breaks through, which make this album so creative and simple in the same time !!Afterwards, through several time changes, a "recorder" emerges from the odd guitar tune...here it is another G.G.'s trademark!!

Instead "An Inmates Lullaby" is a bit weak in my opinion, apart from a lullaby sound, which is weird but it's not enough to let us consider this song recommended (the vocalism is not so remarkable)...never mind, cause the following one- "Way of life" - is an exceptional offtune track, which is enriched by means of such a great jam by Ray Shulman on the bass line, an organ "background" and the soft vocalism by Kenny Minnear as well, who has got his own difficult task to let us forget the lack of a genius like Phil Shulman. The track "Experience" is a complex song, where the approach by Derek Shulman is as usual essential for whom is already completely into their strange old stuff, despite of a certain mellowness at the beginning, which leads us to the effort by Kenny Minnear at the vocals: well I prefer him as a keyboardist rather than as a vocalist, but never mind once again, in fact at last a string quartet introduces the pretty "Reunion", preceding the unforgettable title track with its remarkable acoustic guitars, harpsichords, Lead violins,heavy basses and electric guitars,all at one time, which make this album essential and almost perfect for their personal style (a fast tempo with complex parts, which is one of the typical music features by G.G.!!).

Let's listen to the remastered version of this important work (above all to their new change of direction in their music) !!

lor68 | 4/5 |

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