THE MISSING PIECE

This is the beginning of the end for GG. They finally succumbed to the record company's insistence that they do a more commercially accessible album. Side one (Old Vinyl Guy, here - tracks 1-5 for you CD kids) are generally forgettable stuff, although "Mountain Time" is pretty good. HOWEVER, side 2 (tracks 6-9) are FLAWLESS PROG on POP SPEED. To me, the only other album side that beats this is side 2 of ABBEY ROAD. Every song from 6 to 9 is a masterpiece, a gem. Beautifully written, arranged, performed, and produced. I played this side for a friend who had never heard of GG before. By the end of side 2 he was hooked. It's a darn shame such great stuff should be coupled with the weak material on side one (1-5). Otherwise this would get 5 stars!!