THE MISSING PIECE

Despite it`s complexities Gentle Giant always maintained a lighter side to their music both in the studio and in live performances. The missing piece was released at a time when the band was doing some soul searching with the advent of fluctuating musical tastes in the late 1970`s with the evil forces of disco and punk rock coming into the fold.On the one hand they wanted to satisfy their devout fans with their non- standard musical approaches while at the same time appeasing the big bad record company without compromising their musical integrity. A compromise was inevitable and in a more simplified manner Gentle Giant lives up to this challenge on The Missing Piece. This is exemplified on a short track entitled Betcha Thought We Couldn`t Do It which seems to address the dilema which was facing them and other progressive rock bands at the time.

Although the album meets the whims of the big bad record company (Chrysalis Records) many ingredients from the original Gentle Giant musical formula remain in place. As Old As You Are Young is a good example as keyboard player Kerry Minnear provides some medeival magic which was ever present on all previous Gentle Giant albums. Minnear was perhaps the band member who was the fiercest opponent of the new marketing requirements of the late seventies. Memories of Old Days is an extended ballad in the true Gentle Giant tradition which is possibly making reference to the earlier part of their carreer while Three Weeks in Spain, still retaining a degree of intricacy, rocks it out and was particularily effective when played live. A number of shorter tracks round out the album and attempts to market a couple as singles were unsuccessful.

Devastatingly talented Gentle Giant never gave in completely to the demands of the mass market and The Missing Piece is an indication of their desire to retain their personal mmusical identity while sailing through the punk and disco infested seas of the late seventies. Despite being one of their later recordings should not prejudice a test drive. By far not a bad record add ½ a star to three stars.