THREE FRIENDS

THREE FRIENDS was the third album of GENTLE GIANT and it was pretty hard to create such a mood as on AQUIRING THE TASTE for the Giants and though this album is also pretty good, it wasn't able to be as atmospheric as the second album of this great band. By the way, it was the first concept-album of the band around the SHULMAN-BROTHERS...

The album starts with the song "Prologue" which is a very rocky tune with beautiful chant in the middle of the song. Together with "Schooldays" and "Mister Class And Quality?" and "Three Friends" it is one of the outstanding songs of this album.

"Schooldays" could also have been a tune of AQUIRING THE TASTE because it creates such a dreary mood as you can find it on the second release of GENTLE GIANT. By the way, it is the most jazzy song of the album and uses a lot of vibraphones.

"Working All Day" is again a rocky tune with lots of saxophones and an interesting intro.

"Peel The Paint" starts quietly and turns later over into a rocky title. You can also find the use of saxophones here and somehow the rocky parts of this album remind me a bit on the atmosphere in the song "Alucard" that was on the first album of the GENTLE GIANT.

"Mister Class And Quality?" and "Three Friends" should be seen as one song in my opinion because the last song of this album picks up some parts of the previous song and both songs merge. These two songs create a felicitous ending of THREE FRIENDS.

All in all a very good album.