THE POWER AND THE GLORY

THE POWER AND THE GLORY is the second concept-album of GENTLE GIANT. It is about corruption and violence in politics, some people assent this album would be about the Watergate affair, but that's simply not true, it's about the abuse of power in general.

However THE POWER AND THE GLORY evict strong tendencies to Jazz Rock, but of course all the music on this CD is garnished by the perfect use of complex chant for several voices, a perfect controll of each instrument by the members and strongly syncopated rhythms that make this album sound so interesting. Thus the things that mark GENTLE GIANT's works from 1970 until 1977.

I think THE POWER AND THE GLORY is technically seen the best work of GENTLE GIANT, but it is also the most experimental and debauched album and not made for the taste of everyone (of course Progressive Rock in general isn't for everybody's taste, but this may be too freaky even for some die-hard progheads).

Each song of this album is outstanding, in my opinion, especially "Proclamation", "Playing The Game", "Cogs In Cogs", "No God's A Man" and the very jazzy "The Face", that includes a lot of violin-soli. The entire album creates an alarming mood (this is not meant in a negative way, it's defintely meant positively because this mood completely detains you.)

THE POWER AND THE GLORY contains beautiful and crazy, interesting parts with complex structures who are hardly syncopated (even more syncopated than on other GENTLE GIANT-works). The parts I was talking about at last prevail on this CD.

I have bought the 35th Anniversary Edition of THE POWER AND THE GLORY where they added a live-recording to the usual tracklist and the unreleased studio song who bears the same name as the album. This Bonus Track is also very nice, but it sounds more as if it was from the THE MISSING PIECE-era, so Gentle Giant did well to put this song not on this CD.

All in all this album contains perfect musical work, but it may not be the right for everbodys taste because it is somehow one of the freakiest progressive rock CD's I know.

Nevertheless it is a masterpiece in my opinion and it deserves 5 stars!