GENTLE GIANT

An excellent album from Gentle Giant. Maybe not their best, but certainly one of the best debuts in business.

I can't make up my mind which track is my favourite, the fact that speaks for itself. There are not so many bad moments here, really. "The Queen" is unnecessary (but not bad) and perhaps the opening "Giant" is a little bit outstretched.

There's a beautiful range of instruments on this album, and almost everything is on the right place: fiery synth solos, multivocal harmonies played backwards, gentle piano parts layered over the drum solo.

You can hear the hard rock elements on this album (an on the "Acquiring The Taste" follower as well), something that will be less present on Gentle Giant's album in the forthcoming years. However, I like that blend that they utilised here.

Perhaps the highlights of the album (I already said that I can't make up my mind, really) are, nice acoustic, almost-folksy ballad parts here. But don't be misguided by the word "Ballad", nothing is simple or static here. The track are well developed, with excellent dynamics and atmospheres. Personally, i think their later works are little bit TOO developed and complex (but not less enjoyable though). There's a good amount of everything here, and this highly recommended for everyone. However, their best titles will appear in years to came. Well-deserved four stars.