IN A GLASS HOUSE

There may have been more talented individual figures in progressive rock, more fireworks, personal virtuosity and mass appeal, but there was no more inspired or skilled a unit than these comparatively unsung heroes. An outfit so well-versed in myriad musics and so able to pull the very best from each member, that there are moments on this 1973 release that dwarf contemporaries and make Yes and Tull look like schoolchildren. Consequently, there is not a slow or insignificant moment on 'In a Glass House' and it remains the enormous masterwork it was then.

'The Runaway' is prime, definitive Gentle Giant with the brilliant counterpoint and meticulous structure they were the best at. 'An Inmates Lullaby', though bizarre, mirrors Roger Water's preoccupation with insanity that same year and tinkers along with music box chimes and some children's piano silliness. Back to the real show is 'Way of Life' which moves with smooth velocity, beautifully remastered here with all players sounding marvelous. Gary Green's weird guitar notations, John Weathers' painfully tight drums and Kerry Minnear's angles of synth and organ. Woven in and out of a cooking rock foundation are Elizabethan breaks that establish a solid thematic and rich, acoustic/electric tonal palette . This band is a glory to behold and we're left wondering why other prog acts so consistently took the spotlight of history. No matter really, Gentle Giant made great records for us to enjoy forever. 'Experience' is intriguing with its medieval psych, Derek Schulman's minstrel-on-acid vocals, deep church organ drones, Ray Schulman's childlike bass phrase and a crunchy middle section. 'A Reunion' features Ray's violin and brother co-founder Derek's sax, becoming a splendid rock-fusion number that Steve Morse had to have heard as a young composer. The title cut follows and rocks things to a close.

If it is possible for one band to have been the quintessential prog rockers with no more than a quick glance from the world, it was Gentle Giant. It doesn't get any better.