IN A GLASS HOUSE

"In a Glass House" is the fifth studio album from Gentle Giant and was released in 1973. By the time of its release, the band had garnered enough fans and people had started to acquire a taste for the band's quirky complexities, odd time signatures, and their bizarre way of incorporating folk and modern music in ways that were completely unique to the band. The public even excused the interesting harmonies that didn't follow the norm, in fact, it seemed that more and more, they were craving it. The band had been, at least to this point, fairly lucky with their consistent line- up, and they had only really made a major change in their sound after their first album. So things were sitting pretty good for them. However, before recording this album, they had lost one of their original members; Phil Shulman, who felt that the touring life was ruining his family life.

This would be the first album with the band reduced to a quintet, and it was uncertain how the band would be received minus the vocals and horns that Phil provided. There was a shift in the band's sound to a more guitar- oriented sound, but overall, the basic feel of the band remained intact. But with the uncertainty with this line-up, it was decided to not released "In a Glass House" in the U.S. It's really quite a shame as the album has been somewhat ignored in retrospect, however, at the time, it ended up being the band's biggest seller to date. It has every reason to be recognized, because it is still full of GG's signature styles and sounds, and it easily fits in with the discography of the band at the time. Made up of 6 tracks, 4 of them great, meaty tracks at over 7 minutes each and 2 shorter tracks that help to even things out.

The Runaway - This track has a nice lilt to it through the first few verses, but as the instrumental break comes in, it gets quite a bit more complex. There seems to be a bit more guitar here, albeit a bit jangly, but still quite enjoyable. The marimba in the middle of the song is a great touch too, plus the crazy complexity of the melody keeps it all interesting.

An Inmate's Lullaby - An almost music box quality in the beginning, then two contrasting vocal lines, one of which is interestingly processed, to almost sound like it is coming from inside the box and another vocal line that is more upfront, but less important. There is some quirky interplay between the tonal and traditional percussion instruments, once again with the help of the marimba and the complexity is also there, making this one hard to sing, let alone whistle along to. But then, we are not here to whistle now, are we?

Way of Life - Suddenly more upbeat and heavier. A guitar riff sounds like it is going to define the track, but remember this is Gentle Giant, and it soon veers off into the usual complexities furnished by the guitar and keys. The rhythm tries to keep things "sensible" but that would be impossible to carry that on for too long now wouldn't it. The center section calms down quite a bit and becomes more traditional-folk sounding, losing the percussion for a while, but it comes back in a stately way. Thematic returns help to keep the track grounded even with all the progressive horseplay going on here. The weird repeating organ at the end is a bit of an odd ending.

Experience - This one lightens things up a bit, at least as far as the tone of the track, and is a bit more playful. As a result, it seems a bit weak in substance, but its still signature Gentle Giant. This finally become more intense after 3 minutes in when the vocals become louder and the guitar and hard piano chords take over. The guitar solo that comes later sounds more like it is improvised while the supporting instruments play repeating backup, but then it goes back into progressive structure later.

A Reunion - A short folksy piece with soft singing, string ensemble and such. It's a nice intermediary track that helps to break up the complexity a bit.

In a Glass House - Returning to an upbeat, start-stop style with a nice violin riff. A vocal section, then a tricky guitar lead which leads into a complex lilt. Don't expect anything to sit in one place for too long though, as this one flows along adding in jazz for a nice Canterbury feel which often gives way to rock sensibilities, passing back and forth often. It even finds time to throw in some twangy acoustic guitar just in case you think you've heard everything. Break some glass and get a quick review of the album with some quick snippets of all the songs.

This album ends up being another great album from GG's best years. It is one worth looking for if you are trying to build up your classic-prog library, but it can be a bit more difficult to locate in North America, yet it really shouldn't be ignored. After this point in the band's history, the line-up would not change again, but remain until the split up in 1980, which came about because of the drive of some band members to get a hit record and the desire of other members to return to the band's classic prog sound. At least the band would still have some great albums up their sleeves for a few more years.