Come 1973 Gentle Giant had some rather big shoes to fill after their masterpiece Octopus. It also marks yet another slight departure in sound for the Canterbury based band. This was the album that never made it officially to US shores because it was “Not commercial enough” and what a shame that is. It also marks their first album without Phil Shulman and as such represents yet another noticeable change in sound. All this of course makes this album an incredibly fresh and unique experience, who would want to listen to the same albums being done over and over again?
It is fair to say the whole sound of the album bears more resemblance to Three Friends than to Octopus, but in this instance it’s done a lot better. Runaway opens the album in a good high, you’ll love all the little quirks and awesome passages and unique solos. The production has changed in tune once more and you’ll notice a lot of little extra effects that add to the experience well. The album does however feel more driven, and less fun in comparison to their first four.
An Inmates Lullaby is a good example of that, it offers a stripped down very ambient form of Gentle Giant’s trademark sound. It’s clear the band has once again matured as musicians, because the creation of tension and atmosphere has improved remarkably. Fear not however, because there’s still lots of that Gentle Giant spunk on the next track; Way of Life. It stars with a high energy riff supported by a nice range of instruments and some of the whimsical vocals we know and love.
I can’t however help but feel that a lot of the songs of this album follow the same formula. Starting with an interesting melody, stripping it down, and then building up atmosphere and subsequently a climax, rinse and repeat with a few nice melodies thrown in for good measure. It makes the album very consistent, but it also lacks that air of unpredictability that made the earlier Gentle Giant albums so enjoyable. Probably the strongest song of the album, Experience offers an incredible listening experience. With some brilliant guitar work, vocals, production and interesting melodies.
Reunion is a beautiful little interlude to lead into the final track, and can be sort of thought of as Think of Me With Kindness’ sister track. It certainly has the same form of lovely atmosphere and sense of melody. The album finishes on a good high with the title track, but I can’t help but feel something is missing from it.
Yet another departure this album does indeed see Gentle Giant, with one member less, go into darker and more serious territory. They can still write great songs and melodies, however they’ve given a lot of it up for the sake of atmosphere. This album is far less instant than their previous works and as such is not one for the prog beginner. This is for progressive rock fans, while the rest of their albums are pretty much universal this is far more of an acquired taste.
9/10