Originally Posted by tore

Gentle Giant - Free Hand (1975)



Although popular on musicbanter and in prog communities in general, some here may not know Gentle Giant. They were an extremely talented prog band from England largely made up by multi-instrumentalists whose collective musical style and compositions were creative and unique. They were perhaps just a bit too strange to ever quite tap into the mainstream like contemporaries Yes or ELP, but their influence within the prog scene is significant and far reaching both in time and space, making them a must-know for anyone who's serious about exploring prog rock.

The general consensus is that the bands first 7 studio albums are all gems of the prog genre. Free Hand from 1975 is the last in this line and is generally very well liked by fans. Like the other albums, it features some hard rock flavours, medieval influences, a capellas and more, often within a single track. However, I consider Free Hand to be slightly easier to get into compared to many of their earlier albums (except perhaps their 1970 debut) and it's also one of my favourite GG albums. I figure it's as good an entry point into this super-interesting band as any. Highly recommended!