CIVILIAN

Many people will write this one off without giving it a chance, or even a listen. Granted, Civilian doesn't feature the in-your-face complexity of their earlier masterworks, and the sound is certainly different (1980, man), but this is Gentle Giant we're talking about here! In no way does it suck. These guys were far too intelligent to release a stinker, at any point in their career, and if you accept Civilian on its own terms you have yet another classic on your hands. Many of the songs have a hard edge; the drums and guitar are way loud; and, for 1980, the arrangements are still (relatively) thick. "Inside Out" is a particularly ominous track, with vocal work that shows GG could write in a more direct style and not sacrifice any of their potency. If you can't hang with Civilian, it's your loss.