THE POWER AND THE GLORY

After the release of the less notable "Glass Houses" Gentle Giant decided to one-up themselves and put out their most auditory challenging LP yet. Based on the loose concept of the corruption of power in the world "The Power and the Glory" was inspired by Watergate and Cold War tensions. Derek Shulman's bombastic vocals carry the band through the craziest sections all the while, Kerry Minear puts on a spectacular show with his amazing keyboard work.

"Proclamation" is a perfect example of the Gentle Giant sound, and is a great way to open this landmark album for the group. The beginning odd-time signature Wurlitzer is soon joined by guitar and vocals from Derek. About a third of the way through the song, John Weathers (drums) picks up the ride for an absolutely absurd passage with Hammond Organ. The song goes back into a sped-up version of the main theme to end off the last few minutes. This is one of the best songs on the album right from the start. Unfortunately, the follow-up "So Sincere" doesn't carry the trend. I think it's quite a jumbled mess, to be honest. The time signature doesn't even bother me, but the way the band carries the melody through the staccato jumpiness of the song doesn't sit right with me. IMHO, the live version of "Playing the Fool" is ten times better.

Kerry Minear's track "Aspirations" is another highlight of the album. This song is about all of our hopes and dreams and how they can tragically fall through. Kerry's voice and Wurlitzer work are superb in this song. The Acoustic guitar from Gary Green adds really nice licks throughout the entire song and the bass and drums thump as well. After the great song, Gentle Giant follows with yet another banger in "Playing the Game." This song is a tight meticulous piece on an odd-time signature which is typical for Giant. Here we see Derek hop back in the lead vocal seat while Kerry takes over on the bridge sections. The weird mix of marimba and Hohner Clavinet somehow really goes well on this song. The band also sprinkle in some nice softer Wurlizter and Hammond sections with Kerry singing during the song. This song is probably my favorite on the album especially with that great Organ solo from Kerry.

"Cogs in Cogs" keeps the theme of fast paced bombasticity from the previous tracks. The song opens with fast vocal harmonies from Derek and the band as he rambles about the cogs in the Machine with fits heavily with the concept of the album. An ensemble sings during the middle section before coming back into the opening bombastic keyboard riffs by Kerry to end the song. "The Face" is one of those Giant deep cuts that you can only recall by listening to the whole album. Its a really great referencing song to the rest of the album which is heavy with Clavinet, high vibrato organ, and screeching, odd-time signature, Violin. This song is honestly just a total bop.

The album closes on "Valedictory" which is an omage to "Proclamation" and other various tracks on the album. It repurposes the riffs in different keys and time signatures to give a rightful end to the album. The self titled bonus track "The Power and the Glory" is quite good as well featuring some good guitar work from Gary Green. I always thought this song was on the album to begin with, but apparently not. This album is great, and a spectacular addition to any prog collection. I'd even go as far as to say that it is the quintessential GG album after maybe "Octopus."