THE POWER AND THE GLORY

My first impression of THE POWER AND THE GLORY was that I was listening to yet another Gentle Giant album and wasn't thoroughly impressed. Then I realised that this album does not sound as plasticised as future Gentle Giant albums do. This is where Gentle Giant takes the masterwork of IN A GLASS HOUSE, and tweaks the music to align more with the more popular prog sound of the time, yet still retaining that GG quirkiness that makes fans very happy.

The first five tracks are of similar quality to that of the previous two albums, or are slightly weaker at worst. ''So Sincere'' has a cold, calculated feel to it that strives to be too complex for its own sake, yet it works to an extent. The out-of-their-gourd complexity sounds more natural and meaningful on the very playful ''Cogs in Cogs''. And lest I forget about the classics of ''Proclamation'' and ''Playing the Game'', two tracks that harbour that classic GG sound that we all think of?

The last three tracks seem too tacked on with nice moments coming on enough to make me smile, yet not often enough to keep my interest. The whole album serves as a big dividing wall between my ears and Derek Shulman's voice; Derek's singing gets irritating far too often to the point where the album's closer is ruined by just that. The moments that Kerry Minnear has to sing aren't often enough for me, especially with ''Aspirations'' having some of the best GG moments.

It seems that Gentle Giant needed to broaden their fan base to ensure they had some success, so the quirky, eclectic nature of albums like OCTOPUS and ACQUIRING THE TASTE are thrown out into a more streamlined prog sound that appeals to more of the prog masses. It is still a very good album that one ought to discover early in their GG exploration phase and not six albums in like I did.