GENTLE GIANT

This is an album for the fans only as it is far too much work for the casual listener, due to the poor nature of the sound quality. But if you already have the live albums that were released when the band were still going and want more, then this is a pleasant listen and a reminder of just how good this band could be. Just be wary of the fact that this is bootleg quality at best.

Originally appeared in Feedback #61, Feb 01

Octopus is often said to be GG's biggest classic. I can't say it's my favourite album, a bit too much emphasized on the rough and hard-rocking side of their eclectism. Derek Shulman's vocals are quite aggressive in songs such as 'A Cry for Everyone' or 'River', and Kerry Minnear's ethereal style is less heard here, apart from his dreamy and romantic 'Think of Me With Kindness' which I like a lot. The instrumental 'Boys in the Band' (a dedication for the roadies if I'm not mistaken) has a lot of fast energy. 'Knots', with its labyrinths of vocal polyphony, is one of the most complicated songs rhytmically that GG ever did - needless to add "or any band". It's based on R. D. Laing's writings about the laws of human relationships. But is it really music for the heart, or just for the brain?

The opener 'The Advent of Panurge' revisits the world of Rabelais, less charmingly than Acquiring's 'Pantagruel's Nativity' but with at least as much complexity. A great track, but again maybe a bit too... gibberish! 'Raconteur Troubadour' has nice medieval elements, it goes forward so joyously that I forgive Derek's shouty vocals.

After Octopus GG had to deal with the departure of the eldest Shulman brother Phil, but the following albums nevertheless saw the band continue firmly in their quest for perfection. Along the way they ripped down the formerly vast range of acoustic instruments. The Power and the Glory (1974; coincided with the Watergate scandal) is again a concept album and one of the most accessible works in their career. Free Hand (1975) may very well be my favourite GG album, but Octopus it most certainly isn't. I don't argue it being a celebrated prog classic full of amazing talent, truly deserving its high status, but for my personal enjoyment three stars is enough. There are two different cover arts, I prefer this one by Roger Dean, the octopus in a jar is nearly tasteless.

Proclamation is the S**t! Sorry for swearing, but this track is so awesome that you cannot find a better word necessary to describe its coolness! It begins with a syncopatic jazzy riff played with the Rhodes piano, then all the instruments comes in and it's delirium. Later the tempos and riffs changes and it becomes even better than the beginning. Then the song stops and you'll going to hear Derek Shulman singing "hail to power and to glorious way, day by day" under unusual chords and harmonies creating a dark and hypnotic atmosphere... Just awesome! Then the songs goes back to the initial style but with different tempo, the songs fade out and so you heard one of the most awesome song of progressive rock history!

So sincere it's another great track, definitly more relaxing than the previous... at least in the beginning! Very different from the first one, it starts out smoothly with saxophone and violins and then slowly the other instruments comes in. There's a great guitar solo played by Gary Green and a fast and funky piano passage after it, played by Kerry Minnear of course. The song is very nice and smooth, and it relly has that experimental Gentle Giant feeling!

Next is Aspiration, an even softer track than the previous. It really looks like a love song, but it just give that impression. The lyrics are more like a pray, an adimrational speech to the monarch; it is surely a satirical and ironical lyrics, the people have so much trust to the monarch they give him, as the lyrics suggest, future and fate. The music keeps the same tone for al the song, there's no much to say about but it is really enjoyable.

Next song is Playing the Game, and this in set in a more Gentle Giant style since the beginning: Polymetric, sounds experiments, influence from medieval music, all good stuff. The song changes in the middle part in a more softer way but then it hits you with a great Hammond solo, one of my Kerry Minnear favourites. The song is simply a great classic, one of the best in Gentle Giant's repertory.

Cogs in cogs is actually the shortest song of the LP (with exeption of the power and the glory which was not included in the original release), but I think is one of the most complex the band ever created. In 3.08 we hear everything these guys can do. If you want to hear a 100% Gentle Giant song, you can put this song on and see what their music is all about. The beginning looks like a mess but everything is played in an astounding precision and that's was one of the best things the Gentle Giant was the best at, as in the polymetric in the middle part; not only two voices plays in different tempos but so is the bass and the organ. Every second of this song is simply a masterpiece.

No Gods of Man is another calm song of this LP, I personally think it's the weakest, but still an ok song. We hear different instruments in the beginning, such the vibraphone and the clavinet which a dominant sound in this song and set the tone for the rest of the time. The music is nice and calm and it has that distinctive medieval influence that many Gentle Giant songs has. This is a song that you surely you want to check out.

The Face is one of my favourite of this LP. It starts out with a violin intro with the guitar and keyboard playing in the pauses making a great syncopatic melody. The song has a very adrenalinic tempo and great solos in the middle part, expecially the electric violin one. The singing is awesome too, and the monarch has reach the limit of its power.

Valedictory is the last track of the LP and it recovers some of the riffs of Proclamation. The promisses made (and that's probably why the recall of Proclamation) have not been kept and the monarch tries to redeem himself telling that he is the same person as before though the power abuse. As the song goes the theme gets claustrofobic, riff changes and they get even claustrofobic. The hammond does a great job in this tracks, there is some great passages and i personally love its sound in this song. Then... HAIL! And the LP is over.

This LP is a classic and it's my personal favourite of their discography. It has everything that Gentle Giant music is all about and though it could be an hard-listening for newbies it still my personal raccomandation... for most of the songs in. Gentle Giant music is very intresting and for a full comprehension of their music you should listen the entire discography. This album is not an easy listening one but if you want a general idea of Gentle Giant's music, pick up this one!

One problem is that there are also some not so good songs. "Give It Back" is a misguided reggae flavored attempt to sound relevant, pointing the way to a more pop sounding Gentle Giant of the future. "Another Show" and "Timing" are a couple of disposable songs where Gentle Giant seems to be trying to be "hard rocking"...and most self consciously so. At least on the next album, "The Missing Piece", they developed a sense of humor about it. In any event, the songs were still too quirky to be played on AOR radio alongside Led Zeppelin or Bad Company.

Another problem is the ridiculous concept of this concept album. The concept of the press being unsympathetic and stupid was probably not the best idea in terms of advancing their cause. It just comes off as sour grapes and passing the blame. As great as Gentle Giant was, they seemed to be their own worst enemy at times. The arrogance of this "concept" rivals the liner notes of their vastly superior second album "Acquiring the Taste". I just can't help but feel that this band was really good at shooting itself in the foot, and "Interview" was a major misstep.

While "Interview" is (for the most part) a depressing and humorless affair, it cannot be written off as a total loss. Over half of the songs are pretty good. And even the weaker songs are not terrible; they're just not that terribly engaging. Strip this album of the ridiculous concept and knock of a couple tracks...and you've got a really good EP. The bonus track version is worth hunting down for some nice live performances of cuts from this album and their 1976 concert intro.

Overall grade: It really hurts me to do this but I give it a C+. It is worth acquiring for hardcore fans, but will hardly convert any neophytes.

The best track on the record is As old as you're young (5/5). This is a strong track with the old-style-GG, classical/chamber-tendencies and a enjoyable piece of music. Two other songs is worth naming: Memories of old days(4/5) and I'm turning around(4/5). They both have nice melodies and clear sound. The first is a stripped and wonderfull song and the other is symphonic and has great vocals. Who do you think you are and Mountain time is two very boring songs and the others is ok. Yeah it has its ups and downs so a juste and honest rating is 3/5 for it all. I would recommend this record for someone who's not into prog music - for a such person this could be a great start.

It is an even disc. All track are very good. There are no boring or mainstream music on this plate and the unity is perfect. The compositions aren't the best in the bands history but still brilliant. "I lost my head" is my favourite song. Here they blended medieval with hard rock music in a lunatic way and the song has different parts perfectly moved in to each other. "Timing" is another crazy but galant composition that is both brutal and pleasant. In "Design" they have designed extraordinary vocal harmonies and "Interview" is also crazy. "Another show" has an unusual strong and good melody. There is just one "I lost my head" on this record and that makes it just a four star record but the rest is even, so even that the worst song is almost as good as the best one.

Usually I will refrain from reviewing albums the average ratings for which I feel to be accurate estimates of the value I would assign to them. My rating could only raise or lower a general appraisal which I would opine to be fair, anyway. So I will primarily contribute to the critical analyses of albums that seem to be over- or under-rated. Gentle Giant's Octopus would be one of such over-rated albums.

"Advent of Panurge" is the disc's opening number and John Weather's debut with Gentle Giant. This one defines the style of much of the rest album. Kerry Minnear treats us to his light falsetto voice in unison with the guitar and bass, not exactly difficult, but good music doesn't have to be challenging, ei(gh)ther (not that anything on Octopus is good). Minnear sings a round with himself at this point, and it isn't great. Studio trickery doesn't impress me. There's also some jazzy guitar kept in the background. I wish they had taken the track in that direction but this is Gentle Giant, so of course not. After this introduction, blocky piano chords are played alongside some bluesy electric guitar meandering. Derek Shulman makes his presence known by throwing around some names from that book by that guy. You know not that one, but the other? The lyrical content isn't even original (taken from La vie de Gargantua et de Pantagruel authored by Francois Rabelais)! Well, the best GG songs for lyrics ARE 'inpsired' by literary classics. This doesn't reflect well on their originality, but it is a pattern that I've observed. Back to the 'music' we go? When D. Schulman's done shouting, a trumpet's call, played by Phil Shulman, is heard. Minnear tells us to look around (probably for an escape) over some 'prog'-cliché piano, bass, and drum hits. His keyboard repeats the trumpet's melody and then this track loses its way, and drifts somewhere deep into the abyss where that Octopus makes its abode. However, the band suddenly returns to the surface! -And all too quickly, because they then fall victim to the bends. Sometime after D. Shulman's bleating is repeated the track ends. And I wish the next one wouldn't have even begun?

"Raconteur Troubadour" contains Ray Shulman's entrance as violinist, and more questionably (if you can believe it), some poor lyrics delivered in an equally poor, shrill, and dry manner 'courtesy' (?) Derek Shulman. I see that where they went with this one, is as an ill-fated journey to a disappointing destination, if you will. It has a great subject and song title, but the verses are a wasted opportunity. Compare straight- forward, and puerile lines like,

"Gather round the village square

Come, good people both wretched and fair

See the troubadour play on the drum

Hear my songs on the lute that I strum"

?to the pure poetry of Jethro Tull's "Minstrel in the Gallery" a much better song with similar topical focus and perspective,

"The minstrel in the gallery looked down upon their smiling faces

He met their gazes, observed the spaces

Between the old men's cackle

He brewed a song of love and hatred

Oblique suggestions, and he waited?

He polarized the pumpkin-eaters

Static-humming panel-beaters

Freshly day-glowed factory cheaters

Salaried, and collar-scrubbing, he titillated men of action

Hands still rubbing on the parts they never mention"

The primary distinction which Minstrel in the Gallery holds over Raconteur Troubadour, is the detailed, and picturesque quality of its lyrics. It shows; it doesn't tell. This is basic middle-school-level writing skill that I'm talking about. And Gentle Giant are often not even so graduated. By the way, every one of "Raconteur?"'s first four verses is a command given by a minstrel, as opposed to the introductory monologue of "Minstrel?" which is a humble statement made on the part of an impresario. Do you really think that an authentic raconteur/troubadour would speak in such impudent terms to his audience? You better not answer that. The musicality of "Minstrel?" is far superior anyhow. And you know what? ? It actually rocks! GG can only rarely say that, but wait! Here comes?

?"A Cry for Everyone", which, if I had to choose anyhow, would be my favorite track. This one begins with pianissimo piano readily preceding the snap of a snare from John Weathers, who signals the entire band to start playing some distorted hard rock in common time. The lyrics on this song are better than those for Raconteur Troubadour; they cover communal experience and grief. And, now those keyboard's are a-cooking! After the real keyboards commence, there's an interchange between Green's guitar and Minnear's click organ keyboard. I like Kerry Minnear's tone-choices here... until sometime after that jam gets killed through over-repetition. To describe, it's fat and obnoxious. The song then builds to a climactic conclusion. As annoying as that keyboard solo was, it is nothing compared to?

?"Knots", which is the first un-compassed excursion by Gentle Giant into the composition of polyphonic vocal works. And it shows. Very dissonant and rather unpleasant this one is. "Knots" is viewed by some retrospective critics in the progressive rock community as something of a high watermark. It is a signature GG tune, but not especially significant given that Yes had been writing such music since 1970's The Yes Album. I would recommend listening, instead, to Starship Trooper, Your Move, We Have Heaven, South Side of the Sky, the middle-eight to Close to the Edge, or I. Cord of Life from And You and I; these are each individually more beautiful to my ear than "Knots". And those are just examples from the music of Yes, let alone all rock music of the period. Let's digress with a bit of a history lesson: Have you ever heard of Philippe de Vitry? The man lived from 1291 to 1361, and is widely acknowledged as the greatest musician of his time. He has also been hailed as one of the most accomplished, influential, and innovative composers in his day. Philippe is accredited with having written chansons, and motets, though only several motets are known to have survived to the present. One should research the genre of music fathered by this man, called Ars nova, before acclaiming this song as strikingly progressive. Or have you ever heard of Josquin des Prez? He walked this earth from ~1450 to 1521, and wrote beautiful and complex masses, such as Missa Pange lingua, dating from approximately 1515. I would highly advise anyone to research the works of these late great gentlemen (and others) after hearing Knots, and see how well their impression of it measures up.

After the boy's in the band shut up, they play an instrumental just about themselves called, "The Boys in the Band". This one opens with the laughter of whom I'll assume is Derek Shulman laughing his arse off at how bad Knots was. The flipping of a coin is then heard and as it rattles against a table's surface it establishes the rhythm for the 'music'. This is accomplished by means of a variable speed oscillator that was made available to Gentle Giant. I'll say this again, but in paraphrase: the capabilities of studio technology alone are not enough to please me. Where's a good drummer when you need one? I guess we're stuck with John Weathers. The music here is probably as fast as GG could ever play. Ha! I'd like to these guys try to compete with Steve Hackett, or Rick Wakeman, or Andres Segovia, or Barriemore Barlow, or?, etc. A computer-like keyboard tone (one that even interferes with determining what notes are even being played exactly) in counterpoint to some trumpets, bass, and guitar, rifles through a scale, up and down, and back up to some jazzy trumpets that are played as a cadence. Some more blocky piano chords further torture us, and then we're subjected to some strange guitar effects chugging along on one chord. Back to the previous riff we go? and the track just fades out. Okay? What explanation of your personalities are you trying to make Gentle Giant? You certainly sound like you're playing a psychiatric hospital inmate's lullaby (Shoot! ?this is the wrong record). This track's so insistently agonizing on my ears I could just bite this damn Octopus' digits off?

"Dog's Life" is generally admitted to be this Octopus' sore thumb. Un-elaborated/ornamented monophonic acoustic guitar lines introduce this track. Then the music proceeds into the first verse accompanied by violin, and emotionless, dry-sounding saxophones from R. Shulman and P. and D. Shulman, respectively. And the lyrics aren't anything to write home about, either. Some people contemptuously think this song is written for a dog, but apparently, it actually describes the behavior of Gentle Giant's roadies in metaphor (What's wrong with a tune recorded as tribute to man's best friend anyway?). Many listeners, including fans, find this one to be pointless and meandering, and that's not helped by a fade-out ending. Anyway, as the story goes, some of their roadies stole equipment from the band ? a problem which interfered with a lot of other bands' progress in achieving maybe more success than they could have. Van Der Graaf Generator most prominently comes to mind. Dog's Life doesn't exactly paint a very pretty picture of their fellow business travelers. I wonder whether, after the equipment managers realized this, Gentle Giant were thought of with kindness.

?Which brings us to the next track, "Think of Me with Kindness", a sort-of tacky ballad which features Kerry Minnear's vocals expressing some, one could say, 'touching' feelings. However, I feel compelled to rhetorically ask: Is he a one-handed keyboard-player? If you want a heart-felt piece of romance music with good piano, listen to Turn of the Century on Going for the One by Yes. Think of Me with Kindness also features the only segment of 'non-robotic' saxophone tooting on this disc. So I'll say that this track is a highlight (which still doesn't say much, bearing in mind the over-all off-putting tenor of Octopus).

Think of Me with Kindness is followed by the final song, "River". This one is very 70's sounding, so that's your best guess as to whether it has aged well (I actually see it as a very positive thing; the 70's were the best decade for my favorite music). Some very onomatopoetic music opens River, but it is interrupted by some raucous Shulman violin and Minnear keyboard noise, that are punctuated by clichéd drum, bass, and guitar hits. After this section comes to silence (for now), Derek Shulman enters on vocals, with the full band playing under him. I just have to ask, "Whatchoo doing 'brothuh' De-ek? ?Singing soul? I tought dis was a prog recud!" I played this track for my mom and she said by way of reaction, "How did these guys even get this recorded?" I wonder myself. I won't even let my dad hear this. Some production effects it would seem are also applied to John Weather's cymbals. I'll state this for the third time, "Studio trickery doesn't impress me." That atmospheric intro- music makes a return with some vocals added this time. And then those staccato keyboard and violin are back. Following this is a Blues guitar solo from Gary Green. I've heard this track at least eight times fully through and Green's spotlight always fails to present any memorable phrasing for me. I just don't hear much melodic character to it. Those damned keyboard and violin parts close the track, and, of course, the album. This would be Phil Shulman's last song with Gentle Giant. At least he went out with a bang.

If I'm forced to write at least one positive comment on Octopus, I'll say that the production is good. This is the most remarkable change for the band from their previous records (Three Friends, although also released in 1972, sounds like it was recorded in '69). However, this leaves me with the impression that I've bought a polished piece of fecal matter. Fans of lush, richly-textured symphonic music are forewarned: another noticeable difference is the number of minimalistic interludes that these songs have (Knots, and Dog's Life do particularly). This is a style they would only continue to explore in subsequent albums like In a Glass House and The Power and the Glory.

Even certain die-hard Gentle Giant enthusiasts will say this album is rather mediocre, and some may venture to say that Octopus is inessential, uninspired, and alienating. I agree. Despite these reservations, I will recommend this release to anyone unfamiliar with Gentle Giant, because it gives a reasonably representative introduction to the band's sound through-out the majority of their output. Once you've heard Octopus, and if you are unimpressed, I recommend back-tracking to Three Friends.

One more point to be made. This record's title and consequent artwork are a pun for the number of tracks on it. Eight musical works translates, in Latin no less, to a tongue-in-cheek Octopus. If you think Yes', Genesis', and Jethro Tull's epic experiments are pretentious, you ought to keep the track lengths and individual level of quality in mind when your thoughts turn to this record. It is kind-of unintentionally self-parodic for a 'prog-rock' band to so name one of their studio releases.

And finally, after having reviewed my? er? review, I can see that I've pretty damn well knocked Octopus down for the count ? the count to eight. *Winks.

One of the first things that I noticed was that the sound quality was pretty good, with perhaps a little bit of distortion with the keyboards. I am uncertain whether this distortion is an artifact of the recording equipment, the band's speakers and amps, or if intended by the performers. Whatever the case, this does not significantly mar the listening experience. Of more interest on this recording is the quality of the performances themselves. Opening with "Cogs in Cogs" and "Proclamation" (one of my favorite GG tunes), it seemed as if this was going to be a workmanlike performance with little to set it apart from the tremendous "Playing the Fool". However, this must have been the band just getting warmed up. The next track, "Runaway / Experience" shows the band really loosening up, taking liberties with the arrangement and sounding like the great musicians that they are.

The band takes "So Sincere" and stretches it out to eleven minutes, showing the confidence to deconstruct and rebuild the song, turning it into an extended jam that many other bands could only dream of pulling off. "The Plain Truth", one of my least favorite GG tracks, becomes an astonishing instrumental, showcasing some great violin playing, drumming, bass and guitar. Words simply cannot do this performance justice. "Free Hand", which is already one of Gentle Giant's hardest rocking tracks, is played louder, harder and faster than ever before. The music builds, swells and explodes in a shower of sparks. Finally, telling a big lie with the title, is "Just the Same". Again, we have heard this song many times before, but it is not "the same". This song sounds majestic with noodling keyboards laid over a funky bassline, surpassing the original studio version and closing the album in style. The bottom line: this album sounds like it was recorded at a point in their tour when the musicians were rehearsed and confident enough to put ample twists and turns in the arrangements. This serves to keep this set from being redundant, making it a nice companion piece to "Playing The Fool"... some excellent versions of well worn songs.

Just listen to the opening piano riff of Just the Same: so simple and unvarying. Now listen: a catchy passage here and there is nothing to turn one's nose up at; I actually find some of the most infectious music ever written to be progressive rock and the works of the Classical Masters. And there's another related problem that pervades all these tracks. Which is to say that most of the riffs/motifs presented are never re-worked in anyway. Ever hear of melodic variation or recapitulation? Well, you won't hear it on this disc.

First, the piano riff on Just the Same, punctuated by an equally harmonically uninteresting guitar riff. Then we are tormented with a very dated-sounding keyboard wail after the first verses. Trust me; it is bad.

Next, On Reflection - just the whole damn thing. The a cappella introduction is a basic round for the most part, not particularly special. And how many times do we hear that stupid 3-note melody, "All around!" repeated? Seriously, I don't know; I lost count. What about the section with Gary Green's simple acoustic guitar and Kerry Minnear's stereo vocal interchanges? Could these guys be any more repetitious!?!

That brings us to the title track, which is a highlight for some (not me). Annoying and cartoonish bass and piano music interrupts this one every so often, so beware. I honestly do like the jazzy guitar parts that open Free Hand, but they change key only ONCE. *shudders* A certain section of the piece could be very pleasant, but Kerry Minnear chooses to ruin it with cheesy keyboard-imitation strings, as opposed to letting Ray Shulman perform on an actual violin. Maybe this is a good place to start criticizing the lyrics. They are utterly terrible. "It wasn't hard to run, break away from you, break away from you, After all you'd done, what was I to do, what was I to do?" As a matter of fact, the whole album is filled with this drivel. But then again Gentle Giant were never really poetic to begin with.

Time to Kill is just the same: mechanical and cold melodies stagnating in the same keys and arrangements. The lyrical content is pretty empty. Some people think Dog's Life on Octopus is trivial; this song is literally about a guy who has time, takes it, and goes places! Beware there are also "Ooh"s and "Ah"s in the back-up vocals to this one.

His Last Voyage has the distinction of being, for my tastes, the most tolerable track. However, in order for Gentle Giant to achieve this, they had to plagiarize Via Lumiere by Premiata Forneria Marconi. One BIG difference though: the bassline here is much less elaborate. The song then proceeds into more simple acoustic guitar accompaniment.

Talybont is an homage to some village in Wales. I wouldn't know whether this instrumental does the place any justice, but if I lived there, I wouldn't exactly be pleased with this sort of publicity. Rather aimless this one is. If this kind of prog folk is your bag (and I do love prog folk) I would suggest Jethro Tull's Songs from the Wood or Heavy Horses instead.

And finally (Thank the Most High) we arrive at Mobile. This one is also in the prog folk vein. Good acoustic guitar and violin greets us at the beginning. But the track then descends into more repetitive riffery in common time.

Is this progressive? No. Is anything on this album innovative, or noteworthy in the history of rock? No. Is any of this "music" marked by deep emotional character, or likely to so evoke you? No. Should you buy it? No.

As an eclectic prog fan, I am somewhat new to being a Gentle Giant fan. "Three Friends" languished at the back of my collection for a few years, as I had considered it, based upon a couple of listenings, to be somewhat pompous and boring. At this time, I was venturing off into jazz, blues and fusion, and I could not be bothered to listen to "crusty, old prog-rock dinosaurs.

Fast forward to the year 2012...

I was downsizing and reorganizing my music library, when I decided to give "Three Friends" another try. Lo and behold! This stuff was actually pretty good, and I initiated a deeper exploration of Gentle Giant's oeuvre culminating with "The Missing Piece".

"The Missing Piece" appears to be unpopular with Gentle Giant's hardcore fans and is in my opinion a vastly underrated album. Most of Gentle Giant's albums start out with a strong first track, and "The Missing Piece" is certainly no different. "Two Weeks in Spain" is rollicking and fun, but still manages to maintain a progressive vibe. "I'm Turning Around" is one of their best ballads, comparing favorably to "Aspirations" from "The Power and the Glory". To me, this song sounds way ahead of its time and is reminiscent of Genesis, Phil Collins or Mike + The Mechanics ballads from the 1980s, despite being released in 1977.

The next track "Betcha Thought We Couldn't Do It" sounds a bit forced and shares more than a passing resemblance to "Rock and Roll Music" by the Beatles. It's not great, not bad and pretty nonessential. Yet there are worse things one could do with two and a half minutes. "Who Do You Think You Are?" and "Mountain Time" seem to be more AOR/mainstream rock, and while retaining some of Gentle Giant's quirkiness, they are pleasant but disposable.

"As Old As You're Young", "Memories of Old Days", "Winning" and "For Nobody" stand up with some of Gentle Giant's best progressive works. "Winning" sounds like it could have been lifted from "In a Glass House", and that is a very good thing. So what we have here is a Gentle Giant album with six excellent songs and three mediocre songs. My rating really has to be at least 3.5 stars (or 4 stars for the version with live bonus tracks of "Two Weeks in Spain", "I'm Turning Around" and "For Nobody").

Truly, if this is one of Gentle Giant's worst albums, this band at their worst are still better than are most bands at their best. Perhaps if this album had come before (instead of after) the great sequence of classic Gentle Giant albums from 1970 to 1975, it would have been more highly regarded rather than considered a letdown.