SCRAPING THE BARREL

I bought this set about a year ago and am still exploring its riches. Since it contains "over twelve hours of enchanting Gentle Giant musical entertainment", mostly in embryonic form or in the shape of demos and live performances, you will understand I do not intend to enjoy all four discs non-stop from start to finish .

I've never been a particularly ardent GG fan; I first discovered the band's best music in the late 1990s when I was approaching my 40th birthday, so they never left the same mark as bands I got to know much earlier. But I love anthologies of all kinds, and I love the idea of a huge set full of (almost) countless snippets from a band's workbench. Hearing dozens of familiar passages from GG's classic albums performed on guitar and Fender Rhodes only, or by vocalists only (to give just two examples) is a fascinating experience, which only increases my admiration for this most endearing of bands.

The SCRAPING THE BARREL tracks list provided by Progarchives is highly detailed (I wonder which brave soul typed it all out?) and the single review the set has so far received (by Agemo) gives you an excellent impression of what the four disc set is like. All I will add is that the sound quality of most of the music is excellent, so if you're a true GG fan, don't worry, you're going to L-O-V-E this. A lot!

I was originally inclined to rate SCRAPING THE BARREL two stars (collectors/fans only), but since such a rating is usually interpreted as meaning: "so bad only dedicated fans will enjoy this", I'll give the set three stars instead, meaning: "good (provided you're fan of this kind of music) but non-essential".

I've decided to post this review even though I've not yet heard a single note from the third disc (which includes post-GG material by various ex-members of the band), because all the tracks I HAVE heard were highly enjoyable, life-enhancing even, and I felt SCRAPING THE BARREL finally deserved a recommendation from one of Progarchives' regular reviewers. I solemnly promise I will expand my review as soon as I have heard all 12 hours in their entirety...