THE POWER AND THE GLORY

Gentle Giant once again repeat their trick of producing a progressive rock album which manages to both be incredibly complex and intricate and yet, on the other hand, insanely catchy. Tracing the story of a naive and idealistic politician who eventually ends up selling out to the establishment and abandoning his promises of reform, the album traces the central character's career from the opening Proclamation (whose opening crowd noises suggest the candidate's election on a wave of public approval) to the closing Valedictory (whose megaphone noises at the start and the tape effect at the close suggest that the candidate has become a thing of the media, with no real connection to humanity beyond press releases and soundbites), and is a great listen every step of the way. Kerry Minnear's keyboard work and the percussion of John Weathers deserve particular note this time around. Yet another five-star classic from the Giant.