FREE HAND/INTERVIEW

Review Nº 198

"Free Hand/Interview" is a very special compilation of Gentle Giant. It's an economic package that includes the seventh studio album "Free Hand", released in 1975 and the eighth studio album "Interview", released in 1976, on only one CD. This is a very interesting compilation because it includes two absolutely indispensable musical works of the band at a very cheap price, which will be a very worthwhile purchase. "Free Hand" is a true masterpiece that rivals "The Power And The Glory", "In A Glass House" and "Octopus" as one of the best studio albums from them. "Interview" is far from being a masterpiece but it still is, without any doubt, their last great studio album and it's also an excellent addition to any prog rock collection, and represents also the real last indispensable studio album that you can get from them.

The lineup on both albums is the same. So, we have Derek Shulman, Ray Schulman, Gary Green, Kerry Minnear and John Weathers.

As I've already reviewed these two albums previously on Progarchives, in a more extensive way, I'm not going to do it again. So, if you are interested to know, in more detail, what I wrote about them before, I invite you to read both of my reviews. However, here, I'm going to write something about them in a shorter way. So, of course, I'm not going to analyze them track by track, as I made before, but I'm only going to make a global appreciation of both albums.

"Free Hand": Strongly influenced by the music of the Renaissance and Middle Ages, it became one of the most popular and accessible studio musical releases made by the band. The lyrics on the album reflect the lost love and the damaged relationships between people. With "Free Hand", Gentle Giant produced one of the most creative and complex recording releases in all of progressive rock music history. However, despite all the complexity of their musical arrangements, their music is very accessible and melodic, and their vocal approach was really very revolutionary for those times. "Free Hand" is a unique and unpretentious progressive rock album that couldn't have been delivered by any other band besides Gentle Giant. "Free Hand" is also one of my favourite Gentle Giant's albums and is one of my favourite progressive rock albums too. "Free Hand" is the last masterpiece created by the band and it's also, in my humble opinion, one of the most accessible of all Gentle Giant's albums. The combination of superb musicianship, dry wit, and creative compositions make "Free Hand" an essential piece of music and an historical recording. This album proved that the band could write all types of songs, which they could be good, creative, complex and that, at the same time, they could be accessible and melodic too. This is an album with great instrumental works, advanced vocal numbers, great ballads, excellent acoustic and electric parts and an exceptional structural work all over the songs.

"Interview": Some regard it as Gentle Giant's last great studio album, while others claim that it was the band's first album in their downward spiral toward the late of the 70's. It's definitely weaker than "Free Hand" is, but the first class prog rock, in the typical Gentle Giant's vein, can still be found here. It's a conceptual album centring on a fictitious radio interview based upon the music business. Some tracks integrate brief interview sections made in the studio, and even the title song has lyrics based on questions and answers between the band and the music press. Musically, of all Gentle Giant's albums, the sound of it is the most similar to their preceding album, "Free Hand", released in the year before, in 1975. However, this following work isn't as good and strong as their entire previous work. It's usually considered the last greatest work recorded by the group, and as I said before, that is my opinion too. Some consider "Interview" as a minor work in the band's career. I can't agree with that point of view. It's true that this album isn't as good as most of their previous albums are, however and despite being a little more experimental than "Free Hand" is, "Interview" has all the ingredients of their music and still contains also some of their most aggressive and electrified music, composed by them. The only problem with this album is that it's perhaps less commercial and less balanced than "Free Hand" is.

Conclusion: If you have the two studio albums of the two individual works, you don't need to buy this compilation because it has nothing new to offer, like bonus tracks. Unless, like me, you have the two individual records on two vinyl versions, and in this case, this CD is a good complement for you because it's cheap. However, if you don't have these two albums yet, you urgently need to leave your home to buy them. Both are two great albums of the band. "Free Hand" is the last masterpiece created by the band and is one of the most accessible of all Gentle Giant's albums. It combines a superb musicianship, dry wit, and creative compositions making it an essential piece and an historical recording. "Interview" is their last great work and has all the ingredients of Gentle Giant's music and contains also some of the most aggressive, experimental and electrified music ever composed by them or even by any other progressive band.

Prog is my Ferrari. Jem Godfrey (Frost*)

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