CIVILIAN

Considered to be an unmitigated disaster by both the fans and band members alike this was Gentle Giant's last offering before packing it in after 10 years. Drummer John Weathers actually liked this work so this in itself must hold some water. At the very worst it is a great rock album despite how the other members felt about it at the time although gone are the medievalisms, point counter point and other complexities in favour of smoother song formats. The album is without a doubt far superior to some ofthe real duds released by other prog rock bands in the soul searching period of the 1970's with the highlights appearing towards the end of the work in the form of Underground, I Am A Camera and It's Not Immagination. While anything by this unique band is recommended, the uninitiated should check out earlier material before delving into this simplified version of Gentle Giant.