THE MISSING PIECE

As disco died a quick (but hopefully painful) death with the emergence of "new wave," and the sound of radio mercifully changed, many established Prog bands -- sometimes labeled "dinosaurs," or irrelevant, by the 'hip" spokespeople for the new music -- began to change too.

"The Missing Piece" reveals a "kinder, gentler" Giant, moving to shorter, less overtly-experimental songs that were almost radio-friendly. I believe that the song "I'm Turning Around" speaks at least in part to this issue: compromise, or starve. (Not that the new approach garnered them much air-time in my area....) One might therefore think that a long-term fan like myself would have hated this more "accessible" Gentle Giant, but not so: I always loved this album , because even "commercial" Giant is still wildly original music

From the rocking, rollicking fun of "Two Weeks in Spain," "Betcha Thought we Couldn't do It" (a barb for their critics), "Mountain Time," and "Winning" (which really rocks), to the delightful and uplifting "As Old as You're Young," to the sentimental pure-Prog majesty of "Memories of Old Days," this is one of the best latter-day GG albums. When I said that it showed a "kinder, gentler Giant" it was mostly because I couldn't resist the expression. But make no mistake: though the material often simpler than the classic early stuff, this album rocks! (For the record, I also liked the even more "updated" and hard-edged Civilian.)

Now, it must be said, I'm inclined to love just about anything Gentle Giant ever released or even breathed on. Thus, with the following praise in mind, unprepared fans of the band's earlier work may get to this album, and a song like "I'm Turning Around," and laugh their pants off. This would be an unfortunate reaction. Okay, so there is definitely a shift in direction evident on this album -- there are less overtly "proggy" songs, more purely rocking songs, and a general lifting of the intense burden of creating "yet another insane experimental masterpiece!!!" that every album preceding seemed to bear. That said, what this album ends up doing is expressing the band's musical personalities in an especially direct fashion that will delight the true Gentle Giant fan, and they will especially treasure this music. "As Old As You're Young" is one of my favorite GG songs, with an uplifting and magical vibe that seems to me to be so essentially Kerry Minnear. "Memories of Old Days" is absolutely spellbinding, featuring layers of shimmering acoustic guitar and electric piano that fill the air with an almost palpable melancholy. "For Nobody" is a balls-out prog charger that leaves no doubt that the boys could never lose their edge. It's all the more remarkable to me that this is all contained in one album with such gems as the aforementioned ballad (!) "I'm Turning Around." If you've already been convinced of Gentle Giant's previous albums, don't entertain any doubt about this one -- there's nothing but goods to be found.

This is the end, really. Just one song (the last one and the longer one) and it is very aptly named Memories of Old Days, that would fit into the previous Lp, but it was a staple in their later live shows too. But for the rest: the songs would be good for another rock band that might have done their masterpiece with this material but simply not for this Giant. Everything spells different on those tracks of the first side of the album, starting with Derek's increasingly irritating vocals, but the most obvious being the "simplified" songwriting. Don't get me wrong, here?. GG didn't turn into Status Quo. The songs are still well written and arranged, but they are written with the conscious effort of conquering the US market and therefore the temptation to beef up the tunes and AOR-izing them is unfortunately all too present. And of course , it doesn't work very well since it is un-GG-like. A real let-down. I do not rate highly Power & Freehand but for other reasons, not for mediocrity of this one. And the worst is yet to come........

TWow, these "Prog Reviewers" are real GG fans (see above)! However, not all fans of GG will be as uncritical. This album is almost as bad as 'Giant for a Day". There are definately moments, but the whole is something that is not much fun to listen to. Even the 'good' songs on this are just mediocre and just sound like re-hashed ideas from their earlier albums.

What's missing here is the creative spark that allowed earlier albums to catch fire. From the opening bars of "Two Weeks In Spain", which initially sounds to be on the wrong speed, it's clear that GENTLE GIANT has tampered with the formula or tapped out their well of inspiration. Thus, "The Missing Piece" marks an end to the unbroken chain of great albums begun in 1970 with their eponymous debut. The once-dazzling arrangements, built around complex riffs from Ray SHULMAN and Kerry MINNEAR, here fall flat for the first time. The band known for sublime album sides knocks off restless and noisy bits, as heard in the contentious "Betcha Thought We Couldn't Do It", which seemed ironically to anticipate commercial success with this new approach. Only "I'm Turning Around" harks back to earlier successes, on the first side of music anyway. The second side, oddly, picks up where Interview left off, albeit half an album late. The medieval-sounding "As Old As You're Young" and darting counterpoint of "For Nobody" in particular reveal a return to form.

As it turned out, it would be the last time GENTLE GIANT scaled these heights, opting instead to follow the first side of this album for the subsequent "Giant For A Day". With the "Interview" tour behind them, perhaps it's no wonder the band sounds exhausted in the studio. Unlike their next record, "The Missing Piece" does have redeeming features, but it's hardly an integral piece of the puzzle. If you've purchased all of their earlier records and still feel something's missing, then I'd pick this up. Otherwise, you're not missing anything.

This album is probably underrated. Overall, this is an excellent album as you may hear an original Gentle Giant style (discrete music with great vocal) and some straight-forward music influenced by early groups such as Beatles. Oooppsss . !! Yeah, if you listen to track 3 "Betcha ." you would definitely agree with my statement. It reminds me The BEATLES "Rock'n'Roll Music". But that only happen with one track and no harm at all with it as Beatles has influenced many groups in the world.

The varieties of song in this album are really good. There is a ballad and tend to be poppy song like "I'm Turning Around" (well, actually I like this song very much. It's sweet and was popular in my home country around end of 70s period). There are some mellow but heavy tracks eg. "Memories of Old Days" and happy track like "Two Weeks in Spain". My best favorite track of this album is "For Nobody". It rocks! - Gatot Widayanto, Indonesia.

This is the beginning of the end for GG. They finally succumbed to the record company's insistence that they do a more commercially accessible album. Side one (Old Vinyl Guy, here - tracks 1-5 for you CD kids) are generally forgettable stuff, although "Mountain Time" is pretty good. HOWEVER, side 2 (tracks 6-9) are FLAWLESS PROG on POP SPEED. To me, the only other album side that beats this is side 2 of ABBEY ROAD. Every song from 6 to 9 is a masterpiece, a gem. Beautifully written, arranged, performed, and produced. I played this side for a friend who had never heard of GG before. By the end of side 2 he was hooked. It's a darn shame such great stuff should be coupled with the weak material on side one (1-5). Otherwise this would get 5 stars!!

First part of their 'pop' trilogy although the latter half of the albums sounds like outtakes from "Interview", only slightly less quirky. The opening track "Two Weeks in Spain" is a fun and bouncing number that instantly sets the tone for the A-side and while these tracks are far from progressive rock they often have a good hook to them. I can't really recommend this to anyone but for those who are interested, though tracks like "Memories of Old Days" and "For Nobody" are very strong and rather complex cuts. Not a bad album at all musically though not the most appealing for the average proghead either, therefore three stars mainly for the B-side.

Only GG fanatics (like myself) are recommended to this album. Completely useless material, the two only songs here that still reminds us of old GG are "Memories Of Old Days" and "As Old As You're Young". Everytime I listen to this cd I get crazy to listen to the old ones. Get all GG albuns from "Acquiring" to "Freehand" and forget this disaster.

The first GG album with pop-music on it! Side one: POP-stuff...Some good parts here and there, but overall: Nah...! Side two: PROG-stuff...Many excellent songs and very good playing (as always with GG), but still not as good as the previous albums (Octopus, Glass House etc.) , Anyway, if you are a fan, you should try it but if you are not so familiar with GG yet: Stay away!

The question is: if they've done anything what was possible into prog. and symphonic, if they've explored all the grounds and used an infinity of elements in his music, then... why can't they dedicate to make songs too?? Why have they got to live the rest of their life proving and showing their indisputable virtuosity and complex compositions??? Manage yourself to get harmony in your compositions is probably as difficult. There's no musician (with the possible exception of Yngwie Malmsteen) who wants show the people over and over again that he can play anything he want as complex as it was. Then, If you listen this album and the two next as what they are, you'll be apprecitated all the capacity of this guys as musicians and composers and the face of the giant will be completed... OPEN YOUR MIND AND ENJOY!!!

This album might well represent the most precipitous decline in all of prog. But that depends on how you view its predecessor, 'Interview'. For my money, 'Interview' is the climax of the Gentle Giant journey, easily one of the greatest moments in their highly impressive 8-album string. Then a year later, the bottom drops out of from under them. As if they had run out of ideas, 'The Missing Piece' is largely bland and boring. You'll hear a few excellent songs wandering in and out of an unusually high number of duds. Unfortunately they would never recover, as the following two albums are even weaker.

THE GOOD STUFF: "Two Weeks In Spain", an ultra-bouncy opener that sees every musician operating at their usually high level. Completely tight, with their godlike syncopation intact.

"Memories Of Old Days", which holds a pensive, melancholy tone throughout its 7+ minute duration, a wonderful song that could've been on any of their previous albums.

"Winning" offers the deliberately awkward groove of prime G.G., and though it's not exactly as memorable as their best material, it's yet another fascinating chunk of music that only this band could've come up with.

"For Nobody" is the best song here, a high-energy track with an arrangement that melts great part into great part into great part with the ease of a band that possesses a rare chemistry. A delightful listen.

THE BAD STUFF: Let's get "As Old As You're Young" and "I'm Turning Around" out of the way first. The former is not necessarily bad, I can't identify anything about it that outright stinks, but it lacks personality and seems under-baked. We can probably call this one filler, but it's certainly not horrendous, just a little lame and ever so slightly twee. "I'm Turning Around" is the band's first obvious attempt at radio-ready material. It reminds of Genesis' "Follow You Follow Me" and much of the 'Duke' album, in terms of production and attitude. Somehow I also hear Supertramp and Asia in this song, and as far as I'm concerned, that's Gentle Giant slumming. Skip it.

"Betcha Thought We Couldn't Do It" is basic pub-rock, boogie-ing its way into a black hole. Awful, unnecessary and totally forgettable.

"Who Do You Think You Are?" is a light, funky, fluffy number, complete with jangly guitar and loose grooves that maybe should've been called "Man, Are We Tired Or What?". Boring, boring, boring. This track sees Gentle Giant veering dangerously close to the middle-of-the-road AOR that was infecting many rock bands by 1977.

Ditto on "Mountain Time". Who the hell let Bob Seger in the studio? I have a friend who would call this "plumber rock". No offense to plumbers, but that works for me.

This is the first way-below-average Gentle Giant album. It's not a total loss, but remember that this band wrote in their second album, 'Acquiring The Taste': "It is our goal to expand the frontiers of contemporary popular music at the risk of being very unpopular. We have recorded each composition with one thought: that it should be unique, adventurous and fascinating." No doubt the band achieved that goal for most of their career. But it seems that with 'The Missing Piece', they were no longer interested in impressing anybody and were instead settling into the less-is-more mindset that afflicts a vast majority of great-but-aging prog bands.

This album most noticeably shows the trend in the band towards simpler, more pop- oriented songs. This trend actually started with Power and the Glory, but it was more subtle. The trend would get worse with the following album Giant For a Day (easily the worst album by the band, and only one not worth getting).

Even despite the more noticeable pop direction, there still are some decent songs on this. There are heavier songs on it (For Nobody, Betcha Thought), medium songs (Two Weeks in Space, Winning, As Old), and quieter songs (Memories of Old Days, Turning Around). There are some moments to cringe at in the middle of the album (Who Do You Think Are and parts of Mountain Time and As Old), but they aren't enough to overshadow the album.

Yes, most of the prog elements are missing from this album (the missing piece, right?), but there are enough to make it still rise above your average run-of-the mill rock band.

".look at the mirror over there, what do you see? Tell yourself a lie."

I won't lie with this review, (I never lie at all!). I will tell you how I feel listening to The Missing Piece, an album transitional in nature, with very interesting compositions, still good! And still entertaining! Yes, it's not their most experimental effort, nor their peak of maturity, but a sign of that times.anyway you can't turn back the clock! Is it pop? Was it thought for commercial audience? If so what's a pop!! If only all the then commercial albums had been arranged and played in such a beauty.in such a freshness.!

The new 2005 35th anniversary remastered edition is very well packaged, in "green- grass revealer" colour. The sound is very clear and strong. It's a pleasure to listen to such good reissues! Even if the booklet it's poor, only providing the lyrics. The front cover is very nice with that puzzle missing piece lying on the grass. reciprocally the back cover is the "almost" complete Giant's puzzle composition! Some funny surprises expect us!!

The first part of the album starts with a "shocking" (I admit it) Two Weeks In Spain, an excellent straightforward rocker about some great holydays (or tour?) the band should have enjoyed in that Iberian beautiful country that year, I suppose! (3 stars).

I'm Turning Around is a soft romantic ballad.this is the only "really strange" one here and after listening to it a few times I can't say it's bad, Gentle Giant never made "bad" albums! P.S. Giant For A Day and Civilian are not prog, but surely good commercial works.(2 stars).

Betcha Thought We Couldn't Do It, is even more rocker than the opener, very well played and sung, nice strong guitar riffs. Not really progressive, but good anyway! (2,5 stars).

Who Do You Think You Are is a well refine track, perhaps a little too repetitive.not the best of the album, enjoyable yet! (2 stars).

Mountain Time.for me this one is great and catchy, with a good funny tempo! (3 stars).

As Old As You're Young is a classic Gentle Giant's song. It reminds of the earlier years but it's at the same time as joyful and fresh as it's the general vein of The Missing Piece! (3,5 stars) P.S. Some references with the 1976 Jethro Tull's Too Old To Rock'n'Roll, Too Young To Die!"?

Memories Of Old Days is a real GEM, softly and sadly played. In my honest opinion the best of the album, with nice, atmospheric, delicate and acoustic guitar work and medieval feeling graced by Gary Green. It seems to me to hear to some Strawbs' passages.(4,5 stars).

Winning is a more happier song about a raising winner but a falling man! (3,5 stars).

For Nobody should have been the album's opener.so strong and in a traditional GG's vein.really STRONG! (4 stars). P.S. the remastered edition has also the live version of this great track, recorded in Cleveland (USA) during 1977.who saw them performing live in UK in those wretched punk and new wave days?

The Missing Piece remains a fine collection. The relatively poor sales say more about the changes taking place in the music scene at the time than they do about the album itself. All the excitement of Gentle Giant's unique chemistry is here! Let's enjoy! 3-3,5 the final score!

The first 4 tunes are quite commercial and derivative. But, the last 4 tunes are the typical Gentle Giant mixture of humor, lightness and complexity. maybe, also on the commercial side, but musically interesting, nonetheless.

What should I say about this one? Good, but not good enough? Bad, but not completely bad? The truth lies somewhere in between. I think almost everyone will agree that The Missing Piece isn't one of GG's best albums. It has a few good moments but more that are not so good. The songs aren't really bad, but they lack that "something special" that made Gentle Giant such a great band. In all, I only like three songs, I'm Turning Around, Memories Of Old Days and For Nobody, and can't really be bothered about the rest. In short, a record by a band that had seen better days, and definitely not the first GG album anyone should buy.

This is somewhere between 1 and 2 stars, but I'm going to give it 2. On one hand, I find this album to be very poor, especially by Gentle Giant standards. However, I think many fans of the band would find some slight enjoyment in this album. This might be good for pop album, but pop is too uninteresting for me, even if it is by a prog band I love. I do enjoy most "prog-pop" stuff by IZZ, Kevin Gilbert, Man on Fire, etc. but this isn't progressive by any means of the definition.

I'm not going to really describe the music in full detail. Many songs are very similar, describing them all would get too boring. The first half is very commercial, but I do "Two Weeks in Spain" more than the other 3 songs. The second half is actually quite decent, but still poor compared to Gentle Giant's previous albums. It's still poppy, but more similar to the classic Gentle Giant that we all know and love. "Memories of Old Days" and "Mountain Time" are both two great songs.

So overall, I really wouldn't recommend this for anybody. If you're a real big fan of Gentle Giant, it wouldn't hurt to give this a try I suppose... some people here really do enjoy it.

Despite it`s complexities Gentle Giant always maintained a lighter side to their music both in the studio and in live performances. The missing piece was released at a time when the band was doing some soul searching with the advent of fluctuating musical tastes in the late 1970`s with the evil forces of disco and punk rock coming into the fold.On the one hand they wanted to satisfy their devout fans with their non- standard musical approaches while at the same time appeasing the big bad record company without compromising their musical integrity. A compromise was inevitable and in a more simplified manner Gentle Giant lives up to this challenge on The Missing Piece. This is exemplified on a short track entitled Betcha Thought We Couldn`t Do It which seems to address the dilema which was facing them and other progressive rock bands at the time.

Although the album meets the whims of the big bad record company (Chrysalis Records) many ingredients from the original Gentle Giant musical formula remain in place. As Old As You Are Young is a good example as keyboard player Kerry Minnear provides some medeival magic which was ever present on all previous Gentle Giant albums. Minnear was perhaps the band member who was the fiercest opponent of the new marketing requirements of the late seventies. Memories of Old Days is an extended ballad in the true Gentle Giant tradition which is possibly making reference to the earlier part of their carreer while Three Weeks in Spain, still retaining a degree of intricacy, rocks it out and was particularily effective when played live. A number of shorter tracks round out the album and attempts to market a couple as singles were unsuccessful.

Devastatingly talented Gentle Giant never gave in completely to the demands of the mass market and The Missing Piece is an indication of their desire to retain their personal mmusical identity while sailing through the punk and disco infested seas of the late seventies. Despite being one of their later recordings should not prejudice a test drive. By far not a bad record add ½ a star to three stars.

An underrated album. Sure it is not as mind blowing as as In a Glass House or Octopus, but this is still Gentle Giant we are talking about!

The songs are more accessible overall, the band choosing to stick with their main instruments rather than using flutes, vibraphones, violins or cellos or what-have-you, but the arrangements are still as intricate as before. More straightforward and concise but still excellent songs.

I will not do a song by song review, but here are my favorites : Two Weeks in Spain, Mountain Time, As Old as you're Young, For Nobody and a very special mention for the hauntingly beautiful and melancholic Memories of Old Days. Incredible layers of guitars grace the song, and I challenge you to find a Gentle Giant song as emotionnaly charged as this one on ANY GG album. This song is a masterpiece.

Do yourself a favor : listen to this album and make up your own mind about it. You will find it to be better than what is being said about it.

An excellent addition to your collection, as with all Gentle Giant albums (except perhaps Giant for A Day, which still has it's moments, but that's another review!!!).

The Missing Piece, Gentle Giants first footfalls into the world of popular music. Even though that is true, it is good pop music, and there are still progressive elements to most of their songs (something they would lose in their next album). All the memebers of the band still play strongly, although i hardly think they were playing their best.

Things start off rolling with the rocking tune of Two Weeks In Spain. I have always enjoyed this song, as it is very good straight forward rock music. Derek's vocals add a bit of humor, IMO, and are a great element to make this song diverse (another problem that i have with the 'pop' era of GG). Next Up is I'm Turning Around. A gentler piece that isn't all too spectacular but nice none the less. The next two songs show the weaker side of Giant's accessible music. Betcha Thought We Couldn't Do It, has bad lyrics and way too rocky for Giant. I also don't like Derek's vocals on this one, but i think that is just personal taste. Who Do You Think You Are? has a country feel and comes off bad in the end. However, the good point to the song, is Derek's singing. Something i find very enjoyable. After that we have a very good strech of music that includes many progressive elements. Mountian Time brings us back to the good ol' days of Giant with jumpy piano, off beat instrumentations, and a good melody, especially in the vocal line. However, it is still very much a pop/rock song. As Old As You Are Young begins with some very GG keyboards, guitar, and bass. Also, its pleasent to hear Kerry back at the mic. Even though i do prefer Derek's vocals, it has always been a staple of the Giant for multiple vocalists. Also, his gentler voice fits the mood of the song much better. Also, here is the first use of vocal counterpoint on this album (something i enjoy very much). A great song indeed. Next up is the lengthy Memories Of Old Days. A nice, slow, growing, progressive song with excellent lyrics, guitar, and atmosphere. Definitely the most progressive song on the album, it is certainly a highlight. Winning starts off with an interesting percussion solo semi-bash which then grows into a solid upbeat melody. More progressive elements can be found in this song, which makes this song one of the better ones on the album. The final song on the album is For Nobody. An agressive rocking song, with great melody and vocal lines. I am perticulary fond of Johns drumming for some odd reason. It ceratinly drives the song forward in a big way. Also, this song has more of that Giant staple, vocal counterpoint. Add a short little Mr. Green guitar solo and there is nothing bad about this song, and i would certainly put it in the albums top three.

All in all, this is the start of a new Gentle Giant, even though they held on to their progressive past, especially with the last half of the album. There is not much to dislike on this album, however, in terms of progressiveness this album stumbles. A good idea of Giant fans, and for fans that don't mind a little more rock in their music. Recommended.

This album, much like most of Genesis's 80's output, is like a bad relationship. The kind of bad relationship where instead of breaking up with the other person, you continue to be with them, but only give half the effort. The band was essentially saying, "You know, despite that we've collectively decided to sell out now, we can probably still reach some of our prog fans if we try to be a little like our old selves!" with this album. Interview was a step down (into the four star range, rather than five), but so were The Power And The Glory and Acquiring The Taste (in my opinion) and they rebounded from both of those quite well. That certainly isn't the case here.

Like I mentioned in my simile above, the band was still trying for a little bit of progressive music on this. There are the occasional nice moments, such as on, "Memories Of The Old Days" which seems to be the favourite track for many on here. Unfortunately, occasional is all we get. The rest of the time, it's pop and/or pretty weak rock. Don't get me wrong, I like classic rock (not counting the prog bands) plenty, but this is not one of the good examples of it. This album would be bad no matter who made it.

I've yet to try their following two albums, but with this one is really scaring me away from wanting to go anywhere near them. One star, as I'm a big GG fan and I really don't think it's remotely close to two.

This album ended my quest for Gentle Giant albums back in the mid 90's when I first got it. I had been buying up all the albums I could find by them (on CD). I was a bit wary of this one, due to the date and the fact that it seemed that all of the prog bands of the 70's had regressed into lame pop attempts by 1980 (I didn't know anything about Gentle Giant at the time, except what was in the liner notes.......I was not on the internet back then). Much to my dismay, I discovered that even a band as unique and brilliant as Gentle Giant could fall to the less is more simplicity of commerical music. I hated the album from first listen and was depressed and disillusioned (and feared that prog had really died in the early 80's.......I wasn't even aware of the second wave back then, let alone the first).

Jump forward to the present and I can be a bit more kind to this album. Well, the second half of it anyway. The first 5 tracks are simply aweful coming from this band. To be fair, they are not terrible tracks in and of themselves. But knowing what GG are capable of, I just find they are only ever dissapointing, no matter how often I hear them. Had they been done by some 80's pop hits band, they probably would be considered a high point of that era. But as it is, they just seem lame and tired (despite the fact that some of them display an almost punk level of energy in the performance). Aging proggers trying to be relevant, when posterity would much prefer they had packed it in after Interveiw or at least tried to further refine what they did on the previous albums. But given the musical climate of the times (and undoubted record company pressure), you can't really blame them. But you don't have to say nice things about the results either.

On the other hand, the last 4 tracks have grown on me, especially Memories Of Old Days (an appropriate title if ever their was one), which would not have been out of place on any of their earlier albums. As old as you're Young harks back to Isn't It Quiet and Cold? from the first album. Winning and For Nobody are good songs that, while not exactly reminiscent of their earlier work, are much better attempts at simpler structures than the earlier tracks.

As I said, I never bought the next two albums after I had gotten this one. And having heard a friends copy of Giant For A Day, I never plan to get them. This definelty fits the description for two stars, and even then fans will have problems with this. Still, for the die hard fan it is worth getting for the last 4 tracks.

A typical 1.5 stars CD, if you ask me. I would not have rated this record that bad if this was not a prog-related site. But it is. So, if we call Gentle Giant one of the greatest art-rock groups ever, it's not because of this piece of music (and not because of the late releases in general). The songs are - well you can call it freaky poprock if you like. But compared to the earlier worls of the band it's simply nothing. The gap between "Interview" and "The Missing Piece" is much deeper as, let's say, the gap between "Wind & Wuthering" and "...And Then There Were Three" by Genesis. I think this is only for fans like me or other collectors who simply "want to have them all".

I really could'nt resist! 1.5 stars to this record is not fair! I mean...this is a real masterpiece! Maybe it's because it was the first record of GG I heard. Or maybe because as a musician I see things a little bit in a different way. But on this record you can hear what prog is all about: musical progress. So, we are writing year 1977 and what do yo expect from GG ? "In a glass House" or "Three friends" over and over? Why? These guys did already experiment ALL was possible in music up to 1977. TMP starts with "Two weeks in Spain": prog, and I mean PROG, at it's best. Guitar riffs, keys layers, vocals, odd tempos...everything is there!" I'm turning around" contains one of the best Hammond solos ever!!! Oh, it's because the songs are 3 minutes? You're right, they should have put 2 minutes obvious intros and 3 minutes fades at the end, to make it 7! Come on...this is the year punk music was at its peak. And that's why you get a song like "Betcha Thought We Couldn't Do It", a british style joke about the current music trend. The real masterpiece on the album are "Memories of old days" and "For nobody" : two sides of the prog evolution. Soft and hard sides of prog. To me "The missing piece" IS prog for the year 1977, and goes side by side with "Going for the One" by Yes. You don't know GG is you don't know TMP...really!

THE MISSING PIECE was GENTLE GIANT's first more catchy album. It is often said that Gentle Giant has lost its quality on this CD but such statements are not fair, in my opinion. This album contains some of my favourite GENTLE GIANT-songs (for example the sad ballad "Memories Of Old Days", probably the last song that is played in the old style of the band and the blithteful "As Old As You're Young" which has a pretty nice message) and even the more catchy tunes like "Two Weeks In Spain", "Winning" or "For Nobody" really get me.

Of course THE MISSING PIECE has also its faults. For example the song "Betcha Thought We Couldn't Do It", a punk-anecdote simply does not fit into the rocky, usually blitheful mood of the album, some people may think that songs like "I'm Turning Around" or "Who Do You Think You Are?" are too poppy (I would not share this opinion though I have to admit that these songs are the most catchy tunes on THE MISSING PIECE) and some may rightly say that coltish, spacy,a bit longer solos - so as we can find them on the previous recordings of GENTLE GIANT - are missing.

But, progheads, this album has its moments, it contains some truly good material. And it is still a true GENTLE GIANT-album (other than GIANT FOR A DAY or maybe also CIVILIAN), it even contains a ballad (the last ballad the band had written, I am talking about the great "Memories Of Old Days" again which may be my favourite GENTLE GIANT-song).

I usually would love to give THE MISSING PIECE four stars. But then it comes to my mind that I used to give such albums as ACQUIRING THE TASTE, THREE FRIENDS or OCTOPUS four stars which are a bit better than THE MISSING PIECE, I think. But no doubt, this album is still pure quality. So, three stars that scrape the four-star-mark!

Ouch. It's like a cheap 1978 Genesis rip-off. From the opening rollicking notes of 'Two Weeks In Spain' to the unfulfilled ending of 'For Nobody', 'The Missing Piece' is a boring piece of commercial clap trap destined to alienate the would-be Giant fan. I've had to sit through this thing three times, and the record was less impressive with each listening. The opening cut is the best thing on it, while 'I'm Turning Around' and 'Memories of Old Days' sound like demo tapes that Phil Collins threw out during the 'Wind and Wuthering' sessions. This album should've been titled 'A Matter of Tax Loss'. At least I would have known what to expect. Instead I'm bitterly dissapointed for blowing three bucks on the thing. Arrggh!

3.5 stars really:

Well, this may not be the best ever Gentle Giant album and there are even some slightly poppy Genesis moments in there (I'm Turning Around sounds like them in my opinion) but even though they haven't produced a masterpiece the album is still rather listenable. The tracks 'Old As You're Young' and 'Memories Of Old Days' are clearly twiddly enough to be recognisably 'Giant and 'Winning' and 'For Nobody' could do with a couple of extra minutes each to make them classics, but overall I would recommend the purchase of the album, as long as the previous ones are already in the collection! There's enough to enjoy here for a Giant fan.

The Missing Piece is the ninth album from Gentle Giant and it´s a big change from their trademark progressive rock style. The Missing Piece is a much more straightforward rock album compared to the previous eight very progressive rock albums from Gentle Giant. Some people believe that The Missing Piece is a commercial and an artistical sell out, but I must admit that I enjoy most of the songs on The Missing piece and it might even be a bit more exciting to me than the previous album Interview.

There are two masterpiece songs on The Missing Piece IMO. The first song Two Weeks In Spain and the last song For Nobody which both rank among my alltime favorite Gentle Giant songs. The commercial sounding ballad I'm Turning Around is also pretty good in my ears and so is Betcha Thought We Couldn't Do It, Who Do You Think You Are? And Winning. As Old As You're Young is a bit special as it sounds as if it could have been on one of the previous albums. It´s a very enjoyable song. Memories Of Old Days is a very beautiful song in my ears even though it also has a commercial touch.

The musicianship is outstanding as always when we´re talking Gentle Giant, but the elaborate instrumental ideas has been cut down a bit on The Missing Piece and many of the songs employ a more normal rock instrumentation than what we´re used to from Gentle Giant.

The production is great and powerful.

The Missing Piece is a good album IMO, and not quite the disappointment I remembered it to be. If I should chose between The Missing Piece and it´s predessessor Interview I think I would chose The Missing Piece. The Missing Piece might not be as artisticly valid as Interview but it´s catchy and memorable. The prog elements are not as obvious as earlier but Gentle Giant is still a progressive rock band on The Missing Piece. The downfall has started though and would be complete with the next album Giant for a Day. The Missing Piece does deserve more than an average rating IMO so a small 4 star rating is probably in order.

It's missing something alright

While Gentle Giant would find themselves on controversial grounds with their previous album, Interview, with The Missing Piece they finally decided to plunge. While the album is not bad by any means this is a very unimpressive effort from the Giant when compared to some of their earlier works. While that may be a little bit unfair to compare since there were surely other factors at work, such as the changing times, it's easy to see that if you're not familiar with the world of the Giant then this is not the place to start with them. While the typical Gentle Giant quirk is still sticking around this album likes to experiment with the truly bizarre, and not always in a good way as one would think. The songs are short and concise as the Giant does, but none of them pack the same kind of potency as their previous works. While many of the songs have a heavy, fast and fun feel to them they ultimately leave you wanting more - more complexities, more composition and more substance.

The opening number is enough to give away just what kind of album you're getting into. Two Weeks In Spain is highlighted by some very jaunting vocals and some quirky instruments. It certainly is melodic and has some very nice charms to it, but like the rest of the album to follow it, it just isn't as satisfying as a composition such as On Reflection or even Wreck. Simple ideas are toyed around with and quickly discarded, and though each idea will get developed over the course of the song it's never nearly as much as the band would in their more adventurous days. Apparently someone wanted the boys in the band to appeal to a wider audience by stripping them of their musical thickness. Well, that person forgot that the majority of their audience was riding on that thickness.

While there's no songs that could be potentially ear wrenching, there's simply nothing that stands out among the pack to make for a truly worthy Giant tune. I'm Turning Around has a pleasant chorus and For Nobody makes for a rocking closer, but the amazing hooks and melodies are strangely absent. A missing piece indeed. Perhaps the only song on the album that really stands out is the borderline mess of Betcha Thought We Couldn't Do It which, while fun, is way too fast and muddled, and while many may think, ''oh, this guy's just complaining because it's a 2-minute song and he thinks that 2-minute rockers can't be prog'', this song feels completely forces, and honestly, if they'd played music like that from the beginning, they wouldn't have ''done it'' (come this far). Stick to what you're good at, the moral here.

One of Giant's longer tunes is on the album in the form of Memories of Old Days. This 7-minute number is pleasant and slow, but there's nothing particularly special to speak of about it. The vocals on it are calm and clear, but the most of the song is a slow buildup which leads to a slow proceeding of the song. As Old As You're Young is probably the standout from the second side, but that's only because it has a memorable vocal hook attached to it.

The Missing Piece can stay missing from your collection unless you're a hardcore fan of the band, honestly. While later works would become more and more controversial this is the place to stop for many casual listeners. This album may please fans, but it lacks the magic and majesty of many of Gentle Giant's previous works. 2 stars, fans only.

Picking just one favorite Gentle Giant album is impossible since in my opinion everything from In A Glass House is fantastic in their own right, except Giant For A Day. For me their records tend to go in cycles but one that's always a frequent inhabitant in my CD-player is The Missing Piece. It is different from their eclectic earlier works. The overall feeling is that of an aggressive attitude and a much determined output. This is something that Gentle Giant do in quite an impressive manner. The complexity of the arrangements are however most vivid, merely just not as obvious since the songs are often short and straight-forward. For Nobody is my all-time favorite Gentle Giant song and it sums up the album and this particular era for the band in a wonderful way. I feel that this is the work of a band that's been struggling for wider success for many years, giving their utter most performance during a time when a big worldwide change in music occurs.

Not really prog, but not a album overall, pop, disco even punkrock (Betcha Thought We COuldn't Do It), bluesrock, boogy (Mountain Time), all sorts of styles are integrated in the album.

Overly commercial, very safe and it could have been the big breaktrough for the band, but it wasn't. Maybe not poppy enough?

I like this album, because of the energy and the bandmembers seem to have a lot of fun with the music. I understand a lot of reviewers here dislike the album for not being prog enough. But on the other hand it's still experimental in the sense that so many styles are covered.

Because it's not prog i rate it 2 stars!

Oh boy, what happened here? Is this the same Gentle Giant that made such masterpieces as In A Glass House, The Power and the Glory and Free Hand? No, it couldn't possibly be!?! But unfortunately it is...

I have always thought that Derek Shulman's voice would work on any type of song. This time it's actually Kerry Minnear who surprised me by incorporating his vocals to songs like As Old As You're Young and I'm Turning Around. Although the melodies themselves work quite well I really can't related to this new style that, for most part, seem flat and uninspired. I can't really say I wasn't warned by the track titles like Betcha Thought We Couldn't Do It and Memories Of Old Days, but still it hurt me to hear one of my top five favorite bands perform at this low altitude. If anything, this is a new low in the band's otherwise magnificent career up until this point.

I'm really lost for words when it comes to The Missing Piece. The few excellent performances are completely overshadowed by the mediocrity that the rest of the album has to offer. The high peaks might save it from the lowest mark but it really doesn't deserve more than a collectors/fans only rating that I'm giving it.

**** star songs: Two Weeks In Spain (3:00) I'm Turning Around (3:54) Memories Of Old Days (7:15)

*** star songs: Betcha Thought We Couldn't Do It (2:20) Mountain Time (3:19) As Old As You're Young (4:19) Winning (4:12) For Nobody (4:00)

** star songs: Who Do You Think You Are? (3:33)

Total rating: 3,30

The Missing Piece is the ninth studio album by british progressive/art rock band. Despite the title of the album, I don't think it's a missing piece of anything. It cannot be a missing piece, because it doesn't need a lot of attention. It's a missing piece of itself. Why I'm speaking about this? It's because of the abyss between this and past works by Gentle Giant. The quality of the music is much lower than everything until this album. The Missing Piece is strong departure from their progart style. It's much more pop and simple, without depth in songwriting and musicianship. This album looks like a fake imitation of the real Gentle Giant, so that it's another band. Only for people with Gentle Giant collections. Serious attention deserve only the last song - For Nobody which is pleasant sample of the past progart greatness of the band. 2,5 stars

This is a GG album that seems very polarizing for many people. I understand why, as it's the first big move toward commercial accessibility for the band. There were some signs earlier, but The Missing Piece carries it through. I don't find it as bad as Giant for Day, which I find unlistenable, but there are several tracks that are not very good.

1-Two Weeks in Spain-an okay opener with some energy and nice changes.

2-I'm Turning Around-I happen to like this track, it's catchy and still has some redeeming GG sounds, but was definitely an attempt at a single.

3-Betcha Thought We Couldn't Do It-not good. Blatant pop song that isn't even a good pop song!

4-Who Do You Think We Are?-A nice opening riff, then just a mediocre poppy song.

5-Mountain Time-Should have been left in the mountains. Another pop song, better than "Betcha" and "Who..." but still a pop song.

6-As Old As You're Young.-For me, a good GG song. It is a bit simpler and straight forward than classic GG, but it's got some complexity and a great melody.

7-Memories of Old Days-IMHO the best song on the album. Multiple layered guitars, haunting melody and keys. One of their last great tracks. (It was a great track live).

8-Winning-strange percussion and rhythm, but a decent song.

9-For Nobody-a good powerful ending, though short. I find it as a sort of "Cogs In Cogs' lite! Good vocal counterpoint.

In summary, 3 Stars, an okay album, but definitely not essential and definitely not an example of GG at their creative and musical best.

The missing Piece of the title seems to be a reference to the band´s complex sound up to then. So the missing piece would be simplicity. Well, that´s the theory a brazilian writer left when he wrote a book about prog rock in the mid 80´s. It makes sense. In 1977 the music industry was not interested in complex music at all. In fact it was eager to drop their acts altogether and sign up the up-and-coming new bands that were from the fad, the punk movement (a move they would soon regret, but that´s another story). And Gentle Giant tried to adapt to the new reality. A lot of fans did not like this album at all. Much to my surprise I didn´t find it not even half as bad as I initially though it would be. In fact, it is, consdering the time period when it was recorded, quite good.

Ok, The Missing Piece is no Octopus or Free Hand. It´s not a classic. But it does have more good moments than bad ones. The vinyl´s first side is where the short, ´simple´stuff (by GG ´s standards, of course) is. Songs like Two Weeks In Spain and I´m Turning Around are more ´radio friendly´ but still bear the GG´s trademark signature. However, Betcha Thought We Couldn't Do It is surely the weakest thing they haD ever released thus far. Even if it was only a joke with critics it added nothing to the group´s repertoir and kind of spoil the overall sound. A really waste of time and efford. Who Do You Think You Are and Mountain Time are ok, at best. They fit in the new concept, I guess, but are not as good as the two firstt ones. Things improve a lot on the second side, much more progressive and convincing. And The Missing Piece does have the classic GG track in the form of Memories Of The Old Days. this 7 minute tune is one of their best ever, with terrific acoustic guitar lines and an inspired arrangement. As Old As You Are Young sounds like a lost Jethro Tull track, while the two last songs Winning and For Nobody are powerful compositions and could be on any of their earlier works.

Conclusion: The Missing Piece is not a classic GG record, but does contain enough good material to warrant itt a 3 star rating. It is good, but not as the the previous ones the group has put out until then. But if you like this unique and groundbreaking band, it is worth checking it out. Not for beginners, thought.

Being relatively new to Gentle Giant, all I knew about them at the time was that they had a reputation for being an A grade prog group. So, when I saw The Missing Piece in the record store I jumped at the chance of owning my first slice of GG pie...

A lot of people have said that the best place for newcomers to GG is within the first 4 or 5 records - and they are probably correct. However, The Missing Piece is no slouch, especially compared with a lot of records other prog bands with releasing at the time. 1977 is when the record was released and goes up against punk in full swing as we all know and it seemed that most prog groups went a couple of different routes. They either withered and disappeared forever or they commercialised their sound and struggled on (or in Yes and Genesis' case rose to new heights of fame). While GG may have streamlined their sound somewhat and added some single style songs to the track list, The Missing Piece is still a highly accomplished and enjoyable record, especially compared to counterpart records by other bands at the time. When you think of what the more commercial prog groups were releasing at this time you realise how much GG had actually stuck to their guns, it is certainly one of the most enjoyable "late era" prog records I own.

Highlights include "Two Weeks in Spain", a catchy and eccentric tune that really gets stuck in your head with a really driving guitar/synth riff. "I'm Turning Around" which was obviously intended as a shot at a bit of rock radio airplay, very much evoking the sound of And Then There Were Three/Duke era Genesis in it's chorus, but overall a high quality and memorable rock song. Jumping over to the second side yields a slightly more "proggy" experience, "Memories of Old Days" - the longest running track of the record at just over 7 minutes long sounds a lot more like early GG, an intricate and delicate acoustic guitar and synth laced song. Finally, "For Nobody" is an awesome and "proper" prog rock rocker, a high paced, driven song again with the now familiar dueling guitar and synths.

The Missing Piece is probably what most would summarise as a "mixed bag", yes there are a few bits of filler in the middle and it probably doesn't live up to the outstanding and seamless quality of the previous records, but given how many albums the band were into their career and the changing demographic of the fickle record buying public they were doing a grand job. Once you have sifted through the dust this album has plenty of gems to satisfy and is highly enjoyable a sign of how good Gentle Giant really were, even in the tough times. If you like prog - get this - and everything else GG has done!

4 stars.

What a fitting title! And it can't be a coincidence that the ' missing piece ' happens to be part of the Gentle Giant puzzle's forehead. My guess is the band were self-aware that they had given their sound a total frontal lobotomy. I really don't mind when prog artists go 'pap' if they do it in a self respecting, inventive, or simply melodic way but this album really seems like a last ditch effort by GG to usher in some new (presumably AOR yuppie) fans and hopefully lotsa moolah too.

Sadly, they failed on all accounts to make his Frankenstein monster of an album a success. Not only had GG isolated their old fans who were lamenting the loss of all those 'tricky-dicky' signatures they used to cram in their tunes but "The Missing Piece" failed to break the top 50, much less the top 10 on the pop-slop charts. Poor poor buggers. Oh and chalk me up as a fan of their old stuff because personally, this music is frequently brain gaugingly lame. When handed the task of recording a group of simple 4/4 ballads and rockers, these modern classical composers probably scoffed at the task initially but then soon realized that pop songs aren't so easy to write after all, now are they all you hardcore proggies?

What we have here are some of the most perverted sounding and unattractive pop ditties that have ever passed through my ear canals. I mean this isn't even normal pop fare, this is smutz like POWER BALLADS, BOOGIE WOOGIE, and FUNK ROCK. An ace progressive rock band sinking to the level of the Bay City Rollers and Foreigner? Now that sounds like a brilliant comedy skit on Saterday Night Live, amiright? "I'm Turning Around" is a rocking ballad in the worst of Aerosmith traditions which includes a GIANT, GENERIC, SAPPY, SWEEPING CHORUS that will never cease to end once set in motion! First time I even checked to see if the my record had a skipping problem... that should explain enough about how much I utterly loath this song even despite it's decent verse melody. We also have some bad sleaze rock in the worst traditions of Bad Company with "Who Do You Think You Are?" Who do they think they are anyway, Steely Dan?

And unfortunately, if the music isn't totally contrived like the two atrocities I've mentioned above, the music they churn out is simply boring. Many of the songs on the second "progressive" side just totally pass me by. These anomalies include the gross flirtation between prog and disco ("Winning") and a third rate, half medieval, half AOR ditty that puts Kerry Minnear's only spot for his wonderful vocals to waste. ("As Old as You're Young".)

Thankfully, there is some good music too, so this album really isn't the biggest waste of time or money ever created. "Two Weeks in Spain" is excellent Euro-pop, with a hilariously bouncy theme that is simply fun to sing along to. I also find the universally hated "Mountain Time" to be a bit underrated with a nice riff and a cute lounge jazzy melody that resolves itself nicely. "I Betcha Thought We Couldn't Do It" is a side-splittingly funny boogie/punk hybrid with Derek Shulman wailing all over the place and Gary Green catching some steam and playing a stunningly fast guitar solo. Lastly, "Memories of Old Days" is a PROG masterpiece with a great atmosphere conjured up by waves of heavenly acoustic guitar riffs and a real majestic, stately feel in the chorus. So, yea, there are means of redemption for this wretched album too.

In the end, "Missing Piece" is a real mixed bag of nastiness and boredom with some fun, catchy stuff. This isn't a bad album or anything, but it's completely unnecessary in the grand scheme of all things Gentle Giant. Stick to the classics until you buy 'em all up and you start to thirst for more GG. Just handle this one a bit more warily and I think you'll be ok.

Album Grade: C

What's for sure is that I am not missing this album at all!

"Gentle Giant" simplified their music (which I can't blame) but turned into some commercial outfit which was not really welcome: probably a sign of time. While the band was highly creative (even if I have never been a fan of theirs), it is all gone here.

Some attempt to rock'n'roll ("Betcha Thought We Couldn't Do It") sounds quite ridiculous to my ears. Luckily, it is very short. The funky "Who Do You Think You Are?" and "Mountain Time" aren't any better, I'm afraid.

One of the few songs that is bearable is "As Old As You're Young": it is immediately recognizable as a GG song. It sounds fresh, a bit complex even if it is somewhat more commercial and of easier approach than a classic GG song.

The best track by far is "Memories Of Old Days": one goes through a very nice instrumental intro to a typical GG song even if, again, the structure is less tortured and therefore more accessible than usual. It conveys a pleasant medieval feel (classic guitar). It is a very good track indeed. But there is only one like this on "The Missing Piece". Still, the closing and frenetic number "For Nobody" also deserves a mention.

In all, this is not an album to recommend IMHHO. Two stars.

The album begins with Gentle Giant trying something new. "Two Weeks In Spain" is dedicated to the working class holiday. It fuses elements of punk and progressive music, and in my opinion, quite successfully. It's catchy, it's fun, and you can still hear some old Gentle Giant in there. The next track, "I'm Turning Around", is quite rubbish. This is their attempt at a straightforward pop song. How embarrassing! After this pure pop song, comes a pure punk song. "Betcha Thought We Couldn't Do It" has a typical sounding guitar solo, average composition. Nothing to write home about. The next two songs are just enjoyable rock and roll. Nothing too complex or progressive. This brings the first side to a close.

The second side brings GG back to the golden years! While still retaining some elements of pop music, they managed to compose four outstanding tracks, that measure up with some of their best albums. "As old as You're Young" sounds really cool, and uses some badass chords around half way through. "Memories of old Days" is the slower track, but manages to be quite progressive and very well written. "Winning" is just Gentle Giant awesomeness. It's everything you know them for, executed very well. The final song is "For Nobody". This adrenaline filled joy ride is complex, speedy. and draws the album to a very cool close.

Overall, though the first side experiments with some pop and punk music elements with varying success, but the second side is awesome. Though I should probably give this album 3 stars, I'm giving it four for the sake of recommendation. Don't let this one slip through your fingers! There is some great stuff on here.

The Missing Piece marks a change in the Gentle Giant sound. The songs here are not as thoroughly thought out as on previous releases, making this album far simpler in sound and influences. By this time, Gentle Giant had decided to try writing music with more of a pop edge to appeal more to fans of pop music and to gain more play on radio. This change in direction didn't really work well at all, and really sounds uninspired. The songs ultimately sound like boring and slightly quirk pop-rock. Better than most pop-rock, but still within the same realm. The medieval instrumentation is nearly completely gone by this point, and none of the musicianship really sticks out. Though this isn't terrible music, it certainly doesn't live up the Gentle Giant's earlier music. Unfortunately, this sound would go on to get worse in subsequent releases.

Ok, I think it's terribly unfortunate that the Missing Piece is rated so low. If you actually listen to it, you will see this is a great album. I've been familiar with virtually all of Giant's discography (including the unfortunate Giant for a Day and the slightly better Civilian) however this one slipped through the cracks. While this definitely is not the finest album they've created, it most certainly has some of the finest material of their career. "Two Weeks in Spain" is a fantastic track, integrating classic contrapuntal Giant style with accessibility. "I'm Turning Around" seems to nip some of the "And Then There Were Three" Genesis style, but be reminded that Missing Piece appeared a year before. "Who do You Think You Are" is a solid track that could've easily appeared on the previous album. Now the second side of the album is classic Giant, from "As Old As We're Young" through "For Nobody". I'm a bit disappointed that it took me so long to the discover these songs since they were hidden in an apparently "bad" album. If an album is comparatively "not prog" everyone dismisses it as inessential. On the contrary, it very much is essential.

If this was as far into pop as Gentle Giant would venture, I could have lived with that. I actually liked this when it was first released. But then there was "Giant For a Day".

Two Weeks In Spain starts the album in a poppy way, but the song does have a bit of that olf GG instrumental interplay. Aside from a tinny mix, it's not that bad. I'm Turning Around is a relatively soft ballad, with a good chorus, saved by powerful keyboards and a good bass line.

Next is Betcha Thought We Couldn't Do It. Okay, you could do it. You can stop now. Actually, this straight ahead rocker is very good. Better than the rockers on the last two albums. Who Do You Think You Are? almost sounds like it wants to be southern rock, with a New Orleans sound as well. But it has some of those Gentle Giant rhythmic turns, keeping it relatively interesting. Mountain Time is a bluesy piano beased song. It's not bad, but also not memorable.

As Old As You're Young, with Ray Shulman on lead vocals, is the best old-style Gentle Giant song, with the familiar madrigal style, and great vocal weaving. Memories Of Old Days has some beautiful guitar work, and because of that, is one of the Giant's best light ballads. Winning sounds like it was recorded for the previous album, "Interview". It has the rhythmic experimentention that permeates that album. It's not a bad song, either.

For Nobody closes the album in a nice way. This energetic piece has fine organ work, and some spectacular vocal arrangements. It leaves me wanting more.

Sure, this is by no means Gentle Giant's best work, but it is progressive, contains much of the band's identity, and is a worthwhile album for the prog fan.

Contrary to popular belief, Prog Rock didn't immediately roll over and die with the arrival of Punk. In retrospect nearly every major English Progressive Rock band (with the exception of ELP, already struggling in the tar pits of dinosaur superstardom) met the social upheavals of the era with some of their most assured music to date.

Think of Genesis with "Trick of the Tail"...Pink Floyd with "Animals"...Yes and Jethro Tull with "Going For the One" and "Songs From the Wood". Even cult acts like Camel and Van Der Graaf (note the newly re-tooled moniker) successfully reinvented themselves in "Rain Dances" and "The Quiet Zone/The Pleasure Dome".

And you can make a similar claim about Gentle Giant with their 1977 album "The Missing Piece". It's nowhere near the same creative plateau as "The Power and the Glory" or "In a Glass House", but if nothing else the album proved that even the quirkiest Proggers could sacrifice a little eclecticism without compromising their unique musical character.

A rediscovered surge of energy and enthusiasm is immediately evident in the album opener "Two Weeks in Spain", and in the aggressive curtain closer "For Nobody", the latter song in particular making the strongest case for a new, revitalized Gentle Giant. Echoes of bygone delicacy can be heard in the aptly titled "Memories of Old Days", although I wish Kerry Minnear had been allowed the lead vocals. And no one would ever mistake the choppy, spasmodic rhythms of "Who Do You Think You Are?" or the clattering thing called "Winning" for Top-40 sell-outs.

Even the admittedly stupid hillbilly stomp of "Mountain Time" never fails to put a smile on my face, prompting as it does a mental image of the barefoot Shulman boys passing around a jug of Appalachian moonshine.

You could argue that the tongue-in-cheek Punk Rock riposte of "Betcha Thought We Couldn't Do It" was never going to convince an audience of kids with safety-pins in their ears (it had a few too many chords). But the only obvious misstep on the album was the Arena Rock wannabe anthem "I'm Turning Around", according to Derek Shulman written at a moment's notice under record company duress.

Too bad the band never followed up on the blueprint drawn here, instead topping a solid new foundation with the flimsy tinker-toy edifice of "Giant For a Day" the next year. It's as if, having found the piece to complete the puzzle, they couldn't understand the finished picture, a pattern likewise followed by too many other Prog Rock bands around the same time: see the albums "Tormato", "Stormwatch", "...And Then There Were Three", even (despite its massive popularity) the bloated beached whale known as "The Wall".

In retrospect maybe it wouldn't have mattered. "The Missing Piece" showed that yes, you can teach an old dog new tricks. But your jaded friends and neighbors still won't take any notice.

The way I see it, this album was somewhat of a clumsy compromise with the sudden sweeping of prog from the public's sphere of appreciation. The first side (Two Weeks In Spain through Mountain Time) contains a bunch of Giant-tinged attempts at pop songs, which are quite a mixed bag; the second side (As Old As You're Young through For Nobody), on the other hand, takes a distinctly more complex approach, as is clear from (among other things) the interwoven vocals on As Old As You're Young and For Nobody, the sound effects of Memories of Old Days, and the unusual percussion of Winning. The thing is, while the first side is merely okay, the second side is some of the better material they ever recorded, so I feel fairly confident in giving this album a 3. Two Weeks In Spain is probably the best song from the poppy side; it's energetic and contains catchy main themes, and the synth-powered instrumental part about halfway through is great. Although it's not particularly complex, I quite enjoy listening to it. I'm Turning Around, however, is utterly boring. It's certainly not unpleasant to listen to; it's just a completely bland ballad. I Betcha Thought We Couldn't do it is a joke, a poor attempt at playing vaguely punklike music. But that being said, it's still fun, and short enough that it's reasonable to listen to (which it would probably not be if it exceeded its 2:20 span.) Who Do You Think You Are is the other pretty good song from the first side; the chorus isn't all that great, but the quirky halting quality of the music keeps it interesting. It has an excellent bass part as well. Finally, Mountain Time is also a pretty boring rocker, based around a theme that doesn't really go anywhere. Now, the second side kicks off with one of my favorite Gentle Giant songs, As Old As You're Young. Not only are the vocals in the "Follow your youth, and you'll find that the time goes..." section a cool and interesting contrast with the rest of the song, but the primary tune is one of the most absurdly catchy themes I've ever heard. After hearing this song as a kid (long before I was aware of prog, or any other Gentle Giant songs), I had it stuck in my head, on and off again, for 2 or 3 YEARS before finally hearing the song again and thinking "So that's what this tune was! Man, this song is pretty good!" I would say that this song does an excellent job of walking the line between prog and pop. Memories of Old Days is also stellar, slowly building to a sort of mysterious atmosphere full of layered guitars and Hammond organ. Unlike the other tracks on here, it's willing to take its time, which does wonders. Winning is filled to the brim with creative and interesting percussion. Although the main tune isn't as pleasant as those on the rest of the album, it's driving and active. For Nobody is a return to the energy that drove Two Weeks in Spain, but it's also quite a bit better, with a break in the middle for some harmonized vocals with an interesting phasing effect applied to them. Gary Green also has a great solo in the middle, and this song is overall exciting throughout. So, is this essential listening for a Gentle Giant fan? Well, the second half is really good, but balanced out by the first half this is a solid three. Highlights include As Old As You're Young, Memories of Old Days, and For Nobody.

Gentle Giant, missing in action...

Gentle Giant's "The Missing Piece" is a transitional album made during 1977 as disco was beginning to be king and punk was alive and spitting. The album I have came with the dismal followup "Giant For a Day" and in comparison to that, this album is very good. However, gone are the technical coimplexities of the Giant only to be replaced with very simple three chord wonder melodic rock. I like the way it starts with its raucous and rather catchy 'Two Weeks in Spain', the Shulman brothers sound great and this one is infectious with some weird musicianship. It then goes steadily downhill with 'I'm Turning Around', a failed attempt at a ballad single, that did not trouble the top of the charts either side of the Atlantic. 'Betcha Thought we couldn't do it' is mediocre quasi-punk as is 'Who do you think you are?' and the nauseating hicksville of 'Mountain Time'. It picks up a bit with a more progressive approach with 'Memories of Old Days' that has a longer running time and even effects of children thrown in. The album even ends on something proggy with 'For Nobody' but this is rather a lacklustre album.

The liner notes attempt to explain or justify this mediocrity from a band we have come to admire over the years for their virtuoso complexity in prog. Ray Shulman explains; "it was a funny period of time; we were suddenly searching for an identity, what we ought to be, where we were going to fit in. There was a degree of pressure to make a more commercial album, and to be honest I can't even remember whether it was self-generated or from the outside; in any case, we'd always tried to avoid repeating ourselves, we were always looking for something new to do." The result is this rather poor effort and it certainly was the beginning of disaster for the group that would continue to decline on the ensuing GG catalogue.

Perfect Frosted Mini Wheat album! (You need to look that reference up to get it.) Kansas' "Audio-Visions" is too, but in a bad way.

Solid 4 stars. Perfect for any Prog Head who like it a bit harder.

This is my favorite GG album. I cranked this up more than Free Hand and TP&TG. It's progressive (side 2) and it's rock (side 1). It's Progressive Rock! DUH! None of these songs are dead tracks. There is no filler, like Yes would have.

Unlike the following album, "Giant For A Day", where GG sounds a bit like Supertramp, this one has the elements of the past, but more balanced in a smaller package (kind of like late Genesis or Kansas' "Point Of Know Return") with good production. As always, GG's song writing is in the forefront, sometimes ignoring solos (2WIS, MT, Winning) in favor of getting the song across. What I think they were trying to do? Reaching for that hit or some AOR airplay. This album isn't deplete of those qualities. I just think the one thing that *always* held GG back was that no one liked Derek's voice, who sounds like Kiss' Paul Stanley, enough. Maybe people I share GG albums with tell me, "He can't sing". I disagree. Phil and Kerry don't count.

Prime examples of Progressive Rock come in the songs on side 2.

"For Nobody" is the killer. This has to be the most aggressive GG has ever been. Hammond blaring, powerful drums, Les Paul solos, Ray taking command with is P-bass, GG's signature vocals... complex and perfect.

"Winning", too, has lots of aggression complete with trashy percussion intro and break. I love the ending where the bass holds the chords and the melody comes from the keys and guitar... compliments Derek screaming about someone he knows.

"Old As You're Young" is another complex keyboard/organ/bass driven arrangement (and my first GG song I leaned on bass), led by Kerry, which could have been on any of the previous 3 albums. It's twisty with folk elements. Maybe a bit like "Taleybont", and more of GG's signature vocal runs.

"Memories Of Old Days" is the optional or obligatory (depending on how you see things) Progressive Rock "psychedelic" trip. I have grown to appreciate it and like it for it's chiming guitars, Moog bass, keyboard flourishes, and lyrics. Many other reviews of this album site this as the high point. I flat out think it's the worst song on the album next to "Turning Around". The plethora of songs (like Yes' "Topographical Nightmare") like this ruined Progressive Rock. Bands think we went to hear this? Plus... news flash: there is nothing rock about it. I used to skip this one.

Side one? Yes! I love it just as much.

"Mountain Time" is solid! What a romp! Better than that blaring "Roundabout" with it's damned bonky beat. Rocks as good as any AOR cut. Minnear's Piano/Wurlitzer 200-A combo pounds the way with playful vocals (w/ female backup) and nimble guitar and bass. I think it could be a little too sophisticated for AOR.

"I Betcha Though We..." has been made fun of by my friends countless times (replace "Couldn't Do It with "Weren't Jewish"...). I see it as a kind of mock punk "salute" to the prog snobs. I see the humor in it.

"Two Weeks In Spain" is a cool rock number leaving me with this: who hasn't mentioned "which lyric is on the downbeat?" On SPAIN, damnit! Spain! Jeez!

"Who Do You Think You Are" is a slower tune with some funk elements. If could be easily forgotten but it has some ambiguous time changes and tight playing.

"Turning Around" is the ballad and single they wanted but didn't happen. Far cry from "Think Of Me With Kindness".

I'll return tomorrow to finish this... I have a few thoughts more on the movement of Prog rock during this time (late 70's).

Acquiring the Taste for "The Missing Piece":

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.

This will be the first Gentle Giant album I review here but I've heard some and loved them all. I did this review because of the low rating it has got and realized after listening my opinion was similar to the majority's. This is a pleasant album with some really good compositions but it's not a masterpiece. There are som quite bad songs and the album as one do not impress me. It's very visible that they were populizing their sound. The music is harder, less complicated and has not so many instruments than before. That is sad because it was what we liked som much.

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.

NOT as bad as you could think.

Hey Hey Hey now, this is actually a good record. The 'missing piece' in the GG panorama as finally been found in terms of shorter, punchier rock songs with easy mélodies to hum. Is it the end?

Of course not, it's not the end of the GG we know and love! Their fingerprints (or earprints?) are all over the record, with still the quirkyness staples but maybe more bluesy at times, and they haven't lost their ability to rock. This album contains some of the heavyest moments in Giant's history.

Anyway, we can spot spectacular moments like Only As Old as You're Young, arguably one of the strongest songs in their catalogs. This killer track is a white ray of light in your morning; great melody and clever playing. For those who claim loud and proud that GG changed from this album should reconsider the level of your earing aid because the musicianship is still stellar!

As smooth and pleasant as the billiard's carpet of the cover and certainly as good as Interview.

It came, really, as no surprise that I would find this album strangely rewarding. I find that in the autumn of my youth have come to appreciate the odder albums in my favorite bands catalogues more than ever before, sometimes to the expense of albums I previously hailed as masterpieces. When I came across Black Sabbath's Never say die I found it lacklustre and strange, boring and uninspired. So much, in fact, that I never seemed to get to the end of the bloody thing. Nowadays I rate it extremely high and find it to be an excellent album, bolstering angst, fury and skillful musicianship dressed in slicker form than on any previous album.

So, reading about The missing piece I was intrigued and curious. I find that GG:s debut is amongst the finest prog-albums ever made, in it's quirky british conglomerate of sounds and textures. This album gets some praise, some flak and some lukewarm reviews. I had to listen to it, discover it and form my own opinion.

Actually I find that half of the album works very well, while the other half is so-and-so. Firstly I'd like to say something of the musical direction displayed on here. It is true that it is more accessible than before, almost pop in some places. But what does that mean? Pop? "You mean pop as in "Chirpy chirpy cheep cheep" by Middle of the road?" No way, (wo)man! The thing is that I find the album to be a blend of art-pop, prog and rock. It is in places similar to Supertramp, like in Mountain time with it's hammering of the piano.

The best tracks are those where the trademarks of GG is still evident, like in the magnificent pop-prog of "As old as you're young". The vocals of Mr. Derek Shulman is as recognisable as ever and the keyboards is GG at their finest, really. The complexity of the past is there. The music can't be, and now I am talking about the album in general, classified as easy listening. Though accessible it retains the characteristica of the band, which basically is the enormous musical skills they possess.

"Memories of old days" is the longest track and in some ways the one that really lets the prog flag fly high. A great song in it's own right that in the presence of the other more pop-oriented tracks stand out like a boot in your gravy. I really love the atmospheres and skillful melody of the whole thing.

Other tracks worth mentioning is "Two weeks in Spain" and "For nobody". The tracks not mentioned aren't really bad, it is after all GG we're talking about. They aren't even fillers, just not up to my liking.

So, what is the conclusion then? The missing piece is an enjoyable album with plenty going for it. The album is not the disaster one sometimes could be lead to believe. I would, however, not recommend to someone eager to investigate GG:s catalogue. Still, if you are acquainted, to take a listen. I think you'll find something to love, something to like and probably one or two track to dislike. The result will though, I think, be a listening experience more enjoyable than unpleasant.

For me as the person from the former Soviet Union, it is easy and evident why I love song-oriented things or at maximum extended song-oriented things or at absolute maximum one reasonably avantgarde piece per career.

That is why my faves are Gentle Giant and most of Queen. That is why I see TMP as the good abum with bad tendency of artificial lengthening of otherwise classic 2-3 minutes' great pop songs. As well as artificially epicized (episized!) "Memories..." and two real progressive rock standards, that are As Old and For Nobody.

Those who ever visited the brilliant laconic informative site called Vintage Prog (I'm not its creator and it's hardly an ad) were probably shocked that Gentle Giant is presented there with ALL 12 (11 studio + 1 official live) releases. Which is an exceptional result for a band of more than five albums there.

'The Missing Piece' - Gentle Giant (41/100)

The Missing Piece is, if nothing else, an eclectic album. Unfortunately, that's where its similarities with Gentle Giant's earlier albums begins to end. Yes, this is where things really started to unravel for a band I've heard described as the 'quintessential prog rock act.' In a sense trailblazing the 'prog-to-pop' trend that swept up bands like Yes and Genesis a couple of years later, it seemed like Gentle Giant were finally desperate enough to pursue the commercial success they loudly scoffed at circa Acquiring the Taste. However, unlike Genesis (who had Phil Collins) or Yes (who had Trevor Rabin), Gentle Giant lacked the fundamental songwriting skills to make it in the commercial sphere.

With The Missing Piece in particular, the experiment feels like a complete and utter mess. Far moreso than its pair of poppy successors (Giant for a Day and Civilian), The Missing Piece doesn't seem to have a firm idea of what it wants to be. Especially on the album's superior second half, there's the definite sense that Gentle Giant still have part of their heart set on progressive rock. But it would misleading to call The Missing Piece a prog album; before we hear anything that confirms our expectations of Gentle Giant, there is punk rock ("Two Weeks in Spain") diabetic AOR balladry ("I'm Turning Around") rock n' roll ("Betcha Thought We Couldn't Do It") and blues rock ("Who Do You Think You Are?" and "Mountain Time")- and that's just the first side. Even if most of the styles they're working with are familiar and pre-codified, the variety gives the impression that Gentle Giant are unsure where they want to go.

By itself, the variety is actually cause for some mild excitement. Given that so many of these 'popular' styles are fresh territory for the Shulmans and co., it's pretty cool to hear Gentle Giant extending their reach to encompass so much new ground at once. The Missing Piece may have even been great, had many of these expeditions ever actually worked. "Two Weeks in Spain" is one of the few that arguably do; it's a jarring change of pace even from what they were doing the year before on Interview, but the prog-punk fusion is exciting, and probably one of the very first instances that combination was actually attempted (anyone else hearing early Cardiacs here?) There seems to be consensus that the strongest track here is "Memories of Old Days", and indeed it's one of the most emotional moments in GG's career. It's a crossroads between Floydian melancholy (think "Comfortably Numb") and surreal acoustic guitars foreshadowing modern avant-prog legends maudlin of the Well's famous interludes by a quarter of a century. Be you a fan of Gentle Giant or a total newcomer, "Memories of Old Days" is kind of a masterpiece for what it is, and it's a complete and utter shame that the album it's a part of is such crap more often than not, elsewise I'm sure more people would be singing its praises.

"Two Weeks in Spain" and "Memories of Old Days" are truffles in the mud. The rest of the music here ranges from mediocre prog ("For Nobody") to forsakenly terrible AOR- can we stop for a moment to condemn "I'm Turning Around" in particular? I suppose it's a slight merit on Gentle Giant's part that they foreshadowed the slimy-sugary 80s' power ballad archetype a few years before the fact, but to current ears especially, it's a tough sell to get through that song with ears intact. No, I'm serious- what were they bloody thinking?! Gentle Giant have never been one for any shade of sentiment, and they go off an attempt a love song that would make the FM radio gods weep and wither. "Betcha Thought We Couldn't Do It" and "As Old As You're Young" are irritating as well, but their shock is limited by the dismal depths they hit on "I'm Turning Around". The Missing Piece has a few great moments but they're fiercely outweighed by the duds. Unlike Giant for a Day it does sound like they're trying to do something interesting here, but- pure and simple, it does not work.

Let's face it; a big part of the enduring appeal of Gentle Giant's music is the fact that they took the tenets of progressive rock bombast and complexity to a proverbial 11. The sheer overwhelming arrangements and mind-bending eclecticism tended to outshine emotional depth and composition. Even as a fan of the band, I don't think Gentle Giant could ever be called good songwriters in the traditional sense, so it stands to reason that an album that largely mutes the bells and whistles wouldn't seem nearly as appealing. To the album's credit, a simpler route hasn't kept Gentle Giant from diving into a wide range of styles, but with such appalling inconsistency to the quality of music here, it's a tough album to recommend.

Could a 'pop' Gentle Giant actually work? I think it might have, if they had approached the new dynamic with the fervour that inspired their wackiest prog. Civilian is the closest we ever hear of that potential. While the variety makes The Missing Piece more generally interesting than Giant for a Day, some of the band's most underwhelming and pathetic moments are to be found here. Might have not been a bad idea if they had quit after Interview.

I have heard and have all of Gentle Giant's output except Civilian. Giant For A Day doesn't do anything for me, but The Missing Piece? Now, that's a different story. Wrongly lumped in with the two subsequent GG albums, The Missing Piece, even though it was somewhat of a departure from previous records, stands on it's own as a masterpiece!

I never tire of this record, and keep looking for the negative feeling that a fair number of others have for this record, and after countless listenings, I give up trying to find it. I love The Missing Piece! This album is pretty upbeat, and has a mostly happy vibe to it, and when I want something like that, this record always delivers.

There is still enough quirkiness and complexity going on to make it a stimulating and interesting listening experience. In the same breath, this is one of the most cohesive albums that I have ever heard by any group-there are different moods and paces being realised here, from the moving ballad "I'm Turning Around" , to the rock your socks off "For Nobody", and some sort of in between like "As Old As You're Young", but everything fits together so nicely I usually listen to this album not in sections, but all the way through. The recording is a transitional one, I admit, but a pleasant one, nonetheless. Though not quite like previous GG records, it is not like what came after it, either. The Missing Piece is gutsy, but not "in your face". It truly is a "missing piece", and I am glad I have it. I give it 4 stars.

My initial reaction when I listened to this album was "My god, this is udder you-know-what. Nothing like the old Giant." The latter is pretty much true. Gentle Giant have given up being anti-establishment in an attempt to sell lots of records be big stars like Genesis. But today I decided a reassessment was in order.

The album starts with "Two Weeks in Spain" which is about office business trips. I don't really like it, but man is it catchy. Most of these songs are. In fact, a lot of these songs sound like prototypes for the bad 80's music, like "I'm Turning Around", which is a bit similar to Genesis, and "Winning", which sounds like Huey Lewis and the News (they weren't around yet, I know. Coincidentally, they were also signed to Chrysalis Records!). "Betcha Thought We Couldn't Do It" is a punk rock pastiche (with a keyboard solo! *GASP*) about how they made the transition to 4/4 pop songs in order to survive. This album is quite the potpourri of styles. "Mountain Time" sounds like blues rock! In my opinion, the only songs on this album that sound remotely like the old band are "As Old As You're Young", "Memories of Old Days", and "For Nobody". In fact, I think "As Old As You're Young" is the best track on the album. These songs shine like diamonds in the waste.

Overall, I liked this album a bit better than when I first heard it. For the true Gentle Giant fan however, stick with their first eight LPs. This band is probably best approached chronologically, because they modify their sound in interesting ways from album to album; after Interview they start to decline. But there are some okay songs on this. Probably for the casual fan.

Review Nº 167

Formed at the dawn of the progressive rock era in 1969, Gentle Giant seemed poised for a time in the mid 70's to break out of their cult band status, but somehow never made the jump, probably due to the complexity of the style of their music. Somewhat closer in spirit to Genesis, Yes and King Crimson than to Emerson, Lake & Palmer or the Nice, their unique sound melded hard rock, jazz/fusion and classical music, with an almost medieval approach to singing.

After the release of their previous eighth studio album "Interview", in 1976, which was more experimental, less commercial and less balanced than their seventh studio album "Free Hand" was, and also after the realize of the "Interview" live tour, Gentle Giant returned to the recording studio sessions and they made the decision of change de musical direction of the music of the group. They decided to explore different musical directions, including pop, new wave and punk rock on their future studio album. So, they included those new musical experiences on the first side of the album keeping the second side more in the traditional Gentle Giant's progressive musical vein.

"The Missing Piece" is the ninth studio album of Gentle Giant and was released in 1977. All songs were written by Kerry Minnear, Derek Shulman and Ray Shulman. The first track "Two Weeks In Spain" is a great song, very fun and enjoyable. It's a vibrant and quirky opener with insistent guitar licks from Gary Green and a charming vocal from Derek Shulman, as well as airy keyboards from Kerry Minnear. While lyrically and musically it's pretty light pop fare, and a big change from what you would normally expect from Gentle Giant, the song really works. It's a charming and energetic song with nice changes. Probably, it gave a great joy to Gentle Giant. The second track "I'm Turning Around" is a calm and beautiful song. This is a poignant song about forging a new life after a break-up, with strong vocals from Shulman and effective riffs from Green's guitar and Minnear's organ. It's a soft romantic ballad that reminds me the old Gentle Giant. The third track "Betcha Thought We Couldn't Do It" is my first problem with the album. This is a song influenced by new wave and punk. It's a rock song but it doesn't sound too Gentle Giant. Although an admirable attempt to keep up with the genre that was essentially responsible for putting an end to prog rock, hearing the mighty Gentle Giant pounding away here sounds a bit forced. The fourth track "Who Do You Think You Are?" is my second problem with the album. This is an uninspired pop song. I can't understand how a group so creative write a song like this. The fifth track "Mountain Time" is my third problem with the album. This isn't a bad song, but it should never have been written by the band. It has nothing to do with Gentle Giant. The sixth track "As Old As You're Young" is the return of Gentle Giant's sound. This is a good Gentle Giant's song with some complexity and with a good melody. It sounds like it could have come of "Three Friends", a warm little ditty with layers of vocals, Minnear's clever use of a myriad of keyboards, slippery bass work from Ray Shulman, and John Weathers' nimble jazzy drum work. The seventh track "Memories Of Old Days" is the the epic song of the album. It's probably the best song on the album, one their lengthiest songs and their last great song. Here, Derek Shulman pulls out all the stops for one of his most heartfelt vocal performances, and the dual acoustic guitar textures from Ray and Gary are just magical. Complemented by Minnear's sumptuous keyboards, this is just a stunning piece, easily the best song from the band from this era. This is a song in the memory of the good old days of the band. The eighth track "Winning" is a typical Gentle Giant's song. It has almost the complexity of the old material which transforms it as memorable as their best tracks. It sees John Weathers laying down all sorts of percussion and tricky drum signatures, while the rest of the band rocks out with searing guitars and Hammond for a quirky and rocking good time. The ninth track "For Nobody" is a powerful close for the album. This is another song in the vein of Gentle Giant. It's a driving rocker led by Minnear's raging Hammond riffs and Green intricate guitar lines. This is one the best songs on the album, plenty of energy and a reall delightful for the ears of all their fans.

Conclusion: I always liked this album very much. "The Missing Piece" is probably the most accessible studio album, with very good quality, released by Gentle Giant. If we could forget the really nightmare of the three songs, "Betcha Thought We Couldn't Do It", "Who Do You Think You Are?" and "Mountain Time", "The Missing Piece" would probably be, a much better rated album by most of us. Personally, I wouldn't have no problem and any doubt in to rate this album with 4 stars, if those songs weren't present on it. "The Missing Piece" is really the last studio piece of their music that deserves be finding and knowing, because, for my taste, "Giant For A Day" and "Civilian" are two albums that only deserve be purchased by collectors, fans and completionists. So, I rated this album only with 3 stars, because by the criteria of this site, it means that it's only good and not an essential album. However, I strongly recommend this album, without those three tracks. All in all, we are in presence of the last great album of one of the greatest prog bands ever.

Prog is my Ferrari. Jem Godfrey (Frost*)

"The Missing Piece" is the ninth album of the Gentle Giant, successor of "Interview". If we compare Interview (the first song of the homonymous album) with Two Weeks in Spain, we immediately notice a great change in the music of the Gentle Giant: they have gone from progressive rock to commercial music easy listening. It is the end of the group's golden age, and the beginning of their decadence, is not it? Yes and No.

Reality is more complex. In fact, the album Interview represents the progressive rock of the GG that reels, trudges on itself and continues compulsively to try to get out of a dead end. The effort is always deserving, but there is no longer inspiration (no good melody), lightness, creative urgency; on the contrary: there is a compulsive way of repeating the same compositional schemes until they are consumed, until the patterns are all that is left of the music. From this point of view, Interview represents the decadence, the forced attempt to keep alive the corpse of the GG's progressive rock while The Missing Piece represents the attempt of rebirth of the GG according to the new musical canons of freshness, immediacy, linearity.

Are the GGs reborn? Yes, the GGs are no longer the dying progressive rock corpse of Interview that did not want to die, but a new group, which courageously seeks a new identity, and does so with merit, appreciable inspiration and goodwill. That's why according to my evaluation criteria, The Missing Piece is a better album than Interview (and even better than those of earlier years where the inspiration has failed in favor of the repetition of progressive rock patterns: Three Friends and In A Glass House).

The Missing Piece is a doble face album. First side full of brief commercial (and not high medium quality) rock (and soul) songs, second side with great songs in art-rock style mixed with progressive rock style.

"Two Weeks In Spain" is good rock and roll but too much repetitive (vote 7); "I'm Turning Around" is an atmospheric, melodic ballad, good. Very simple keyboard solo, really not in the GG style but anyway great effect on the listener for the very good melody (vote 8); "Betcha Thought We Couldn't Do It" is speed rock and roll (near to punk rock) with repetitive chorus; the beginning works but soon the song become forced and then fade away (vote 6,5/7); "Who Do You Think You Are?" is an electric ballad with good soul cadence but that soon become too much repetitive and not developed: a missing chance (vote 5,5).

"Mountain Time" is a beautiful, funky danceable piano song, which sees for the first time in the career of GG Derek Shulman singing with the voice of black shouters, especially in the finale where the syncopated rhythm becomes percussive and gives way to the splendid singing of Derek to rise up to virtuosity (vote 7,5).

Side B open with the proggy "Old As You're Young", a medieval track sung by the angelic voice of Minnear, very good; here the fan of GG can take a breath of relief: their progressive rock is not dead, rather it is reborn. Vote 8. Memories Of Old Days is the masterpiece of Lp. Beautiful acoustic guitars (Ray played 12-strings acoustic guitar), beautiful romantic melody, evocative renaissance's sound of flute (produced by the synth?). In the song there are no percussions, no rhythm or arrangement variation: this is the difference between this track and the past masterpieces. Vote 8,5. Winning begins in a percussive way that reminds to "Runaway" (In A Glass House) and then become a good rock piece, very supported in the rhythm, with interesting percussion intermezzo. The mood of the song doesn't change from the beginning to the end: the musical chords are always the same: a refrain is missing; fortunately, in the middle of the piece comes a contrast section, although rather similar to the stanzas (vote 7,5). "For Nobody" is a proggy track, similiar to some of Free Hand or Interview. It is speed rock, very supported and in some moments then rhythm is too much forced and compulsive. No great melody but good job of the band. Vote 7.

In this album GG find inspiration and decide to change direction, taking the linearity already partly exhibited in some songs of Power & Glory and Free Hand but with more simplicity in the compositions and arrangements (I miss the violin played by Ray). On the first side, however, this linear approach joins the commercial rock and soul and produces short unpublished pieces for the GG, I would say dignified, who want to keep up with the punk and new wave. In the second part of the disc this approach leads to good results, in line with the past, but at the same time more relaxed and closer to easy listening.

Anyway, The Missing Piece is a good album, effective, which achieves the objectives that it is given. Medium quality of the songs: 7,31. Vote album: 7,5. Three stars.

This was one of my first purchases of Gentle Giant and I loved it. Sure it's different and a bit more commercial than their previous material, but every song is solid. "Memories of Old Days" is the best ballad Giant has ever done and Derek's vocal is spot on. "For Nobody" is a fierce rocker that only Giant can pull off and Derek's vocals soar. I forgot how awesome "Winning" is. Every song is a treat and the new mixes are more refined and sound better than ever - especially the DTS mix. I don't have an Atmos setup so I can't comment on that.

The DVD/Blu-ray includes a Atmos mix, a 5.1 DTS mix, the new stereo mix, the original mix, instrumental mixes, and a slightly different instrument version of "Winning". There are also videos that accompany each track - "Two Weeks..", "Betcha.." and "Memories.." stand out.

So if you're one of the few that enjoy this album it is worth getting this new version. The surround mix puts it over the top.

Even the most popular prog acts were feeling the pressure around 1976 when the music industry made an abrupt turn towards punk rock, heavy metal and more danceable styles of music such as disco and new wave. Best selling acts like Emerson Lake and Palmer, Yes, Genesis and even non-English bands like Magma were jettisoning the lengthy epic fantasies that celebrated musical excesses by increasingly upping the ante of complex monstrosities until the style had pretty much alienated the next generation. The answer was to retreat back to simpler times and become followers instead of leaders. While even the big bands of the day were feeling the pressure to conform or die, bands like GENTLE GIANT that were known for being ridiculously complex and experimental even in prog terms were hit even harder.

After the 'Interview' album GG performed their last tour of their over-the-top contrapuntal rich menagerie of music styles and decided to simplify in the hopes of joining the more mainstream rock world where bands like The Eagles and Fleetwood Mac were selling gazillions and a cash starved GENTLE GIANT was eager to finally reap of the rewards of its hard work ethic that brought forth some of the most demanding musical artifacts from all of the 70s. The answer was the band's ninth album titled THE MISSING PIECE which served as a transitional album between the prog rich past and the soon to be pop rock reality that would last for only three albums before the band called it quits and never looked back. For the first time GENTLE GIANT also were looking at younger acts for inspiration instead of pioneering. While hints of more contemporary ideas were tucked neatly into 'Interview,' on THE MISSING PIECE the band shamelessly engaged in pure pop rock and even added some punk elements.

The album is roughly half of the newer pop oriented style that the band would release two more albums with and a second side that would dish out a few more proggy performances as a nod and a sad goodbye to the loyal fans that came before although these too were more watered down prog. Starting with the opening 'Two Weeks In Spain' it's clear that the old GENTLE GIANT was nowhere to be found. The catchy funky grooves laced with receptive guitar riffs and more banal lyrics signified a surrender as the band joined the brave new world of simpler music and carries it through with five tracks that add elements of funk, hard rock and even honky tonk piano to craft some catchy pop hooks without a trace of the complex harmonic interplay or crazy time signature rich instrumental tapestry of Renaissance folk fueled rock with classical and jazz overtones. The stand outs for me include the fiery 'Betcha Thought We Couldn't Do It' and the more funk fueled 'Mountain Time.'

The second side starting with 'As Old As You're Young' takes a drastic detour and looks towards the past with those crazy jittery keyboard fugue like performances along with the more dramatic polyrhythms, however they are all teased into packets of accessible pop hooks with verses, choruses and moments of instrumental interludes. 'Memories of Old Days' almost seems to lament the past that is no more with a slow lugubrious tempo and a pinning for the passion that made GG such a unique act in the first place. The only track of any substantial playing time at over seven minutes, this one reflects and contemplates the new decisions mostly on acoustic guitar and electric piano and a nice little revisitation of the Medieval folk themes that were always a part of the band's previous repertoire. 'Winning' is a percussion rich track that sounds like nothing else the band had ever done but also prognosticates the more pop rock direction of the next two albums only along with some easy listening contrapuntal additions for good measure. The album ends with the best track of all, the hyperactive 'For Nobody' that actually sounds like a leftover track from either 'Free Hand' or 'The Power And The Glory.'

While those who lived through the GENTLE GIANT years probably cringed when they first encountered THE MISSING PIECE, personally as a connoisseur of pop music lover outside of my prog addiction, i have to say that GENTLE GIANT did a decent job of mixing the old and new together and although not nearly as satisfying as other prog turned pop bands' albums like Yes' 'Drama' or King Crimson's 'Discipline,' the result isn't as bad as many make it out to be. The band clearly had as much talent crafting clever pop hooks as well as the wild prog workouts they are more famous for. While the album is decent it certainly lacks a cohesive feeling and as a pop rock act hadn't quite mastered the undeniable catchy hooks that would come to fruition on 'Giant For A Day.' There are many quality tunes on this one and the band members are on full fire instrumentally speaking. Unfortunately nothing is quite of the quality of scoring a chart seeking hit but as progressive pop tunes many of these are quite addictive. Personally i prefer the following album.

You can't say they didn't warn us. On Gentle Giant's Interview - the studio album before this one - the band showed signs of wanting to experiment with musical sounds beyond the scope of the prog spheres they'd comprehensively conquered on their run of albums from the self-titled debut to Free Hand. (Give It Back, with its hints of reggae influences, was perhaps the biggest clue there).

No, 1977's The Missing Piece was not, in retrospect, such a bolt from the blue as you might think - but even so, fans may be forgiven for being shocked by the comprehensive gear shift presented here. There is a logic to the album's structure which the CD format rather obscures; in the original vinyl configuration, the last four songs - prog pieces which sit comfortably next to earlier material, if a bit simplified compared to their most complex experiments - form the second side, whilst the first side is dedicated to the band's experiments in different musical genres and approaches. This division of two halves almost makes this an implicit concept album, or at the very least follows a theme - a balance between on the one hand exploring new territory and on the other developing familiar turf.

The punkish Betcha Thought We Couldn't Do It would be the most radical departure here, but overall there's hints of influences being picked up from the rising New Wave which doubtless, after further consideration, eventually yield the sound of Civilian, the band's final studio album.

In a way, Gentle Giant were once again ahead of the curve here - most of the prog groups who would eventually adopt a more commercial sound in the face of the coming decade were still playing in broadly their old styles in 1977. (Consider that this would be when Yes were Going For the One and Steve Hackett was still in Genesis.) It's no surprise that several band members would eventually land on their feet in record company jobs cultivating new generations of talent, because here they've clearly spotted the way the wind was blowing well before many others did.

The fact that they don't seem to have a strong idea here of which direction to go in next may justifiably be considered the first sign that the band was in its waning days. Had they chosen one distinctive direction to go in and committed to it at this point, then perhaps they'd have weathered the coming storm.

As it is, The Missing Piece is, true to its cover art, much like a collection of spare jigsaw pieces - each of which offers a snippet of an interesting-looking picture in its own right, but none of which fit together to come to a cohesive whole as an album. Nonetheless, some of those individual pieces are pretty fine. The second side of the album is pretty solid, whilst the experiments of the first part will grow on you if you allow them to. It wasn't enough to save the day in the long run - but perhaps it was good enough to keep the Giant ploughing on just a bit longer.

Another of those albums from the late 70s when prog bands tried to adapt to the times when simplicity was the new black. I quite like many of them: Yes "Tormato" and "Drama", Renaissance, 'Azure d'or", "And then there were three" by Genesis or Camel "Breathless" all are really fine records, simpler but still prog enough. They are also my last stops in the abovementioned bands' catalogues. I put this GG effort in the same category. It has some really great prog moments and the simpler stuff is still enjoyable - rocking and funny. And You still can recognise it's GG and it's aura is prominent throughout the whole album. But this one is my last giant step, I don't care for the remaining two albums in their discography. Not terrible, just not as interesting for my prog hungry ears. This one is a keeper though. 3,5 star rounded up to 4 for I have a sweet spot for those last hurrah of the old prog guard records.

Edit: You know what? I'm hearing it right now. It's 4 stars without the need of rounding up.

The result of Gentle Giant's attempt to create something with more commercial appeal while also retaining its prog audience comes off rather half-hearted and insecure. The bouncy, upbeat "Two Weeks In Spain" and the melancholic "Memories Of Old Days" (which has a very soothing synth tone and a great vocal delivery by Derek Shulman) are the only two tracks where these two aims are met somewhat successfully; the rest of the album ranges from forgettable (like the folkish "As Old As You're Young", or "I'm Turning Around", a pathetic attempt at a power pop anthem) to embarrassing: did the world really need to hear this band debase itself with idiotic lounge songs like "Who Do You Think You Are" or "Mountain Time"? And "For Nobody" was probably intended to be an epic closing number for both the old and the new audience but just ends up as a totally generic "rocker" with its only distinguishing feature being some weird organs and some other traces of the traditional Gentle Giant instrumentation that would probably turn off mainstream pop fans. Just what were they even trying to do here?

Review #101

Another underrated album of the Giant; "The missing piece" came out in 1977 and it hasn't been well received by the fans since then. More as a low radar album than a total waste or a disappointing record, it features very good songs, probably not as experimental and with the ambitious quality of compositions that GENTLE GIANT had shown in earlier records, but let's take a look at what this album has to offer.

"Two weeks in Spain" is probably the most recognizable piece of the record, the melody is catchy and it has a simple riff that goes along this short song; there is not too much of an instrumental middle part as most of the songs of GENTLE GIANT (and almost any of the songs of "The missing piece" has one) but it certainly has originality in its own way, it is a nice introduction of what comes next.

"I'm turning around" is beautiful: a soft, relaxed, and even romantic song with an amazing organ line and a not too strong rock line for the chorus. "Betcha thought we couldn't do it" is a fast rock song, it doesn't give time to further experimentation, is concise, and ends fast, but its genuine style makes me want to repeat it over and over again.

"Who do you think you are?" is probably the song that I like the less in the whole record, kind of a slow funk song with the least creative and interesting musical passages, it's not a bad song but if I was very hurried and needed to skip a song of the album I'd choose this one. "Mountain time" is also a very recognizable piece of the record, the female chorus in the background is something really odd in a GENTLE GIANT song but in here it fits really well.

"As old as you're young" has a very joyful mood, it is not as good as a song from the 73-75 albums of GENTLE GIANT but it is probably the song in this album that got the closest to the sound the band had in those days. ​"Memories of old days" is absolutely fantastic: elegant, soft, and slow, this song is probably what someone would expect to close the album, the acoustic guitar arrangement is very relaxing.

"Winning" is a very energic song that includes some of the rockiest moments in the album; as well as "Design" did in "Interview", this song also contains very interesting percussive sections. "For nobody" is my favorite song in the album: GENTLE GIANT always ended their albums with the most dynamic and concise songs they had and this was no exception; once again, the sound of the song brings back a lot of the most classic style of the band, it would have fit really well in "The power and the glory" or "Free hand".

The opinions about this album are very diverse, but most of the time it is cataloged as one of the worst albums of the band and that is very unfair, it is true that the compositions have a very different sound from earlier records and also the lack of presence of instruments such as violins, xylophones or saxophones sometimes give the impression that the compositions are poor, well if you compare it with the most exquisite GENTLE GIANT albums, of course, this will seem to be a poor record, but if you think of it as a very unique record with its own original flavor this album is nothing of a waste, but a very nice acquisition.

SONG RATING: Two weeks in Spain, 4 I'm turning around, 4 Betcha thought we couldn't do it, 4 Who do you think you are? 3 Mountain Time, 4 As old as you're young, 4 Memories of old days, 5 Winning, 4 For nobody, 5

AVERAGE: 4.11

PERCENTAGE: 82

ALBUM RATING: 4 stars

I bet you thought they couldn't do it! After the overtly dense and frankly inaccessible Interview album Gentle Giant had a radical rethink for the follow up album The Missing Piece.The most obvious change was to ditch the complex-for-the-sake-of-being-complex polyrhythms which were such an essential ingredient.Also the album is less overtly experimental.In other words they basically decided to streamline and simplify their sound while staying true to themselves.The major Prog bands in particular Genesis, Yes and ELP were doing the same thing essentially but I actually think The Missing Piece works really well as a lighter Prog album than those group's efforts.

A lot of fans seem horrified by the sudden change in approach probably best exemplified by the opening track "Two Weeks In Spain".I really like that song- it is extremely catchy and if you bother to listen closely there are some very involved musical passages."Betcha Thought We Couldn't Do It" is obviously a tongue in cheek (or maybe not according to Ray Shulman") riposte to the punk rock movement which was in full swing when the album was being recorded.If nothing this brief (all 2 min 20sec of it) track proves is that the band could rock like bastards when it suited them.

If the first side comprises fairly short songs the second side reflects their more overtly progressive routes.I have always loved the side 2 opener- "As Old As You're Young"- it has that cod medieval flavour which is so typical of their sound."Memories of Old Days" is an absolutely gorgeous acoustic number with some mesmerising guitar work.The closing track "For Nobody" is an absolute cracker- a full tilt hard prog rocker with some great instrumental interplay. It is in my top 10 Gentle Giant songs.

The Missing Piece is an immensely enjoyable album and I would recommend it for anyone interested in investigating their catalogue.