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- CLASSIC ALBUM OF THE
WEEK
- Gentle Giant "In A Glass House" 1973 (UK)
Gentle
Giant was a hardcore progrocker's prog band: besides the required
moogs, weird time signatures, and "heavy concept" albums, they
also featured medieval influences and instruments like harpsichords,
recorders and glockenspiels, and stunning multi-instrumental abilities
(one of their albums credits the musicians with playing 46 different
instruments!) Originally led by three quarelsome brothers (Ray, Derek
& Phil Shulman), Giant gained a reputation for stunning virtuosity
in concert (including rapidfire instrumental changes between songs),
but never really sold a lot of records. Indeed, my favorite of their
albums is this week's CAOTW - which was not even released in America
until 2004! Columbia records refused to put it out because it was too
"uncommercial." But then again, the liner notes of GG's second album
contained the statement "it is our goal to expand the frontiers of
contemporary popular music at the risk of being very unpopular"! Now
that is some serious prog!
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