(Review from vintageprog.com, gepr)

Gentle Giant were one of the most original British progressives, with an unlikely mix of dissonant 20th-century classical chamber music, mediaeval vocal music, jazz and rock. The Shulman brothers Derek, Phil and Ray in addition to keyboardist Kerry Minnear and guitarist Gary Green made up the core of the band. All of them were highly talented musicians and composers who knew just how to express this through a series of outstanding albums that remain some of the best and most essential progressive rock ever made.

Most people do not like Gentle Giant at first listen. They definately take some getting used to, but once you get used to them they are great.

Their self-titled first album in 1970 shows several great promises.

The opener “Giant” starts with Minnear’s organ before bursting out into a tune that is both heavy and jazzy at the same time. The track was sung by Derek Shulman who usually sang the more rocking and aggressive parts, while the softer voices of Minnear and Phil Shulman often dominated the more quiet passages. The song also features a beautiful instrumental part in the middle that slowly builds up to a grandiose climax before returning to the main part again.

It’s the next song that really stands as the centrepiece of the album. “Funny Ways” would get a permanent place in the bands live repertoire. Musically it’s a very progressive ballad, ranging from soft and wonderful vocal parts with cello and violin, and then to considerably more upbeat instrumental passages that include grandiose trumpet-themes!

The heavy, distorted and sax-drenched prog of “Alucard” was undoubtedly inspired a lot by “21st Century Schizoid Man”-styled King Crimson, but the band avoided completely to sound like a clone, and Minnear’s synths on this track will undoubtedly not remind you of anything else you’ve heard before.

But the whimsical “Isn’t It Quiet and Cold?” is, to be brutally honest, forgettable filler. And the otherwise excellent “Nothing at All” (which would remain Gentle Giant’s longest studio track with its 9 minutes) is weakened by an annoying and pointless drum-solo.

“Why Not” is quite good heavy progressive rock, and the quiet break in the middle was the first sign of the band’s interest in medieval music.

The album closes with the band’s version of the British national anthem, which is actually a bit more rocking than Queen’s version five years later.

As a debut, “Gentle Giant” holds up impressively most of the time.

Line-up:
- Derek Shulman / lead vocals, backing vocals, some bass
- Phil Shulman / sax, trumpet, recorder, lead vocals, backing vocals
- Ray Shulman / most bass, violin, some guitar, percussion, backing vocals
- Gary Green / lead guitar, 12 string guitar
- Kerry Minnear / keyboard, some bass, cello, lead vocals, backing vocals, some tuned percussion
- Martin Smith / drums, percussion

Track List:
01. Giant (6:24)
02. Funny Ways (4:23)
03. Alucard (6:01)
04. Isn’t It Quiet And Cold? (3:53)
05. Nothing At All (9:08)
06. Why Not (5:31)
07. The Queen (1:40)

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