Customer Reviews

Missing Piece

5 star:		(8)
4 star:		(6)
3 star:		(5)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

Most GG fans agree this is not a "real" GG album. It certainly was the most controversial. But it is good, I'd hazard quite good, but then I don't care what anyone says. GG are an acquired taste, like scotch - the first time (albums) they are hard to swallow, but after that...

So, hearing this may make that scotch taste like beer, which is not what you want when you want a scotch. If you own any GG you should have "Free Hand", which *I* always felt was their definitive album. Get that first. (At least both albums drove my non-Prog college roommates crazy).

There are songs, which, especially if this is your 1st GG album (it wasn't mine) are easy to take (which is why the scotch-drinkers largely dislike this one). At least it got GG on the airwaves, where outside of college radio, I first heard GG with "Two Weeks In Spain" and "I'm Turning Around". I still find "As Old As You're Young" and "Old Days" infectious, it's pretty decent Celt/Folk/Prog rock. And it's hard not to like most of the rest of the album - it gets stronger and more frenetic towards the end.

Re the glitch - if it's the one I heard (keys not faded out properly for a split second) I've noticed it before but it never really bothered me, lots of bands have flaws on their recordings. But the reviewer who pointed this out may be referring to something else I couldn't pick up. If anything, I don't like the way the drum sound changes coming out of the phased acapella at the end of "For Nobody".

With this album, way back in '77 GG may have unwittingly pioneered the unfortunate trend that many of their Prog master contemporaries did by conforming to the changing musical direction of the times (ELP "Love Beach", anything by Asia, post-Going For The One, Yes, post-Seconds Out Genesis, etc.), so it kinda needs to be taken in context of the (coming) era it which it was produced.

I'd give it a healthy 3.5 stars but I don't know how to do half-points.

1977's "The Missing Piece" is a controversial Gentle Giant album, as it witnessed this progressive rock band simplify their intricate music into more straightforward, accessible-sounding rock. The band have said that the late-70's punk movement played a major role in this, as it rendered the band's complex art-rock of the past unfashionable, and they thought it best to change musical direction a bit and deliver some music that was more easily digestible to the masses. Hence, the radio-friendly material of "The Missing Piece." Upon hearing it for the first time, some GG fans went into shock, accusing the band of selling out. But take it from me, the criticisms of the album are absolute rubbish. I love "The Missing Piece," and I'd easily place it somewhere in the band's Top Five best works. What it all boils down to is the quality of the songs & performances, and Gentle Giant sound *terrific* on this disc. I thoroughly enjoy the band's music of the past (my personal faves include "Three Friends" and "The Power And The Glory"), but I like the fact that the band loosened up on "The Missing Piece." There's definitely a renewed vigor & energy radiating from the band on this release, and for once, they're not taking themselves too seriously. They sound like they're having a really good time on "The Missing Piece," and what's wrong with that? And the absolute bottom line is, every single song on this album is great. The bouncy "Two Weeks In Spain" is a great tune. "I'm Turning Around" is a very strong power number. "Betcha Thought We Couldn't Do It," "Who Do You Think You Are?," and "Mountain Time" are all freewheeling, fun rockers. "As Old As You're Young" succeeds in capturing the "Ol' English" feel of earlier Gentle Giant, yet still manages to be a catchy song. "Memories Of Old Days" is an absolutely beautiful number, the album's secret weapon, and one of Gentle Giant's very best songs. And the concluding pair of "Winning" and "For Nobody" are both very strong. "The Missing Piece" is the Gentle Giant album that anyone can like, even that girlfriend or grandmother of yours who you never thought could ever warm up to the band's complex albums of the past. But you can definitely play this one for them. As far as I'm concerned, "The Missing Piece" IS a Gentle Giant classic.

The opening track, "Two Weeks in Spain", is bad. Really bad. It's a bouncy pop song that sounds totally ludicrous today. "I'm Turning Around", the second track, is a nice FM radio-friendly commercial piece that suggests _Duke_-era Genesis. It lacks the complexity one usually expects from Gentle Giant, though. Then there is the third song on this album.

"Betcha Thought We Couldn't Do It". Whatever made Gentle Giant decide to make an attempt at recording a punk song? As with "Two Weeks in Spain", "Betcha Thought..." today sounds unintentionally funny in its naivety. It doesn't sound a bit like the Clash, the Sex Pistols or any other great punk band; what it sounds like is somebody without a clue trying to be "punk rock singer" and cash in on the latest fad. Gentle Giant really should have stuck with what they did best - progressive rock.

The rest of the album varies in quality, but does contain some tracks that are up to par with classic Gentle Giant. Songs like "Who Do You Think You Are", "As Old As You're Young", and "Memories of Old Days" could just as easily have been on _Interview_ or _Free Hand_. Unfortunately, this album is so cluttered with the bad punk attempts and some very commercial songs that it is obvious that Gentle Giant was, during the recording of this album, in the process of losing themselves. Their last two albums would confirm this suspicion greatly.

I have to admit that this 1977 album is really not all that bad in spite of what most people say about Gentle Giant's post In'terview studio output from 1977 to their last gasp in 1980 with the Civilian album. The Missing Piece shows a band that was trying to move on from the incredibly complex prog they were known for and attempting to update it with musical styles that were "new and fresh" in 1977, including more mainstream rock styles and punk rock. This is especially apparent on the track "Betcha' thought we couldn't do it", which is very punkish/new wave sounding in a Gentle Giant kind of way, and at 2'22" is the shortest track on the album and also the weakest. As a general trend, the first half of the album seems to cater somewhat to the powers that be that wanted to see Gentle Giant become a commercial and financial success and is poppier (well, as poppy as Gentle Giant could get), while the second half is pretty good - in fact tracks like "As Old as you are Young", "Memories of Old Days" and "For Nobody" are as good as anything off of In'terview (1976), and feature the virtuosity and dense counterpoint that made Gentle Giant such an incredible band. Although I may be reading way too much into the lyrics, I think Gentle Giant was angry and perhaps a little cynical about the change in the musical climate in the late 1970s. Certainly, the bitter lyrics to "Betcha thought we couldn't do it" describe a band thumbing their noses at a larger audience of pop/punk/new wave music fans that thought them incapable of anything but prog. The remastering job by DRT is just OK, and the CD features decent sound quality along with the lyrics to the songs, although that is about it - there are no photos of the band or anything informative in the liner notes. The bonus track is a live version of For Nobody, which was taken from a concert in Cleveland (1977). Unfortunately, the sound quality is pretty awful - in fact it sounds like a poorly recorded bootleg. Following this album, Gentle Giant moved in an even poppier direction with albums like Giant for a Day (1978) and Civilian (1980). To be perfectly honest, I do not own either of these albums, although as a Gentle Giant freak and "completist", I may have to bite the bullet and pick them up. For folks that are new to the band and want to hear Gentle Giant during their creative peak, check out any of the following albums: Acquiring the Taste (1971); Three Friends (1972); Octopus (1973); In a Glass House (1973); The Power and the Glory (1974); and Free Hand (1975).

"The Missing Piece" is an underrated album. While it's not GG's best the material demonstrates that they could write material with strong hooks and still make it memorable. Unlike the follow up "Giant for a Day" (which has weaker material), "The Missing Piece" sounds a bit less poppy as there are a couple of tracks that recall "Free Hand" and "in'terview". Even when the band dipped their toe into FM Rock/mainstream, they still pulled out interesting stuff better than most bands.

The clever opening and fun "Two Weeks in Spain" gives way to the power ballad(!)"I'm Turning Around" which sounds like an escapee from a 10cc album. "Betcha Thought We Couldn't Do It" built around a guitar figure from an early Gentle Giant song has the energy of punk and is a straight forward rock song. The blues boogie of "Who Do You Think You Are?" has a few nice tricky changes making it more than a straight ahead blues rocker. "Mountain Time" sounds like a long lost Steve Winwood track. "As Old as You're Young" recalls the band's earlier style although a bit simplified. "Memories of Old Days" again harks back to the band's earlier sound although it's a bit simplified it could easily have been an outtake from an earlier GG album.

The closing tracks "Winning" and "For Nobody" pull the album together with a pair of straight ahead rock songs the former a memorable rock song that opens with a burst of percussion suggesting the song will be a trip into Santana territory and the latter a thumping rocker. We get "For Nobody" again live. It's strictly bootleg quality but is memorable for an energetic performance.

The original album art has been adapted to the CD package with the cover "missing piece" slightly raised from the rest of the cover. The booklet includes all the lyrics. My only complaint is that it would have been nice to have a booklet that discussed the challenges the band faced adapting to the marketplace and the pressures that dicated the changes seen here and on their last two albums.

There was a complaint from another reviewer about the excessive hiss. While it certainly is more noticable than the previous release, it's not that distracting nor is it a big enough deal to ding this CD an additional star.

The more I get old and years go by, and the more this album sinks into me as quintessential Gentle Giant! They are flirting here on a few tracks with power FM rock, and I hate power FM rock, but they do it with such finesse, humor and vigor, they still manage to sound like no one else but the Shulman brothers and their incredibly odd yet strongly creative, tight cohort of faithful musical partners...
I know this is not Octopus. But Octopus is (supreme) progrock... While The Missing Piece is ...supreme God-knows-what, and I love it just for that!
Was this "Prog's done and over, long live the Giant"?... It didn't turn out exactly that way in the end, but I am sure "For Nobody" will live on forever anyway!

This album was released (I think) in 1977, and it shows, in the sense that the punk 'revolution' had come along and all the great bands of the art-rock pantheon had suddenly, and rather mysteriously, been labelled dinosaurs. This is GGs attempt to react to this. I think it works and it is certainly a very good place to start a GG collection as the songs are less complex and more straightforward. This album will introduce you to a band whose abilities were extraordinary by anyone's estimate. 'Betcha thought we couldn't do it' amuses me as I think it was meant to amuse the listener. It is GGs attempt at hard rock - they could not bring themselves to be actually punk - after all how could they - they were real musicians! As hard rock I think it is a good track. The rest of the album is excellent too. "Two weeks in Spain" by the way I do not find embarrassing. It is a track with a very British theme - that is all. The traditional British annual blue collar visit to the sun and sea in Spain. Fish and chips all the way and no attempt to understand anything about Spain or the Spanish.

What IS poor is the CD reissue, totally lacking in any bass. The original vinyl is much superior, no question. If there is an import version available then you should get it and not this version.

During the late '70s, Gentle Giant, like other progressive bands, attempted to save themselves by becoming more mainstream. A few groups, most notably Genesis, were able to cross over. Most, like the Giant, did not. A shame really, since, as The Missing Piece shows, they were able to write some good mainstream rock & pop, without totally abandoning the musical mathematics and love of medieval melodies that made them (almost) famous. This is a good recording to throw on the stereo when your brain wants its Giant, but is too tired to handle THE POWER & THE GLORY.

This album brings Gentle Giant at its straight, with swingiest tunes (Who do You Think You Are and the opener and catchy Two Weeks in Spain) soul-ish and dancing tunes (Mountain Time, with female backing vocals, and Winning), rock ballads (I'm Turning Around), along with the hard rocker Betcha Thought We Couldn't Do It (something to do with the Beatles' Why Don't We Do It In the Road?), the beautiful accoustic ballad Memories of Old Days, the non-less beautiful and delicated As Old as Your Young (with a little medieval touch and lead vocals by Kerry Minnear), and the powerful For Nobody. A very good album, although a little bit different from its predecessors. This remastered edition finnaly gaves the album a very nice sound quality.

Imagine a new wave band in the 70's whose members had chops galore and could play everything from Bach counterpoint to Miles Davis fusion.

This cd contains the music that would have been produced by such a band.

Ironically, if a new band had of released such music or Gentle Giant had of recorded it under a new name, it probably would have gotten rave reviews, instead of being treated as a sellout by their fans and ignored by the press as music by a "dinosaur band"

The closest Cd that sounds close to this is Jethro Tull's Crest of a Knave which was released over 10 years later and was nominated for a Grammy award.

Despite the first silly track, "Two weeks in Spain", this Cd contains all the elements of Gentle Giant that was great (counter point, time changes, amazing vocals) about them with an element of rock added.

Pity they could not have kept it up and recorded two other lps "Giant for a Day" and "Civillian" which the rock gradually overrode any progressiveness, and turned them into another pop rock band