ALBUM REVIEW: Gentle Giant - Acquiring the Taste

    1971 was the year of progressive rock. Sure, the genre was being pioneered as far back as 1967 thanks in part to bands like The Moody Blues and their groundbreaking works like In Search of the Lost Chord or Days of Future Passed, and the genre was solidified by 1969 thanks to King Crimson and Frank Zappa, but 1971 was the explosion of the genre - Genesis, Caravan, Jethro Tull, Van Der Graaf Generator, Emerson Lake & Palmer, Yes, and Pink Floyd all had pivotal classic records in 1971 that signaled for progressive rock to be the emerging zeitgeist in rock's next steps. Of course, Gentle Giant was there too, most notable for their musical complexity (shocker) and the virtuous skill of their members - every member was multi-instrumentalist, with a majority capable of playing guitar, bass, keyboards, and drums (other members skills varied, from recorder and saxophone to viola and violin to cello, xylophone, and vibraphone. A real pocket symphony). They're also an incredibly eclectic group, drawing on influence from soul, funk, jazz, classical, and medieval music - from what I can gather, they're impressive and complex even by prog's high standards. Acquiring the Taste was the group's sophomore release, and for being my first experience with Gentle Giant I can certainly see the appeal - the music is incredibly varied and filled with life, and the more complex moments are some prime-time prog. Ultimately, though, something feels a little missing in this release for me to call it a truly great record.

    The first real noteworthy thing I noticed with Gentle Giant, and really Acquiring the Taste as a whole, was that they are certainly a very eclectic band. While the entire album is indisputably painted in the same grand scale and musicality of progressive rock, they also incorporate a handful of ideas and sounds into the formula, which makes for a brilliantly flowing listening experience. Ideas jump around to keep you on your toes and focused, and the brief nature of the 8-song, 40 minute album certainly helps - none of the songs overstay their welcome or run out of gas. In fact, you could say the opposite, as the shorter moments tend to be the most disposable ones on the album - see the 90 second title track or the classically influenced "Edge of Twilight" for the best case of this. The group's menagerie of influences coats the album, from the bizarre soundscapes of "The House, the Street, the Room" to the sea-shanty influenced "Wreck." Sea shanties and progressive rock - hell of a combo, let me tell you.

    Learning to acquire the taste took a bit of listening, as when you first listen you're completely punched in the face by the group's technicality and wild set of influences - if you were listening to "Acquiring the Taste" and it went right into "Wreck," you'd get whiplash, too. With all that in mind, they can still rock pretty damn well, and Gentle Giant at their best can hit all the same soaring highs as their contemporaries. Opening track "Pantagruel's Nativity" is a flavorful combination of progressive rock with their medieval and classical leaning ideals, and it makes for a pretty kick-ass way to begin the record. Similarly, for as bizarre as "The House, the Street, the Room" is, I think it's a pretty good assessment of Gentle Giant's sound and ideas - all over the place, but in a very creative and quirky way. Album closer "Plain Truth," however, was my favorite thing here - while it may lack all the zaniness of other songs on the album, "Plain Truth" is just a really damn good prog song, and what's wrong with that?

    Acquiring the Taste is a very good prog album, sure to satisfy any lover of progressive rock with its eclectic influences and rich musical complexity. Gentle Giant are certainly a promising band, and generally the best moments on the album showcase their hair-brained creativity at its fullest potential - the fact that the album is a little back-loaded isn't much of an issue when you're still getting a pretty alright set of songs. While I'm not so sure that I can call Gentle Giant an absolute favorite, I can at least acknowledge that this is one hell of a group, and one that certainly has impressed with Acquiring the Taste. Perhaps I still have some acquiring to do in the future...

RATING: ✯✯✯✯✯✯✯✯✯✯

Listen to Acquiring the Taste.