Author: Peter Podbrežnik
Artist: Gentle Giant
Release: 1978
Runtime: 34:59
Rating: 2.5/5
In the second half of the ’70s, hard times set in for most of the legendary progressive rock acts, as completely different musical trends led by punk and new wave suddenly took over. Some chose to call it quits (temporarily or for good), a minority stubbornly clung to the old ways and sank into obscurity, and most tried to adapt to the new era by changing their style one way or another. Gentle Giant, the legendary masters of eclectic progressive rock, belonged to that last camp, and by the end of the ’70s their dramatic stylistic shift had them stagnating in artistic blandness. None of their post-prog albums shows this transition into a pop rock band as clearly as their tenth studio effort, “Giant For a Day.” By this point the switch to a pop band was pretty much complete. The transitional predecessor “The Missing Piece” (1977) had already hinted that they were slowly dropping the complexity and getting more and more predictable, but this album was an even bigger shock for anyone used to their earlier, highly experimental feats.
Amid the all-consuming punk fever, the band realized there’d be no more bread for their music on home turf, so they turned to the American market, where they’d always been better received. The punk virus hadn’t managed to spread there yet. Arena rock and AOR, two genres that owed a lot to progressive rock, were climbing in popularity all the more. With “Giant For a Day,” Gentle Giant joined the many prog bands who tried their luck with more compact, melodic rock songs, often hiding (potential) radio hits among them. “Giant For a Day” failed to churn out any hits and flopped completely commercially (thanks in part to criminally bad promotion), while longtime fans didn’t take to it either, mostly appalled at the new, radio-friendly direction.
To this day, many prog rock fans accuse the band of sacrificing artistic intelligence on “Giant For a Day” in pursuit of commercial success, while for the band it was really just one more risky but fun stylistic experiment. They were well aware the whole time that the turn toward a melodic hard rock sound was an all-or-nothing gamble, but under the circumstances they had nothing left to lose. The album’s production is already heavily tuned to ’80s trends. Green’s guitar is pushed hard into the foreground, Minnear’s keyboards have receded into the background, and Ray’s violin and Derek’s saxophone have vanished from the repertoire entirely.
Despite the lack of complex arrangements and a fair amount of predictability, the album isn’t without its bright moments. They often manage to revive some of their trademark tricks from the past and work them into a melodic rock skeleton. They also haven’t given up their signature humor, as both the lyrics and the excellent cover, with its incredible dose of self-irony, prove. On the original LP release, anyone could cut out a mask of the band’s mascot and turn into a friendly giant for a day.
Among the album’s better creations is definitely the opener “Words From the Wise,” where they convincingly combine their trademark multi-part vocal harmonies with a punchy rhythm and hard-rocking guitar phrases. Derek’s charismatic, eclectic vocals also add plenty to the spirited vibe of individual songs. Less interesting is the dreamy ballad “Thank You,” with its bluesy mannerisms on Green’s acoustic guitar. I couldn’t say much good about the title track either, a rather sterile attempt at crossing unconventional rhythms with hard rock guitar passages, and one of the most boring songs in their entire story.
Luckily, the album also has a few rare moments that stir up memories of their golden prog rock days. Among them is the excellent instrumental “Spooky Boogie,” a distant cousin of “Alucard” from their debut, which impresses with eerie vibraphone sounds and dramatic symphonic keyboard arrangements. “Take Me” is a fun one too, successfully blending their trademark rhythmic-vocal quirks with melodic rock elements, helped along by a hypnotic chorus. “Little Brown Bag” is a totally unnecessary blues/hard rock excess with a dance beat and lounge-style piano runs.
The pleasant pastoral ballad “Friends” is the only solo composition, directed by drummer John Weathers, who here also plays the role of lead singer, convincingly, for the first and last time. “No Stranger,” one of the most radio-friendly numbers, is a rather bizarre hard rock/reggae experiment with a bouncy melody and plenty of layered vocals. “It’s Only Goodbye” is a typical melodic rock ballad that mostly showcases Derek’s emotional vocal performance, accompanied by melancholic guitar passages. The closing “Rock Climber” is yet another forgettable hard rock number built on a repetitive main motif.
“Giant For a Day,” a textbook product of its time, is the weakest record in the legendary band’s story. Still, it’s far from devoid of upsides, as their old prog rock magic occasionally comes back to life. Sadly, the album wasn’t complex enough to win over longtime fans, nor commercial enough to attract new generations of listeners, so its commercial flop was only to be expected. The merry bunch didn’t get too worked up about it. After its release they realized it was time to say goodbye, only to return, fairly unexpectedly, for their final studio act. “Giant For a Day” remains a solid pop rock album. Only the band’s most devoted fans will be able to dig out and appreciate its virtues, while newcomers can dive into it only after they’ve discovered their prog rock classics.
Lineup
Derek Shulman – vocals
Gary Green – guitar, backing vocals
Kerry Minnear – keyboards, backing vocals
Ray Shulman – bass guitar, backing vocals
John Weathers – drums, percussion, backing vocals, vocals (7)
Production
Gentle Giant
Track list
1. Words From The Wise
2. Thank You
3. Giant For A Day
4. Spooky Boogie
5. Take Me
6. Little Brown Bag
7. Friends
8. No Stranger
9. It’s Only Goodbye
10. Rock Climber
