Label: Chrysalis Records
Release date: April 23, 1976
Production: Gentle Giant
Album length: 36.47 min
Genre: Progressive Rock /Jazz Rock
Rating: 8.5/10
“Interview” is the last album from these legendary masters of eclectic progressive rock that still deserves attention, even from those who aren’t among their die-hard followers. Their eighth studio outing comes with a sarcastic concept, structured as a warped interview that ties the individual songs together. The sound and concept of the album add up to a brilliant parody of the music industry’s detours and of those annoying interviews where they had to keep answering the same dull questions over and over. Most bands would have welcomed the status of besieged “rock stars” with open arms, but Gentle Giant were always cut from a completely different cloth, rooted in the ideals of the golden age of progressive and experimental music, which at the turn of the ’70s was slowly winding down in favor of some less adventurous but more commercially lucrative forms.
With “Interview”, and its concept in particular, Gentle Giant pretty much committed commercial suicide. They enraged the already not-so-friendly British critics even more, while the label bosses, recognizing themselves in the songs’ messages, started helplessly pulling their hair out. The eternal prog rock rascals and jesters just smirked mischievously and made one last classic Gentle Giant album, one that’s a pleasure to listen to from start to finish, even though some departures from their winning sonic tradition are already noticeable. Their last “real” prog rock album was recorded under time pressure, faster than any Gentle Giant release before it, so in places it lacks a bit of the usual sonic polish and flow, though you can barely tell.
Their songwriting and instrumental tradition once again delivers the goods: ultra-complex instrumental sections, polyrhythms, wild improvisation, unexpected time changes and the dissonant multi-part harmonies that these grand masters have been wowing us with since the past. Most of the arrangements, as they should, still feed on jazz rock fusion, folk rock, symphonic and hard rock elements. Here and there you can even catch hints of reggae and pop, which means they still took progressiveness, in the sense of constantly weaving in sonic novelties, very seriously. “Interview” lags a bit behind their earlier masterpieces in vibe, mainly because it doesn’t have the usual quota of rhythmic shenanigans, and you also miss more of the playful troubadour arrangements that the phenomenal predecessor “Free Hand” (1975) had in abundance.
Even so, there’s still plenty here to keep every prog rock gourmet happy and well fed. The music again dodges strict genre definitions and limits. The mood in places is still cheeky and playful enough that it’s not hard to picture the friendly giant and his adventures. The title track mixes jazzy improvisation with odd time changes. Derek’s unique, paranoid vocal is enriched with crazy keyboard arrangements and propped up by chaotic rhythms. Individual motifs are stitched together with spoken-word effects lifted from sonically distorted interview snippets, treating us to a biting satire of journalists’ lack of imagination. “Give It Back” is a strange but fun experiment where the reggae influence on the rhythm is more than obvious. They don’t stay in that groove for long, though, and quickly start messing around with the obligatory “nursery school” tricks on vibraphone. Of everything on the album, this one, beyond the rhythmic cheekiness, brings back the most of their trademark “lumbering friendly giant” feel.
The slightly spooky “Design” is full of trademark dissonant vocal harmonies, with keyboardist Kerry Minnear nailing the role of the main “angelic” voice. Meanwhile, drummer John Weathers plays like a little kid let loose on a rainbow-colored pile of percussion, coaxing out the weirdest sounds he can. The fast-paced “Another Show” is a real treat for jazz rock fusion fanatics, with wickedly witty rhythmic flourishes breaking through hard rocking guitar passages. Derek’s furious singing, paired with mighty guitar phrases, adds an unusual dose of aggression. “Empty City”, which carries on their tradition of unique multi-part harmonies, is one of the best moments on the whole album. They start by building a really beautiful pastoral, Celtic melody on acoustic guitar and “spacey” keyboards, followed by spirited folk rock sections on violin. Derek’s chameleon-like vocal performance ties it all together.
“Timing” has no shortage of rhythmic acrobatics, which unfold completely outside the central melody built on Derek’s vocal. Closing track “I Lost My Head” is another one of the album’s peaks. It’s built from two contrasting halves that reflect the band’s gentle and hard-hitting sides. The first part rests on delicate yet virtuosic pastoral-baroque arrangements, the kind you missed through most of the album. The closing part, with its punchy guitar phrases, energetic singing and massive drum fills, hits like thunder out of a cloudy sky. The metaphor for the end result of this peculiar sonic clash between “sun” and “storm” is that wonderful rainbow on the album cover.
“Interview” shows a few signs of vulnerability, mostly down to the breakneck pace at which it was written, but it’s still a very good album with plenty to enjoy for fans of eclectic progressive rock and highly virtuosic instrumental wizardry. True, they didn’t manage another masterpiece, but they did pull off their last interesting release in the field of eclectic progressive rock, before the dramatic turn toward melodic rock and pop rock, where they sacrificed their songwriting and instrumental brainpower for the benefit of a greedy label. That’s why it’s surprising that the album still gets overlooked today, even by fans of the band. With its uncompromising sonic and lyrical mockery of the corrupt music industry and its lackeys, “Interview” was an incredibly brave move, but with it they had already started digging the grave they would peacefully lie down in over the following years, after a rather painful brush with pop.
Author: Peter Podbrežnik
Tracklist:
1. Interview
2. Give It Back
3. Design
4. Another Show
5. Empty City
6. Timing
7. I Lost My Head
Lineup:
Derek Shulman – vocals, saxophone
Gary Green – guitar
Kerry Minnear – keyboards, backing vocals
Ray Shulman – bass guitar, violin
John Weathers – drums, percussion
