Saturday 11 May 2013

In A Glass House (Gentle Giant, 1973)

The title track of the Giant’s fifth album is one of the best is one of the richest and most intriguing prog tracks I've ever heard. All the album is a very ambitious one, but this song is an evergreen favourite. Played with basically acoustic intruments, not only this 8 minute song displays an astonishing variety of instruments, many complex plots and beautiful choral arrangements, but it's an astonishing exemple of what progressive rock is.

Gentle Giant's line-up for "In A Glass House".

All genres melt here: prog, classical, jazz, baroque and plain rock follow one another in such a natural way one understands musical genres are but a make-believe and this is another little miracle by the Giant. Some passages (especially the violin ones) are simply perfect and even if Kenny Mennear's voice isn't up to Phil Shuman's, this intricate fast tempo song really is one of the most acclaimed standards of the band. What else should a poor prog fan ask for?

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