Gentle Giant CD's are here!

[duane@Sun.COM (Duane Day, I.R. - Applications Development)]

I've now managed to find "Playing the Fool" (their live album, a UK
import), "Gentle Giant", "Three Friends", and "Octopus" (all three on
Line records, a German import).  The sound quality is pretty good, although
there is a little hiss as is to be expected from old analog master tapes.
The live album also features more short bursts of amp buzz than I remembered,
but again this would be more apparent on CD than on vinyl, especially on
the turntable I used to own.  The labeling runs from lazy (reproductions of
the UK covers with cheesy white-out over "Side One", "Side Two", etc.) to
bafflingly bad (erroneous titles and groupings on "Fool".)  Still, not to
complain about such small details when this great music is finally
available in the CD format.

"Octopus" is particularly recommended to those who'd like to investigate
this sadly-underrated, innovative band.  It's one of their best albums,
although their masterpiece, "Free Hand", has yet to be released (at least
to my knowledge) in the CD format.

Also currently available is "Acquiring the Taste" (also on Line) and soon
to be available, supposedly, is "The Power and the Glory" on Capitol,
domestic US.  "Power" is another very fine album, from between "Octopus"
and "Free Hand", and would make an acceptable introduction to those who
aren't willing to gamble $20+ on something just because I say it's
incredible. :-)