Gentle Giant - Free Hand (8 tracks) +Album Reviews

Genuine Progressive Rock

WillieB | 05/11/2005

(5 out of 5 stars)

"It's difficult to pick one desert island Gentle Giant album, they all are unique, and all studio releases except "Giant for a Day" are must haves. With numerous time changes and intricate musical passages Giant is not for everybody and may challenge most listeners. But this challenge can have great rewards because the talent this band has is amazing... all musicians are proficient at multiple instruments, the songwriting skill is superb, and the tunes are timeless. For the novice to Gentle Giant, this CD would be a good starting point.

We begin with "Just the Same" a great upbeat-syncopated rocker... one of those tunes where the chorus sticks in your head and you sing it all day. "On Reflection" showcases great vocal work with a powerful instrumental jam at the end. "Free Hand" is stunning! Great piano intro that turns into a full-out rocking tune slowed down briefly by a wonderful intricate middle section only to blast back into the awesome verse. "Time to Kill" shows once again the power this band has... what a grooving tune, great bass line, great vocals, great interaction between musicians, great everything. "His Last Voyage" is the mellow track on the disc, similar to what can be heard on "Acquiring the Taste", complete with a very juicy guitar solo. "Talybont" is a short instrumental with sort of an Irish jig feel. "Mobile" begins beautifully with a violin and guitar intro only to transform into another great rocking tune. Finally, the bonus track is an unreleased version of "Just the Same". Good version, bad mix (kind of sounds squished/over-compressed).

The Free Hand remix sounds wonderful! After living with the atrociously muddy One Way Records mix for decades I can only say WOW... GREAT JOB! Unfortunately the CD does not give credit to the person who remixed this or from what source it was.

It's a shame that Giant hasn't released a full-length studio project since the 80's, cause if they did, they would probably blow most bands out of the water.

"

Like you've never heard it before....

Paul Minot | Waterville, ME United States | 06/27/2005

(5 out of 5 stars)

"This has never been one of my favorite GG albums--that would be "In a Glass House" or "Octopus", depending on my mood--but after hearing this remaster I may have to reconsider. The new remastering is so good I feel like I've never heard it before, with a wonderfully warm low end, plenty of high end sparkle, and all the details in between.

If you're a GG fan and you're wondering if you need to buy it, because you already have it on CD or vinyl, well, YOU DO, believe me. Me? I'm buying ALL the reissues in this series myself!

Gentle Giant Lives!!!"

Incredible Remastering

rucktoon | Lincoln, RI USA | 05/29/2005

(5 out of 5 stars)

"So you think you've heard Free Hand before? No, you haven't! An unbelievable mastering job, and there are 6 releases scheduled for this year (hope they can eventually re-master & re-release them ALL). There goes my allowance! Worth it for one of the most amazing bands ever, who TRULY deserve 21st century remastering to bring out the sounds and musical imagery they created.

p.s. Check out Porcupine Tree's In Absentia."

Gentle Giant in Full Sonic Glory!

Paul Minot | 05/30/2005

(5 out of 5 stars)

"'Free Hand' has always been my fave GG release, but I've had to live with a rather shoddy sounding One Way CD reissue that has diminished my enjoyment of the music. That is until now. These 35th Anniversary remasters are all supervised by GG vocalist Derek Shulman with loving attention to detail.

'Just The Same,' 'On Reflection,' 'Free Hand' - this is a masterpiece of creativity & artistry. In their day, GG was untouchable by all other prog bands (and they still are!). The vocal & instrumental counterpoint of 'On reflection' can finally be heard as it should be. I am left breathless by it. If you are a GG fan, then you should make it imperitive to buy this CD (and all the remasters) right away. If you are just a casual aquaintance, or curious about all the fuss, then this is as good a place as any to experience the majesty that was Gentle Giant-all hail the power and the glory!!! ©Michael Bettine"

Uncompromising Radio Rock

Joe Skrote | Winchester, Va. | 03/19/2006

(5 out of 5 stars)

"Free Hand was Gentle Giant's first album aimed squarely, song-for-song, at what was then known as Album-Oriented Rock radio -- a concerted attempt to reach a wider audience without sacrificing any of the band's brilliantly unique qualities. And they pulled it off beautifully. "Just the Same," "Free Hand" and "Time to Kill" are GG at their most fun (the female backing vocals on "Time to Kill" never fail to make me smile). "His Last Voyage" is as hauntingly beautiful as any of Kerry Minnear's songs, one that I'd be very happy to hear on my death bed. The live version of "Just the Same," added to this release, brings back great memories of Bicentennial weekend in Rochester, NY, when any doubts I had that the band could actually play this stuff live were gloriously smashed to bits (I believe this song was the show-opener).

Two small quibbles -- the studio tracks on my legally DL'ed mp3 version suffer from attenuated high frequencies, which make the music sound a bit sterile. Perhaps the master tape was EQ'ed for transfer to vinyl, but a little treble boost on the user end brings it back to life. Second, if there's a weak track on the album it's "Mobile," which lapses into a sing-song quality that hints at some of the more mind-numbing romps in GG albums to come. Whether that's intentional or not I never found it particularly enjoyable.

I'd argue that Free Hand is the band's last truly great studio album, and the one that would have set the music world on its ear if only AOR music directors had given it a chance. It's definitely the album I'd recommend to a newbie who wanted to "acquire the taste.""

Search - Gentle Giant :: Free Hand

CD Details

Similarly Requested CDs

CD Reviews

	Gentle Giant Free Hand Genres: Pop, Rock Track Listings (8) - Disc #1 Just the Same On Reflection Free Hand Time to Kill His Last Voyage Talybont Mobile Just the Same [Live][#][*]
? Larger Image