Search - Gentle Giant :: Interview

Strangely but this one

MMM | 06/07/2002

(5 out of 5 stars)

"is greatly overlooked for some reason. The title track is in the great GG tradition. Just listen to the piano in the instrumental before the "whispers" (it sounds like King Crimson's on Cat Food) - it's sheer brilliance. Give It Back is probably the most difficult to like. Design is of a great design of vocals and drums. Empty City is a very good GG as well as Timing. I Lost My Head is a real masterpiece, similar in structure to the In The Glass House title track. Interview and I Lost My Head are my favorites. It's their last great record and it will certainly satisfy the most discriminating and serious listener."

BUH!!!!!!!!!

R. Recchia | blodgett mills, ny | 10/23/2001

(3 out of 5 stars)

"Interview contains my favorite Gentle Giant song ever;that
song is "Design". The whole structure of the song is unique and
very unpredictable.The vocal rounds on this song are GG's best;
they're complex and very funny at the same time and do a very
good job interpreting the very sad lyrics. The percussion and the
wierd sound effects in the middle of the song are hilarious, but
my favorite part is Derek Shulman's vocal entrance at the start
of verse two. As for the rest, " I lost my head" is a perfect
combination of GG's medieval and melodic side and their hard rock
side. The second half of the track was a sign of things to come
for GG. The title track is another great song, showing off their
wonderful sense of humour. The low point of the album, for me, is
"Timing", which has some very annoying vocals in it and some very
headache inducing violin playing! INTERVIEW may not be GG's best
album, but it definitely has it's moments!"

Interview With The Giant

Alan Caylow | USA | 03/20/2005

(4 out of 5 stars)

"The eighth Gentle Giant album, 1976's "Interview," finds the art-rock band *just starting* to step away from their earlier progressive sound, and crafting tunes that were a bit looser and more accessible to the ears (the change in musical direction would be complete by the next album, "The Missing Piece"). But there's still enough of the ol' Gentle Giant sound here to satisfy the diehard GG followers, while the more streamlined, simpler elements the band incorporate on "Interview" actually sound quite refreshing (honestly, I don't mind it when bands try different approaches to their music, just so long as the end result is still genuinely good music!). The title song is punchy & fun, as GG put rock music interviewers firmly in their place, while "Give It Back" has a surprising reggae-ish swing to it in parts, but it works well. "Design" is the song that sounds the most like classic Gentle Giant, featuring the group's trademark, haunting vocal arrangements. "Empty City" sounds a lot like Jethro Tull (one of the bands GG are always compared to), but that's cool with me, and it's both a very beautiful & powerful number. And the album concludes with "I Lost My Head," an instant Gentle Giant classic that is both elegant AND rockin'. It's definitely my favorite song on the album. There are those GG purists out there who say that "Interview" is the band's last good album, as many of them did NOT warm up to the group's later work, starting with "The Missing Piece." I don't think the band nosedived after "Interview"---for starters, I happen to love "The Missing Piece" (but that's another review). "Interview" is an excellent Gentle Giant album, but it certainly isn't their "last" excellent album. There was still some great music yet to come from this Gentle ol' Giant."