In 1977 Gentle Giant recorded their ninth studio album, The Missing Piece. It was a time of change. Punk, disco and rap were altering the musical landscape and even this well-established progressive rock band were willing to explore new directions.
Side One saw them experimenting with quirky pop (“Two Weeks In Spain”), a grandiose power ballad (“I’m Turning Around’), syncopated funk (“Who Do You Think You Are?”) and even the punky aggression of “Betcha Thought We Couldn’t Do It.” Meanwhile the call and response soul shouting of “Mountain Time” hearkened back to the “big sound” of their Simon Dupree R&B revue days.
Normal service was resumed on Side Two with some of their most sublime and intricate progressive stylings to date. The breezily baroque “As Old As You're Young” led into the yearningly elegiac “Memories Of Old Days” with a particularly heartfelt vocal from Derek Shulman. The percussive tour de force of “Winning” then set up the blazing finale of “For Nobody,” another mind blowing complex collection of driving intertwining riffs that the band would nonchalantly thunder through with apparent ease.
It remains a polarizing effort amongst fans to this day, some bemused by its diversity, others enchanted by its versatility and sense of humor. The Missing Piece certainly proves that Gentle Giant could play anything they set their minds to. It was the last Gentle Giant album to chart in the US.
Award winning producer and musician Steven Wilson continues his association with the band, remixing the album in Dolby Atmos, Stereo and 5.1 surround sound. In addition, the digipak CD/Blu-ray version also contains an instrumental mix, the original 1977 stereo mix and videos for each track. All remixes except the Atmos contain a bonus track, a previously unreleased outtake of “Winning.”
Gentle Giant's The Missing Piece Steven Wilson remix will be released on CD, 5.1 Blu-Ray, 180g vinyl and Limited Edition Transparent Green Vinyl variant on February 16. Pre-order here.
Tracklisting:
"Two Weeks in Spain"
"I’m Turning Around"
"Betcha Thought We Couldn’t Do It"
"Who Do You Think You Are?"
"Mountain Time"
"As Old As You’re Young"
"Memories Of Old Days"
"Winning"
"For Nobody"
"Winning" (Outtake) (Bonus Track)
Lineup:
Derek Shulman - Lead Vocals
Kerry Minnear - Keyboards, Vocals
Ray Shulman - Bass Guitar, 12 string Guitar
Gary Green - Electric and Acoustic Guitars
John “Pugwash” Weathers - Drums and Percussion
