Gentle Giant - Free Hand
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Music CD Cover
Artist: Gentle GiantEdition: Music CD
Format: Extra tracks
CD Release Date: 2005-05-10
Music Label: Alucard Records
Soundtracks:
- Just the Same
- On Reflection
- Free Hand
- Time to Kill
- His Last Voyage
- Talybont
- Mobile
- Just the Same [Live][#][*]
Free Music Notes for Free Hand
Free Music Review: where's the gentle touch?
Hit: 5 Stars
Free Hand is another example of Gentle Giant providing more entertainment than a barrel full of monkeys. Well "His Last Voyage" doesn't entertain me as much as it probably does others. Poo on that.
Let's talk about that song first, shall we? Yes we shall so without further ado, let's get started! Hey, when you mention a song in the intro line it's kind of rude to dart around and mention other songs. You wouldn't talk to a girl at a party and then, after a brief moment, suddenly walk away and talk to another girl instead, would you? WOULD you?
Anyway, yes, "His Last Voyage". It's gently touching and forest-like enough that Peter, Paul and Mary should have been extremely proud of it back in the day. Of course they were too busy performing "Go Tell it on the Mountain" to pay attention to British prog rock, but well... yeah. Not that I can actually see Peter, Paul and Mary ever listening to Gentle Giant... well maybe if they were high as a kite and locked inside a log cabin, lol. Anyway, it's a cool song. The lead singer sings the first half with such sincerity. Don't underestimate his singing skills. It really resonates with me on a personal note too.
What's especially weird about this song is that, despite its beautiful and quiet nature, you can sometimes pick out those clever and distinct tricks taking place in between the verse melody. It's really strange. You know what kind of tricks I'm talking about too- tricks that only Gentle Giant would implement! It's like a Stephen King book! Beauty and eerieness combined. Gentle Giant is one of a kind, that's for sure.
"Just the Same" makes you wanna jump out of your chair while waiting at the doctors office and completely embarrass yourself by snapping your fingers to the BRILLIANT beat of the vocal melody. Everyone else waiting then puts down their book for a moment to glance in your direction and think you must be some kind of fruitcake, but you can't stop snapping those itchy fingers and singing "I'm just doing what I want to do, nothing more and nothing less than you!" It's such a wonderful and peculiar feeling. You gotta dig it.
When the song shifts into the instrumental portion... well by this point everyone at the doctors office already thinks you're weird (and probably even comes to their own personal conclusion why you're there in the first place) so you mine as well pretend you're playing the guitar like a real rock star. Shake your head up and down and really get into it. You'd have to shake it awkwardly to all THESE bizarre time signatures, that's for sure.
Ah, what's next? "On Reflection?" Yes, reflect. Reflect on the fact that what initially sounds like a severly unorganized vocal section in the beginning actually shifts into one of the most beautiful vocal melodies I have EVER heard. I'm not being sarcastic either. That is an *extremely* passionate vocal melody, and I believe those are flutes and strings playing along to the vocals which enable me to like it even *more*. "I'll remember the good things how can you forget all the years that we've shared in our way".
GOD is that a good melody. It's to die for. No no, it's too beautiful to think about death. It makes me think about picnics for some reason (with no pesky basket-carrying ants to ruin my perfect moment of bliss!)
After that God-like vocal section takes a sudden unfortunate exit, the song shifts into what can best be described as super neato weirdo vocals. Actually I think the band is attempting to take the vocals from the beginning of the song and repeat them in a really strange way with a grand finale of musical chops added to even greater (and weirder) effect. Those Gentle Giants and their whacky antics! That's why we love them dearly, hehe.
Oh, and I could have sworn that "All around, all around, all around" part came from a Who album, specifically Tommy. Someone listen to Tommy real quick and tell me what my mind is thinking about. Oh, and one more thing (yes that's right, I'm STILL not done talking about "On Reflection"- it's THAT darn good!). When I said those vocals in the beginning are extremely messy, I meant the very first time you hear them- after a while you will grow to absolutely *love* them. You see, it's the complex style of the band totally screwing with your innocent little head. It's supposed to make you feel weird!
The title song I have to mention now because sometimes a little negativity never hurt anyone. I don't like the vocal melody. I think it stinks! It marches along in an obnoxious way, like a soldier marching into a drug joint with bad intentions. It's weird how the singer pauses for a moment and screams "In the games you... PLAY!" I actually like when he does that, but everything else the singer does here needs to take a hike back to the Rocky Mountains.
Now with THAT negative little burst of uncontrollable anger out of my system (which isn't really angry at all when you think about it, but compared to my more normally subdued nature, it is) let's talk about other portions of the title song.
Listen to the instrumental break about 4 minutes in. Tell me that doesn't remind you of a pretty ballerina princess doing her cute little thing on stage. "Mommy loves you, sweetie!" Or maybe it reminds you of somewhere cold like an ice skating rink in New York City (yeah you know which one I'm referring to- just how many movies have USED that particular rink?). Either way, you're sure to feel beauty, because it *is* pure beauty. That part of the song alone saves the entire darn 6 minutes! Well, that and the chicken-plucking chops that follow it.
"Mobile" is awesome! It reminds me of cowboys and rodeo events. Those bulls won't catch up to me because the tricky rhythm section in which the vocal melody is sung makes me completely unstoppable! Yeah! Feel the power! If a bull manages to catch up to me, let's hope someone jumps out in front of the wild beast to stop him dead in his tracks (like it's done in real life). And by "real life" I mean TV, hehe.
Pick up this Gentle Giant album right now for more of their crazy tricks displayed in all its melodic and clever glory. "All around, all around, all around, all around..." sorry I got dizzy there, hehe.
Free Hand Poster
Gentle Giant was born out the ashes of Simon Dupree & the Big Band sound,a successful UK Based Rock and R&B outfit lead by brothers Derek, Ray and Phil Shulman. 1n 1970 the brothers Shulman founded Gentle Giant. Their untilization of complex classical chords and time patterns, together with hard rock, blues, Jazz and even medieval melodies set them apart from any other "Progressive" Groups. This Album is fully remastered for the first time from it's original 1/4 inch Tapes.Pop Music CDs
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