 genre: prog
country: uk
audio: lossless (wv, cue, log, scans)
time: 36'39" size: 228 mb
ProgressiveRock :
Chrysalis Records released Free Hand in the UK, purportedly from a relation the band made after touring with Jethro Tull. Here Giant replaces the uniformity of the previous album for a more playful atmosphere. The first side revolves around the themes of broken relationships, personal and otherwise. "Just The Same" kicks things off with a rather choppy rhythm, but its highlight is the break - one minute soaring, the next quirky. "On Reflection" is a throwback to "Knots"; it’s a cappella rounds are arranged with mediaeval flavor, with a gentle vocal break from Minnear. "Free Hand" is the rocker, but unfortunately suffers from protracted arrangement and an abrupt ending. The more concise live versions of these songs would kick them up a notch and become concert favorites. The second side is less straightforward. Opening with a classic Atari Pong sample, "Time to Kill" has a sharper tempo that lends a certain swing to the arrangement. Complex, multi-faceted, and ornate, "His Last Voyage" is Giant doing what they do best. The atypical break features a particularly haunting piano riff, followed by another great Green solo. The instrumental "Talybont" is pure renaissance music. "Mobile" moves along with a jig’s pace although it has an air of earlier works, particularly in the interplay between violin and acoustic guitar, and the wah-wah break. The album barley scraped the lower reaches of the UK charts, but became their first and only album to break the Top 50 in the US. Further touring kept the band busy until their next record.
01. Just The Same 5:34
02. On Reflection 5:41
03. Free Hand 6:16
04. Time To Kill 5:03
05. His Last Voyage 6:27
06. Talybont 2:40
07. Mobile 4:59
Gary Green – electric guitar (tracks 5-7), electric guitars (tracks 1-4), acoustic guitar (tracks 5, 7), descant recorder (tracks 2, 6), co-lead vocals on track 2
Kerry Minnear – piano (tracks 1-5, 7), Hammond organ (tracks 1, 2, 4, 5, 7), Clavinet (tracks 3, 5-7), Minimoog (tracks 1, 2, 4), synthesizer (tracks 1, 3, 6), electric piano (tracks 3, 4), harpsichord (tracks 2, 6), Wurlitzer electric piano, honky-tonk piano (track 7), celesta (track 2), glockenspiel (track 2), vibraphone (tracks 1, 2, 5), marimba (track 2), tympani (track 2), harp (track 2), cello (track 2), tenor recorder (track 6), lead vocals on tracks 2-5
Derek Shulman – lead vocals on tracks 1-4 and 7, treble recorder (track 6), alto saxophones (track 1)
Ray Shulman – bass, electric violin (track 7), violin (track 7), viola (track 2), co-lead vocals on track 2
John Weathers – drums (tracks 1-5, 7),[3] tambourine (tracks 1, 6, 7), bass drum (tracks 2, 6), tom-tom (tracks 6, 7), snare drum (track 2), triangle (track 2), cymbal (track 2), woodblock (track 3), cowbell (track 3), frame drums (track 7), percussion (track 2)
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