Liverpool Sound and Vision Rating 8.5/10
The catalyst for change does not always present itself with such acuteness as the rise in the popularity of a music genre which came to define a short-lived era but which would come to have huge repercussions to larger scales of music, to a genre that caught the attention of those with more than a simple hook in their minds to please.
The deviation in timing and appearance of The Missing Piece by Progressive Rock lords Gentle Giant might have been a huge shock, a sudden departure from the expected, something that even fellow genre mates Yes and Genesis didn’t attempt with the immediacy of the band, a transition that even saw an attempt at framing a Punk narrative within its midst, and whilst not conformed with many of the fans, it could be argued that the album at the time was a signal that in time they would slowly fade from the headline and become for a while a sense of nostalgia that fans returned to when confronted on all sides by the dominance of disco, Punk, and the emerging rap/hip hop styles that were crowding the charts.
The Missing Piece though, now given its expected Steven Wilson remix, deserves more love than was perhaps offered at the time, a transition yes, but one that was required to fit into a new mindset that was all consuming as the desire for audiences was the needed burst of energy and direction and not the construct of the long-term plan.
The new direction offered by Gentle Giant witnessed experimentation, a style of pop that would not have been lost on the imagination of 10cc, a power ballad that would come to define 80s Genesis, a punk sound off, and even a soul foray which might have appeased the original thought of the group as the Shulman influence returned to their great love of blue-eyed soul.
The love to be found though in this new remix emphasises the need for constant renewal, and one that understands you don’t have to push away that which gave you the foundation of respect, but neither do you have to neglect not moving forward; and as tracks such as Betcha Thought We Couldn’t Do It, Who Do You Think You Are, Mountain Time, the attention grabbing Two Weeks In Spain, Memories Of Old Days, and perhaps prophetically As Old As You Are Young, what should come across is the insistence of virtuosity…this was a band unafraid to progress, the point of the Progressive movement.
Steven Wilson once more weaves magic, his technical and passionate ability is key to reinforcing the message, and it is one delivered with openness and flair.
Gentle Giant’s The Missing Piece (Steven Wilson Remix) is released on February 16th.
Ian D. Hall