The Power and the Glory (Gentle Giant album)

Occupation

• Derek Shulman
• Gary Green
• Kerry Minnear
• Ray Shulman
• John Weathers

The Power and the Glory is the sixth studio album by British progressive rock band Gentle Giant. It appeared in 1974 at WWA Records.

Creation and publication

Gentle Giant wanted to record a spontaneous sounding album and make not more than two takes for the pieces of The Power and the Glory. The recordings took place in late 1973 and early 1974, held in London Advision studios. The album was released in 1974, unlike in a Glass House also on Capitol Records in the U.S.. About Terrapin Trucking, Kerry Minnears Alucard Music and Derek Shulman DRT Entertainment published from 1992 different CD and LP reissues of The Power and the Glory, partially or remastered with bonus tracks.

Title list

Page 1

Page 2

Bonus tracks

Style

Gentle Giant reduce the instrumentation on the album numerically, but use more electric instruments than before; Keyboards and guitars in the foreground. The characteristic timing and tempo changes are retained, and even more exhausted than before. Some influences from pop music, jazz and blues are now audible. The pieces often seem dissonant and bleak. The Power and the Glory is a concept album about power and corruption.

Reception

As The Power and the Glory looks difficult to access, it was not rated exclusively positive. Bruce Eder of Allmusic awarded only two stars out of five, Georgiy Starostin feels some pieces as soulless abominations. The album, however, praised the Baby Blue Pages as varied, charming and modern, and the music magazine eclipsed took it on its list of the 150 most important prog albums.