Civilian, Gentle Giant, LP

Vinyl LP pressing. Includes bonus track. Gentle Giant's last album, Civilian, was originally released in the spring of 1980, a little over a decade after the band's formation. Like all their albums, Civilian defied categorization. The album was the final stage in Giant's move toward a more concise and direct approach while still maintaining it's musical integrity. It was unique among their albums in that the material was written and recorded in North America. The band recruited Beatles engineer Geoff Emerick to man the console at Sound City and Bijou Studios in Hollywood to record this final album. What emerged from these sessions was a comparatively straightforward high-energy rock album, with hook laden songs and clever choruses. Undoubtedly a musical vindication of Giant's decision to move further towards the 'progressive rock mainstream', and the logical conclusion of the work begun on 1976's 'Interview'. Despite having paired down earlier characteristic elements, Gentle Giant retained their quintessential brilliant musicianship moving forward into the new decade.