1. 30 MUSIC
I CD REVIEWS
SOUTH FLORIDA SUN-SENTINEL • SHOWTIME
CONTINUED FROM PAGE 29
cities of the new global econo-
my.
— SEAN PICCOLI
Rock
Gentle Giant: Scraping the
Barrel (Alucard).
With a sound influenced as
much by Scarlatti as Sgt. Pep-
per, Gentle Giant was the origi-
nal baroque ’n’ roll band of the
’70s. Pushing boundaries in
ways that made prog-rock su-
perstars such as Yes and Gene-
sis seem like amateurs, the
band’s music melded British
folk, 20th century chamber
music and Beatlesque inven-
tion.
Now, 25 years after disband-
ing, Gentle Giant has released
a four-CD boxed set that sheds
new light on the group’s ex-
traordinary virtuosity and en-
semble songwriting. As the title
implies, this retrospective goes
deep into the archival barrel.
But even these bottom scrap-
ings are choice cuts that help to
explain the band’s continuing
influence on newer progressive
rock acts including Spock’s
Beard, Porcupine Tree and
Flower Kings.
Like the Beatles anthologies,
Scraping the Barrel is not a
sun-sentinel.com
See Love & Taxes and Get best-of set but a compilation of
previously unreleased works-
a $5 “REFUND” * in-progress, rehearsal demos,
live performances and other
rarities from all 10 of Gentle Gi-
ant’s studio albums. The best
presents moments are when the tape
captures a song in early stages
of development — as when
keyboardist Kerry Minnear
taps out the core piano melody
of 1977’s As Old As You’re
Young while vocalist/lyricist
Derek Shulman invents a guide
vocal on the spot.
Other highlights include the
deconstruction of several clas-
sic Giant songs including the
elegiac Empty City from
1976’s Interview album: Three
separate tracks isolate the
rhythm sections, acoustic gui-
tar parts and the chorale-fugue
March 24 - 26 vocals to reveal the band’s
For limited time, get $5 off this hilarious show. trademark point-counterpoint
LOVE & TAXES is a hilarious tale of falling in love while wrangling approach.
with the Kafka-esque IRS. It begins with Josh Kornbluth's brief foray into the There are a handful of inferi-
monolithic Hollywood studio system, netting him much more than a huge tax bill. or tracks here — including odd
PB
The piece charts Josh's attempts to extricate himself from the increasingly 1980s detours that found mem-
paralyzing effects of indebtedness, a situation that threatens his new-found love bers sounding like economy-
•
life, his professional life, and his fiscal and psychological well-being.
FRIDAY, MARCH 11, 2005
class Duran Duran and Big
For Tickets and Groups, Call Broward Center’s Country. But it’s easy to forgive
AutoNation Box Office at 954.462.0222 or www.browardcenter.org the few shortcomings in this
warts-and-all overview of Gen-
tle Giant’s brief and brilliant
moment in the sun.
Sponsors: — NICK TATE
TM
All programs, artists, dates and times are subject to change. I CD REVIEWS CONTINUES ON 31
*Valid on all performances, not valid with any other offers or discounts.