Free Hand
Free Hand gives Gentle Giant's complicated progressive rock a particularly clear melodic focus. The instruments and voices often follow different paths, yet the songs retain a strong sense of shape. The band bring rock, jazz and older musical forms together with enough energy and humour to keep the detail from becoming an academic exercise.
Just the Same demonstrates that balance. Its main beat remains steady while guitar, keyboards, bass and singing move against one another. The opening impression is surprisingly direct, but the arrangement keeps revealing separate parts inside the song. A quieter instrumental passage changes the atmosphere before the more familiar shape returns.
On Reflection makes the voices the main attraction. Overlapping vocal lines create a complex opening, followed by a gentler, almost medieval setting. The instrumental return develops that same musical idea in a different form. It is demanding writing, but the relationship between the sections makes it feel like a complete song rather than a technical demonstration.
The title track has a more restless character. Keyboards and piano shape an arrangement that shifts between lighter passages and firmer rock playing. Derek Shulman's voice adds its own sharp rhythm, while the instrumental exchanges remain closely controlled. The changes are frequent without making the song lose its direction.
His Last Voyage offers a softer contrast. Ray Shulman's bass establishes an unusual pattern before the guitar, keyboards and Kerry Minnear's gentler voice complete the setting. Layered singing adds to its atmosphere, while a blues-influenced guitar solo brings a stronger edge into the middle of the piece.
The shorter Talybont gives the older musical influences a clearer instrumental setting. Mobile then closes with lively violin and changing moods, returning some of the energy after the quieter material. These different approaches help the record cover considerable ground without relying on a long closing epic.
Free Hand still asks the listener to follow several things at once. The contrasting voices and tightly packed arrangements can take time to settle. Yet the melodies give that complexity an inviting centre. The pleasure comes from hearing independent parts become something connected, and Gentle Giant achieve that with unusual confidence throughout this album.
