At one time, Gentle Giant played some of the most worthwhile, state-of-the-art progressive rock extant. They carved their own idiosyncratic domain out of madrigal, Debussy and "I Am the Walrus" while completing the Jethro Tull revolution in rock counterpoint, breaking new ground in boogie polyrhythms and performing the most difficult and theoretical gambits with seamless, electrifying insouciance. In theory and in practice, these guys were brilliantly realized originals.

Lately, they've been selling out, explicitly seeking mass-audience megabucks, and it hurts to see it. For starters, there's no one in their wake—rock adventure nowadays has little to do with academics and chops. Moreover, such marketing strategy shows a gross misunderstanding of the band's audience and achievements. Gentle Giant justify themselves by pointing to the more accessible tunes and rhythms on their live Playing the Fool, but ignore the fact that this veritable greatest-hits package presented all their virtues in energetic quintessence. After eight distinctive albums, they should have realized they were getting their message across at last.

What makes Giant for a Day! a real pie in the face is that Gentle Giant simply cannot write plebeian music in the Boston or Foreigner vein. The current material lays bare their weaknesses, with none of the compensatory strengths. They still show a professional understanding of hooks (translated somewhat into classical motifs) but have no sympathy for conventional melodies; the vocals are largely riffs and, as such, leave huge musical holes. It's small compensation that "Take Me," the LP's warmest number, is one of the initial compositions of drummer John Weathers.

Throughout Giant for a Day!, most of the devices the group uses to assume a rock & roll sensibility—slap-back echo, slide guitar—fall horribly flat. This waste of vinyl will please neither Gentle Giant stalwarts nor could-be fans in radioland, and can only further taint the idea of progress in rock. (RS 288)

MICHAEL BLOOM