Acquiring The Taste

The title of Gentle Giant’s second album, Acquiring The Taste, was of course a reference to their musical oeuvre. The liner notes insist, “It has taken every shred of our combined musical and technical knowledge… to expand the frontiers of contemporary popular music.” And there you have it: the progressive ethos! The band plays what seems to be an orchestra of instruments over the course of the album. From the baroque recorders on “Wreck” to the alto and tenor saxophones of “The Moon Is Down,” Giant extend the range of their music in a genuinely eclectic way. Remember, this was 1971: If you wanted new sounds, you had to come up with them on your own; there were no magic buttons to press. The string quartet on “Black Cat” is highly effective, lending warmth to the feline interpretation. And dig the Walter Carlos-esque Moog synthesizer of the title track. Throughout the album, the Giant’s performance is, of course, consummate, as is Tony Visconti’s impeccable production. Both “Plain Truth” and “The House, the Street, the Room” carry a familiar heaviness the band would often revisit. Lyrically, the album also stretches out, referencing the literary works of 16th century humanist François Rabelais in “Pantagruel’s Nativity.” The liner notes further describe and predict the album’s conclusion: “to give you something far more substantial… at the risk of being very unpopular.” For the most part, Gentle Giant succeed on both counts: Their technical ability was enormous, and their albums did not sell very well. The album was their first to see release in the US, yet it failed again to chart. Gentle Giant would, however, record another two albums for Vertigo.