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The Missing Piece

A change of direction toward pop on its first side, and the last Gentle Giant album to chart in America.
Gentle Giant, 1977

Released
26 August 1977
Label
Chrysalis (UK), Capitol (US)

Recorded in the Netherlands, The Missing Piece came out in the UK on 26 August 1977 and in the US on 12 September. Its first side tried pop, blue-eyed soul and even punk, while the second side kept closer to the band's older style. Three singles, Two Weeks in Spain, Mountain Time and I'm Turning Around, did not become hits. Derek Shulman sang all the lead vocals except on As Old as You're Young, which Kerry Minnear and Derek sang together.

The front cover shows a puzzle piece that fits the unfinished puzzle on the back cover, which when completed shows the debut album's cover. The Globe and Mail wrote that the band "has become more listenable by becoming more commercial".

Track listing

  1. Two Weeks in Spain3:00
  2. I'm Turning Around3:54
  3. Betcha Thought We Couldn't Do It2:30
  4. Who Do You Think You Are?3:33
  5. Mountain Time3:19
  6. As Old as You're Young4:19
  7. Memories of Old Days7:15
  8. Winning4:12
  9. For Nobody4:00

More from Gentle Giant

Gentle Giant (1970), Acquiring the Taste (1971), Octopus (1972), Three Friends (1972), In a Glass House (1973), The Power and the Glory (1974), Free Hand (1975), Interview (1976), Giant for a Day! (1978), Civilian (1980)

Sources

  1. The Missing Piece (album), Wikipedia
  2. Gentle Giant, Wikipedia