Civilian (Gentle Giant album)

Civilian

Studio album by Gentle Giant

Released

February, 1980

Recorded

August – November 1979, Sound City in Van Nuys, California

Genre

Rock, Hard rock

Length

32:41

Label

Chrysalis (UK)
Columbia (U.S.)

Producer

Gentle Giant

Gentle Giant chronology

Giant for a Day!
(1978)

Civilian
(1980)

Professional ratings
Review scores
Source	Rating
Allmusic	^[1]

Civilian is the eleventh studio album by British band Gentle Giant, released in 1980. It was recorded in the Los Angeles suburb of Van Nuys with former Beatles engineer Geoff Emerick. Consisting mostly of single-length rock songs, it is closer to an AOR sound than the progressive style for which the band is best known. It was to be the final album of Gentle Giant's career; soon after its release the band played a last tour and then split up.

It also marked the reactivation of Columbia Records in the U.S. and Canada after an eight-year hiatus; the last Columbia album had been Gentle Giant's 1972 release Octopus.

An unreleased track, "Heroes No More", has been included on some CD reissues. Another track from the period, "You Haven't a Chance", appeared on Under Construction 17 years later.

Track listing

All songs written and composed by :
Side one: Kerry Minnear and Derek Shulman, except where noted.
Side two: Kerry Minnear, Derek Shulman, and Ray Shulman.

Side one
No.	Title	Length
1.	"Convenience (Clean and Easy)" (G. Green, D. Shulman)	3:13
2.	"All Through the Night"	4:20
3.	"Shadows on the Street"	3:18
4.	"Number One"	4:38

Side two
No.	Title	Length
1.	"Underground"	3:47
2.	"I Am a Camera"	3:32
3.	"Inside Out"	5:51
4.	"It's Not Imagination"	4:03

Bonus track
No.	Title	Length
9.	"Heroes No More" (available on later re-release from One Way)	4:38

Personnel

Gary Green - Electric guitars on all tracks except track 3
Kerry Minnear - synthesizers (tracks 1-7, 9), electric piano (tracks 1, 3-9), Hammond organ (tracks 2, 3, 9), Clavinet (track 7), piano (track 3), lead vocals on track 3
Derek Shulman - lead vocals on all tracks except track 3
Ray Shulman - bass, acoustic guitar (tracks 5, 6), backing vocals
John Weathers - drums, tambourine (tracks 4-6, 8, 9), varispeed cymbals (track 1), percussion (track 7), backing vocals^[2]

Release Details

1980, UK, Chrysalis Records CHR 1285, Release Date ? February 1980, LP
1980, USA, Columbia Records JC 36341, Release Date ? February or March 1980, LP
1980, Canada, Columbia Records JC 36341, Release Date ? ? 1980, LP
1994, UK, Terrapin Trucking TRUCKCD008, Release Date ? July 1994, CD (Re-Master)
1997, USA, One Way CD 28591, Release Date 28 October 1997, CD
1999, UK, Beat Goes On BGOCD435, Release Date 10 March 1999, CD (2 x CD with Playing the Fool - The Official Live)

References

↑ Little, Patrick (2011). "Civilian - Gentle Giant | AllMusic". allmusic.com. Retrieved 26 June 2011.
↑ Gentle Giant's website (www.blazemonger.com/GG/)

Gentle Giant

Gary Green Kerry Minnear Derek Shulman Phil Shulman Ray Shulman John Weathers Martin Smith Malcolm Mortimore

Studio albums	Gentle Giant Acquiring the Taste Three Friends Octopus In a Glass House The Power and the Glory Free Hand Interview The Missing Piece Giant for a Day! Civilian

Other releases	Playing the Fool In Concert-BBC Radio 1 Out of the Woods The Last Steps Under Construction King Biscuit Flower Hour Presents Out of the Fire Totally Out of the Woods Live in Rome 1974 In'terview in Concert In a Palesport House Experience Artistically Cryme Endless Life The Missing Face Prologue Scraping the Barrel Playing the Cleveland Live in New York 1975 Live in Santa Monica 1975 Live in Stockholm '75 King Alfred's College Winchester Gentle Giant Live at the Bicentennial 1776-1976 Giant on the Box (DVD) GG at the GG (DVD)

This article is issued from Wikipedia - version of the Sunday, February 14, 2016. The text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution/Share Alike but additional terms may apply for the media files.