Free Hand

Free Hand is the seventh album by British progressive rock band Gentle Giant. It was released in 1975.

Free Hand
Studio album by Gentle Giant
Released	July 1975 (1975-07)
Recorded	April 1975
Studio	Advision, London
Genre	Progressive rock jazz rock
Length	36:50
Label	Chrysalis (UK)
Producer	Gentle Giant
Gentle Giant chronology
The Power and the Glory (1974) Free Hand (1975) Interview (1976)
"On Reflection"
sample of the song file help

It was the Gentle Giant's first album with their new label Chrysalis Records in the UK. It is noted for its high production values, and for a less dissonant, more accessible feel than their previous album The Power and the Glory. It was their highest-charting album in the US and the only one to reach the Top 50 on the Billboard Album Chart.

In addition to the usual stereo version the album was also mixed in 4-channel quadraphonic sound in 1976. The 4-channel mix was not used until 2012 when it finally appeared on DVD with encoding in multichannel LPCM, DTS and Dolby Digital surround sound formats.[1]

A 1990 CD re-issue in the US by One Way Records used an alternate stereo mix. This version revealed some different details in the musical and vocal parts. However, this edition may have actually been a reduction or variation of the 4-channel mix.

Alucard/EMI re-released the CD in 2009, "from the original 1/4-inch tapes through 24bit 96k Hi-Resolution transfer."

Reception

Professional ratings

Review scores
Source	Rating
AllMusic	[2]
Sea of Tranquility	[3]

The Great Rock Bible described the album:

Duly signing a new deal in Britain with Chrysalis Records, their seventh album Free Hand (1975), again only found a paying audience (and Top 50 status) across the water. However, it did contain impressive vocal gymnastics, much in evidence on jewels in the crown, "Just The Same" and the renaissance/retro, part a cappella/part folk-rocker "On Reflection"; the latter combining four pieces of group scribed fugue. Minnear's un-medieval meanderings on the ivories for the pure-prog title track was just the ticket for a group still going strong despite others such as ELP and the aforementioned Genesis and King Crimson were collapsing under rock's evolution. Although at times exquisitely off-kilter, tracks such as "Time To Kill", the beautiful "His Last Voyage", the folkie "Mobile" and Tudor-esque instrumental ditty "Talybont", gave the set an aura of accessibility – a classic![4]

Track listing

All tracks are written by Kerry Minnear, Derek Shulman, and Ray Shulman.

Side one

No.	Title	Lead vocals	Length
1.	"Just the Same"	Derek Shulman	5:33
2.	"On Reflection"	Derek Shulman, Ray Shulman, Kerry Minnear, Gary Green (in order of appearance); Kerry Minnear (middle section)	5:43
3.	"Free Hand"	Derek Shulman (verses and bridge), Kerry Minnear (bridge)	6:14

Side two

No.	Title	Lead vocals	Length
4.	"Time to Kill"	Derek Shulman (verses), Kerry Minnear (bridge)	5:08
5.	"His Last Voyage"	Kerry Minnear	6:26
6.	"Talybont"	(instrumental)	2:43
7.	"Mobile"	Derek Shulman	5:03

Bonus Track

No.	Title	Length
8.	"Just the Same" (Live; on the 35th anniversary CD edition)	4:50

6 extra tracks added on 'I Lost My Head – The Chrysalis Years 1975–1980' LP

No.	Title	Length
8.	"1976 Intro Tape" (previously unreleased)	1:39
9.	"Just the Same" (BBC session John Peel)	6:05
10.	"Free Hand" (BBC session John Peel)	6:08
11.	"On Reflection" (BBC session John Peel)	5:42
12.	"Give It Back" (International 7" mix)	3:48
13.	"I Lost My Head" (7" mix)	3:29

Personnel

• Gary Green – electric guitar (1-7), acoustic guitar (5, 7), descant recorder (2, 6), co-lead vocals (2)
• Kerry Minnear – piano (1–5, 7), Hammond organ (1, 2, 4, 5, 7), Clavinet (3, 5–7), Minimoog (1, 2, 4), synthesizer (1, 3, 6), electric piano (3, 4), harpsichord (2, 6), Wurlitzer electric piano, honky-tonk piano (7), celesta (2), glockenspiel (2), vibraphone (1, 2, 5), marimba (2), tympani (2), harp (2), cello (2), tenor recorder (6), lead vocals on (2–5)
• Derek Shulman – lead vocals (1-4 and 7), treble recorder (6), alto saxophones (1)
• Ray Shulman – bass, electric violin (7), violin (7), viola (2), co-lead vocals (2)
• John Weathers – drums (1–5, 7),[5] tambourine (1, 6, 7), bass drum (2, 6), tom-tom (6, 7), snare drum (2), triangle (2), cymbal (2), woodblock (3), cowbell (3), frame drums (7), percussion (2)

Additional Personnel

• Engineer – Gary Martin
• Assistant engineer – Paul Northfield
• Cover Design by Gentle Giant
• Graphics by Richard Evans

There are no instrument credits listed on the album.

Charts

Year	Chart	Position
1975	US Billboard 200	48[6]

Release history

Region	Date	Label
United States	21 or 28 July 1975	Capitol Records
United Kingdom	22 August 1975	Chrysalis Records

References

1. Gentle Giant: Free Hand at Discogs.com
2. Taylor, Robert (2011). "Gentle Giant: Free Hand | AllMusic". AllMusic.com. Retrieved 26 June 2011.
3. Pardo, Pete (2011). "Review: 'Gentle Giant: Free Hand – 35th Anniversary Edition (remaster)' – Sea of Tranquility – The Web Destination for Progressive Music!". SeaOfTranquility.org. Retrieved 26 June 2011.
4. "Gentle Giant biography". The Great Rock Bible. 2014. Retrieved 1 August 2015.
5. Gentle Giant's website
6. REED, RYAN (July 27, 2015). "40 YEARS AGO: GENTLE GIANT CRACK THE CHARTS WITH FUNKY 'FREE HAND'". ultimateclassicrock.com.

External links

• "Free Hand – The Gentle Giant Home Page". www.BlazeMonger/GG.com. Retrieved 2009-09-01.
• "Gentle Giant – Free Hand (LP, Album) at Discogs". www.Discogs.com. Retrieved 2009-09-01.