Taking a not so successful pop detour with 1978's Giant for a Day, Gentle Giant was quite unsure where to turn with their follow-up.
Lead singer turned manager Derek Shulman hoped that a change of environment would help them tap the American market, so he moved the band to Los Angeles to rehearse and record the new album.
Whereas bassist Ray Shulman had dominated the straightforward writing of the previous album, keyboardist Kerry Minnear was given the reins here.
The result was a fusion that actually worked: Minnear's busy notation, new wave sounds, and driving tempos.
At the end of the '70s, many of Gentle Giant's progressive rock contemporaries were looking for new directions that would sell.
With its darker outlook and hard-hitting sound (it is the only Gentle Giant album without acoustic guitar), Civilian was definitely a turn for the better.
But unlike Genesis, Gentle Giant never made it over the hump; it was announced that the tour that followed would be their last, and they disbanded.
| Title/Composers | Performer | Listen | Time | Size | Size | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Convenience (Clean and Easy)Gentle Giant | Gentle Giant | Play | 03:13 | 7 MB | 22 MB |
| 2 | All Through the NightGentle Giant | Gentle Giant | Play | 04:20 | 9 MB | 28 MB |
| 3 | Shadows on the StreetGentle Giant | Gentle Giant | Play | 03:17 | 7 MB | 16 MB |
| 4 | Number OneGentle Giant | Gentle Giant | Play | 04:42 | 10 MB | 31 MB |
| 5 | UndergroundGentle Giant | Gentle Giant | Play | 03:47 | 8 MB | 26 MB |
| 6 | I Am a CameraGentle Giant | Gentle Giant | Play | 03:31 | 8 MB | 23 MB |
| 7 | Inside OutGentle Giant | Gentle Giant | Play | 05:51 | 13 MB | 36 MB |
| 8 | It's Not ImaginationGentle Giant | Gentle Giant | Play | 04:03 | 9 MB | 26 MB |
| 9 | Heroes No MoreGentle Giant | Gentle Giant | Play | 04:38 | 10 MB | 27 MB |
| 37 mins | 85 MB | |||||
| 37 mins | 239 MB | |||||
| Artist | Job | |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Ginger Canzoneri | Cover Design |
| 2 | Nancy Donald | Cover Design |
| 3 | Gentle Giant | Composer, Primary Artist |
| 4 | Gary Green | Guitar, Vocals |
| 5 | Kerry Minnear | Keyboards, Vocals |
| 6 | Derek Shulman | Bass, Guitar, Vocals |
| 7 | Ray Shulman | Bass, Guitar (Acoustic), Percussion, Violin, Vocals, Vocals (Background) |
| 8 | John Weathers | Drums, Vocals, Vocals (Background) |
| 9 | David J. Weiner | Photography |
| Quality | Format | Encoding | Description |
|---|---|---|---|
| Standard | MP3 | 320kps 44.1kHz | MP3 is an audio coding format which uses a form of lossy data compression. The highest bitrate of this format is 320kbps (kbit/s). MP3 Digital audio takes less amount of space (up to 90% reduction in size) and the quality is not as good as the original one. |
| CD Quality | FLAC | 16bit 44.1kHz | FLAC is an audio coding format which uses lossless compression. Digital audio in FLAC format has a smaller size and retains the same quality of the original Compact Disc (CD). |