Civilian is the eleventh and final studio album by the British band Gentle Giant, released in 1980.[3][5] It was recorded at Sound City Studios in the Van Nuys neighborhood of Los Angeles with former Beatles engineer Geoff Emerick. Consisting mostly of short rock songs, it is closer to a traditional rock sound than the progressive style for which the band is best known. The album also marked a return to Columbia Records in the U.S. and Canada after an eight-year hiatus; the band's last album released with Columbia had been 1972's Octopus.
| Civilian | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | ||||
| Studio album by | ||||
| Released | 3 March 1980[1] | |||
| Recorded | August–November 1979 | |||
| Studio | Sound City, Van Nuys | |||
| Genre | Hard rock | |||
| Length | 32:41 | |||
| Label | Chrysalis (UK) Columbia (US) | |||
| Producer | Gentle Giant | |||
| Gentle Giant chronology | ||||
| ||||
| Singles from Civilian | ||||
| ||||
| Review scores | |
|---|---|
| Source | Rating |
| AllMusic |   [2] |
| The Encyclopedia of Popular Music | [3] |
| MusicHound Rock: The Essential Album Guide | [4] |
The album peaked at No. 203 on the Billboard 200.[6] Soon after the album's release, Gentle Giant played a final tour and then split up.
A previously unreleased track, "Heroes No More", has been included on some CD reissues of the album. Another track from the same period, "You Haven't a Chance", appeared on the compilation album Under Construction 17 years later.
Critical reception
Reviewing the 2006 Gentle Giant reissues, The Village Voice deemed Civilian "bland" and a bomb "that destroyed the band."[7]
Track listing
All lead vocals by Derek Shulman, except "Shadows on the Street", sung by Kerry Minnear.[citation needed]
All tracks are written by Kerry Minnear, Derek Shulman and Ray Shulman except where noted
| No. | Title | Writer(s) | Length |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Convenience (Clean and Easy)" | Derek Shulman, Gary Green | 3:13 |
| 2. | "All Through the Night" | 4:20 | |
| 3. | "Shadows on the Street" | 3:18 | |
| 4. | "Number One" | 4:38 |
| No. | Title | Length |
|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Underground" | 3:47 |
| 2. | "I Am a Camera" | 3:32 |
| 3. | "Inside Out" | 5:51 |
| 4. | "It's Not Imagination" "That's... All... There... Is...." ([nb 1]) | 4:03 |
| No. | Title | Length |
|---|---|---|
| 9. | "Heroes No More" ([nb 2]) | 4:38 |
Personnel
- Gentle Giant
- Derek Shulman – lead vocals on all tracks except track 3
- 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
- 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[8]
Charts
| Chart (1980) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| Canada Top Albums/CDs (RPM)[9] | 91 |
Notes
References
External links
- Gentle Giant – Civilian at Discogs (list of releases)