Progressive rock legends Gentle Giant’s eighth studio album Interview has been given a Steven Wilson Remix and will be released on CD, 5.1 Blu-ray and 180g vinyl this coming 16th June.
Originally released on 23rd April back in 1976, the line-up then featured Derek Shulman, Ray Shulman, Gary Green, Kerry Minnear and John Weather, with then-Sounds writer Phil Sutcliffe in the role of interviewer.
Having been touring non-stop throughout Europe and North America promoting the highly successful 1975 Free Hand album, the band had no real downtime they still felt inclined to write and record a follow up, without having any time to reflect on Free Hand’s success. This may have influenced both the direction and attitude of the album, hence its somewhat cynical concept.
The band had long favoured Advision Studios and there, in addition to the usual stereo version the album, they also mixed in 4-channel quadraphonic sound. It poked a little satirical fun at the state of the music industry and dissected the way a group’s relationship with the rock press could either help or hinder their career.
Stylistically it continued in the vein of their preceding album, but also featured a spoken cameo from Sounds writer Phil Sutcliffe, the shape-shifting funk-rock of the title track ‘Interview’ lampooned clichéd rock ‘n’ roll journalism, while the snappy ‘Another Show’ painted a vivid portrait of life on the road, redolent of The Kinks’ “Here Comes Yet Another Day.”
Elsewhere, Interview further displayed the eclectic and versatile nature of the band, from the 5/4 reggae influenced groove of ‘Give It Back’ to the ethereal ‘Design’ featuring a cappella vocal passages combined with a furious percussion section. ‘Timing’ lived up to its name, a complex rocker with stop start dynamics driven by Ray Shulman’s biting electric violin (He sadly having passed away on 30th March). The album closed with the epic seven-minute suite ‘I Lost My Head’.
Award winning producer and musician Steven Wilson has remixed Interview in Dolby Atmos and 5.1 surround sound. The Porcupine Tree guitarist has long been a fan of the band, noting them as a primary influence on his own work. Wilson’s painstaking attention to detail, deep respect for the source material and keen tonal range are said to make the album sound as fresh today as it did on first release. In addition to the 2023 remixes, the original 1976 stereo mix, original 1976 quad mix, instrumental mixes, and custom visuals for each track are all included in the CD/Blu-ray version, alongside a limited blue coloured vinyl album of the Wilson remix.
You can check out a video announcement the album remix’s release here at RAMzine and pre-order it by clicking here.
