Gentle Giant-In A Glass House (1973)

Gentle Giant's fifth album marked a turning point for the band. Phil Shulman left, taking his extraordinary voice and wind instruments with him, and from that moment on, his two brothers, Derek and Ray Shulman, along with the rest of the members, would noticeably change the band's distinctive style. "In A Glass House" is often considered by many to be their definitive work, as well as Gentle Giant's greatest commercial success and one of the cornerstones of progressive rock. While it's impossible to definitively choose which Gentle Giant album is the best among so many impeccable ones, it's also true that this is one of their most consistent and mature works. It also drew criticism from their more purist fans for its subtle shift towards more accessible territory (or at least more accessible than their previous albums). From the opening and dynamic "The Runaway" to the superb "Way of Life", passing through the hypnotic "Experience" and the sublime progressive "In a Glass House", this album strictly adheres to the same musical line as all their previous albums, but it does show a less prominent presence of acoustic instruments, undoubtedly one of the consequences of Phil Shulman's departure. Similarly, this fifth album would lay the groundwork for subsequent releases, with a gradual decrease in the aforementioned acoustic instruments and a more conventional sound (as conventional as we can consider the complex and arranged music of this band). Interestingly, this was the only Gentle Giant album not officially released in the United States at the time of its initial release, due to contractual issues with the band's European label (WWA Records) and the North American distributor (Columbia Records). Therefore, when it was officially released in 1978, it had already become one of the best-selling import albums in America.