Audio CD review:
Giant - III

Giant - III

Band: Giant Title: III Rating: Release Date: 04 December, 2001 Media: Audio CD Tracks: 1: Combustion [Instrumental] 2: You Will Be Be Mine 3: Over You 4: Don't Leave Me in Love 5: Love Can't Help You Now 6: Sky Is the Limit 7: Its Not the End of the World 8: Oh Yeah 9: I Can't Let Go 10: Bad Case of Loving You (Doctor, Doctor)

Customer Reviews 3 is still good this disc is worth the wait it might not pack the punch of the first two but it still rocks from start to finish. After the first 2 GIANT discs , couldnt wait for this one its just hard to find. Dan Huff needs to stay out of country and stay here this is where he excels. . Giant is weakened but still trounces the competition Just like the first 2 albums, this is a collection of late 80s stadium-rock anthems ("Sky's The Limit" sounds very similar to "Thunder & Lightning," the first song from the group's second album) searing instrumentals ("Combustion" apes Van Halen's "Eruption") and big-hair ballads reminiscent of Bon Jovi, Bryan Adams or Def Leppard in their prime ("Over You" being one of the better ones). Giant returns after a near 10-year hiatus with their basic sound mostly intact. So - for fans of this genre, this contains all the right ingredients, and should make for another classic album. Or does it??? While the album starts powerfully with "Combustion," it starts to lose momentum as this track merges into "You Will Be Mine. " Although the song itself is very strong, it is badly let down by the production, with the drums sounding too small & tinny and the guitars being too distant in the mix. Also, the absence of Alan Pasqua appears to be felt here. The first two albums were characterised by a greater depth of songwriting and his extra keyboards are badly missed here; so overall the album ends up sounding thinner, less "meaty" and less slick as a result. What "III" really lacks is a couple of stand-out tracks in the vein of "Lost in Paradise" or "Now Until Forever. " The album's penultimate song "Can't Let Go" is a very poor copy of these and should have been left off. Yet for all this, it still puts most recent rock albums to shame. "It's Not the End" is a great modern take on an 80s power-ballad theme. "Oh Yeah," one of the stronger songs, contains the usual Giant ingredients in a contemporary package, sounding fresher than some songs on the album. Also, the album closes with a rousing cover of "Bad Case of Loving You" - I enjoyed that one, although the vocals are a bit weak and mumbled. Tip - buy the Japanese import if you can (which includes four bonus cuts, including Giant's superb take on Jeff Beck's "Because We Ended as Lovers. ") Overall, this is not as good as the first two albums, but remember this: a weakened Giant remains head & shoulders above the competition. Still a good album, but lacks that extra "wow" factor " However, it lacks the "over-the-edge" feel and "real-ness" of "Last of The Runaways" or "Time to Burn. Giant returns where "Time To Burn" left off, with the same ingredients & sound: Def Leppard-esque power-rock anthems, the blazing guitars ("Combustion" apes "Eruption" & and shows Dan Huff to be a match for Eddie Van Halen on guitar!), the lovelorn angst (Can't Let Go, It's Not the End) and the heavily layered keyboards of "Love Can't Help You Now. " Part of the problem lies in the production - THAT great intro merges into "You Will Be Mine;" a potentially superb track spoiled by the drums sounding too small & tinny. Guitars higher in the mix would also have driven the track along nicely. Also, the absence of Alan Pasqua appears to be felt here - the first two albums were characterised by a greater "depth" of songwriting, and were generally much "meatier. " What "III" really needed is the epic angst of say another "Lost in Paradise" or "Now Until Forever. " "Can't Let Go" is a poor copy of these and should have been left off. Yet for all this, it still puts most contemporary rock albums to shame. "Sky's The Limit" sounds like "Thunder & Lightning" off the second album, but is just as good if not better. "It's Not the End" is a great modern take on an 80s power-ballad. "Oh Yeah," one of the better tracks on the album, contains the usual Giant ingredients in a different package, sounding fresher than rehashes/out-takes like "Over You" and "Love can't Help You Now. " Oh, and what an excellent take on "Bad Case of Loving You" - I really enjoyed that one! OK, this is not as good as previous releases, but remember this; a weakened Giant remains head & shoulders above the competition. . You can see a complete list of all Giant discography, or go back to the Giant tabs