Giant released two albums "Last of the Runaways" and "Time to Burn" before returning more than 10 years later with the
Giant III album in 2002.
This album is a special gift for the fans, which is a nice replacement for the "Hollywood Heroes" bootleg, which has been a popular trading object on the Internet. "Live and Acoustic" includes performances recorded from 1989 to 1992 plus 4 acoustic tracks recorded in London 1992.
Compared to the "Hollywood Heroes" bootleg this album does not features as many "crankers" as Dann Huff puts it. My favorite track, the sparkling rock 'n' roller
It Takes Two is not included. The sound and performance on this album is very alike the bootleg making this an honest and non-overdubbed live album.
We get a good dose of
Giant representing their 2 first albums well. The music of
Giant is grandiose US Rock with big choruses and big backing vocals. Despite the time span
Giant sounds the same on all tracks, which underlines that all members of
Giant are experienced session musicians.
Dann Huff is a great singer and a very skilled guitarist. His abilities on the guitar are displayed on the instrumental track
Because We Ended as Lovers. The song shows the variety in his playing, since it features both very emotional guitar playing, but also very fast playing. The solo on the electric version of
Chained is another great example. From the first album we get hits like
Innocent Days, which is containing everything
Giant is about. The song has a cool intro with Huff's great playing - an amazing melodic chorus with some backing vocals that sound like a whole gospel choir.
I'll See You in my Dreams is among my favorite all time ballads. The live version is good and today the song still holds up. The song was a well-deserved Top 10 hit for
Giant.
I'll See You in my Dreams is special to me bringing back great memories.
A cool thing about the inclusion of the acoustic tracks is, that the songs don't lose any intensity being performed acoustic. Even though
Giant is playing acoustic they maintain the thick
Giant sound. The acoustic version of
Stay is among the best tracks. The song has a moody riff giving the song atmosphere. The chorus is very melodic and Dann Huff is playing a great acoustic along the chorus.
Overall a great album from the US rockers displaying their incredible musicianship. If you have any
Giant studio album you won't be disappointed in this live album.
Written by
Michael Wednesday, February 26, 2003
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