Acquiring the Taste is the second studio album by British progressive rock band Gentle Giant, released in 1971 on the Vertigo label. It was the final album by the band to feature original drummer Martin Smith.

Background

The album was a departure from the blues and soul styles found on their self-titled debut album. It was more experimental, more discordant, and with more varied instrumentation. In the sleeve text, the band made this famous declaration: "It is our goal to expand the frontiers of contemporary popular music at the risk of being very unpopular. We have recorded each composition with the one thought – that it should be unique, adventurous and fascinating. It has taken every shred of our combined musical and technical knowledge to achieve this. From the outset we have abandoned all preconceived thoughts of blatant commercialism. Instead we hope to give you something far more substantial and fulfilling. All you need to do is sit back, and acquire the taste." The song "Pantagruel's Nativity" is inspired by the books of Gargantua and Pantagruel by François Rabelais. At 39 minutes and 26 seconds, it is the longest studio album the group ever released. The album was recorded at Advision Studios in London, with engineers Martin Rushent, Big A and Garybaldi, and at AIR Studios in London, with engineer Bill Price.

Artwork

The album cover artwork shows a giant tongue licking what appear to be buttocks. When the album gatefold sleeve is opened completely, however, it actually shows the tongue licking a peach. In 2005 the cover was featured in Pitchfork's list of "The Worst Record Covers of All Time".

Track listing

Personnel

Gentle Giant

Guest musicians

Release details

Charts

Literature