Giant: Last of the Runaways (1989)

Today, Dann Huff is one of country music’s most successful producers, but 30 years ago he was still trying to keep his performing dreams alive as the singer, lead guitarist and de facto leader of melodic rockers Giant, with their debut album Last of the Runaways.

Truly a band out of time, Giant might have sold millions of records during the early ‘80s heyday of album-oriented rock, but the glossy sounds they shared with bands like Foreigner, Journey and Toto, to name but a few, were becoming increasingly unfashionable by 1989.

And as if this state of affairs didn’t pose a big enough challenge, Huff and his fellow “giants” -- brother/drummer David Huff, keyboardist Alan Pasqua and bassist Mike Brignardello -- instantly made their lives harder by proclaiming their Christian faith on first song, “I’m a Believer.”

All we could do was pray for them ...

But seriously, beyond this misstep, Last of the Runaways offered a solid batch of both hard-driving arena anthems (“Innocent Days,” “Stranger to Me,” “Hold Back the Night”) and gorgeous power ballads (“It Takes Two” and “I’ll See You in My Dreams”).

The latter even cracked the Top 20, giving Giant the briefest glimmer of potential stardom, but these guys were never really cut out for MTV or teenage pin-up rags, since all four were former faceless session men, devoid of star quality. 

And while the group’s belated sophomore album, 1992’s Time to Burn, sizzled with excitement from start to finish, Last of the Runaways was rife with mediocrity, including a pair of unnecessarily funky numbers in “I Can’t Get Close to You” and “No Way Out” that veered dangerously close to Loverboy!

All the while, grunge was looming just around the corner and, by 1991, A&M Records had shifted its priorities to Soundgarden, so Giant were just one of many roster casualties, suddenly deemed outdated and dropped with little fuss or circumstance.

Last of the Runaways, indeed ...

Giant: Time to Burn (1992)

Though it was packed with perfectly middle-of-the-road radio rock, Giant’s first LP, 1989’s Last of the Runaways, was a big commercial disappointment, costing the group its deal with A&M Records.

So what hope in Hell did their sophomore effort, Time to Burn, possibly have when it arrived three years later through Epic Records, straight into the jagged jaws of grunge?

You guessed it: next to none.

But the faith of devout Christian band members Dann Huff (vocals, guitar), Alan Pasqua (keyboards), Mike Brignardello (bass) and David Huff (drums) remained unshakable, because they returned with another defiant collection of melodic hard rock, distinguished by the sting of Dann’s blistering guitar work.

Now, if that’s about as far as you dare venture into the glossy world of AOR, then go no further than Time to Burn’s sizzling title track, its acoustic blues intro “Smoulder,” or Huff's extended fretboard strangling on “Chained.”

‘Cause, beyond this point, you’ll be absolutely soaked by Pasqua’s synths on sumptuous pomp rockers like “Thunder and Lightning” and “Lay it On the Line,” helplessly buffeted by the massive hooks and choruses of “Stay,” “I’ll Be There (When It’s Over)” and “Without You,” and reduced to a weeping, whimpering wreck by heartbreaking ballads “Lost in Paradise” and “Now Until Forever,” where Dann shows he’s no vocal slouch, either.

Love 'em or loathe 'em, there’s no doubt that elder bands like Foreigner or Journey would have given their eye-teeth for these babies – all of them expertly recorded and arranged with the meticulous touch of a ‘Mutt’ Lange.

So perhaps it should surprise no one that, while Giant are now just a faded memory, its ace musicians long forced back into session work, their leader Dann Huff has never been more famous, thanks to a wildly successful career as a top country music producer.

You’ll find a shorter version of these opinions in my All-Music Guide review of Time to Burn.