A Giant Crab Comes Forth is one of those albums, among the thousands now being re-released and rediscovered, that is so good, its obscurity is puzzling. Why wasn’t it massively successful? Then again, why weren’t any number of great '60s records, such as Sweetheart of the Rodeo, Gilded Palace of Sin, and Forever Changes? In the case of Giant Crab, one possible explanation was the choice of singles. While there isn’t a weak track, one of the album’s best, one that sounds like a sure-fire single, “It Started With A Little Kiss,” was passed over in favor of a cover of “Hi Ho Silver Lining,” which had already been a U.K. hit for the Jeff Beck Group. It may be that the cover song was thought to have U.S. hit potential, or that the original—which had been issued as a single the previous year, on the small Corby label, to minimal success—had already had a shot.
Whatever accounts for the disappointing reception for A Giant Crab Comes Forth, thanks to hip music blogs and reissue labels, it has endured, as many of its contemporary albums have failed to do. The fact it has received not one, but two recent CD releases attests to the ongoing interest in this venerable cult band. Before it goes out of print again, discover one of the great “lost” albums of the late ‘60s.
A Giant Crab Comes Forth is available on CD from two labels: The Kismet release duplicates the original album’s track list and running order, with new liner notes; the Estrella Rockera version adds Giant Crab’s final single, a cover of Rain’s “E.S.P.”
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