The Gentle Giant

1. Good Ole Boys Like Me

2. I've Been Loved by the Best

3. I Believe in You

4. On Her Way to Being a Woman

5. Amanda

6. Tulsa Time

7. There's Never Been a Time

8. Where Do I Go from Here

9. You're My Best Friend

10. Lord I Hope This Day Is Good

The Gentle Giant,Don Williams,American Legends,Country,Country-Pop,Pop,Traditional Country

Average customer rating:

The Gentle Giant Don Williams Manufacturer: Time Life Records ProductGroup: Music Binding: Audio CD General | Country | Styles | Music General | Traditional Country | Country | Styles | Music Similar Items: The Definitive Collection Country Classics Lord, I Hope This Day Is Good The Little Darlin' Sound of Don Williams Love Songs ASIN: B000KHX6JA Release Date: 2007-01-09

Tracks:

1. Fever
2. Crying In The Rain
3. Lay Down Sally
4. My Rifle, My Pony And Me
5. Reason To Believe
6. I'll Be There (If You Ever Want Me)
7. Games People Play
8. Peace Train
9. If You Could Read My Mind
10. Fly Away
11. The Long Black Veil
12. You've Got A Friend
13. Pretend
14. Lay Down Beside Me

Album Description

Don Williams: A Gentle Giant, a collection of 14 songs that Williams personally picked to record-they're songs that meant a lot to him and that he wanted to share with his Country audience.

Average customer rating: The characteristic Gentle Giant complexity blooms Another great Giant disc Absolutely Brilliant Album Gentle Giant Another nice Gentle Giant album

Three Friends Gentle Giant Manufacturer: Sony ProductGroup: Music Binding: Audio CD General | Rock | Styles | Music Progressive Rock | Progressive | Rock | Styles | Music Pop Rock | Pop | Styles | Music CDs $7 - $10 | Progressive Rock | Rock | Today's Deals in Music | Formats | Music All Bargain Titles | Progressive Rock | Rock | Today's Deals in Music | Formats | Music 4-for-3 Pop | 4-for-3 Music | Stores | Music 4-for-3 Rock | 4-for-3 Music | Stores | Music 4-for-3 All Music | 4-for-3 Music | Stores | Music Similar Items: Octopus Acquiring the Taste Gentle Giant The Snow Goose Nursery Cryme ASIN: B0000024ZC Release Date: 1989-07-19

Tracks:

1. Prologue
2. Schooldays
3. Working All Day
4. Peel The Paint
5. Mister Class and Quality?
6. Three Friends

Customer Reviews:

The characteristic Gentle Giant complexity blooms.......2007-03-04

This fantastic 1972 album is the third GG album overall and shows the band starting to weave the dense counterpoint into their pieces that made them such a fantastic prog band and albums like Free Hand (1975) a benchmark for complexity. In fact, this album stands in stark contrast with the comparatively spacey and more "rocking" Acquiring the Taste (1971), although bits and pieces of both properties peek through here and there. In fact, it is this combination that makes Three Friends such a great Gentle Giant recording and shows what happened when the band started to exert more control over their music. The concept on this album is also something I can appreciate and if I am interpreting this correctly, comments on English class structure. This is nicely relayed through a story of three school friends that as adults become an artist, a businessman, and a laborer respectively - ultimately going from "class to class".

The lineup at this point included Kerry Minnear (piano; mellotron; mini-moog; Hammond organ; vibraphone; percussion; and vocals); Ray Shulman (bass guitar; violin; 12-string acoustic; and vocals); Gary Green (electric and acoustic guitars); Derek Shulman (lead vocals); Malcom Mortimore (drums); and Philip Shulman (saxophones). These guys were all incredible musicians and on Three Friends the playing really takes flight - Gentle Giant made great strides towards the quintessential Gentle Giant sound found on Octopus (1973) and The Power and the Glory (1974).

What makes the compositions really interesting is that when combined, a number of different parts played on a range of instruments make each piece sound extremely complex. For example, there are often several melodies going at once (on as many instruments) and Ray is a master when it comes to providing counterpoint on the bass - he is an exceptionally creative player. Although I really appreciate the time spent on the intricate arrangements, there are some ripping electric guitar solos, which are a lot of fun too.

Well there you have it. Three Friends is a fantastic and early album by Gentle Giant that is very highly recommended along with Acquiring the Taste; Octopus; The Power and the Glory; Free Hand; and In'terview (1976).

Another great Giant disc.......2006-12-16

Giant's third studio album, released in 1972, is a story about three schoolmates whom over time (for whatever reasons) lose contact with each other and how their individual lives turned out - a laborer, artist, and rich dude. It is a story about life, and the music is overflowing with creative arranging, writing, solid melodies, and unique multilayered vocal harmonies.

The order of the songs and lyrics flow like chapters in a book beginning with "Prologue" a bouncy tune with great musical interplay. "Schooldays" highlights stellar vibe and bass playing that blasts into a short jazzy jam towards the end of the song. The sax and bass playing the same notes in unison during the verse while the keyboards and guitar hammer out offbeat rhythms on "Working All Day" creates a full sound. "Peel the Paint" starts out quiet but transforms into a hard rocking tune with an unexpected but tasty guitar/drum break. "Mister Class and Quality?" is toe tapping groove-oriented song with great solo work that segues into the mid tempo title track which closes out the disc.

"Three Friends" lasts a little over 35 minutes, but there is zero filler and it flows so well that I would recommend this to any music fan. Most definitely, a timeless disc that still sounds fresh, groundbreaking, and original.

Absolutely Brilliant Album.......2005-06-28

Phil Schulman had an idea for this concept that he had actually experience first hand. Three Friends grow up, get different jobs, move apart because of the differences in their lives. Pretty simple, and effectively covered in 35 minutes, even if there could have been more. Phil said it would take a fairly large opera to get all he wanted in to the album.
The sound of the album? It's a little less cluttered than earlier albums. On this album, melody reigns supreme. More than their other albums, this one is about sonic beauty. And you can hear that in the end of the title track, which is teh end of the album. The band never recorded a piece of music that was so purely beautiful ever again. But the work is pretty connected, almost symphonic. Can almost be considered one long work, and if the lack of a long song in gentle giant's catalog bothers any prog fans, they can take this as one!

Gentle Giant .......2005-04-13

This was my first gentle giant album, and i bought it on lp at a garage sale. Now i gotta tell you, you may think that Yes is progressive and musical and all that, but compared to this band, Yes is the backstreet boys. Gentle Giant's arangements for thier songs are very complex, and they play about a billion different instruments (theres even a xylaphone solo on schooldays that is really good). I'd have to say the reason i didnt give this 5 stars is because the opening and closing songs have very little to them and seem like just a long riff repeated over and over. Apart from that, the rest of the album is very complex and entertaining for a fan of progressive music.(wich you should be!)

Another nice Gentle Giant album.......2005-03-26

This is Gentle Giant's third album. It was released with a different cover in Europe than in the US. In Europe, it had a sort of abstract outline of three boys. In the US, the cover for Gentle Giant's first album was used. This is bad, because the backside cover includes a drawing of the members of the band from the first album, and the drummer had changed. (The first Gentle Giant LP was never released in the US). I think that the record company exec's that thought of that one had their heads up their rears. I think the original, European cover of Three Friends is much more inviting an would sell more records.

Most Gentle Giant albums have a number of different CD releases with differening sound quality. I know of two different CD releases for Three Friends. The one sold here is from Sony (Columbia Records). The sound quality is very muddy when compared to the LP. There is supposed to be another version from Line records in Germany that has much better sound quality. You can get more details on the sound quality Gentle Giant CD's at Blazemonger. But, I can vouch for the poor quality of the Sony release, as I have a copy and compared it to my LP.

This is not really a five star CD. Like most Gentle Giant albums, it is very short. It is only 35 minutes long. For a CD that is that short to rate 5 stars, all songs must be fantastic.

This CD has some great songs on it. I really like Peel The Paint; it really rocks. Working All Day is also very good and rememiscent of the second album (Acquring the Taste). Mister Taste and Quality is a nice jazzy tune. But, the opening and closing songs that set the stage, are not really that interesting. They are only songs to let you know what the album is about (about 3 childhood friends that grow up and take different paths in life).

I think that Acquiring the Taste and Octopus are better albums.

A couple of notes about the some other reviews and reviews in general. A number of people called this an underrated CD. This is a cliche often used. Who under rated it and what was the low rating they gave it? Not too many people have heard of Gentle Giant, and the group rarely go mentioned in the press. They may be unknown to many and may be unrated, but they are aren't "underrated" or "unappreciated". The other thing to note is that some reviewers give 5 stars to everything. Giving 5 stars to everything makes your reviews popular and gets you a high rating as a reviewer. In Amazon, most people do not look up reviews to help them decide to buy something. They go look at things they love and see if others agree with them.

Average customer rating: In A Glass House is an experience! One of the best by Gentle Giant Gentle Giant's 5th release is truly amazing. a near perfect album Peak Giant

In a Glass House Gentle Giant Manufacturer: Gentle Giant / Rte ProductGroup: Music Binding: Audio CD General | Alternative Rock | Styles | Music General | Rock | Styles | Music Progressive Rock | Progressive | Rock | Styles | Music Pop Rock | Pop | Styles | Music Similar Items: Octopus Three Friends Acquiring the Taste Gentle Giant Interview ASIN: B000850IHC Release Date: 2005-05-10

Tracks:

1. The Runway
2. An Inmates Lullaby
3. Way Of Life
4. Experience
5. A Reunion
6. In A Glass House
7. Experience (Live)

Customer Reviews:

In A Glass House is an experience!.......2007-06-01

As the author of the Jefferson Airplane book "Take Me To A Circus Tent" I am often asked for my views on various rock and roll albums from the 60's and 70's.

When it comes to Gentle Giant it is a pleasure to write about them. I have been collecting every release for over three decades.

"In A Glass House" which could be argued as the best album Gentle Giant recorded was never released on vinyl in America. This hurt the band and let numerous progressive rock fans in the dark about a tremendous effort.

For those of you that have enjoyed the sounds of Gentle Giant over the years but would not consider yourself a true believer you can be convinced with four listenings to I"n A Glass House." On the first one play the CD straight through without any interruption. The sounds of The Runaway, Experience, and the title track will leave you speechless. On the second review listen to the vocals of Derek Shulman. No other singer sounds like him and no other could take his place in the band. For listen number three concentrate on the keyboard-player Kerry Minnear. His brilliance will consume your thoughts and you will be impressed how well he picks his spots to shine. For the forth and final time you open the CD player have the ears focus on the guitar of Gary Green. Another superlative musician that doesn't overplay but can sparkle when the passage calls for it.

They don't make albums like this anymore and we certainly won't see another group like this one. Not only is the music as good as it gets but the fidelity of the recording is worth to be part of the experience.

Be well always,
Craig Fenton
Author of the Jefferson Airplane book "Take Me To A Circus Tent"

One of the best by Gentle Giant.......2006-10-21

I have to admit, I've been listening to this CD constantly for the past few weeks. It's just that awesome. I'm a newbie to the whole prog rock thing, but man, this CD rocks!

My favorite tracks:
The Runaway
Experience
In a Glass House

Gentle Giant's 5th release is truly amazing........2006-10-19

Everything about this semi-conceptual album from 1973 is as close to perfect as you're going to find if you're a fan of progressive rock or art rock. Not all of Gentle Giant's albums were conceptual in nature, but this one is, and everything from the original packaging to the lyrics and arrangements tells you without a doubt that you will be taking a close look at the darker side of the human psyche with this music.

The opening salvo of "The Runaway" sounds of breaking glass and is a reference to the old saying that people in Glass Houses should not throw stones. The song itself is a rather heavy tune by Gentle Giant standards, but has some well-placed quieter moments which utilize the band's trademark recorders and flutes. The next track, "An Inmate's Lullaby" is a montage of the thoughts which might run through the mind of someone who has been institutionalized due to a major psychotic break, and you can almost imagine someone's tortured inner child being put to music.

"Way of Life" is a song about introspection and finding answers to one's inner demons, and has a quick tempo but isn't quite as heavy as the opening track. It's more jazzy sounding, and probably the most upbeat song of an otherwise dark album. "Experience" shows off the talent that Gentle Giant had for medieval-sounding arrangements, and is a song about how difficult experiences in one's early life can contribute to further problems as one ages and tries to succeed in the world. The transitions from a 3/4 shuffle to a 4/4 angular rock feel are just flawless, and the arrangements here are just some of the finest the band ever developed.

There is a major shift in mood to the next track, the charming and eloquent "A Reunion". Those of you who are familiar with more recent rock material from the band Pearl Jam should give a listen to the track "Elderly Woman Behind the Counter in a Small Town" to get an inkling of what this track is about. While stylistically they are not quite the same, I would not be at all surprised to learn that this Giant tune was the inspiration for the Pearl Jam one, as they both are in reference to a reunion of two people (who perhaps were very much in love with each other so long ago) after a period of many decades. The style of "A Reunion" is very much like a turn-of-the-century (20th, that is) parlor song or waltz, with excellent string arrangements and Phil Shulman's mellow vocals.

The album concludes with the title track, "In a Glass House". The track is over eight minutes long and is a perfect summation of all which came before. Throughout there are masterful time signature transitions as well as breaks between acoustic and electric arrangements, with more of that medieval feel thrown in occasionally for good measure. All of this is presented without any confusion other than the mental torment - and hopeful escape therefrom - which is being conveyed by the feel of the piece. As the track fades to silence, Gentle Giant come back with a quick montage of about 1-2 seconds from each track, followed by one more hit of shattering glass which echoes away to final silence. Perhaps there is no escape from the glass house?

Anyone who is not familiar with the amazing Gentle Giant needs to make this among the first of the band's catalogue that they sample. I guarantee that if you give this chance you will not be disappointed. And, to mark the band's 35's anniversary, the newest reissue of this album includes bonus live material of "The Runaway/Experience" and "In a Glass House". The quality of these recordings is as good as anything live which was released in the early 70's (think Yessongs or ELP's "Welcome Back..." triple album masterpiece). Derek's vocals are very sharp and clear, and the band was in excellent form for these performances.

a near perfect album.......2006-08-14

gentle giant's output can be summarized quite easily: the first three were interesting, but lacked focus. the next five were all amazing. the final three were disappointing (to say the least!) this was their fifth release,so...it rules. not originally available in the US, in a glass house shows GG at the peak of their power. it remains one of the finest examples of seventies progressive rock. it's hard to pick a favorite from the middle five, but if you put a gun to my head, i would pick this one.

Peak Giant.......2006-01-25

This work contains all the best elements of Gentle Giant music as well as representing the band at a very peak period. I cannot imagine what the record company was thinking when this title originally came out in 1973. Not releasing this album in the US was a huge mistake and a great disservice to music fans.

At any rate, we can be thankful it is now available and in a nicely remastered form. This album should be a welcome addition to any Progressive Rock fan's collection, especially those who already find themselves appreciating Gentle Giant's many other excellent offerings.

In a Glass House starts off strong and does not let up until the last sound of crashing glass at the end of track 6. There is a theme running through the compositions which is very nicely summarized in the closing track.

I really like the entire Gentle Giant catalogue; however, with each listen, I find myself thinking that In a Glass House has to be at the very top of their musical accomplishments and that is saying something when you consider the quality of their other efforts.

Highly recommended.

- Scriptor

Average customer rating: Vintage stuff I'm "So Sincere" when I say 5 stars! Finally, the title song incredible!!!! Another brilliant study in counterpoint

The Power and the Glory Gentle Giant Manufacturer: Gentle Giant / Rte ProductGroup: Music Binding: Audio CD General | Alternative Rock | Styles | Music General | Rock | Styles | Music Progressive Rock | Progressive | Rock | Styles | Music Pop Rock | Pop | Styles | Music Similar Items: Octopus Three Friends Acquiring the Taste Gg at the Gg: BBC Sight & Sound in Concert Interview ASIN: B0009NZ3B4 Release Date: 2005-06-21

Tracks:

1. Proclamation
2. So Sincere
3. Aspirations
4. Playing The Game
5. Cogs In Cogs
6. No God's A Man
7. The Face
8. Valedictory
9. Proclamation (Live)
10. The Power And The Glory

Customer Reviews:

Vintage stuff.......2007-06-02

This is my first time listening to these songs, and I love them. Even if you're not a Gentle Giant fan, give it a listen.

I'm "So Sincere" when I say 5 stars!.......2007-06-01

As the author of the Jefferson Airplane book "Take Me To A Circus Tent" I am often asked for my views on various rock and roll albums from the 60's and 70's.

When it comes to Gentle Giant it is a pleasure to write about them. I have been collecting every release for over three decades.

"The Power And The Glory" is a journey of various sounds and tempos that come out exactly the way a Gentle Giant album is planed and that is PERFECTLY!

The diversification of the catchy riff to Playing The Game followed by the intense ride of Cogs and Cogs are examples why Gentle Giant didn't adhere to the rules. They could blend the rock and the ballad and somehow land properly.

Not only is there tremendous consistency here but you get the important studio bonus track "The Power And The Glory" which was not on the original vinyl LP.

Any Gentle Giant recording from the first album through Free Hand and if you want to put Interview in there as well please do, is a must have. A great band that should have been appreciated more. For those that know a Giant we have never taken it for granted.

If you have enjoyed the sounds of Gentle Giant over the years but would not consider yourself a true believer you can be convinced with four listenings to "The Power And The Glory." On the first one play the CD straight through without any interruption. The On the second review listen to the vocals of Derek Shulman. No other singer sounds like him and no other could take his place in the band. For listen number three concentrate on the keyboard-player Kerry Minnear. His brilliance will consume your thoughts and you will be impressed how well he picks his spots to shine. For the forth and final time you open the CD player have the ears focus on the guitar of Gary Green. Another superlative musician that doesn't overplay but can sparkle when the passage calls for it.

Be well always,
Craig Fenton
Author of the Jefferson Airplane book "Take Me To A Circus Tent"

Finally, the title song.......2006-11-12

I knew it existed but never heard it. And it's quite understandable why it was never included in the original album. It would have spoiled it. It's totally against the grain. It's too exuberant. It rather belongs to Giant for a Day, although it has its bright moments like the little guitar solo.
The entire album gets 5 stars. Good quality at a good price.

incredible!!!!.......2006-08-14

for their sixth album, gentle giant left behind the moodiness of in a glass house and rocked this thing out. as strange as the songs are at times, they have such inertia that i recommend this (or free hand) as a good starting place to those who have not yet lived life to the fullest and consumed this wonderful band. fans of yes, genesis, ELP or king crimson should understand this complex universe spun by the mighty gentle giant.

Another brilliant study in counterpoint .......2006-02-06

This music is simply astounding. Period. The complexity of their counterpoint is astonishing, the harmonic syntax is out of this world, metric complexity is mind-numbing, and to top it all off these guys actually make it swing... well sort of. This 1974 release is a personal favorite (I actually have too many favorite GG albums) because the overall approach seems softened somewhat, while retaining the trademark Gentle Giant complexity. Whether this was related to the subject matter of the album (power and inherent corruption) is unclear. What is clear is that it works and works very well. The softer pieces such as Aspirations and No God's a Man are simply wonderful, while the harder edged closing track Valedictory provides a breathtaking dynamic contrast. My favorite tracks include the quieter pieces along with Proclamation, Playing the Game, and Cogs in Cogs although every track is generally excellent. The remastering of the album is just OK and features restored cover art (the insert is shaped like a playing card), lyrics, two bonus tracks and decent sound quality. With respect to the bonus tracks, the sound quality of the live performance of Proclamation (taken from a 1974 German television concert) is OK, although it has a "bootleg" quality to it, while the studio outtake The Power and the Glory is only of middling quality. Although I generally liked the total remastered package, my only wish is that DRT had included at least a few photos of the band, and perhaps some notes regarding the recording process or other historical tidbits. All in all, this is an incredible recording of progressive rock and is highly recommended along with all of their albums up to and including In'terview (1976).

Average customer rating: A Masterpiece! Enjoy the music! gentle giant remaster skips Great Remaster with Minor Skips. Manufacturing mistake? Or my copy?

Octopus Gentle Giant Manufacturer: Repertoire ProductGroup: Music Binding: Audio CD General | Alternative Rock | Styles | Music General | Rock | Styles | Music Progressive Rock | Progressive | Rock | Styles | Music Pop Rock | Pop | Styles | Music Similar Items: Acquiring the Taste Gentle Giant Fish Rising Third Three Friends ASIN: B000K2RD3U Release Date: 2006-12-18

Tracks:

1. Advent of Panurge
2. Raconteur, Troubadour
3. Cry for Everyone
4. Knots
5. Boys in the Band
6. Dog's Life
7. Think of Me with Kindness
8. River

Album Details

Original Vinyl Artwork in Square CD Digi Sleeve Format (Card Wallet) plus an Inserted Fold-out Poster. Booklet with Authoritative and Extensive Liner Notes by Chris Welch. Limited to 3,000 Copies.

Customer Reviews:

A Masterpiece! .......2007-04-08

Sadly, this was Phil Shulman's swansong with the band, but Gentle Giant made great albums in the future. His vocal style was soft and sounds much like Kerry Minnear's. Still, this album is by no doubt 5 stars!!

All 8 tracks (or tentacles) sound completely different from each other. They are all excellent, but some are definitely stronger than others. This album has it all! From the beauty of "Think of Me With Kindness", to the humor of "Dog's Life", to the medieval influenced "Raconteur Troubadour", and to the hard-rocking "Cry For Everyone", there are tons of clever styles throughout Octopus!

These are the highlights:

"Knots" is extremely complex and it contains some of the best lyrics ever written. It presents a vocal style Gentle Giant would recreate on future albums like FREE HAND and INTERVIEW. The xylophone solo is a great addition.

"The Advent of Panurge" covers a lot of ground for a 5-minute song. Derek, Kerry, and Phil sing with energy and passion throughout the track.

"The Boys In The Band" is one of Gentle Giant's few instrumentals. The opening riff is unusually repetitive for GG, but the song is full of great and strong melodies. Fantastic track!

"Raconteur Troubadour" has become my favorite track on Octopus. It never drags or lingers, and shows excellent musicianship. This song demonstrates that GG could make a tribute to medieval music without making it sound cheesy or pretentious.

Octopus is not for everyone. It is full of rapid changes and complexity. I recommend it to people who enjoy prog rock and people who are fans of tonned down Van Der Graaf Generator with normal vocals.

Enjoy the music!.......2007-03-16

I assure you that I'm not 13 years old, and I don't have any account, but I want to say that this is one of the best prog music cd's ever made!!It also sounds incredible, and I'm not worried about the skipped parts on all the cd's.However, it's a little bit disgusting to have a great collectionist edition without the perfect remastering that it would have been made.Finally, I'll thank you all the people that remember this group like a great one and enjoy the music like me.

gentle giant remaster skips.......2007-02-08

Thank Philip Schultz. I was hoping someone else noticed the defects. VERY IRRITATING as the Columbia versions, while sounding muddier, do not have these problems.

"Acquiring the Taste" remaster also has problems. "The House" 5:21 and 5:23. "Moon is Down" 2:40 and "Plain Truth" 3:48 and 4:31.

REPUK must fix this and offer exchanges!! These albums are classics (5 stars normally).

Great Remaster with Minor Skips........2007-02-08

This CD skips at 2:14 into Knots and 4:54 into The River. It's strange that there are so many problems with the GG remasters. Repertoire goes to the trouble of issuing a nicely packaged version of this, and apparently does not bother to review the final product before release.

Aside from the defects, this is definitely one of GG's best and unfortunately Phil Shulman's last recording with the band. Octopus sounds just as exciting to me now as it did in the early 70's. Since it's not GG's fault for this defective CD, I rated it 5 stars.

Manufacturing mistake? Or my copy?.......2007-01-10

This is my favorite Gentle Giant album. From the eccentric and warm 'Dog's Life' to the beauty of 'Think of Me With Kindness' to the complicated 'Knots' this album has it all for the Gentle Giant fan. As another reviewer noted, this is the best sounding of the Repertoire catalog of Gentle Giants. One problem, either I have a faulty disc or there is a defect in the mastering. On 2 songs, 2:14 of 'Knots' & 4:54 into 'River' there is an area of white noise which seems to skip about 1/4 of a second of song. Manufactoring mistake or my copy? Someone find out.

Average customer rating: Great Music!!! NOT BAD... Very Original..........but only in the Prog Rock realm wonderful music Difficult listening, but incredibly rewarding

Octopus Gentle Giant Manufacturer: Sony ProductGroup: Music Binding: Audio CD General | Rock | Styles | Music Progressive Rock | Progressive | Rock | Styles | Music Pop Rock | Pop | Styles | Music CDs $7 - $10 | Progressive Rock | Rock | Today's Deals in Music | Formats | Music All Bargain Titles | Progressive Rock | Rock | Today's Deals in Music | Formats | Music 4-for-3 Pop | 4-for-3 Music | Stores | Music 4-for-3 Rock | 4-for-3 Music | Stores | Music 4-for-3 All Music | 4-for-3 Music | Stores | Music Similar Items: Three Friends Acquiring the Taste Gentle Giant The Snow Goose Moonmadness ASIN: B000002504 Release Date: 1990-08-20

Tracks:

1. The Advent Of Panurge
2. Raconteur Troubadour
3. A Cry For Everyone
4. Knots
5. The Boys In The Band
6. Dog's Life
7. Think Of Me With Kindness
8. River

Customer Reviews:

Great Music!!!.......2007-04-05

I like Gentle Giant and do give 5 stars to all of the mid-period recordings. If you own several other Gentle Giant CD's then go ahead and get this one also.

If you are looking for your first GG CD, don't start here. This is a very heavy album that is a more satisfying listen after you've gotten used to the Gentle Giant sound. IMPO: You should start with Free Hand!!!, Power and the Glory or 3 Friends (which is more of a classic progressive Rock album). If you hate any of these albums, don't go any futher.

I consider this album to be a masterpiece as well as In a Glass House, Power and the Glory, Free Hand, 3 Friends and Interview. This is thoughtful intersting music!

NOT BAD..........2007-04-01

I really don't know how so many people call this intelligent or complex or anything like that; one reviewer was correct in saying the sounds/melodies were monotonous (spelling?)...the music isn't bad, the first 3 or 4 songs are kinda cool (although not amazing or anything...), but then somewhere around track 5, the CD just gets WAAAAAAAAY too repetitive! I think that's why GENESIS got more attention than these guys, although it seems the full potential of GENESIS was never realized. THE LAMB LIES DOWN ON BROADWAY was their most pop sounding record (from the Gabriel era), even though many prog-rock afficionados say its their best (I happen to agree). This CD is probably best suited for people who want 300 CDs or more in their collection; I have a hard time fitting 10 on my list (I write lists of CDs for my "ultimate" CD collection that I someday wish to obtain...). sorry if I offended anyone.

Very Original..........but only in the Prog Rock realm.......2007-03-13

I am not a huge GG fan, but do like their music.

I'll explain why i wrote: "Very Original..........but only in the Prog Rock realm"

If you take the vocals out of the mix the music is not as complex as some make it out to be. I'm wondering if some that are seeing the music as mindboggling have ever listened to much of Chick Corea's work or Josef Zawinul or even the young gun Jordan Rudess. Certainly, Frank Zappa's INCREDIBLY quirky discography would make GG's music sound like POP by comparison. How about Steve Vai?! Another giant of originality and adventurous composition.

I want to be fair and not give the impression that I'm dogging Octopus or GG by making comparisons to other musicians. The Giant are professionals through and through. And certainly, their music is quirky and angular and is HIGHLY entertaining. But I would stop short of declaring them the masters of complexity.

The vocals are the MAIN attraction of Octopus and what makes the recording sound "complex". I'll give GG this: they sure can make some interesting vocals. But even though they change time signatures very frequently the changes are not very interesting. They change signature, but not the meter. The tempo of the music seems to stay fixed for the entire piece; if not the whole album. A kind of repetitive technique for such talented musicians.

I encourage fans of GG, if you haven't already, to listen to Chick Corea's work; specially the Return to Forever era stuff. The acoustic or electric recordings from that era will make your head spin if you enjoy complex arrangements and funky time signatures.

I recommend Octopus to fans of prog rock who like lots of vocal layers in their prog diet. Those that like funky, staccato keyboard work will also enjoy this recording.

wonderful music.......2007-02-12

I really love this album. Vocal harmonies galore, musicality, musicianship, great singing voice, clever lyrics, vast array of moods, serious, witty, and humorous... it does offer all of the above and then some. It is intelligent music. And I don't mean only intelligent people will like it, it's beautiful at many levels.
On top of all that, the sound quality is remarkable for its time.

Difficult listening, but incredibly rewarding .......2006-05-15

This 1973 release is often cited by many fans as their favorite GG album and after a few years of listening to the album, I generally agree. Although admittedly, it really knocked me for a loop when I first listened to it - as I recall the overwhelming complexity of the album nearly tore my head off. I guess it's worth noting that although I am a Biologist, I did study music formally once upon a time. This background allowed me to dissect each composition into smaller pieces, which made digesting the music that much easier. It took me a while, but I eventually "got it".

This album saw the band moving light years beyond the comparatively more rocking first three albums (although it is really stretching things to use terms like rocking when discussing GG) and composing their pieces with the staggeringly intricate counterpoint and medieval English styles that made them a personal favorite. The band lineup had also changed and featured drummer John Weather's first recorded performance with the group. Joining him were Kerry Minnear (piano, Hammond organ, mellotron, mini-moog, the Regal, lead/backing vocals); Ray Shulman (bass, violin, guitar, percussion, and vocals), Gary Green (acoustic/electric guitars, percussion); Derek Shulman (lead vocals, alto saxophone); and Phil Shulman (saxophones, trumpet, mellophone, lead/backing vocals).

Although the eight pieces range in length from only 3'10" to 5'54, which are generally short by prog standards, they seem enormous due to the use of instrumental preludes, interludes, and postludes. The opening track Advent of Panurge is a great example of how these guys would layer parts that on their own are fairly straightforward, but when combined, the emergent property is that of mind-numbing complexity. As the title implies, Raconteur Troubadour is a great example of their ability to weave medieval English styles into their works. Other tracks that are somewhat varied include the maddening piece Knots, which showcases their ability to write multi-part vocal sections of considerable complexity; the delightful and nostalgic Think of Me with Kindness (a nice reprieve); a fantastic instrumental (The Boys in the Band); and a lighthearted piece dedicated to their roadies which features the nasal and somewhat abrasive tones of the Regal, which is a medieval keyboard instrument. Of all the tracks, River is the most rocking and closes the album on a great note.

All in all, while Octopus may not make for the most easy-going listening experience, it is certainly the most rewarding. In fact, this is what got me hooked on Gentle Giant in the first place - I had to think about the music, which resulted in a more active listening experience for me. Although Octopus is excellent, most newcomers are advised to start with albums like Acquiring the Taste (1971), Three Friends (1972), or The Power and the Glory (1974). They were written by Gentle Giant during their artistic and creative peak, yet are not as intense as Octopus. Other great albums include Gentle Giant (1970), In a Glass House (1973); Free Hand (1975); and In'terview (1976).

Average customer rating: All agree Free Hand is where to start..... If you don't have it get it... start here! Uncompromising Radio Rock Challenging and entertaining. In the same class of YES, KC, ELP

Free Hand Gentle Giant Manufacturer: Gentle Giant / Rte ProductGroup: Music Binding: Audio CD General | Alternative Rock | Styles | Music General | Rock | Styles | Music Progressive Rock | Progressive | Rock | Styles | Music Pop Rock | Pop | Styles | Music Similar Items: Octopus Three Friends Acquiring the Taste Interview Gentle Giant ASIN: B000850IHW Release Date: 2005-05-10

Tracks:

1. Just The Same
2. On Reflection
3. Free Hand
4. Time To Kill
5. His Last Voyage
6. Talybont
7. Mobile
8. Just The Same (Live)

Customer Reviews:

All agree Free Hand is where to start............2007-04-14

In reading the other reviews I must agree that this album is the place to start if you want to get to know GG. Fantastic musicianship from start to finish. Great use of instruments giving way to other instruments in linking passages of songs that... Yes! Are interesting in their arrangements and time signatures yet, in many ways, still find a way to rock. The music is mostly upbeat, intricate and changing. Without a doubt this album -from a musicians stand-point - is always interesting!!! If you like this I'd give " Power and the Glory " a spin next.

If you don't have it get it..........2007-03-07

This is a great album. How many albums do you come across that get 5 stars from EVERY reviewer. For me this band was a much better listen than any other 1970's band and this album is a good place to start... so get it, listen to it... it's amazing stuff...

start here!.......2006-08-14

from 1972's octopus through 1976's interview, gentle giant was arguably the best band in the world. yes and the gabriel-fronted genesis can make claim to that title as well. no one else comes close. free hand is perhaps the best way to commence your quest into GG's unique world. the hooks are strong, the musicianship first-rate, the production crisp. this, gentle giant's seventh album, ranks as one of the better records ever recorded.

Uncompromising Radio Rock.......2006-03-19

Free Hand was Gentle Giant's first album aimed squarely, song-for-song, at what was then known as Album-Oriented Rock radio -- a concerted attempt to reach a wider audience without sacrificing any of the band's brilliantly unique qualities. And they pulled it off beautifully. "Just the Same," "Free Hand" and "Time to Kill" are GG at their most fun (the female backing vocals on "Time to Kill" never fail to make me smile). "His Last Voyage" is as hauntingly beautiful as any of Kerry Minnear's songs, one that I'd be very happy to hear on my death bed. The live version of "Just the Same," added to this release, brings back great memories of Bicentennial weekend in Rochester, NY, when any doubts I had that the band could actually play this stuff live were gloriously smashed to bits (I believe this song was the show-opener).

Two small quibbles -- the studio tracks on my legally DL'ed mp3 version suffer from attenuated high frequencies, which make the music sound a bit sterile. Perhaps the master tape was EQ'ed for transfer to vinyl, but a little treble boost on the user end brings it back to life. Second, if there's a weak track on the album it's "Mobile," which lapses into a sing-song quality that hints at some of the more mind-numbing romps in GG albums to come. Whether that's intentional or not I never found it particularly enjoyable.

I'd argue that Free Hand is the band's last truly great studio album, and the one that would have set the music world on its ear if only AOR music directors had given it a chance. It's definitely the album I'd recommend to a newbie who wanted to "acquire the taste."

Challenging and entertaining. In the same class of YES, KC, ELP.......2006-03-04

I was 16 when as part of a Rock Band I discovered GG. It really changed the way I approached my musical interests. Intricate, detailed arrangements. Constant changes of signature, spacing and feel. In the same class, no doubt!!! of YES, CRIMSON, ELP, EARLY GENESIS. Probably superior in several categories (ex. all were multi-instrumentalists) to these more recognizable bands. I presented these material to musically-trained, younger members of my family and they were amazed at the quality and complex beauty of GG's portfolio. Highly recommended to serious listeners, musicians and plain lovers of good contemporary music.

Average customer rating: warm to warmth Acquiring The Mott Fufilling The Promise Astonishing Acquiring The Taste For Gentle Giant

Acquiring the Taste Gentle Giant Manufacturer: Fontana Island ProductGroup: Music Binding: Audio CD General | Rock | Styles | Music Progressive Rock | Progressive | Rock | Styles | Music Pop Rock | Pop | Styles | Music CDs $7 - $10 | Pop General | Pop | Today's Deals in Music | Formats | Music CDs $7 - $10 | Progressive Rock | Rock | Today's Deals in Music | Formats | Music All Bargain Titles | Progressive Rock | Rock | Today's Deals in Music | Formats | Music 4-for-3 Pop | 4-for-3 Music | Stores | Music 4-for-3 Rock | 4-for-3 Music | Stores | Music 4-for-3 All Music | 4-for-3 Music | Stores | Music Similar Items: Three Friends Octopus Gentle Giant The Snow Goose Nursery Cryme ASIN: B000001FW9 Release Date: 1990-04-20

Tracks:

1. Pantagruel's Nativity
2. Edge Of Twilight
3. The House, The Street, The Room
4. Acquiring The Taste
5. Wreck
6. The Moon is Down
7. Black Cat
8. Plain Truth

Customer Reviews:

warm to warmth.......2006-09-25

the last guy said warmth. i tend to agree. how about mood, though. what other album creates a mood like this one. there are concept albums, and there are double albums, but I don't think anyone quite gets across a "feeling" like GG do on this one. while there's still a lot of complexity on this album, there's still some "nativity" (yeah, I went there) on this one. it might just be the production (i also love T.Rex's Electric Warrior similiarily and inexplicalbly), thanks to Visconti, that creates this autumnish-spooky-yet-groovy mood (if you doubt my belief, check out bowie's Man Who Sold the World), but there's still something even more than that that makes this, honestly, MY FAVORITE ALBUM OF ALL TIME. i don't love GG. i don't think they're the best band ever. but god bless, what happened on this album that made this so freakin' perfect?! and why the hell has it not been rereleased! Come ON! give me a good version of this to listen to on my nice speakers! it's not fair. i guess this isn't so much as a review, then, as an exposition of beliefs (i really like tony visconti's production in the early seventies, (infer) i like mellotrons and moogs and odd time signatures). take away what you want from this review. this is a good band. not great. this album, however, is PERFECT. Moods, energy, musicianship, production--all great. I just wish the sound were better!

Acquiring The Mott.......2005-09-27

Gentle Giant were one of the truly great bands from the Seventies , their music was totally indefinable . Well I suppose that is not initially true , it was sort of a mixture of Rock/Jazz/Blues/ Progressive Rock/ Folk/ Medieval/Dance/ Pop/ Heavy Metal/Fusion/Classical/Big Band/New Age/World/ and of course original Gentle Giant sound . So as you can imagine it was just a little bit difficult to find the exact pigeon hole to file them under ,listening to them, you can only conclude that they should have had their own little section so everybody could find them.
The band started when the three brothers Shulman , Derek,Ray, and Phil, got fed up with life as part of Simon Dupree and The Big Sound , who were semi-famous for having a couple of hits in the late Sixties, most notably 'Kites' from 1967 . Wishing to go onto something with higher (sic) ideals than their pop band, like wise musicians were sort out . This search started in 1969 , when of course there was an absolute abundance of very talented muso's around all having been brought up on a heavy diet of Robert Johnson, Chuck Berry,Elvis, The Beatles, The Rolling Stones , Hendrix ,Vanilla Fudge,etc and were now ready to spread their own wings . A butterfly plucks a chord in Memphis can lead to a whole musical movement in London.
Three like-minded musicians were selected. Keyboard wizard Kerry Minear was obviously going to be a very useful limb to the Giant , as he could also sing lead vocals on the more rock orientated songs , plus play the odd bass note when Ray Shulman had other duties , Martin Smith got the seat behind the bins as he was found to be a drummer that was prepared to adapt to whatever musical style the rest decided to change to , even if it was three or four times during one song . Perhaps the pick of the bunch though was guitarist Gary Green , a guitarist who could either play his axe with great feeling picking his notes with passion and subtlety, or could knock you dead by turning round and playing so fast the wallpaper would strip from your walls.
So thus was the mighty Gentle Giant born in 1969, a very apt title as there was no doubt the strength of this musical group, nor was there any doubt in their charm and wit.
The first album was released in 1970, when really the Giant was just finding it's feet, it was really after a year on the road that the Giant reached it's full maturity , making their second album 'Acquiring the Taste' the first album that was to feel like the finished item.
There are eight numbers on 'Acquiring The Taste' all of which stand up on their own , but are much better suited to listen to as a complete album , as each track runs into the next , like new chapters of a page-turner novel that you just can't wait to get to and then when the next one starts you are already intrigued as to what the next bit is going to sound like . During the recording of this album the giants used over thirty different instruments between them , Gary Green the only member of the band allowed to stick to just one instrument . They used to also take all these different instruments with them on the road as well , which must have led to some very interesting stocktaking after gigs, and also used to cause much hilarity during the concert if a musician had to swap instruments half way through a song and upon putting the first one down would make a huge pantomime of trying to find the next one before the required solo was needed .
The liner notes for 'Acquiring The Taste' are perhaps the best description of Gentle Giant's music, in their own words so to speak .
" 'Acquiring the Taste' is the second phase of sensory pleasure .If you've gorged yourself on our first album, then relish the finer flavours ( We Hope) of this our second offering. It is our goal to expand the frontiers of contemporary music at the risk of being very unpopular. We have recorded each composition with one thought-that it should be unique, adventurous, and fascinating. It has taken every shred of our combined musical knowledge to achieve this. From the outset we have abandoned all preconceived thoughts on blatant commercialism. Instead we hope to give you something far more substantial and fulfilling. All you need to do is acquire the taste ."
It may sound a little pretentious now , but considering that this was written nearly thirty five years ago, it does at least tell you that the giants heart was into trying to create something new and interesting. The music of Gentle Giant sounds as fresh and inventive today as it did then , cutting it's own swathe through the fields of modern music . Also the Giant's music is as indescribable now as it was then. The Gentle Giant had it's own particular musical swagger about it .
I think for any body that would like to shake hands with the Giant musically this their second album is as good as any , although for a band, whose music was so complex,and who seemed to be constantly on the road in the early seventies,( Three month tours of America were common place, and any large festival in Europe with out Gentle Giant just was not complete), they were very prodigious in the studio , producing between 1970 and 1975 eight albums. Gentle Giant (1970),Acquiring The Taste(1971) Three Friends(1972) Octopus(1972) In A Glass House(1973) .The Power And The Glory((1974),Freehand ( 1975). They also released a fine live album Playing The Fool (1977). I admit that both quality and quantity dropped off after this , and time finally caught up with the Giant in 1980 when the band called it a day .
After a new burst of appreciation for the Giant in the late nineties there have been many re-releases and compilation albums released ( The best result from this is probably the double CD called 'Edge Of Twilight ' which culls most of the best tracks from the Giants six first albums , and gives you over two and a half hours of music ) Amazon now stocks over ninety Gentle Giant titles , and I'm afraid if you wish to hear some of Gentle Giants music that is where you will have to go , as still today most music shops would not know quite how to market the Gentle Giant. Remember you can always listen to snippets of the music for free by downloading the SoundBits so you know what you are getting into before pressing the ' Proceed to checkout' button.
Mott The Dog.

Fufilling The Promise.......2005-06-28

this is a quantum leap over the debut in complexity and strangeness. The band's signature style was put into place here, but the band was never really able to get this kind of atmosphere again, this creepy, paranoid, almost claustrophic feel that they get on this album. You can almost feel the walls closing in. Surprisingly, a lot of the album is quite happy. But the sound doesn't reflect it. Wreck is a highlight, though Pantagruels Nativity is probably the best. A must have for prog fans.

Astonishing.......2004-04-06

-

I listened to this last night - the first time I'd listened to it on about 10 years (not that I don't like it, just that I'm very busy).

I was so stunned. Now, I'd heard this many times before, enough that I could play the songs in my head (you kow what I mean?). But revisiting this was a minor epiphany.

GG makes the statement that they want to stretch the potential of popular music while running the risk of being very unpopular. They really didn't care who liked their music; it was important to them to experiment, and to develop their complexities.

This freedom comes shining through this excellent album! So powerful, and so imtimate.

Give it a few listens - it WILL grow on you!

You'll find yourself coming back to this again and again!

-

Acquiring The Taste For Gentle Giant.......2003-08-31

I love what Gentle Giant wrote on the inside of their second album, 1971's "Acquiring The Taste": "It is our goal to expand the frontiers of contemporary popular music at the risk of being very unpopular." That pretty much sums up this daring British band, never achieving big commercial success in their 10 years together but not really caring either, as long as they made great music, and on their own terms. And they did. "Acquiring The Taste" is one of Gentle Giant's finest efforts, a superb prog-rock disc. My personal favorites: "Pantagruel's Nativity" is a stunning piece, with the band mixing classical, folk, rock, mellotron, and operatic vocals into a supreme musical blend. The title track is a brief but very-cool Moog synthesiser instrumental, courtesy of keyboardist Kerry Minnear. "Wreck" is a great rocker. "Black Cat" is one of my all-time favorite GG songs, a spooky little number with excellent string decorations throughout, and the 7 1/2 minute "Plain Truth" is another favorite Gentle Giant staple. The band's boldness, musicianship, and studio experimentation is mighty impressive on this album. "Acquiring The Taste" is another terrific prog-rock offering from the terrific Gentle Giant.

Average customer rating: *far* from gentle Great First Start I think it is one of their better albums Nice debut from one of prog rock's greats The Mighty Gentle Giant

Gentle Giant Gentle Giant Manufacturer: Island / Mercury ProductGroup: Music Binding: Audio CD General | Rock | Styles | Music Progressive Rock | Progressive | Rock | Styles | Music Pop Rock | Pop | Styles | Music CDs $7 - $10 | Pop General | Pop | Today's Deals in Music | Formats | Music CDs $7 - $10 | Progressive Rock | Rock | Today's Deals in Music | Formats | Music All Bargain Titles | Progressive Rock | Rock | Today's Deals in Music | Formats | Music Similar Items: Three Friends Acquiring the Taste Octopus In the Land of Grey and Pink Interview ASIN: B000001FUI Release Date: 1990-04-20

Tracks:

1. Giant
2. Funny Ways
3. Alucard
4. Isn't It Quiet & Cold
5. Nothing At All
6. Why Not?
7. The Queen

Customer Reviews:

*far* from gentle.......2007-05-19

After reading so many reviews claiming Gentle Giant to be an extremely difficult rock band to get into, I was surprised to find that they are in fact actually a very EASY band to get into, and because of that, they lose my interest after a few minutes. Well, it's mainly the vocal melodies that fail to keep me interested after a few minutes.

Why are they so easy for me to get into? Because listening to any one of their songs, they all seem to be written like this- take a melody, repeat it four times in a row, then move on to the next melody and repeat it four more times. Keep doing this until the song is over. Both the vocals and the musical parts do the same thing.

Granted, the band deserves credit for having their own distinct sound and for constantly mixing in blues, hard rock, pop, folk, and other musical genres into one pot and putting it all on record, in an attempt to delight the listener. If that was their approach, it worked. They are very good at being unpredictable. They deserve credit there.

But you know, Black Sabbath and Uriah Heep are two other rock bands from back in the early 70's that also take a melody and repeat it the exact way a few times before moving on to another melody (though obviously those bands aren't as talented because Gentle Giant is known for complex time signatures).

It's not like I'm putting the band down- after all, I would never be able to play musical instruments the way the band does. Gentle Giant consists of very talented musicians. I'm just baffled that so many people are 100% certain that this is some challenging music that requires many listens in order to understand. Far from it. You can create the hardest, most challenging music in the world, but as long as you make it repeat and give it a melody, it will be very easy to remember. Gentle Giant made a career out of it.

Pick up that live album called Playing the Fool and call it a day. This debut album, showing a midget with an unusually large forehead, is a pretty good purchase too. It's actually their best studio album, in my opinion. Don't expect it to wow you if you can't handle music that repeats a lot, though (and trust me, just about everything from the 70's they did repeats a LOT).

Great First Start.......2005-06-28

All songs are very good. The band shows much promise on this album, but it still holds up after all of this years. i play this one on car rides all of the time. Alucard is one of their best, as is Funny Ways, Nothing At All, Isn't It Quiet And Cold, and Why Not?. Also The Giant. The only not good song is the queen. Kind of pointless. Startlingly mature first album by a band, sounding better than most prog bands third or fourth records.

I think it is one of their better albums.......2005-03-29

There are at least 7 different CD releases of this album with varying sound quality. I am not sure, but I think this one on Amazon is bright but has some tape hiss. The best one to find would be the Japanese remaster.

I normally don't recommend paying the extra for hype of remastered CD's or Japanese releases. But....in the early days of CD's, a poor job was done converting some albums to CD. This bred vinyl snobs who thought LP's were better than CD's. A poor job was done on all the early Gentle Giant albums. And, there were different companies that put out the CD's. You might be lucky and end up with a CD with good quality, but if you get the Japanese remaster, you know for sure.

What I have done is make CD's off of my old LP's. (I have a profession audio CD recorder, which makes it convenient. But, it can also be done a computer, as long as it has a good sound card). I get better sound quality than I had on the store bought version of Three Friends. But, unfortunately, I get all the snap, crackle and pops that are on the vinyl. I have tried the music editing software to remove the pops, but didn't like the results. Maybe there is some newer software available.

I think that this is one of Gentle Giant's best CD's. I like that it has a variety of styles. Some of it reminds me of PFM, and other parts are like early Deep Purple (back when they were a progressive rock band).

This CD has 2 of the band's best songs, Funny Ways and Nothing At All. Admittedly, there is an even better version of Funny Ways on Playing the Fool.

The only minor track is the folksy Isn't Quiet and Cold. But, this CD is 38 minutes long, and that still leaves 35 minutes of great music. Note that most Gentle Giant albums are only about 35 minutes long.

The LP was never released in the US. If you lived in the US, you had to seek out a costly import. The cover of this first album was reused as the cover of the US version of Three Friends.

Nice debut from one of prog rock's greats.......2003-10-31

You can think of Gentle Giant's 1970 debut like you can Genesis' Trespass or the first two albums of Yes: just dipping their feet in the waters of the prog world, with a sound maybe not totally living up to their full potential, but definately worth having, after you get a few of their following albums. Prior to Gentle Giant, the Shulman brothers (Phil, Ray, and Derek) were in a band called Simon Dupree & the Big Sound. Of course there was no one named Simon Dupree (Simon was actually Derek Shulman). They released an album in 1967 called Without Reservation and had a hit with "Kites". Being from 1967, I'm pretty sure you shouldn't expect much of that GG sound here. As I hadn't heard that album, I'm sure it's more of a historical curiosity. Of course the Shulman brothers wanted to pursue something more ambitious (especially after King Crimson gave us In the Court of the Crimson King), and formed a band with guitarist Gary Green, keyboardist/vocalist Kerry Minnear, and drummer Martin Smith, and the band became Gentle Giant. They recorded and released their debut in 1970 on the "swirl" Vertigo label. Being a debut album, many bands hadn't quite had their sound or style mastered, and Gentle Giant was no exception. That meant many of the band's over-the-top quirky complexity hadn't surfaced yet. But you can see some of that like on the opening cut, "Giant". I also like the Mellotron solo as well. "Funny Ways" features some great violin work, and Kerry Minnear's trademark "medieval"-sounding singing. "Alucard" (that is, "Dracula" spelled backwards) features vocal harmonies that make me think that Queen had heard their share of Gentle Giant albums in their lifetime. Also interesting to note is the presence of synthesizers, usually as just incidental noodling between cuts. Remember this was 1970 when synthesizers were still mainly big modular Moogs, and most recordings then were still classical Moog (like W. Carlos' Switched-On Bach), except for the stray rock album (i.e. Beatles' Abbey Road, or of course, ELP, who also released their debut in 1970). "Isn't it Quiet and Cold" is a rather lighthearted number, with Minnear singing again. It's quite a contrast to the more sinister "Alucard". "Nothing At All" starts off as a rather pleasant acoustic number and nice pleasant vocals, but the problems start surfacing with the drum solo and the classical piano. At least to make it interesting was Martin Smith (their drummer at the time) added on some phasing, but then the song returns to how it started, in that pleasant laid-back fashion. "Why Not" is one of the more rocking numbers, but there's a more medieval-sounding part in the middle part complete with recorders. The last song, "The Queen" is basically a rock version of "God Save the Queen", played on guitar. I don't think that was the best move for the band, but it could have been worse. This might not be the best place for Gentle Giant newcomers to start (try Three Friends first), but still this album is full of great material, and worth having.

The Mighty Gentle Giant.......2003-08-25

What do you get when you cross the madrigal, folk-rock of Jethro Tull with the avant-garde, experimental leanings of King Crimson, and you add a dash of classical influences for extra measure? You get Gentle Giant. Always sitting next to Genesis in the music store bins, but never achieving the massive success of Genesis or other well-known progressive rock groups, Gentle Giant were certainly an acquired taste, but for the progressive rock fan who's open to the band's complex time signatures, arrangements, and vocal harmonising, there is great music aplenty to be found in their work, as the band recorded 11 studio albums (plus one live album) between 1970 & 1980. The group, led by vocalist Derek Schulman & keyboardist Kerry Minnear, were a terrific progressive rock outfit that deserved much bigger success than what they got. They never rose above cult status (and they're one of the few progressive bands to never make a comeback, either in the 1990's or now), but their impressive catalog of albums speak for themselves. If you love prog rock, then you'll certainly love Gentle Giant.Their self-titled debut from 1970 is an excellent album that displays quite plainly what this group were all about. The title track is a powerful blend of all of the band's Tull/Crimson/classical influences rolled into one. "Funny Ways" is a lovely song with fine singing & string arrangements. "Alucard" is an awesome prog-rocker. "Isn't It Quiet And Cold?" is the lightest number on the album, an acoustic/classical confection, but it works wonderfully. The exquisite, Traffic-esque "Nothing At All" is an all-time Gentle Giant favorite. "Why Not?" is a cool guitar-rocker, and the band finish the album with a short-but-amusing rendition of the British anthem, "The Queen." Gentle Giant may have lacked commercial success, but at least they had---and still have---a devoted following, not to mention a recording contract that allowed them to make a dozen albums in their decade-long lifespan. Their self-titled disc from 1970 is the first of the bunch, and an awesome opening salvo from this fine progressive rock band that should not be overlooked.

Average customer rating: It doesn't get better than this Great live document by this amazing band The "Final" Gentle Giant Album The definitive live album. A Forgotten Treasure

Playing the Fool Gentle Giant Manufacturer: Gentle Giant / Rte ProductGroup: Music Binding: Audio CD General | Alternative Rock | Styles | Music General | Rock | Styles | Music Progressive Rock | Progressive | Rock | Styles | Music General | Live Albums | Rock | Styles | Music Pop Rock | Pop | Styles | Music Similar Items: Gg at the Gg: BBC Sight & Sound in Concert Octopus Three Friends Acquiring the Taste Interview ASIN: B000A2H2UO Release Date: 2005-08-23

Tracks:

1. Just The Same
2. Proclamation
3. On Reflection
4. Excerpts From Octopus
5. Funny Ways

Tracks:

1. The Runaway
2. Experience
3. So Sincere
4. Free Hand
5. Sweet Georgia Brown (Breakdown In Brussels)
6. Peel The Paint/I Lost My Head (Medley)

Customer Reviews:

It doesn't get better than this.......2007-07-19

Along with The Lamb, this is the best prog rock album ever made. Gentle Giant is, man for man, the best collection of musicians in prog rock and on this album they put on a clinic. The interplay among them is unparaled and I was particularly blown away by Gary Green who is the most underrated guitar player on the planet.

Great live document by this amazing band.......2007-06-06

Given the sheer complexity of their music, I was curious to see if the band could pull it off live and picked this 1977 release up, which brings together concerts recorded during the 1976 tour. I am happy to report that they can reproduce their trademark sound live, and the high energy levels of the performances on Playing the Fool made the listening experience very enjoyable.

The lineup on this live album included Derek Shulman (vocals, descant recorder, alto saxophone, bass guitar, percussion); Gary Green (acoustic, electric & 12-string guitars, alto & descant recorders, background vocals, percussion); Ray Shulman (acoustic guitar, bass guitar, violin, descant recorder, trumpet, background vocals, percussion); Kerry Minnear (cello, tenor recorder, Hammond organ, mellotron, synthesizers, vibraphone, background vocals, percussion); and John Weathers (vibraphone, drums, background vocals, percussion). The fantastic thing is that the guys can play all of these instruments with conviction and passion - they really go all out.

The performances by all of the members are extraordinary and the live setting lends their pieces added punch and depth - they mix a good bit of improvisation into the tracks and even re-vamp certain sections - which further demonstrates their skills at negotiating the rocky terrain of such difficult music. I especially like the song selection too, which includes tracks from the eponymous 1970 debut through In'terview (1976) - in short, the creative peak for the band. This remastered version by DRT Entertainment is OK and features pretty good sound quality.

All in all, this is a great live album by the band and amply demonstrates their seemingly boundless skills as musicians. Highly recommended along with the 1970 debut; Acquiring the Taste (1971); Three Friends (1972); Octopus (1973); In a Glass House (1973); The Power and the Glory (1974); Free Hand (1975); and In'terview (1976).

The "Final" Gentle Giant Album.......2006-11-13

While much ink has been spilled over the years in reference to the extraordinary range of talent possessed by Derek and Ray Shulman, Kerry Minnear, Gary Green, and John Weathers, this recording culled from Gentle Giant's 1976 European tour reveals their unremarked affinity to the scatological, larger-than-life personas of Francois Rabelais' Gargantua and Pantagruel (1534-51), commemorated in the group's name and logo and celebrated in pieces like "The Advent of Panurge": Just as an ordered medieval world, fragmented by the New Learning, was dislocated, distended, and generally trodden underfoot by the monk-cum-doctor of Lyon, so did the Shulman brothers et al. ultimately fulfill the "mission statement" of their second album--namely, to eschew commercialism in favor of innovation at all costs.

Gentle Giant's trademark deconstruction of musical genres is everywhere on this career-capping release. The R&B stylings of Derek Shulman are juxtaposed throughout with the Elizabethan echoes of keyboardist/vocalist Kerry Minnear; R.D. Laing's 70's-era psychobabble becomes a madrigal-from-hell in "Knots"; a Schoenbergian melodic line meets a percussion orgy in "So Sincere"; and a breathtaking acoustic guitar duo by Ray Shulman and Gary Green is followed by a recorder workout by the entire band in a medley of "Ranconteur Troubador" and "Panurge," all of it set against the zany incongruity of "Sweet Georgia Brown."

This disc also reveals the band's unrecognized level of professionalism as a performing act. Whereas most progressive ensembles were content to offer only inferior approximations of overdubs and other aspects of studio production in live performances, Gentle Giant went as far as to rewrite virtually every problematical composition, resulting in exciting new arrangements that complement rather than duplicate extant studio recordings--a brilliant and refreshing creative strategy, to say nothing of a generous gesture to their loyal fanbase.

Although the group would eventually bow to corporate pressure and the vagaries of pop music fashion to adopt a less distinctive and more accessible approach before their 1980 demise, "Playing the Fool" offers ample evidence thirty years on that Gentle Giant may in fact remain the most iconoclastic and provocative band to come out of greater Europe in the entire progressive era.

The definitive live album........2006-11-12

This is the definite live album. This does what a live album should do -- capture the essence of the band, convey the excitement of the event, and sound like a concert. This one does it all with perfection. If anyone wonders just how much musicians can accomplish live on stage, "Playing The Fool" answers all questions. In concert, each of these guys played multiple instruments and sang. Sometimes playing 5 percussion instruments, or 5 stringed instruments, or singing a 5-part acappella, they played individually and as an ensemble in a wild frenzy of syncopated, complicated and technically brilliant music that defined progressive rock. And their concerts were FUN. This album captures it all. The finest musicians ever recorded--live!

A Forgotten Treasure.......2006-11-10

A super set from an much under appreciated band. These comteperaries of Yes and Genesis never reached the same level of stardom, but it was not for lack of talent. This disc was recorded around the same time I was lucky enough to catch them live. It sounds great and brought back a flood of memories of that show. They are greatly missed in my house.

Music Album:

1. The Legends Collection
2. The Legends Collection: The Willie Nelson Collection
3. The Tatters
4. Then and Now
5. This Country's Rockin'
6. Three Dollar Baby
7. Tragic Love Songs: Please Don't Take the Girl
8. Tribute
9. Tribute to Garth Brooks
10. Up!

Music Album