GIANT ON THE BOX

One of the two definitive DVD about the proggiest of all 70's groups, , GOTB captures the group around the years 74 and 75, while GGaGG concentrates between 76 & 78. We're catching the band after the release of TP&TG, so we are without Phil Shulman (and so is the group)?. But the group proposed tracks from as early as Octopus in their everyday concerts.

Starting with a 50 minutes German TV concert, the set is magical and we gert to see plenty of individual shots, the multiple cameras catching the players when they're at the start of their solos, which means that the montage was extremely well done. Seeing Ray fill in (no pun intended) for his brother on vocals and regrouping the sax and violin playing gives the band new stage tightness. Weather's madman appearance is almost confirmed with his all-enthusiastic stool dance. Green is his equal self, opposite the stage fro Minnear in his all white outfit keyboards and cello, with only his flute being black. The two Shulman (both sporting white pats and dark shirts) left occupy centre front stage on vocals, acoustic guitar, bass, sax, violin and the other flute. The only two bad points from this broadcast footage is that Ray's sax is inaudible in the mix and weird keyboard loop passage where the band recup at the risk of being thought of play back. The group features tracks from TP, GH and Octopus mainly in that order and the interest of the set is constantly on the rise.

The US TV broadcast of the following year is shorter but carries almost the same second half so the main difference will be the TV shooting and settings and sound, which is . Minnear is not nearly as white (his instruments aren't anymore), Derek's stage presence is a bit exaggerated, Weathers still running the drum stool in the ground et... Most of this 30- mins broadcast is around the Octopus feature, so you'll have plenty to compare. I prefer the German performance

The remaining features are an almost forgettable German tidbit from a single camera and awful saturated sound (they sound like early Rush) while the Italian appearance again featuring the Octopus excerpts and a funny/interesting interview in which they seem to be getting an extremely appreciative welcome.

An excellent DVD that comes coupled a bit needlessly with a Cd of that German broadcast. I find it to be mostly useless because most fans will have the previous posthumous release holding concert from that era (the Woods/BBC releases, for ex.)