Gentle Giant

It's interesting how someone on another thread on here was suggesting that Gentle Giant were not that influential or important in the seventies and that they seem influential now just because of the internet. It turns out the person who said this is apparently from the UK so I'm guessing that they weren't that big in their home country. Still, I can't see how anyone can think they "weren't that important."

Big Gentle Giant fan here; I have all of their albums, and like every one of them. Though not structurally like Triumvirat, they formed and disbanded at around the same time, and despite that, continue to turn heads with their initial second tier popularity helping them to ride the tide, despite all those years!

Edited by presdoug - December 21 2017 at 11:44

The Power And The Glory is my favourite by them. Precision musical engineering! The early albums have some beautiful moments but they don't really hang together that well for me. It's a bit like comparing ELP's debut to Brain Salad Surgery. I prefer it when ELP went up a gear and the same is largely true of how I feel about GG.

presdoug wrote: Big Gentle Giant fan here; I have all of their albums, and like every one of them. Though not structurally like Triumvirat, they formed and disbanded at around the same time, and despite that, continue to turn heads with their initial second tier popularity helping them to ride the tide, despite all those years!

My thoughts got kind of jumbled up in that post. Just meant to say GG are like Triumvirat, in being around at the same time, being sort of initially second tier in popularity, and still having a loyal fan base.

dr wu23 wrote: Dellinger said: "<span style=": rgb248, 248, 252;">I like Gentle Giant well enough, but mostly their first 2 albums, and after Phil Shulman left I just lost them. Actually, the first album I bought from them was the live Playing the Fool (since it's got such flawless reviews, and I often buy live albums first to get a good overview of the bands songs up to that point, without the risk of repeating the exact same songs (in the exact same version) in case I decide to start buying albums from them. However, I just couldn't (and still can't) understand Playing the Fool, and I thought I just wouldn't be able to get into them... I just couldn't find the beautiful melodies or hooks I wanted on an album. But somehow I was persuaded to give them a second chance, and I went for their first 4 albums (I remembered hearing Octopus on Youtube, and finding it promising, and from Playing the Fool, the one song I did like a lot was "Funny Ways", from the first album. However, I ended up loving their first 2 albums, but 3 friends started showing the aspects that I did not like on PtF (and had less of the aspects I did like from the first 2), and Octopus does have some songs I like, but also is not at the same level as the first 2. However, I don't expect to go further into their discography, and given a few listens I have given to some of the albums from after Phil left, I don't expect to change my mind."</span> <span style=": rgb248, 248, 252;"> </span> <span style=": rgb248, 248, 252;">I have to agree with this ....and while I own the first 8 (and do play them from time to time...) , the first 2 are still my favorites.</span> <span style=": rgb248, 248, 252;">Very talented musicians with clever arrangements but imho missing some heart on many tracks that end up coming off as accomplished but ultimately unsatisfying. It seemed to me at times that they almost went out of their way to be eclectic and quirky  to impress people but missed the fact that that could also turn people off.</span>

Perhaps they didn't miss the fact that they could turn people off. In their first, or first 2 albums, they had a stetement written... I don't remember it exactly, but it was something like they tried to be very innovative (or whatever) at the risk of being highly unpopular. So they knew what they were getting into.

presdoug wrote: Big Gentle Giant fan here; I have all of their albums, and like every one of them..

Dellinger wrote: Perhaps they didn't miss the fact that they could turn people off. In their first, or first 2 albums, they had a stetement written... I don't remember it exactly, but it was something like they tried to be very innovative (or whatever) at the risk of being highly unpopular. So they knew what they were getting into.

"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 much more substantial and fulfilling. All you need to do is sit back, and acquire the taste."

This wasn't always my favorite album from the band (Acquiring The Taste). It is only in the last ten or fifteen years that I settled on it, fully. It isn't perfect. Kind of ebbs off toward the end. Plain Truth, not their finest hour.

But, so good. So unique, such a singular listening experience. So much here that cannot be found anywhere else!

Can you tell? I love this album.

The House, The Street, The Room. Pantagruel's Nativity.

They really don't make 'em like this anymore. They may never have.

Edited by Frankh - December 23 2017 at 08:29

Frankh wrote: Dellinger wrote: Perhaps they didn't miss the fact that they could turn people off. In their first, or first 2 albums, they had a stetement written... I don't remember it exactly, but it was something like they tried to be very innovative (or whatever) at the risk of being highly unpopular. So they knew what they were getting into. "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 much more substantial and fulfilling. All you need to do is sit back, and acquire the taste." This wasn't always my favorite album from the band (Acquiring The Taste). It is only in the last ten or fifteen years that I settled on it, fully. It isn't perfect. Kind of ebbs off toward the end. Plain Truth, not their finest hour. But, so good. So unique, such a singular listening experience. So much here that cannot be found anywhere else! Can you tell? I love this album. The House, The Street, The Room. Pantagruel's Nativity. They really don't make 'em like this anymore. They may never have.

Thanks, I was lazy to look for the whole quote    And indeed I believe they achieved their goal.

Edited by Dellinger - December 23 2017 at 12:50

Looks like Renaissance were a little more popular than GG in US, based on Billboard Chart time

Edited by kenethlevine - December 23 2017 at 22:30

There are lots of GG tracks I describe as "clever, clever" but there are also lots GG, which are truly mindbogglingly brilliant! Of all the polarizing prog bands (e.g. VdGG, KC, GG, etc) GG were the only ones who in my opinion, consistently rocked...you can't really find anything that rocked in KC's catalogue...or am I wrong? You can even dance to some GG tunes...well, I tried and succeeded (I think!). I have never been able to dance to either KC or VdGG for that matter!




Edited by BarryGlibb - December 24 2017 at 02:01