Gentle Giant 1970-1976 Discography Analysis |
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Frenetic Zetetic
Forum Senior Member Joined: December 09 2017 Location: Now Status: Offline Points: 9233 |
Topic: Gentle Giant 1970-1976 Discography Analysis Posted: January 27 2018 at 02:37 |
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As we all know - and as stated here on ProgArchives.com itself - Gentle Giant is one of the most paradigmatic progressive rock bands to ever exist. They combine all the best elements from the best bands, and manage to make it unique and magical. Gentle Giant might as well be an institution of progressive rock at this point.
From 1970's Gentle Giant (ST) right on through 1976's Interview, the band was firing on all creative cylinders. All of their best, most classical prog elements are present in each of those eight records. It wasn't until 1978's The Missing Piece that they really started to shift gears toward more pop oriented song structures, arrangements, and vocal lines. Still, however, the boys in the band manage to still give it that GG flair, despite not being quite on par with their earlier records. Because I'm such a massive GG fan, and because I recently broke out my copy of Interview for my daily trips across and around town, I had a bit of time to digest and analyze the last "real GG record" (most prog and GG fans don't really care much for Giant for a Day and Civilian) before they started winding down a bit. Thoughts on Interview:
What are your thoughts on Gentle Giant's discography and legacy, and their last "real record", Interview, in particular? I know we've all discussed Acquiring the Taste - Free Hand to death, but I thought this would be a unique spin/analysis on the band! Discuss! |
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"I am so prog, I listen to concept albums on shuffle." -KMac2021 |
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Tom Ozric
Prog Reviewer Joined: September 03 2005 Location: Olympus Mons Status: Offline Points: 15916 |
Posted: January 27 2018 at 03:20 | |||
Interview is still a great album for me, too. There isn’t a duff track to be found, though it is the ‘weaker’ 4 star record.
I don’t mind The missing Piece, I can’t stand Giant For A Day (a major blunder, if you care to ask) and Civilian showed hope they may have been a top-notch, artsy New-Wave Rock band. |
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Frenetic Zetetic
Forum Senior Member Joined: December 09 2017 Location: Now Status: Offline Points: 9233 |
Posted: January 27 2018 at 14:02 | |||
I agree on all accords, my friend! I actually love every single album they put out, despite the slight decline from 78-80 etc. It still blows my mind people ask for new prog but avoid this band because it's too hard to click instantly lol. GG is the best!
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"I am so prog, I listen to concept albums on shuffle." -KMac2021 |
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BarryGlibb
Forum Senior Member Joined: August 28 2010 Location: Melbourne, Oz Status: Offline Points: 1781 |
Posted: January 27 2018 at 19:33 | |||
Bought Interview around the time of release in 1976 after having all previous releases.
It never gelled with me; apart from I Lost My Head and to a lesser extent Timing the other tracks just never "did it for me". In fact, I prefer the more commercial ""The Missing Piece"" and am a big fan of ""Civilian".... I tend to play these 2 a fair bit. Giant For A Day is their nadir....I still try to find some redeeming features in it...maybe Gary Green's Arabic-tinged guitar riffs in the title track but that's it! |
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The.Crimson.King
Forum Senior Member Joined: March 29 2013 Location: WA Status: Offline Points: 4591 |
Posted: January 27 2018 at 21:59 | |||
My friends and I had no idea who GG were when we bought tickets to see Yes in '76 at the San Francisco Cow Palace. Of course Yes were amazing as we expected, but GG was a huge surprise and blew us away. I went out the next day and bought Free Hand while my best friend bought The Power and the Glory. Over the next couple years I added all the albums before Free Hand and GG became (and remain) one of my fave bands. It wasn't until a couple years or so later that I finally bought Interview. I never really cared for it much and ranked it about even with The Missing Piece (followed by Civilian and I honestly never bothered buying Giant for a Day, I let my best friend buy it first so I didn't have to
Then the CD revolution arrived and Interview gained new life and a much greater appreciation. I think it was because I never had that great of record players back in the day and the quiet parts and dialog on Interview just got lost. On CD I was finally able to really appreciate the humor of the "interview" snippets between the songs which lead to more listens and getting into the songs better. At this point I'd have to say Design is one of my fave GG songs ever and I'd rank Interview in my top 5 GG albums Edited by The.Crimson.King - January 27 2018 at 22:00 |
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Tom Ozric
Prog Reviewer Joined: September 03 2005 Location: Olympus Mons Status: Offline Points: 15916 |
Posted: January 27 2018 at 22:25 | |||
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Frenetic Zetetic
Forum Senior Member Joined: December 09 2017 Location: Now Status: Offline Points: 9233 |
Posted: January 28 2018 at 03:04 | |||
No worries, I've been pronouncing Kerry's last name incorrectly until recently. Apparently it's pronounced "mini-ear". Kerry and Ray are both criminally underrated on their respective instruments.
Awesome post! Design is absolutely a top-tier GG vocal workout track, no doubt about it. It's deceptively complex for the era it came out in, even by GG standards. |
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"I am so prog, I listen to concept albums on shuffle." -KMac2021 |
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Tom Ozric
Prog Reviewer Joined: September 03 2005 Location: Olympus Mons Status: Offline Points: 15916 |
Posted: January 28 2018 at 03:29 | |||
GG are a Progressive ‘institution’ . I think Hammill and VDGG are equivalent.
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The.Crimson.King
Forum Senior Member Joined: March 29 2013 Location: WA Status: Offline Points: 4591 |
Posted: January 28 2018 at 10:04 | |||
Ya the vocal counterpoint on Design, Knots & On Reflection are all fantastic. When GG broke into the Knots section of "Excerpts from Octopus" that night I saw them back in '76, the crowd didn't know what the hell was going on! Bands just didn't do things like that onstage, but it just made me love them even more |
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grantman
Forum Senior Member Joined: December 03 2015 Location: CANADA Status: Offline Points: 732 |
Posted: January 28 2018 at 13:31 | |||
the first gentle giant is my favorite especially the song funny ways the octopus had think of me with kindness and a dog,s life interesting and three friends has mister class and quality excellent song.
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Tom Ozric
Prog Reviewer Joined: September 03 2005 Location: Olympus Mons Status: Offline Points: 15916 |
Posted: January 28 2018 at 13:51 | |||
Indeed, their vocal counterpoints are breathtaking. Which reminds me, Spock’s Beard has done similar things, the only other band I’ve heard do this successfully.
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Cosmiclawnmower
Forum Senior Member Joined: August 09 2010 Location: West Country,UK Status: Offline Points: 3053 |
Posted: January 28 2018 at 16:16 | |||
I really like the Bootleg called 'Playing the foole in Wonderland' which was supposedly recorded live in 1975 on stage but feels more like its recorded live in the studio or on sound stage.. good quality recording of tracks from across the 1971-75 period and the single/ lp outtake track 'Power and the glory'. In all honesty, 'In a glass house' was the only lp of GG I had heard during the 70's and that I discovered the rest of their discography in the 1980's.. whilst not in my top 10, they are, without doubt, probably the most diverse 'mainstream progressive' band in terms of their instrumentation and most of their arrangements. They have grown on me and have of late moved up to be hovering just, just outside my top 10.
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The.Crimson.King
Forum Senior Member Joined: March 29 2013 Location: WA Status: Offline Points: 4591 |
Posted: January 28 2018 at 16:48 | |||
I'd add Haken's, "Cockroach King" from The Mountain and Kevin Gilbert's, "Suit Fugue: Dance of the A&R Men" from The Shaming of the True as another couple cool examples https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0_e4YX73Ww4 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A5Zx-0om5N0 |
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Tom Ozric
Prog Reviewer Joined: September 03 2005 Location: Olympus Mons Status: Offline Points: 15916 |
Posted: January 28 2018 at 16:51 | |||
^ Gawd, I forgot about Haken, gotta get back to The Mountain.
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Tom Ozric
Prog Reviewer Joined: September 03 2005 Location: Olympus Mons Status: Offline Points: 15916 |
Posted: January 30 2018 at 01:54 | |||
to.....................O.K. .... bump....
Ray Shulman is an incredible talent, and not only on bass..... I recall back in the late-90’s, a friend who manages a 2nd-Hand record shop (since 1984, and he still does !) got hold of the VHS of the Sight and Sound gig (the performance surrounding the Missing Piece album, now officially available as GG at the GG) and did a copy for me. I was blown away !! This is nothing compared to their earlier antics. Just superb !! |
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Frenetic Zetetic
Forum Senior Member Joined: December 09 2017 Location: Now Status: Offline Points: 9233 |
Posted: January 30 2018 at 02:21 | |||
Agreed, and I believe I've seen what you're talking about! Ray was/is the man. It's always fun watching them all switch instruments on stage. It's impressive seeing Derek pick up the bass and strum along on older GG tracks, too. Those guys are so friggin' phenomenal.
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"I am so prog, I listen to concept albums on shuffle." -KMac2021 |
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Sean Trane
Special Collaborator Prog Folk Joined: April 29 2004 Location: Heart of Europe Status: Offline Points: 19626 |
Posted: January 30 2018 at 03:12 | |||
I much prefer Interview to TP&TG and FH, because it's also more fun... and sounds warmer as well.
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Frenetic Zetetic
Forum Senior Member Joined: December 09 2017 Location: Now Status: Offline Points: 9233 |
Posted: January 30 2018 at 03:23 | |||
Freehand is awesome, but it's also one of my least-listened to of the mid-70's GG records. I realized this last night, actually. I usually go for In a Glass House, TPatG, or Interview FIRST.
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"I am so prog, I listen to concept albums on shuffle." -KMac2021 |
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Tom Ozric
Prog Reviewer Joined: September 03 2005 Location: Olympus Mons Status: Offline Points: 15916 |
Posted: January 30 2018 at 03:44 | |||
^ Actually, I would agree too, thinking about it. Freehand vs. Interview.......tough call.
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Frenetic Zetetic
Forum Senior Member Joined: December 09 2017 Location: Now Status: Offline Points: 9233 |
Posted: January 30 2018 at 03:52 | |||
Freehand is pretty much perfect, because it blends the still-intricate complexity of the earlier records, before they started stripping that away in favor of more pop sensibilities. Interview is actually the perfect combo of that for me personally.
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"I am so prog, I listen to concept albums on shuffle." -KMac2021 |
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