Forum Home Forum Home > Progressive Music Lounges > Prog Bands, Artists and Genres Appreciation
  New Posts New Posts RSS Feed - Gentle Giant
  FAQ FAQ  Forum Search   Events   Register Register  Login Login

Topic ClosedGentle Giant
 Post Reply Post Reply Page  <1234 5>
Author
Message
  Topic Search Topic Search  Topic Options Topic Options
mike1259 View Drop Down
Forum Newbie
Forum Newbie
Avatar

Joined: July 12 2014
Location: Midwest
Status: Offline
Points: 22 		Direct Link To This Post Posted: July 23 2014 at 12:00
GG is very much revered in prog circles but a little obscure for the same reason Yes and Kansas aren't - they refused to cater to the lowest common denominator and stuck fiercely by their artistic muse (that is, until Giant for a Day and The Missing Piece, don't waste your money on these unless you're a completist). BTW, I like Yes and Kansas.
Most folks really embrace Octopus quickly but you'll find their very best songs on a smattering of albums and they're all must-have's up to and including Interview (I Lost My Head, for example).
Back to Top
Rednight View Drop Down
Forum Senior Member
Forum Senior Member
Avatar

Joined: January 18 2014
Location: Mar Vista, CA
Status: Offline
Points: 4807 		Direct Link To This Post Posted: July 23 2014 at 20:10
Originally posted by mike1259 mike1259 wrote:

GG is very much revered in prog circles but a little obscure for the same reason Yes and Kansas aren't - they refused to cater to the lowest common denominator and stuck fiercely by their artistic muse (that is, until Giant for a Day and The Missing Piece, don't waste your money on these unless you're a completist). BTW, I like Yes and Kansas.
Most folks really embrace Octopus quickly but you'll find their very best songs on a smattering of albums and they're all must-have's up to and including Interview (I Lost My Head, for example).

You missed it, Mikey. Don't lump The Missing Piece in with that piece of crap that followed. With the exception of Betcha Thought We Couldn't Do It, it was the last good (I didn't say great) 'Giant studio album before the band jumped the shark entirely, witnessed by the sweeping Memories of Old Days. I would also venture to say most 'Giant fans have all their studio albums and then some (live albums, box sets, DVDs)!
Back to Top
AreYouHuman View Drop Down
Forum Senior Member
Forum Senior Member
Avatar

Joined: April 12 2013
Location: Michigan
Status: Offline
Points: 470 		Direct Link To This Post Posted: July 23 2014 at 21:20
^ I do agree about The Missing Piece, though IMO Giant for a Day and Civilian have their moments, though of course they can't hold a candle to Three Friends, Power & Glory, Free Hand…okay, all of them up to Interview. FBOFW, they were shifting to a more commercial sound at the same time as many of their contemporaries.

BTW, Here’s a couple recent threads on the same subject:

http://www.progarchives.com/forum/forum_posts.asp?TID=97594&KW=Gentle+Giant

http://www.progarchives.com/forum/forum_posts.asp?TID=97217&KW=Gentle+Giant



Edited by AreYouHuman - July 23 2014 at 21:23
Caption: We tend to take ourselves a little too seriously.

Silly human race! Yes is for everybody!
Back to Top
addictedtoprog View Drop Down
Forum Senior Member
Forum Senior Member
Avatar

Joined: July 16 2014
Location: india
Status: Offline
Points: 1422 		Direct Link To This Post Posted: July 23 2014 at 21:33
Haven't yet discovered GG's music...but looking forward to....
Back to Top
ProgMetaller2112 View Drop Down
Forum Senior Member
Forum Senior Member
Avatar

Joined: December 08 2012
Location: Pacoima,CA,USA
Status: Offline
Points: 3145 		Direct Link To This Post Posted: July 23 2014 at 21:37
^^ Get to it
“War is peace.

Freedom is slavery.

Ignorance is strength.”

― George Orwell, Nineteen Eighty-Four



"Ignorance and Prejudice and Fear walk Hand in Hand"- Neil Peart
Back to Top
MikeToska View Drop Down
Forum Newbie
Forum Newbie


Joined: July 16 2014
Status: Offline
Points: 6 		Direct Link To This Post Posted: July 26 2014 at 10:10

Have you seen this concert? Amazing stuff!


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UM-yGcpaY_4
Back to Top
rogerthat View Drop Down
Prog Reviewer
Prog Reviewer


Joined: September 03 2006
Location: .
Status: Offline
Points: 9869 		Direct Link To This Post Posted: July 26 2014 at 10:14
Have it on DVD.  Great concert, though I slightly prefer the German TV concert.
Back to Top
dwill123 View Drop Down
Forum Senior Member
Forum Senior Member
Avatar

Joined: December 19 2006
Status: Offline
Points: 4455 		Direct Link To This Post Posted: July 26 2014 at 14:47
Gentle Giant were tremendous live.  I saw them in 1974 just after the release of my favorite album by them, "The Power and the Glory".
Back to Top
Xonty View Drop Down
Forum Senior Member
Forum Senior Member
Avatar

Joined: June 23 2013
Location: Cornwall
Status: Offline
Points: 1759 		Direct Link To This Post Posted: July 26 2014 at 15:32
Gentle Giant are incredible. Still can't get my head around how they can write albums like "The Power And The Glory" and "Free Hand", and on top of that, perform them! Not sure why they go so un-noticed. Probably because they're that bit more obscure than Yes, Genesis, and even King Crimson/VDGG in ways.
Back to Top
DaleHauskins View Drop Down
Forum Senior Member
Forum Senior Member
Avatar

Joined: December 23 2005
Location: So.California
Status: Offline
Points: 239 		Direct Link To This Post Posted: July 26 2014 at 16:20
As an American lifelong Los Angeles guitarist,I was blessed to be the guitarist in a Swiss progressive rock band called Flame Dream.
We were often compared to Gentle Giant...

For those of you unfamiliar about Switzerland's Flame Dream,we recorded 5 albums on Vertigo Records;and one album on the Phillips Record Label.
Most of our albums were recorded at Yes,Moody Blues amazing Swiss keyboardist Patrick Moraz's studios in Geneva,Switzerland (Where most prog and fusion bands recorded at in Europe at the time.)
Flame Dream albums were mostly produced,mixed and recorded by the very clever English gent John Acock(Producer for Steve Hackett).

http://www.progressiveworld.net/html/modules.php?name=Reviews&rop=showcontent&id=1555
http://www.math.harvard.edu/~knill/teaching/mathe320_2011/exhibits/morley/index.html



Sonnige Grüässli zämeeee us soo rüüdig heist Southern California vo de Kalifornischer Los Angeles gitarristen Dale und Ein schönes Wocheende liebe everyone !!
☼♫ ^-^ ♫☼ __̴ı̴̴̡̡̡ ̡͌l̡̡̡ ̡͌l̡*̡̡ ̴̡ı̴̴̡ ̡̡͡|̲̲̲͡͡͡ ̲̲͡ ̲̲̲͡͡π̲̲͡͡ ̲̲̲̲͡͡͡ ̲




Edited by DaleHauskins - July 27 2014 at 15:22
Ｄａｌｅ Ｈａｕｓｋｉｎｓ
(858) 401-2973
(310) 293-0432
https://artistecard.com/Dalehauskins
Back to Top
Jeffro View Drop Down
Forum Senior Member
Forum Senior Member
Avatar

Joined: March 29 2014
Location: USA
Status: Offline
Points: 2029 		Direct Link To This Post Posted: July 26 2014 at 20:27
Listening to Power and The Glory right now. Just some awesomely weird stuff. This is hardcore prog. I'm loving it!
Back to Top
Gerinski View Drop Down
Prog Reviewer
Prog Reviewer
Avatar

Joined: February 10 2010
Location: Barcelona Spain
Status: Offline
Points: 5091 		Direct Link To This Post Posted: July 27 2014 at 01:37
The discovery of GG is always a magic moment in a progger's life Tongue, you always think "WTF how had I missed them so far?" They were the less popular of the 1970's giants.
If you go with the PA ratings you can't go wrong, Free Hand, Power and the Glory, In A Glass House, Three Friends, Octopus... great stuff.

Watching the videos is a good way to get to know them better




Edited by Gerinski - July 27 2014 at 01:39
Back to Top
Mirror Image View Drop Down
Forum Senior Member
Forum Senior Member
Avatar

Joined: December 13 2011
Location: United States
Status: Offline
Points: 2111 		Direct Link To This Post Posted: July 27 2014 at 11:46
Originally posted by Xonty Xonty wrote:

Gentle Giant are incredible. Still can't get my head around how they can write albums like "The Power And The Glory" and "Free Hand", and on top of that, perform them! Not sure why they go so un-noticed. Probably because they're that bit more obscure than Yes, Genesis, and even King Crimson/VDGG in ways.

The more I listen to them, the more I love them. I can see certainly how someone couldn't get into them. They are an acquired taste but so are Genesis, Yes, or King Crimson for example. What's interesting is they write this complex music but it comes across in such an accessible way. Granted there are times when it's challenging. Like, for instance, I don't enjoy their a cappella stuff like Knots, but, thankfully, they didn't these types of songs too often. I don't know why they go unnoticed and have remained pretty underrated, but it's a shame.

I remember the first time I heard Gentle Giant. A friend of mine had Octopus on cassette and we listened to in his car. I really couldn't believe my ears. They were so weird yet there was so much heart in the music that I could tell these musicians loved performing this music. I was hooked right after The Advent of Panurge finished.  


Edited by Mirror Image - July 27 2014 at 11:47
“Music is enough for a lifetime but a lifetime is not enough for music.” - Sergei Rachmaninov
Back to Top
Gerinski View Drop Down
Prog Reviewer
Prog Reviewer
Avatar

Joined: February 10 2010
Location: Barcelona Spain
Status: Offline
Points: 5091 		Direct Link To This Post Posted: July 27 2014 at 12:02
And Kerry Minnear one of the undeservedly forgotten keys giants, we talk a lot of Emerson, Wakeman, Banks, Bardens, Moraz et al but Minnear was right up there with them and we too seldom include him in the mix.
Back to Top
Michael678 View Drop Down
Forum Senior Member
Forum Senior Member
Avatar

Joined: June 02 2013
Location: United States
Status: Offline
Points: 2466 		Direct Link To This Post Posted: July 27 2014 at 12:13
omfg, i am one step closer to checking these "monster musicians" out one of these days. if you say that its THAT complex, im listening to it. and im 15 for crying out loud!!
Progrockdude
Back to Top
Gerinski View Drop Down
Prog Reviewer
Prog Reviewer
Avatar

Joined: February 10 2010
Location: Barcelona Spain
Status: Offline
Points: 5091 		Direct Link To This Post Posted: July 27 2014 at 14:27
Originally posted by Michael678 Michael678 wrote:

omfg, i am one step closer to checking these "monster musicians" out one of these days. if you say that its THAT complex, im listening to it. and im 15 for crying out loud!!
You're gonna freak out Tongue  (but don't understand "complexity" in the modern meaning of Prog-Metal, Tech-Extreme etc).
Back to Top
ProgMetaller2112 View Drop Down
Forum Senior Member
Forum Senior Member
Avatar

Joined: December 08 2012
Location: Pacoima,CA,USA
Status: Offline
Points: 3145 		Direct Link To This Post Posted: July 27 2014 at 14:59
Originally posted by Gerinski Gerinski wrote:

And Kerry Minnear one of the undeservedly forgotten keys giants, we talk a lot of Emerson, Wakeman, Banks, Bardens, Moraz et al but Minnear was right up there with them and we too seldom include him in the mix.

Approve
“War is peace.

Freedom is slavery.

Ignorance is strength.”

― George Orwell, Nineteen Eighty-Four



"Ignorance and Prejudice and Fear walk Hand in Hand"- Neil Peart
Back to Top
Dayvenkirq View Drop Down
Forum Senior Member
Forum Senior Member
Avatar

Joined: May 25 2011
Location: Los Angeles, CA
Status: Offline
Points: 10970 		Direct Link To This Post Posted: July 27 2014 at 15:10
Originally posted by Gerinski Gerinski wrote:

And Kerry Minnear one of the undeservedly forgotten keys giants, we talk a lot of Emerson, Wakeman, Banks, Bardens, Moraz et al but Minnear was right up there with them and we too seldom include him in the mix.
Bardens and Moraz? Do we talk often enough about them? But I digress.

Edited by Dayvenkirq - July 27 2014 at 15:12
Back to Top
Mirror Image View Drop Down
Forum Senior Member
Forum Senior Member
Avatar

Joined: December 13 2011
Location: United States
Status: Offline
Points: 2111 		Direct Link To This Post Posted: July 27 2014 at 15:12
Originally posted by Dayvenkirq Dayvenkirq wrote:

Originally posted by Gerinski Gerinski wrote:

And Kerry Minnear one of the undeservedly forgotten keys giants, we talk a lot of Emerson, Wakeman, Banks, Bardens, Moraz et al but Minnear was right up there with them and we too seldom include him in the mix.
Bardens and Moraz? Do we talk often enough about them?

I think Moraz and Bardens are both underrated for sure.
“Music is enough for a lifetime but a lifetime is not enough for music.” - Sergei Rachmaninov
Back to Top
hellogoodbye View Drop Down
Forum Senior Member
Forum Senior Member
Avatar
VIP member

Joined: August 29 2011
Location: Troy
Status: Offline
Points: 7251 		Direct Link To This Post Posted: July 27 2014 at 16:48
I like the first three albums. Then ...
Back to Top
 Post Reply Post Reply Page  <1234 5>

Forum Jump Forum Permissions View Drop Down



This page was generated in 0.141 seconds.
Donate monthly and keep PA fast-loading and ad-free forever.