VDGG vs Gentle Giant vs Soft Machine
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Category: Progressive Music Lounges
Forum Name: Prog Polls
Forum Description: Create polls on topics related to progressive music
URL: http://www.progarchives.com/forum/forum_posts.asp?TID=132713
Printed Date: May 15 2024 at 00:46
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Topic: VDGG vs Gentle Giant vs Soft Machine
Posted By: Hugh Manatee
Subject: VDGG vs Gentle Giant vs Soft Machine
Date Posted: March 18 2024 at 22:49
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These three groups seem to be popular amongst fans of prog. Although I have found some interesting stuff by these three, I've never really been able to get into them. I would really like to know what it is that people like about these groups and how they are rarted against each other. ------------- I should have been a pair of ragged claws Scuttling across the floors of uncertain seas |
Replies:
Posted By: Mirakaze
Date Posted: March 19 2024 at 02:34
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Tough choice between Gentle Giant and Soft Machine, but I think the latter has ultimately been more important for me as a person and a musician, even if their discography isn't overall as consistent as the Giant's. ------------- https://mirasnelder.wordpress.com/" rel="nofollow - Freelance composer, accepting commissions | https://mirasnelder.bandcamp.com/album/altered-acuity" rel="nofollow - New album! |
Posted By: Hercules
Date Posted: March 19 2024 at 03:44
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Three bands I used to actively dislike. I think it was Free Hand that turned me on to the genius of Gentle Giant. Suddenly, it all clicked. Yes - they're erratic. Some things they do are too experimental and don't work, but when they do, it's spectacular. And live, they were a force of nature. Over time, I've come to appreciate Soft Machine more, but they're never going to be top of my listening priority. 3 is a good album. Van der Graaf Generator just doesn't work for me. I cannot stand Hamill's vocal delivery. The music is OK and Hugh Banton is a damn fine keyboards player, but I sold all my albums some time ago because I just never had the desire to listen to them. So GG for me. ------------- A TVR is not a car. It's a way of life. |
Posted By: Octopus II
Date Posted: March 19 2024 at 04:17
Gentle Giant 
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Posted By: progaardvark
Date Posted: March 19 2024 at 04:32
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Gentle Giant. My neighborhood needs a washing machine crossing sign. ------------- ---------- i'm shopping for a new oil-cured sinus bag that's a happy bag of lettuce this car smells like cartilage nothing beats a good video about fractions |
Posted By: Frets N Worries
Date Posted: March 19 2024 at 04:37
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VDGG ------------- The Wheel of Time Turns, and Ages come and pass. What was, what will be, and what is, may yet fall under the shadow. Let the Dragon ride again on the winds of time... |
Posted By: Manuel
Date Posted: March 19 2024 at 05:51
| All three bands are great in my book, but Gentle Giant comes on top. |
Posted By: mellotronwave
Date Posted: March 19 2024 at 08:19
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VDGG I like gentle giant a lot not a Soft Machine fan ------------- "Mellotron is to progrock what watercolor is to painting. Diaphanous and mesmerizing" |
Posted By: AFlowerKingCrimson
Date Posted: March 19 2024 at 08:44
| Believe it or not I'm not actually that familiar with Soft Machine. I only recently got third and haven't heard much else by them (especially not in a while). With GG vs VDGG it's almost a toss up but I'll sit this one out anyway since I don't know SM that well (and definitely not as well as the other two). |
Posted By: Logan
Date Posted: March 19 2024 at 09:16
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Three bands that have been absolute favourites of mine. I have always liked quirky music and music that seems different, and bands that offer contrasts, and these three qualify. Often those with more "conventional" melodic Prog tastes have had problems with all three of these. I might posit that for many who totally dislike all three bands, they have not spent enough time getting to know and acclimate to the discographies. Bu then I could say that of a huge amount more. These are all tastes I'm glad that I acquired. When I joined here, I was especially into Gentle Giant, but over the years it is Van der Graaf Generator that I have returned to the most. I understand that Hammill's vocals -- "hammy" as one might uncharitably put it" -- might be off-putting to many. The albums I have returned to the most over the years are Pawn Hearts and The Least We Can Do Is Wave to Each to Each Other. "House With No Door" off He to He.. and Man-Erg off pawn Hearts were the first tracks I heard by VdGG and it was love at first listen. To me A Plague of Lighthouse Keepers is a true masterpiece. An album like Godbluff has been harder for me, but I really like albums that follow Pawn hearts as well as the Least We Can Do to pawn hearts run of albums. This is one of my VdGG faves: With Soft Machine, I like music off the first few albums a lot. Third and the second are the two that I have returned to the most. I was obsessed with "Moon in June". With Gentle Giant, I especially like the early albums. Were I to choose just two, I would keep Acquiring the taste and Three Friends. The music can be a by fussy and precious I think and I rarely listen to the band now but still love the early albums. Go me there is real beauty playfulness that comes through on those albums and the music is warmer on the earlier albums and feel less like an exercise in trying to impress to me on the whole (sorry, I could phrase that much better). |
Posted By: Lewian
Date Posted: March 19 2024 at 11:35
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In the beginning it would always take me some time to get into a VDGG album because not only are Hammill's vocals something of an acquired taste, also some of the albums have a somewhat strange production. But after the third spin or so I could relate a lot to this music. It is full of atmosphere, personality and emotion, and offers a very good mix between experiments and melodies that do it for me. I still feel very much at home in their music. This includes some (but not all) of Hammill's solo work. Soft Machine have always fascinated me. They have some very different phases, but pretty much all of them deliver something original and surprising. People mention Third, but the first two albums as well as Seven and also their last two appeal to me in different but unique ways. I love some Robert Wyatt solo work as well. Rock Bottom is maybe the album I'd rate highest among all of these bands and their members, although it's hard to say because many are very good. I'm not that much into Gentle Giant, but I respect them. Their live album Playing The Fool is very strong. Their studio work doesn't tend to grab me as strongly as VDGG and Soft Machine do, but no doubt are they also good and special.
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Posted By: Zappastolethetowels
Date Posted: March 19 2024 at 12:57
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GG Softs _ _ VDGG
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Posted By: Frets N Worries
Date Posted: March 19 2024 at 15:33
 ------------- The Wheel of Time Turns, and Ages come and pass. What was, what will be, and what is, may yet fall under the shadow. Let the Dragon ride again on the winds of time... |
Zappastolethetowels wrote:Posted By: TheGazzardian
Date Posted: March 19 2024 at 16:24
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Giving my vote to VdGG. Of the three, GG was my first favourite, but after listening to all 8 of their classic albums, they slowly fell out of my listening rotation. I spin maybe one or two albums a year these days, at most. Usually Acquiring the Taste or Octopus. Sometimes songs from the debut or Power and the Passion. VdGG blew my mind with Pawn Hearts and now years later, I still listen to all of their seven classic albums, although Still Life probably gets the most spins these days despite not being my favourite initially. Soft Machine I listen to every once in a while, I've tried a few of their albums and I like all of them but I never listened to any of them very much, it's something like one album every two or three years. |
Posted By: Zappastolethetowels
Date Posted: March 19 2024 at 16:52
lol. why?
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Posted By: Frets N Worries
Date Posted: March 19 2024 at 16:53
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^The hate on VDGG ------------- The Wheel of Time Turns, and Ages come and pass. What was, what will be, and what is, may yet fall under the shadow. Let the Dragon ride again on the winds of time... |
Posted By: Zappastolethetowels
Date Posted: March 19 2024 at 16:56
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oh come on, its not that big of a gap
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Posted By: richardh
Date Posted: March 19 2024 at 17:19
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Van Der Graaf Generator gives me goosebumps at their best. Hammill is one of the best vocalists in prog imo. The more I listen the more I like. Gentle Giant , tried and decided that they are not for me. Their music is let down by average vocals and boring drumming. I may revisit The Power And The Glory occasionally and for the early period Three Friends is interesting and has some genius moments (Schooldays especially). Mostly though their music has little flow and very little warmth or real emotion. Soft Machine are okay but much like say Camel and Supertramp will never be a favourite band for me. Jazz rock/ fusion loses me at the best of times anyway.
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Posted By: Mellotron Storm
Date Posted: March 19 2024 at 18:12
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^ What made me realize that Hammill was an incredible singer was the live BBC sessions called After The Flood from 1968-1977 where he has so much confidence singing live, holding nothing back. His song writing will always be considered some of the best in Prog. Voted Soft Machine followed by VDGG ------------- "The wind is slowly tearing her apart" "Sad Rain" ANEKDOTEN |
Posted By: Logan
Date Posted: March 19 2024 at 18:21
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^^ I still get the "bumps" from VdGG. Like TheGazzardian, Still Life is a favourite, and is the one that has been getting the most spins from me of late (the Least We Can Do, He to He and Pawn hearts trilogy have got the most spins over the years). While Gentle Giant was my favourite band at one time (then surpasses by PFM, which was surpassed by....) and I got to know VdGG at the same time, I did largely tire of GG, whereas VdGG is like the gift that keeps on giving for me (rather like what is said of VD). I still return to music off Three Friends and Acquiring the Taste sometimes, mostly. I'm not as into post-Octopus stuff. For music to appeal and resonate can depend so much on what you are into now, I have found, and your history with music. But so much of it is not just down to exposure and situational elements, but also one's "innate" personality/ traits. There is popular music in PA that I don't think I'll ever be into even if I can appreciate the music to some extent, such as Spock's Beard on the whole from my listening. It does not resonate or speak to me -- feels alienating to me. |
Posted By: Mellotron Storm
Date Posted: March 20 2024 at 17:41
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^ I just recently went through my VDGG cds for the first time in years and was surprised that I liked Godbluff the most. H To He... and Pawn Hearts are right there too. I've told this before but what a moment it was coming back from the store to get ice and getting out of my car and hearing Pawn Hearts blasting from my backyard. My Krautrock(Can especially) loving brother in law took the liberty of choosing that cd out of the many I had on the shelf to play while I was gone. ------------- "The wind is slowly tearing her apart" "Sad Rain" ANEKDOTEN |
Posted By: richardh
Date Posted: March 20 2024 at 18:12
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Pawn Hearts predictably would be my choice, if someone or anyone wants to claim that is the best prog album ever made then I'm not arguing.
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Posted By: Logan
Date Posted: March 20 2024 at 19:48
^ Nor would I.
There have been a couple of times when I enjoyed Godbluff the most and a couple times when it did not appeal on the whole. A kind of beauty of VdGG is that I react as differently as I do to their different albums at different times. I compare that to Gentle Giant where I almost immediate got and really liked all of the albums up to and including Interview, but it lacked the holding power on me on the whole that VdGG and Soft Machine have. I have felt like I have more to experience and experience with VdGG and Soft Machine than GG despite still liking those early GG albums very much. GG can seem more superficial to me I guess, a bit busy, a bit too show-offy, and a bit too precious at times. I stopped listening to GG altogether for some years. Still, Three Friends and Acquiring the Taste I will always want in my collection. |
Posted By: Saperlipopette!
Date Posted: March 21 2024 at 02:10
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I really find it impossible to choose between Soft Machine and VdGG. Take their 1971 releases Fourth and (the latter bands fourth album) Pawn Hearts. Both are perfect to my ears. But the musical content on these don't share enough common ground for me to feel that I can make any kind of meaningful comparizon. Because I consider them to belong in a similar universe of music, I can easily state that I choose Pawn Hearts over (GG's fourth album) Octopus. Without hesitating. Although the latter album is excellent too, that's a no-brainer. Anyway, love all three bands. Gentle Giant a little bit less than the other two. In the end I voted for Soft Machine. But that was mainly because seeing that they only had two votes made me feel kind of sad. ------------- 
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Posted By: Dark Ness
Date Posted: March 21 2024 at 04:49
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To my ears & brain Godbluff is surely a masterpiece and closely followed by Still Life, so the vote was for VDGG (btw I also love the other 2 bands, maybe more SM) |
Posted By: octopus-4
Date Posted: March 21 2024 at 15:31
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Not an easy listening, but probably Gentle Giant are easier to get into respect to the free jazz form of Soft Machine. I quite like the few VDGG I have listened to, but honestly I'm not much into them too. ------------- Curiosity killed a cat, Schroedinger only half. My poor home recorded stuff at https://yellingxoanon.bandcamp.com |
Posted By: Prog-jester
Date Posted: March 24 2024 at 08:20
| VDGG of course |
Posted By: AFlowerKingCrimson
Date Posted: March 24 2024 at 09:16
I was listening to Pawn Hearts the other night. While I do think it's great APOLK has yet to really grow on me. I like the first two tracks a lot though. I think as it stands I probably prefer Godbluff and Still Life to Pawn Hearts though.
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Posted By: dr wu23
Date Posted: March 24 2024 at 13:06
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To me thats an odd grouping of 3 bands.....VDGG and GG are certainly quirky and eclectic but well liked bands while SM are in a different style completely imho and an easier listen. I might have put KC in there since they are eclectic and can certainly be challenging. I choose GG since for me they are more listenable than VDGG....while the music can be very interesting , I'm one of those who dont really care for Hammill's singing style. ------------- One does nothing yet nothing is left undone. Haquin |
Posted By: Moonshake
Date Posted: March 24 2024 at 17:07
| Gentle Giant |
Posted By: I prophesy disaster
Date Posted: March 24 2024 at 18:02
I'll put my hand up for that. ------------- No, I know how to behave in the restaurant now, I don't tear at the meat with my hands. If I've become a man of the world somehow, that's not necessarily to say I'm a worldly man. |
Posted By: Hugh Manatee
Date Posted: March 29 2024 at 19:42
This is the core of the issue with these three bands for me, and why I chose this particular grouping. I too appreciate a little quirkiness in the music I listen to (I would have left it all behind if this wasn't the case), however these three groups seem to revel in their quirkiness and push the boat out a little too far for me. These three bands have always received their fair share of recognition by aficionados of the genre, so I very much tried to understand the attraction. It's a question of accessibility and how much time I am willing to spend acquiring the taste. So far I just haven't reached that sweet spot, although I do find it interesting hearing from those who have. ------------- I should have been a pair of ragged claws Scuttling across the floors of uncertain seas |
Posted By: Jared
Date Posted: March 29 2024 at 23:15
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VdGG Gentle Giant Soft Machine (I must try harder) ------------- Music has always been a matter of energy to me. On some nights I believe that a car with the needle on empty can run 50 more miles if you have the right music very loud on the radio. Hunter S Thompson |
Posted By: Gnik Nosmirc
Date Posted: March 30 2024 at 11:17
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Though I enjoy Soft Machine, most of their albums are more in the jazz-fusion territory rather than the prog one. Therefore I think the choice has to be VdGG or Gentle Giant. Though Pawn Hearts is one of my all time favorite, Gentle Giant is so underrated that it must be my choice. |
Posted By: Cristi
Date Posted: March 30 2024 at 11:19
| VDGG out of these. |
Posted By: TenYearsAfter
Date Posted: March 30 2024 at 11:25
| I don't like Hamill his voice, I am not into the Canterbury scene but I like Gentle Giant, especially the live albums so a pretty simple choice for me. |
Posted By: Hector Enrique
Date Posted: March 31 2024 at 05:21
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1. VDGG 2.GG . . . 3. Soft Machine ------------- Héctor Enrique |