Gentle Giant: Legends Of Progressive Rock

[Mirror Image]

It was mainly the song "Just the Same" but the more I listen to them the less they remind me of XTC. 

No reason to feel embarrassed, sanantonio. I haven't listened to XTC in years, so perhaps some sections of certain GG songs do sound like Andy Partridge had been sitting in with the band.

[Mirror Image]

Parts I'm sure remind you of XTC, because they do a little bit of everything on there.

Now, who's starting a Van Der Graaf Generator thread? 

I still can't get into VDGG. Peter Hammill is an interesting musician for sure, but that band did have unique sound. I'll give them that.

[mn dave]

I was into Genesis and Pink Floyd back in the day. I still like Rush, if I can consider them prog. I don't like a lot of Yes because it just turns me off for some reason; I haven't really analyzed why I don't like them (I do like their 90125 album for some reason). I like Adrian Belew era King Crimson.

[Mirror Image]

I was into Genesis and Pink Floyd back in the day. I still like Rush, I can consider them prog. I don't like a lot of Yes because it just turns me off for some reason; I haven't really analyzed why I don't like them (I do like their 90125 album for some reason). I like Adrian Belew era King Crimson.

Early Gabriel-era Genesis is where it's at for me, but I do love A Trick of the Tail and Wind & Wuthering. Pink Floyd are great as I love Animals, Wish You Were Here, The Wall, and, of course, Dark Side of the Moon. Meddle was pretty damn great, too. I love Rush but mainly their late '70s and early '80s recordings. Signals and Grace Under Pressure still are firm favorites. Yes, I like King Crimson a lot as well. Yep, the Andrew Belew period is something else. Love those first three Belew recordings with KC: Discipline, Beat, and Three Of A Perfect Pair. Yes have always been a bit hard for me to get into as well, but I do love Close to the Edge, Relayer, and there are some brilliant parts on Tales Of Topographic Oceans. Going for the One is another favorite.

[Sef]

Early Gabriel-era Genesis is where it's at for me, but I do love A Trick of the Tail and Wind & Wuthering. Pink Floyd are great as I love Animals, Wish You Were Here, The Wall, and, of course, Dark Side of the Moon. Meddle was pretty damn great, too. I love Rush but mainly their late '70s and early '80s recordings. Signals and Grace Under Pressure still are firm favorites. Yes, I like King Crimson a lot as well. Yep, the Andrew Belew period is something else. Love those first three Belew recordings with KC: Discipline, Beat, and Three Of A Perfect Pair. Yes have always been a bit hard for me to get into as well, but I do love Close to the Edge, Relayer, and there are some brilliant parts on Tales Of Topographic Oceans. Going for the One is another favorite.

Wow - this is really close to my own history! Are you sure we're not related or something? I also found the earlier PF fascinating (Atom Heart Mother, and more psychedelic offerings). In the 80s there was a band called The Rain Parade who I also loved - particularly Emergency 3rd Rail Power Trip, Explosions In The Glass Palace, and Crashing Dreams - psychedelic-folk music. At around the same time there were also Green on Red, and The Long Ryders - it was all part of a very short lived Southern Californian movement called the Paisley Underground if I remember rightly. Well worth a quick revisit I think.

[Mirror Image]

Wow - this is really close to my own history! Are you sure we're not related or something? I also found the earlier PF fascinating (Atom Heart Mother, and more psychedelic offerings). In the 80s there was a band called The Rain Parade who I also loved - particularly Emergency 3rd Rail Power Trip, Explosions In The Glass Palace, and Crashing Dreams - psychedelic-folk music. At around the same time there were also Green on Red, and The Long Ryders - it was all part of a very short lived Southern Californian movement called the Paisley Underground if I remember rightly. Well worth a quick revisit I think.

Haha...well we're brothers from another mother. I've heard of The Rain Parade, but I haven't heard a note of their music. Will check them out. Of the 80s progressive rock bands (or shall we say Neo-Prog, which is a term those bands hated) I really enjoyed Marillion and IQ. For IQ, check out the album The Wake very Gabriel-like vocals, but, like, Marillion, they were influenced by progressive era Genesis. For Marillion, check out Misplaced Childhood or Clutching At Straws.

[NJ Joe]

Back in the day, a college buddy of mine would occasionally suggest that I check out Gentle Giant.  I never did. Then about 5 years ago I bought the remaster of In A Glass House, after repeatedly reading about how good it was.  I agreed and never looked back.  I like everything from the debut through The Missing Piece, but especially Acquiring the Taste through Free Hand.  A shame I never got to see them live.

[Sef]

Haha...well we're brothers from another mother. I've heard of The Rain Parade, but I haven't heard a note of their music. Will check them out. Of the 80s progressive rock bands (or shall we say Neo-Prog, which is a term those bands hated) I really enjoyed Marillion and IQ. For IQ, check out the album The Wake very Gabriel-like vocals, but, like, Marillion, they were influenced by progressive era Genesis. For Marillion, check out Misplaced Childhood or Clutching At Straws.

I knew a little of Marillion because of Kayleigh of course (I think I may have Misplaced Childhood somewhere too - my wife bought it before we met!), but also because another favourite of mine, The Enid, mentioned them quite often and how they thought that they would get spoilt by their record company rushing them into fame - they may have been right. The Enid were a fun band to watch live in the early/mid 80s - I think that they are still going in some reincarnation or other, but I haven't heard anything by them for such a long time. In the meantime this is the Rain Parade:

http://youtu.be/mNT9XuyrPIk

[Mirror Image]

I knew a little of Marillion because of Kayleigh of course (I think I may have Misplaced Childhood somewhere too - my wife bought it before we met!), but also because another favourite of mine, The Enid, mentioned them quite often and how they thought that they would get spoilt by their record company rushing them into fame - they may have been right. The Enid were a fun band to watch live in the early/mid 80s - I think that they are still going in some reincarnation or other, but I haven't heard anything by them for such a long time. In the meantime this is the Rain Parade:

http://youtu.be/mNT9XuyrPIk

Ah, yes, thanks for the link. The Rain Parade do sound awfully familiar to me. Must check them out. I really do feel Marillion were being billed as the next biggest thing in rock music by those dopes at EMI and the reality is this band wasn't marketable and didn't want to be marketable. Fish (Marillion's vocalist) spoke adamantly about how the 'corporate machine' was ruining his life and making some rather difficult demands that he just couldn't coupe with any longer. Basically, this led to Fish's split with Marillion. I wasn't a fan of the vocalist that took over after Fish, Steve Hogarth, but will admit Brave is one of the greatest prog albums of the '90s IMHO.

[Karl Henning]

Here was an interesting Reader Comment on one site.  I am still approaching things from a "blind research" viewpoint, having heard nothing more than samples from, say, eight of the albums . . . Octopus and Interview are this fellow's favorite albums.

I must say I whole-heartedly disagree with your review of Gentle Giant.

Now, before we start feeling animosity here, I'd like to explain my position. My primary interest in music is in composition. I was raised on classical music. My favorite composers include people like Bartok and Ligetti, as well as "easier" composers like Shostakovich, Prokofiev, Sibelius, Mahler, etc. And I must say that Gentle Giant's output is, compositionally speaking, almost tame and tonal when compared to some of my other music.

That said, it is easy to see why someone of my background would consider Gentle Giant as one of the best prog bands ever. The emphasis is on composition, and they do it well.

My introduction to GG came a couple of years ago on the internet. After hearing a couple MIDIs, I went out and bought a couple albums. No more than a week later, I was the proud owner of every GG studio album. I instantly enjoyed everything on all but the last three albums. To tell the truth, I can't stand the last three -- to [sic] pop, and I hate pop.

Octopus and Interview are my two favorite albums, but all the others (excluding the last 3) are definitely worth having if you enjoy classical music, esp 20th C. music. Very intrigueing [sic]. If you don't care for mainstream rock, discarding it as repeditive [sic], simplistic, compositionally empty, base, and often repulsive, but at the same time happen to like rock instrumentation, then GG is a must.

I just wanted to offer a contrary opinion.

Oh by the way -- I don't really care for King Crimson. I've never been able to get into them, even though I've spent hours listening to them and even own some of their recordings.

[7/4]

I didn't really notice them in the '70s because they didn't have a Robert Fripp or Steve Howe type of guitarist flashing away.

I like 'em quite a bit now.

[NJ Joe]

Here was an interesting Reader Comment on one site.  I am still approaching things from a "blind research" viewpoint, having heard nothing more than samples from, say, eight of the albums . . . Octopus and Interview are this fellow's favorite albums.

Try In A Glass House.  It is considered by many to be their best, along with Octopus. It was out of print for many years, and fans rejoiced when it was finally re-issued in the mid-oughts.

[71 dB]

I have sampled some Gentle Giant but I had similar difficulties I have with Genesis: Disorganized, underdeveloped and too simple to be truly interesting. I don't know what went wrong. 

[Mirror Image]

I have sampled some Gentle Giant but I had similar difficulties I have with Genesis: Disorganized, underdeveloped and too simple to be truly interesting. I don't know what went wrong. 

Disorganized, underdeveloped, and too simple? You're certainly an entitled to your opinion, but none of these words apply to Genesis or Gentle Giant. Could it be that progressive rock isn't your bag?

[71 dB]

Disorganized, underdeveloped, and too simple? You're certainly an entitled to your opinion, but none of these words apply to Genesis or Gentle Giant. Could it be that progressive rock isn't your bag?

Yes, it's possible that (progressive) rock in general isn't my bag, but then again I enjoy King Crimson a lot. It's typical for me to like only a few artists of a given music genre. Most of all the rock music I have heard in my life I don't enjoy. Simplicity and complexity isn't the issue. It's more of what you achieve with complexity (or simplicity).

My opinion about Genesis or Gentle Giant isn't final. I haven't listened to their music enough for that. I own 2 CDs of later Genesis ('Invisible Touch' and 'We Can't Dance') but that's pop rock rather that the prog rock we are talking about here.

[Mirror Image]

Yes, it's possible that (progressive) rock in general isn't my bag, but then again I enjoy King Crimson a lot. It's typical for me to like only a few artists of a given music genre. Most of all the rock music I have heard in my life I don't enjoy. Simplicity and complexity isn't the issue. It's more of what you achieve with complexity (or simplicity).

My opinion about Genesis or Gentle Giant isn't final. I haven't listened to their music enough for that. I own 2 CDs of later Genesis ('Invisible Touch' and 'We Can't Dance') but that's pop rock rather that the prog rock we are talking about here.

You might enjoy this:

http://www.youtube.com/v/7X_3yOUKSOc

[71 dB]

You might enjoy this:

http://www.youtube.com/v/7X_3yOUKSOc

Sure, this is ok. The beginning is nice. I just don't find it interesting enough to become a Genesis fan.

I really did try to get into early Genesis about 5 years ago, but after sampling some albums I had to give up. There's tons of artists and bands that have potential but aren't interesting enough. Since I don't have much boundaries regarding music styles/genres it's good to be choosy. Otherwise I would be collecting half of all music! 

[Mirror Image]

I didn't really notice them in the '70s because they didn't have a Robert Fripp or Steve Howe type of guitarist flashing away.

I like 'em quite a bit now.

This is true. Of course, Gary Green was given some time to shine from time to time and Green being primarily a blues-based guitarist gave the band yet another layer. I couldn't imagine someone like Fripp or Howe playing in Gentle Giant. It just wouldn't sound right to me.

[Mirror Image]

Sure, this is ok. The beginning is nice. I just don't find it interesting enough to become a Genesis fan.

I really did try to get into early Genesis about 5 years ago, but after sampling some albums I had to give up. There's tons of artists and bands that have potential but aren't interesting enough. Since I don't have much boundaries regarding music styles/genres it's good to be choosy. Otherwise I would be collecting half of all music! 

Like I said, progressive rock really isn't your bag, but you're a King Crimson fan, so you're just confusing in general. I love Genesis and King Crimson. Both were giants of prog rock, but so were Yes, ELP, Zappa, Gentle Giant, and Pink Floyd.

[Mirror Image]

Try In A Glass House.  It is considered by many to be their best, along with Octopus. It was out of print for many years, and fans rejoiced when it was finally re-issued in the mid-oughts.

Yes, In A Glass House is quite fine, but really Three Friends through Free Hand, I have no qualms whatsoever. All great albums.