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Should Gentle Giant have continued after Civilian?

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Poll Question: Should GG have continued after Civilian?
Poll Choice Votes Poll Statistics
13 [27.66%]
18 [38.30%]
6 [12.77%]
6 [12.77%]
4 [8.51%]
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AFlowerKingCrimson View Drop Down
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote AFlowerKingCrimson Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: December 24 2020 at 07:58
Originally posted by dougmcauliffe dougmcauliffe wrote:

I can't be the only one here who thinks most of The Missing Piece and Civilian are pretty solid. I think it still sounds like Gentle Giant, just a little more simple and poppy. Certainly not their best work, but I don't think either of those are offensively bad or anything. (Full disclosure, haven't heard Giant For a Day)

Giant for a day is a bit like open your eyes by Yes in that if it was released by another band nobody would think it was that awful. It's a half way decent pop/pop rock album with maybe some mild prog touches and gentle giantisms but it's a far cry from their proggy past. I actually like a few tracks on it especially the instrumental "spooky boogie." "Word from the wise" has some very good vocal harmonies and there's maybe a few other things too such as the catchy "little brown bag." Most of it is admittedly not that memorable but it's still worth checking out if you are a GG completionist or even a big fan. Just don't expect vintage prog GG.

I agree with you about the others. Both are maybe a bit uneven but with some solid moments. It's hard for me to pick one over the other. I possibly prefer civilian but not by much. The band could have gone out with a weaker record. At least this one doesn't have a song called "alien afternoon" on it. Wink


Edited by AFlowerKingCrimson - December 24 2020 at 08:02
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dwill123 View Drop Down
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote dwill123 Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: December 24 2020 at 09:56
Yes.  I liked 'Civilian'.
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote twosteves Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: December 24 2020 at 14:32
I have Civilian and wasn't really a fan---Interesting that iTunes sells all their music except Civilian.
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (1) Thanks(1)   Quote Heart of the Matter Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: December 24 2020 at 15:04
Yes, any following album would have been better than silence.
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote AFlowerKingCrimson Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: December 24 2020 at 16:18
Originally posted by Heart of the Matter Heart of the Matter wrote:

Yes, any following album would have been better than silence.


I agree. Of course if they went in the direction of Genesis then people would complain endlessly(like they do about later Genesis) but you can't please everyone and a paycheck is still a paycheck. 

Anyway, I finally voted and I voted "yes."
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote someone_else Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: December 24 2020 at 16:27
Maybe. After Giant for a Day, they were on the way up again.
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote Hercules Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: December 24 2020 at 17:43
Originally posted by Cristi Cristi wrote:

I don't know, maybe.
TBH I do not know exactly why they called it quits in the early 80s. 

Because they weren't selling any albums, that's why.

Critically acclaimed, but never commercially successful. i hated them in the 70s: they were just too weird. It took me 20 years to "get" them and I bought all their albums, but too late to benefit them.
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AFlowerKingCrimson View Drop Down
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote AFlowerKingCrimson Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: December 24 2020 at 19:04
^Yeah, I think maybe they figured if they were going to go in a more mainstream direction they should get some kind of financial reward for it and when they didn't they said "f**k this we're out of here."

Edited by AFlowerKingCrimson - February 19 2024 at 20:09
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote Frenetic Zetetic Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: December 24 2020 at 22:47
Originally posted by dougmcauliffe dougmcauliffe wrote:

I can't be the only one here who thinks most of The Missing Piece and Civilian are pretty solid. I think it still sounds like Gentle Giant, just a little more simple and poppy. Certainly not their best work, but I don't think either of those are offensively bad or anything. (Full disclosure, haven't heard Giant For a Day)

Giant For a Day is the only one I have any real negative feel on. I agree, the rest have their moments and aren't nearly as bad as people make them to be.

Two Weeks in Spain, Mountain Time, I Bet You Thought We Couldn't Do It, For Nobody etc. all catchy and that's just The Missing Piece!

"I am so prog, I listen to concept albums on shuffle." -KMac2021
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote Heart of the Matter Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: December 25 2020 at 07:34
^ I love The Missing Piece. Probably the problem with it was not being able to satisfy the already established fan base, who were expecting something else.
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote geekfreak Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: December 25 2020 at 07:52
My absolute honest opinion is Yes! Because i’ve really had a trying time. Listening to there so called supreme albums. And ZERO cannot get into them at all!
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AFlowerKingCrimson View Drop Down
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote AFlowerKingCrimson Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: December 25 2020 at 08:01
Originally posted by geekfreak geekfreak wrote:

My absolute honest opinion is Yes! Because i’ve really had a trying time. Listening to there so called supreme albums. And ZERO cannot get into them at all!

Ok, so then why would you want them to continue if you don't like them?
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AFlowerKingCrimson View Drop Down
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote AFlowerKingCrimson Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: December 25 2020 at 08:03
Originally posted by Heart of the Matter Heart of the Matter wrote:

^ I love The Missing Piece. Probably the problem with it was not being able to satisfy the already established fan base, who were expecting something else.

It seems that about half of the album(the second half)was geared towards their established fan base while side one was more about exploring different territories including more pop oriented stuff. 
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote Frenetic Zetetic Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: December 26 2020 at 01:45
Originally posted by AFlowerKingCrimson AFlowerKingCrimson wrote:

Originally posted by Heart of the Matter Heart of the Matter wrote:

^ I love The Missing Piece. Probably the problem with it was not being able to satisfy the already established fan base, who were expecting something else.

It seems that about half of the album(the second half)was geared towards their established fan base while side one was more about exploring different territories including more pop oriented stuff. 

Agreed; the issue is, it's extremely solid, catchy, timeless pop because the band, if we're being honest here, eclipses a lot of bands in general regardless of genre in terms of skill and musical prowess, lol.

It's like cognitive prog rock dissonance; it's really good pop but it's also GG and we want Cogs in Cogs part 2, etc...

This is why they're in my top 3 prog bands of all time lol.

"I am so prog, I listen to concept albums on shuffle." -KMac2021
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Heart of the Matter View Drop Down
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote Heart of the Matter Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: December 26 2020 at 07:34
Expectation can be a b*tch: some artists reached their best moment playing against it, and others, well, ended like GG.
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote BarryGlibb Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: December 26 2020 at 19:08
Recently released footage of the band in June 1980; back stage interview (below). The interesting question somewhere in the interview was something along the lines of "where do you see yourself in 10 years time?"...None of the band members where committal regardng this question...they all  avoided answering this specific question...the interviewer asked it more than once and none of them would answer it......I am sure they knew that the end was going to happen after this last US tour....and it did!


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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote Frenetic Zetetic Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: December 26 2020 at 22:23
I'd argue GG still has one of the best and relatively most consistent discographies. A fairly clean 10 year run.

"I am so prog, I listen to concept albums on shuffle." -KMac2021
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (1) Thanks(1)   Quote siLLy puPPy Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: December 26 2020 at 23:15
I'm one of the minority who actually likes the last 3 albums but it was clear their time was up so i'm glad they called it quits and moved on.

https://rateyourmusic.com/~siLLy_puPPy
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote iluvmarillion Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: December 27 2020 at 21:24
Originally posted by Frenetic Zetetic Frenetic Zetetic wrote:

I'd argue GG still has one of the best and relatively most consistent discographies. A fairly clean 10 year run.

They're one of those bands you can go back over their discography and still get something out of their albums, even ones you're familiar with and even if they're not one of your favourite bands. Some bands after a few listenings there's not much more you can out of them. Not Gentle Giant.
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote Frenetic Zetetic Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: December 28 2020 at 00:46
Exactly. There's magic hidden everywhere with GG, lol. Truly a timeless act! Cool

"I am so prog, I listen to concept albums on shuffle." -KMac2021
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