Most Accessible Gentle Giant Album
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Topic: Most Accessible Gentle Giant Album
Posted By: Alagithil
Subject: Most Accessible Gentle Giant Album
Date Posted: November 14 2005 at 17:19
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Well, out of their classics, which one of these boys' efforts is easiest to get into? Most melody? Least dissonance? Fewest loads of dead seagulls being catapulted? You make the call!!!
!!! !
! ------------- Life is like an avantgarde play because tuna. |
Replies:
Posted By: horza
Date Posted: November 14 2005 at 17:20
Octopus for me  ------------- Originally posted by darkshade: Calling Mike Portnoy a bad drummer is like calling Stephen Hawking an idiot. |
Posted By: Joren
Date Posted: November 14 2005 at 17:23
| From the classics? Easy! Their debut! |
Posted By: zabriskiepoint
Date Posted: November 14 2005 at 17:38
| I find Gentle Giant extremely abstract, and i just can't get a hold of the idea of each song, I , at least right now, don't like them at all, though I think they are extremely good. |
Posted By: chopper
Date Posted: November 14 2005 at 17:50
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I'm new to GG and I've got quite a few of their albums, but so far I
would agree with horza - Octopus is the one I've really got into first. Dead seagulls? |
Posted By: Publius
Date Posted: November 14 2005 at 18:05
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I'd say Power and the Glory. It's easy to listen to. The title track sounds like something Stevie Wonder might write. ------------- I'm so prog, I clap in 9/8 |
Posted By: Gentle Tull
Date Posted: November 14 2005 at 18:11
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Free Hand, its the one I started with. ------------- 
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Posted By: Korova
Date Posted: November 14 2005 at 19:20
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I think that Octopus would the best one to start with because is the
most representative of their sound. Anyway the debut album is
accessible too for a beginner to GG music. I personally was introduced with In a Glass House ------------- La Speranza della coscienza è forza La Speranza del sentimento è schiavitù La Speranza del corpo è malattia (G.I. Gurdjieff) |
Posted By: Bj-1
Date Posted: November 14 2005 at 19:24
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In a Glass House and Free Hand, IMO ------------- RIO/AVANT/ZEUHL - The best thing you can get with yer pants on! |
Posted By: The Miracle
Date Posted: November 14 2005 at 19:33
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I think Octopus. I got into it much faster than the others. ------------- http://www.last.fm/user/ocellatedgod" rel="nofollow - last.fm |
Posted By: dalt99
Date Posted: November 14 2005 at 20:07
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Octopus. Though I've only heard that one, Three Friends and Acquiring the Taste. AtT is not as easy as the other two. ------------- Best of 2006 that I've heard: PFM-Stati Di Immaginazione Zenit-Surrender (Best "unknown" album) Oaksenham - Conquest of Pacific 2007: Phideaux - Doomsday Afternoon La Torre Del Alchimista - Neo |
Posted By: Trotsky
Date Posted: November 14 2005 at 20:55
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Definitely the first one ... stuff like Why Not, Isn't It Quite And Cold, Funny Ways and even Nothing At All are all very good, yet relatively accessible GG songs ... ------------- "Death to Utopia! Death to faith! Death to love! Death to hope?" thunders the 20th century. "Surrender, you pathetic dreamer.” "No" replies the unhumbled optimist "You are only the present." |
Posted By: greenback
Date Posted: November 14 2005 at 23:31
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civilian ------------- [HEADPINS - LINE OF FIRE: THE RECORD HAVING THE MOST POWERFUL GUITAR SOUND IN THE WHOLE HISTORY OF MUSIC!> |
Posted By: NetsNJFan
Date Posted: November 15 2005 at 00:11
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Free Hand of the classic stuff ------------- 
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Posted By: Pafnutij
Date Posted: November 15 2005 at 00:24
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Their first, though frankly, I dont like GG that much either. And I cant see how Octopus is accesible. Their best maybe, but do you expect people to appreciate stuff like "Knots" on the first listen? |
Posted By: dima_olkov
Date Posted: November 15 2005 at 01:12
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I never understood why everybody loves Octopus and In The Glass House that much!!! I've always thought that their first THREE ALBUMS are much better than the rest... Debut album is one of their best and the most accessible! ------------- PF, Genesis, KC, Yes, VdGG, GG, Camel, Jethro Tull |
Posted By: OT Räihälä
Date Posted: November 15 2005 at 01:55
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IMO Three Friends should be quite accessible, and the debut as the close second. The least accessible for a prog lover were The Missing Piece and Giant For A Day (Haven't heard Civilian). |
Posted By: richardh
Date Posted: November 15 2005 at 02:47
The Power And The Glory.I'm not a great GG fan but I love that album so that must count for something.I can't believe that anyone thinks In A Glass House is accessible
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Posted By: SlipperFink
Date Posted: November 15 2005 at 02:53
Indeed. And a great rock record to boot. SM. ------------- Modesty is an ornament, but one goes further without it. Old German Proverb |
greenback wrote:Posted By: robertplantowns
Date Posted: November 15 2005 at 03:16
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I'll third that. Civilian is the most poppy, least abstract and most straightforward and melodic Gentle Giant album, although it might not be considered as one of their "classic" albums. (although I think it is) Of course that's the easiest to get into if you like that sort of thing, but for a hardened prog listener, I would say that Octopus is the easiest to get into because lots of people wouldn't get into Civilian at all. |
Posted By: Orbert
Date Posted: November 15 2005 at 15:15
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Civilian, definitely, but since it's from their "commercial" period, I don't think it's in the spirit of the question. So I'll say Free Hand. Least amount of dissonance and abstract time signatures and instrumentation; all the GG "trademarks" still present and in effect. ------------- In and around the lake... 
|
Posted By: mjf85maf
Date Posted: November 15 2005 at 15:40
| I'd start with Free Hand as well, then maybe Octopus. Some of their stuff, particularly The Power And The Glory, I find very difficult to listen to very often. The last 2 albums, The Missing Piece and Civilian, I love but they're almost completely opposite from everything that came before. |
Posted By: Moogtron III
Date Posted: November 15 2005 at 15:51
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From the "classic" albums: Free Hand. A good place to start. Then it's time to try Gentle Giant, Acquiring The Taste, Three Friends and Octopus in no particular order. Personally, for me In A Glass House is not one of the most accessible albums. It's good, though! Great band, GG, and their music really grows on you! |
Posted By: Marc Baum
Date Posted: November 15 2005 at 16:02
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Try their debut and "Three Friends". By far their most accesible classics ------------- "All you need to do is sit back, and acquire the taste." - GENTLE GIANT |
Posted By: pero
Date Posted: November 16 2005 at 05:32
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In a glass house is their best and also most acessible album. The last albums Civilian, Giant for a day are the worst in their exellent opus |
Posted By: nico
Date Posted: November 16 2005 at 06:17
| I think Octopus and Freehand! |
Posted By: The Hemulen
Date Posted: November 16 2005 at 07:29
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Woah... got to disagree with you there. All that "haaaaaaaAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAIL!!!" stuff is accessible? And what about So Sincere? Cogs in Cogs? Bloody strange, challenging stuff I'd say. The "title track" incidentally is not even from the album. It was recorded after the album was complete when the record company cajoled the band into writing a quick promotional single, hence it being "accessible". The album itself is up there with Acquiring the Taste and Interview in terms of weirdness though. Their most accessible albums are Giant for a Day and Civillian, but neither of them are prog albums. The best one to start with if you want something listenable but still ostensibly Giantesque would have to be Free Hand or Three Friends. |
Posted By: Gentle Ronnie
Date Posted: November 16 2005 at 08:22
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I say Octopus. ------------- 
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Posted By: Sean Trane
Date Posted: November 16 2005 at 08:47
Now that almost every single album has been thrown as the most accessible, except for the most obvious one ....... I would tend to agree at least partly with TP. TP&TG is not accessible , neither are Octopus, ATT, IAGH and FH. Three Friends is easily the most accessible with the debut a distant second amongst the classic album (which is generally considered until Interview) as you had asked.
The three last albums ( Missing Piece, Giant For A Day and Civilian) are more easily accessible but are not considered classic GG ------------- let's just stay above the moral melee prefer the sink to the gutter keep our sand-castle virtues content to be a doer as well as a thinker, prefer lifting our pen rather than un-sheath our sword |
Right on , brotherPosted By: cmidkiff
Date Posted: November 16 2005 at 08:53
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Free Hand ------------- cmidkiff |
Posted By: Man Erg
Date Posted: November 16 2005 at 09:10
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Octopus and The Missing Piece ------------- 
Do 'The Stanley' otherwise I'll thrash you with some rhubarb. |
Posted By: Badabec
Date Posted: November 16 2005 at 15:13
| I started with "Acquiring the taste" and I didn't have any problems to get into Gentle Giant. So I say "Acquiring the Taste". Another good one to start may be "Free Hand". |
Posted By: OldFatherThames
Date Posted: November 16 2005 at 15:18
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In a glass house (my second favorite) is the most accessible Acquiring the taste (my favorite) is probably the less accessible |
Posted By: Aaron
Date Posted: November 16 2005 at 22:10
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i liked Freehand right away, and it's still my favorite Aaron |
Posted By: Bt-Tor
Date Posted: November 16 2005 at 23:12
| Three Friends got me into the band. It remains my favorite album by them as well. Peel the Paint is definitely one of their better songs. |
Posted By: White Duck
Date Posted: December 21 2005 at 04:23
| Octopus and their first |
Posted By: Guests
Date Posted: December 21 2005 at 05:00
| I think Three friends is twice as good as Octopus. If I recommended some GG albums to someone. I'd say Power and the glory. Three friends and Civilian. Three great albums from three different eras. |
Posted By: Syzygy
Date Posted: December 21 2005 at 05:15
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Three Friends is the most accessible album from their classic period, but manages to be accessible without being obviously commercial (which was the case on their last 3 albums) and without any filler. ------------- 'Like so many of you I've got my doubts about how much to contribute to the already rich among us...' Robert Wyatt, Gloria Gloom |
Posted By: Guests
Date Posted: December 21 2005 at 05:28
| i think missing piece has 3 of GG's best ever songs. Winning, As old as you're young and For nobody. Great stuff |
Posted By: pero
Date Posted: December 21 2005 at 07:09
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From 100 people you will get different opinions. Yours is totally oposite than mine. I said once before tht's like you said that Love beach is the best ELP album. Stick with Jethro tull |
Posted By: Guests
Date Posted: December 21 2005 at 07:35
| i think u should go and listen to winning and As old as you're young again ;). They are brilliant prog songs. Many GG fans will agree with that ;) |
Posted By: pero
Date Posted: December 21 2005 at 08:25
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If Missing piece is "great stuff", and content 3 best GG songs, than you don't understand anything. Do you thing that the fact that you are younger define also that you have to be right? I'm not writing abut Items I dont listen and feel |
Posted By: pero
Date Posted: December 21 2005 at 08:32
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You have the amazing talent to pick the worst albums from any band you are talking about (Jethro tull, Gentle giant, King Crimson), and fight to death for your statement. How do you manage this? |
Posted By: ANDREW
Date Posted: December 21 2005 at 17:10
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IN A GLASS HOUSE. |
Posted By: Ben2112
Date Posted: December 21 2005 at 17:14
I disagree! 
I think IAGH is their strangest, hardest-to-get-into album (besides Interview maybe). It also happens to be one of my favorites. Most accessible is Three Friends IMO, especially for a fan of symphonic prog as this is the closest they ever came to that sub-genre. |
Posted By: Marc Baum
Date Posted: December 21 2005 at 19:41
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That says all about the greatness of this band, specially because YOU don't like them but on the other hand also thing that they are extremely good. Well, their most accessible album is without a doubt their debut, at least to my ears. ------------- "All you need to do is sit back, and acquire the taste." - GENTLE GIANT |
Posted By: Guests
Date Posted: December 21 2005 at 21:21
| What makes Missing piece any weaker than Interview? If you take out Mountain time and Betcha thought we couldn't do it. The rest of the album is very good. Interview is more consistent with the songs quality, but I think Missing piece has the biggest highlights and lowlights. I rank both albums equally ;). Anyway I think Power and the glory is their greatest album, then 3 friends, free hand, In a glass house and Civilian. I actually prefer Missing Piece to Octopus. |
Posted By: The Hemulen
Date Posted: December 24 2005 at 16:12
I wouldn't go that far meself. TMP also has the godawful ballad "I'm Turning Around" which has NO PLACE on a GG album. Interview, on the other hand has nary a dull moment and the orgasmic delights of Design, Another Show, I Lost My Head and the storming title track are far better than the likes of "Two Weeks in Spain" or "For Nobody", you must admit? |
Posted By: Guests
Date Posted: December 24 2005 at 16:46
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2 weeks in spain is a cool song. I'm turning around isn't bad at all. I think design is a bit overrated, the song gets lost in places
|
Posted By: The Hemulen
Date Posted: December 24 2005 at 18:31
If GG were a pop band this may be correct. They are, however, a progressive rock band. Progressive rock bands should not play pop ballads. |
Posted By: goose
Date Posted: December 24 2005 at 19:12
They should play prog ballads, of course" Look at Starless or, more ballady still, Soft Machine's A Certain Kind  Pure beauty
|
Posted By: The Hemulen
Date Posted: December 24 2005 at 20:01
Oh by all means! I'm Turning Around, however, is as progressive as my left buttock. |
Posted By: JL08030
Date Posted: December 24 2005 at 20:52
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I'd say Octopus and Free Hand are the most accessible.
------------- A Chaos of Visions and Voices |
Posted By: ANDREW
Date Posted: December 25 2005 at 13:08
Maybe you're right. THREE FRIENDS is their most accessible work. This album was placed fifth in ITALY in the seventies. |