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Joined: January 04 2007
Location: Grok City
Status: Offline
Points: 17511
Posted: December 07 2013 at 12:25
rogerthat wrote:
... At that time nobody really gave much consideration to the premise but now it has been suggested that gg is meant more for either musicians or hardcore progheads. I suspect that progheads live in denial of its left brained orientation as that would provide a more logical explanation for its relatively narrow appeal rather than punk conspiracy theories or the appealing snobbery of intelligence.
I
n Santa Barbara, at least one other person was playing GG. AND all of it! In LA, I seriously doubt that KMET or KLOS touched any of the albums! You can ask Jim Ladd about that, but he was also a pop-hero/star person! I know KNAC played it, but how much I can not tell you. And I also heard the guy at KPFK in late night, also playing it!
I
don't think that any of us that loved the one and only show, were snobs, and we're the "lighthouse keepers" of that history and music in those days, and folks saying that it didn't make it or wasn't good, means that folks have no idea what it was like then! There was all kinds of music, and the acceptance for different things was VERY GOOD, unlike today, that most people have to sound the same as something else to get attention and there really are not that many different things out there, or at least they are harder to find!
I
t's like saying that half of us here are all snobs, because we have liked all this music from the 70's, and that's not the case!
Edited by moshkito - December 07 2013 at 12:39
Music is not just for listening ... it is for LIVING ... you got to feel it to know what's it about! Not being told! www.pedrosena.com
I think it's something to do with their overt Robin Hood vibes that make them hard to get into. I love them myself, but I've tried getting a lot of likeminded progressive rock fans into them, and they all couldn't stand the Robin Hood quotient.
Personally I think they're rated pretty good here on PA. They don't have more than a 1000 ratings, yes, but do we really need more ratings without reviews for these albums? Do we need more reviews of these albums? Maybe so, but I could come up with a couple of hundred other interesting acts I'd prefer to highlight over GG.
Maybe it's because I don't care about ratings enough to make them into a competition, but that's just me I guess.
I've listened to GG from almost the beginning back in 1970/71; I'm not sure what you mean by the Robin Hood vibe.....nor the Tom and Jerry analogy. Can you explain that a bit more?
It's the Medieval flair in the instruments - the troubadour quotient in their vocals. It's impossible for me to put on a GG album without seeing all these images of Robin's merry men jumping around in the forest - or even better, that bow and arrow tournament from the cartoon
GG play Robin Hood prog.
“The Guide says there is an art to flying or rather a knack. The knack lies in learning how to throw yourself at the ground and miss.”
Joined: October 14 2013
Location: Sweden
Status: Offline
Points: 1458
Posted: December 06 2013 at 20:02
Genital Giant wrote:
Prog_Traveller wrote:
Hey I'd like to know what early King Crimson album is easy to get into? I'd say Free Hand and Octopus are easier to get into than Lizard or Islands.
Their first album, In The Court Of The Crimson King, is the most accessible album they ever did. It also happens to be their best album, even though I like the 70's line-up better.
I agree.
When he rides, my fears subside. For darkness turns once more to light. Through the skies, his white horse flies. To find a land beyond the night.
Joined: September 03 2006
Location: .
Status: Offline
Points: 9869
Posted: December 06 2013 at 19:45
dr wu23 wrote:
Guldbamsen wrote:
I think it's something to do with their overt Robin Hood vibes that make them hard to get into. I love them myself, but I've tried getting a lot of likeminded progressive rock fans into them, and they all couldn't stand the Robin Hood quotient.
Personally I think they're rated pretty good here on PA. They don't have more than a 1000 ratings, yes, but do we really need more ratings without reviews for these albums? Do we need more reviews of these albums? Maybe so, but I could come up with a couple of hundred other interesting acts I'd prefer to highlight over GG.
Maybe it's because I don't care about ratings enough to make them into a competition, but that's just me I guess.
I've listened to GG from almost the beginning back in 1970/71; I'm not sure what you mean by the Robin Hood vibe.....nor the Tom and Jerry analogy. Can you explain that a bit more?
Take the keyboard interlude from around 3:10. Now I can't tell you where exactly in the T&J kids universe I heard that but it did remind me of it. Mind, Tom & Jerry Kids, NOT the original T&J series which featured more orchestral background music. At any rate, very cartoon music-like. They have plenty of such moments in many of their songs.
Hmmmm. Not sure I agree with either statement(regarding the first being their best or their most accessible). I would say SABB and RED are more accessible maybe. I would agree with you about ITCOTCK if it wasn't for most of "moonchild" which sounds like noodling to me.
Granted, Moonchild is the only weak tune on the album and does have a bit of aimless noodling. I would consider SABB and Red to be a bit more avant-garde and difficult to get into with the dissonant improvs on those albums (even though I love those improvs).
Let me put it this way, my girlfriend's favorite album of all time is ITCOTCK but when I try to play her some SABB or Red she's like "this is too heavy metal for me". So, you know, I'm basing accessibility as "Chick-friendly".
Joined: May 29 2005
Location: Bucks county PA
Status: Offline
Points: 1474
Posted: December 06 2013 at 19:11
Genital Giant wrote:
Prog_Traveller wrote:
Hey I'd like to know what early King Crimson album is easy to get into? I'd say Free Hand and Octopus are easier to get into than Lizard or Islands.
Their first album, In The Court Of The Crimson King, is the most accessible album they ever did. It also happens to be their best album, even though I like the 70's line-up better.
Hmmmm. Not sure I agree with either statement(regarding the first being their best or their most accessible). I would say SABB and RED are more accessible maybe. I would agree with you about ITCOTCK if it wasn't for most of "moonchild" which sounds like noodling to me.
Joined: August 22 2010
Location: Indiana
Status: Offline
Points: 20623
Posted: December 06 2013 at 17:26
Guldbamsen wrote:
I think it's something to do with their overt Robin Hood vibes that make them hard to get into. I love them myself, but I've tried getting a lot of likeminded progressive rock fans into them, and they all couldn't stand the Robin Hood quotient.
Personally I think they're rated pretty good here on PA. They don't have more than a 1000 ratings, yes, but do we really need more ratings without reviews for these albums? Do we need more reviews of these albums? Maybe so, but I could come up with a couple of hundred other interesting acts I'd prefer to highlight over GG.
Maybe it's because I don't care about ratings enough to make them into a competition, but that's just me I guess.
I've listened to GG from almost the beginning back in 1970/71; I'm not sure what you mean by the Robin Hood vibe.....nor the Tom and Jerry analogy. Can you explain that a bit more?
One does nothing yet nothing is left undone. Haquin
Joined: August 22 2010
Location: Indiana
Status: Offline
Points: 20623
Posted: December 06 2013 at 17:20
Genital Giant wrote:
dr wu23 wrote:
Genital Giant wrote:
One thing that is tough about Gentle Giant is the sophistication and complexity of their music tends to go over most people's heads, even a lot of Prog fans. I'm a musician and a composer, and I've frankly never run into another GG fan who wasn't at least a musician themselves. I'm not saying you have to be a musician to appreciate GG, but it sure seems to help.
That may be;.....just curious.... how old are you and what instrument do you play?
I'm currently re-listening to the 7 GG studio albums I own and I'm on In A Glass House currently.
Some really fine songs but for me there are always a couple on every album that seem more like an exercise in 'self-indulgence ' and/or experimentation than true 'song craft'. And that's not meant as a negative comment per se.
I'm 44 and my main instrument is bass but I also play keys, guitar, and I sing.
I would have to say just about all GG songs involve experimentation, they weren't really interested so much in writing "songs", they are compositions.
I don't think all of their songs are experimental by any means...some are very accessible particularly on the first 2 albums. And imo 'songs' are compositions; some are merely more complex than others.
I'm currently listening to The Power and The Glory and that one and Acquiring The Taste are probably my 2 favorites.
There are many bands in Avant Prog and RIO and even in other genres that are as complex as GG...and they are all an acquired taste....imho.
One does nothing yet nothing is left undone. Haquin
Hey I'd like to know what early King Crimson album is easy to get into? I'd say Free Hand and Octopus are easier to get into than Lizard or Islands.
Their first album, In The Court Of The Crimson King, is the most accessible album they ever did. It also happens to be their best album, even though I like the 70's line-up better.
Joined: September 03 2006
Location: .
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Points: 9869
Posted: December 06 2013 at 10:01
^^^ Love that, though I took to the German TV show more easily for whatever reason. It's a lot of fun to see the entire band descending on the percussions at the end of that show. And they are still playing in an organised way though they look like kids making a racket.
Joined: November 29 2006
Location: Israel
Status: Offline
Points: 6632
Posted: December 06 2013 at 09:38
I don't see myself writing a review for GG and that's because I'd like to shed some light on the more obscure acts, and there are too much around. But still I think it's important to write reviews for them even though they have a few hundreds, and that's because those reviews can interest the newcomers and bring some new fans to band, like I was many years ago.
I think it's something to do with their overt Robin Hood vibes that make them hard to get into. I love them myself, but I've tried getting a lot of likeminded progressive rock fans into them, and they all couldn't stand the Robin Hood quotient.
That's a good phrase - Robin Hood vibes. There are parts that sound like music set to Tom & Jerry cartoons, esp the T&J kids series (which was actually made much later I think). Yeah, I can see why that would be a huge turn off at least initially for listeners. You don't have to get over anything in particular to listen to Yes or the first Crimson album. I think it's great that this forum and others are keeping Gentle Giant's music alive to the extent they have, else this music would have likely faded out of memory.
Thanks.
and I think you're right about GG. They would most likely have been forgotten in the experimental rock files from the 70s, had it not been for places like this.
I also agree about the parallel to KC and Yes - unlike them GG never really went and made an "easy-to-get-into" album in their prime.Sure one could always go for the lacklustre pop releases, but then again why even bother? Every classic GG album features Robin Hood in full flex, now whether that's done through impossible vocal harmonies, Medieval instrumentation or clandestine bow and arrow tournaments - it's always there. Three Friends is perhaps the easiest of theirs to get into methinks, but I gather that's down to the symphonic qualities of it.
Edited by Guldbamsen - December 06 2013 at 09:40
“The Guide says there is an art to flying or rather a knack. The knack lies in learning how to throw yourself at the ground and miss.”
I believe the first step towards "acquiring the taste" is to watch one of there DVD s. Amazing band visually as well as sonically. Not many bands are as busy as they are.
Joined: September 03 2006
Location: .
Status: Offline
Points: 9869
Posted: December 06 2013 at 09:30
Guldbamsen wrote:
I think it's something to do with their overt Robin Hood vibes that make them hard to get into. I love them myself, but I've tried getting a lot of likeminded progressive rock fans into them, and they all couldn't stand the Robin Hood quotient.
That's a good phrase - Robin Hood vibes. There are parts that sound like music set to Tom & Jerry cartoons, esp the T&J kids series (which was actually made much later I think). Yeah, I can see why that would be a huge turn off at least initially for listeners. You don't have to get over anything in particular to listen to Yes or the first Crimson album. I think it's great that this forum and others are keeping Gentle Giant's music alive to the extent they have, else this music would have likely faded out of memory.
I think it's something to do with their overt Robin Hood vibes that make them hard to get into. I love them myself, but I've tried getting a lot of likeminded progressive rock fans into them, and they all couldn't stand the Robin Hood quotient.
Personally I think they're rated pretty good here on PA. They don't have more than a 1000 ratings, yes, but do we really need more ratings without reviews for these albums? Do we need more reviews of these albums? Maybe so, but I could come up with a couple of hundred other interesting acts I'd prefer to highlight over GG.
Maybe it's because I don't care about ratings enough to make them into a competition, but that's just me I guess.
“The Guide says there is an art to flying or rather a knack. The knack lies in learning how to throw yourself at the ground and miss.”
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Why not more ratings for Gentle Giant albums?
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rogerthat wrote:
I'd say Free Hand and Octopus are easier to get into than Lizard or Islands.
