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I cannot stand Gentle Giant

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twosteves View Drop Down
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote twosteves Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: July 29 2019 at 17:10
I find GG a hit or miss with me what I love I love--what I don't I really don't but its undeniable they are amazing musicians ---live concert is great---
I can't stand VDGG sounds like a parody of what prog music is---but many love them.
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote Dellinger Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: July 29 2019 at 21:24
Actually, I started getting into GG and VdGG at the same time. I ordered 4 Generator albums at once (the best rated ones) and Playing the Fool from GG. Without having heard them first. At first I thought I had finally gone too far with this choices... but I did end up loving VdGG. GG took me more, I just couldn't get into that album, and I had heard The Power and the Glory on YouTube and didn't do much for me either, so since Playing the Fool was supposed to have some of their better songs, I didn't expect to try any further... yet, somehow I was convinced to give their first albums a try, and I got their first 4 ones, which I did like better... speically their very first two I did come to love. Perhaps you could give those ones a chance, they are more melodic, and for me, charming. After that they started getting gradually less melodic.
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote richardh Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: July 29 2019 at 23:50
Well the thing is that in the seventies they sold about 3 albums so there were plenty of people who didn't get them in the day when they were supposed to be liked. You could say the same about VDGG (apart from Italians who do everything differently anyway)

I started listening to them about 18 years ago and instantly almost stopped. It was a really slow process over about 4 years of drip feeding a few tracks here and there that I gradually got into them. Now I would put The Power and The Glory in my top twenty albums quite happily. I persevered with them only because of their fans who are so devoted and passionate about their music. So I would say that 2 or 3 listens just isn't going to do it unless you really just want to give up on them altogether because its too much effort. Oh and also ponder this .. Apparently Keith Emerson reckoned they invented a new form of music. That is some praise to get from one of your peers!


Edited by richardh - July 29 2019 at 23:50
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote Frankh Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: July 30 2019 at 00:12
Try the version of So Sincere on the Playing The Fool live album.
Perhaps finding the happy medium is harder than we know.
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote Frankh Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: July 30 2019 at 00:14
And I bought all three of those 70's albums.

lol

Actually did own virtually their entire discography on vinyl by 1979.
Perhaps finding the happy medium is harder than we know.
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (1) Thanks(1)   Quote Frenetic Zetetic Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: July 30 2019 at 01:25
GG is one of my favorite bands of all time, and I totally understand why they are NOT most people's cup of tea. It's not easy music to get into. It almost requires being obsessed with complexity to some degree. As others have said, perhaps an Acquired Taste is an accurate statement.

Their use of counterpoint, syncopation, and melody - often simultaneously - sounds like cacophony to most people. Perhaps I got lucky starting with Gorguts and Captain Beefheart; my ears were plenty in shape for the Giant then!

"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 Manuel Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: July 30 2019 at 05:57
I think it’s all a matter of personal taste, so if you don’t like them, even though you recognize their talent, it’s ok. There are a lot of popular bands and artists I don’t really like, but I acknowledge their talent, it’s just that their music doesn’t appeal to my taste, and there’s no crime in that I think.
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (1) Thanks(1)   Quote Chaser Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: July 30 2019 at 06:25
Originally posted by dougmcauliffe dougmcauliffe wrote:

Well I apologize in advance to gentle giant fans...

I’ve really tried with these guys but I’m just not hearing what everyone else is. The only song that doesn’t give me a headache is proclamation. When I’m listening I realize their music is very unique but overall I just think... it’s bad. I’ve listened to power and the glory, octopus and in a glass house and free hand all a couple times now and I just can’t get into it. I can usually get into most prog, I hated van der graaf on first listen but now that’s a favorite, but with them I feel there is plenty of movement in their songs, with gentle giant I feel like they play 2 riffs a song and then do some uncomfortable vocal harmonies. I think so sincere may be one of the worst songs I’ve ever heard.

Spock’s Beard and Neal Morse imitating gentle giant is more enjoyable then gentle giant to me

Does anyone else have a similar experience with other popular artists?
 
 
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (1) Thanks(1)   Quote Frenetic Zetetic Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: July 30 2019 at 06:50
I honestly cannot reasonably expect everyone to enjoy this band's level of intricacy...and I'm not even arguing that "the more tech the better". Gentle Giant is/was its own entity. What an amazing 10 year period that band's existence was!

"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 dougmcauliffe Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: July 30 2019 at 07:09
Alright after reading these comments, I’ll give Aquiring the Taste a listen

Edit: well I’m 4 songs in... and I actually like this one, like someone said, it’s more melodic. Well I’ll listen to the rest after work, post invalid?

Edited by dougmcauliffe - July 30 2019 at 07:31
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote CosmicVibration Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: July 30 2019 at 07:31

Gentle Giant is the sh*t!

Top 5 Baby!

Heard them for the first time (Octopus) when I was 14.  Dug em from the first spin.

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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote Rednight Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: July 30 2019 at 07:37
Originally posted by Frenetic Zetetic Frenetic Zetetic wrote:

I honestly cannot reasonably expect everyone to enjoy this band's level of intricacy...and I'm not even arguing that "the more tech the better". Gentle Giant is/was its own entity. What an amazing 10 year period that band's existence was!
This. They were legendary. I'm perplexed on how many others cite The Power and the Glory as a go-to album. Advice? Delve into In a Glass House with a fury, allotting more than just a couple listens for this masterpiece.
"It just has none of the qualities of your work that I find interesting. Abandon [?] it." - Eno
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote miamiscot Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: July 30 2019 at 07:56
I feel sorry for you.

But there's a long list of bands I don't like (pretty much go down the list of Neo Prog and Prog Metal artists...)

There's plenty out there to enjoy. It's all subjective.
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote moshkito Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: July 30 2019 at 10:34
Hi,

It's a shame ... if anything within the first 5 or 6 GG albums, is a bunch of facts that you will never give attention to or some credit for their inventiveness.

1. Gary Green has been on record, specifying that in the early days, they never wrote anything down ... they just played. So the next time you listen, recognize that this is NOT ABOUT A SONG, but whatever comes out in the music ... similar to Gayle Ebbett specifying in his band that they might start with an A or a B, but will likely end up with a X, or Z ... which means, in case you don't know, that this is about the feel and the sound of the music ... not what you want ... you want hits ... GG is not for you, and many of us here will probably say bad things like ... good riddance! I would rather try to explain this for you, if you have the ears for it, but the music is throwing you off already ... and I doubt that any of our words will help!

2. The incredible musicianship of each member of the band, ought to at the very least, allow you an inch or two of ... yeah ... that's really good and tight ... and they were better in concert, even though most of the videos if it all have sync issues, and sound awful ... which doesn't help the band a whole lot. The show I got to see, their encore was 25 to 30 minutes long, and in that time all 6 band members played all instruments ... all 6 played drums, bass, guitar ... you name it ... so, when it comes to musicianship, I seriously doubt many bands can even stand up to the socks in these guys.

3. I have my doubts that you have actually listened to GG ... you played a few seconds, it didn't click and you tried another spot, same thing, and you decided it's not for you. You will NEVER, EVER, get an appreciation for a lot of the music in the 20th century, almost all of which was anti-melody and used a broken down orchestra (that too, but it means different combinations, not the usual!) to create different moods and ideas in music ... witness BERNARD HERRMAN and how his different use of an orchestra created some amazing sounds for so many fantasy films in the 50's and eventually many of the films for Hitchcock ... however, I am not sure that you can even consider a good listen to these things ... in some cases, the music is down right scary and weird ... and you already specified that's not your click. You want your metal, melodic, and not "anti-music".

4. Music listening, and appreciation, required one let go of ideas and tastes. If you study (take a music appreciation course in school!) some of this for the last 500 years, you will find nothing but the development of music from 2 or 3 instruments, to 150 and then the deconstruction of an orchestra to various weird combinations, that were most clear and represented with Stokowsky, who used to microphone special sections of the orchestra, in order to give that section a wider/larger role in its piece. It was perfect for a few films, and specially FANTASIA. 

5. At the time, there was a lot of "anti-film" (French, started in the 50's probably with Godard), "anti-theater" (English and American, with actors controlling the highlights ... think Stellllllllllllllllaaaaa (Brando) or Olivier doing his words of Shakespeare, making a set of words more important than the whole play!), "anti-literature" as exemplified by a lot of writers doing significantly different things, and the Americans probably had a lot to say bout that, but the French scene was also important.

The "anti-music" was more centered on the classical de-construction of music and it sounding weird and off beat and specially off key. It created a lot of strange things, in England and France ... many of which are now considered historical, since the folks involved were not exactly street urchins, but really well educated musicians that DID KNOW WHAT THEY WERE DOING!

The thing that bothers me the most is how far behind the rock music scene was compared to many of these ... we're talking anywhere from 10 to 20 years ... and of course, now we could say that many listeners, some 50 or 60 years later, have made this even worse.

I, myself, am not the great GG fan ... but I have their first 7 albums ... because the musicianship of it all makes 5 or 6 of the bands in PA's top ten sound like high school bands! With the simplistic of music and sound possible being considered "important" ... which if 500 years of history is an example ... that's backwards!

have some heart ... do some serious listening ... it's not crap ... but really special stuff and the only one of its kind. many have tried to copy it and pay tribute to it ... but if you don't have it inside your heart and at the tip of your fingers, the copy just will not be as good. I don't dislike SB, but I would not put it in the same sentence as GG, either ... they did not grow up to be a special band on their own ... they grew up to love other bands ... how social and American this is ... you try to make sure that the fans love you and they think you are cool. Sorry SB ... I have GG in my collection, not SB (only 2 CD's!).


Music is not just for listening ... it is for LIVING ... you got to feel it to know what's it about! Not being told!
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote siLLy puPPy Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: July 30 2019 at 11:34
If you can't stand GG have you tried sitting them?

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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote Rednight Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: July 30 2019 at 12:07
Originally posted by miamiscot miamiscot wrote:

I feel sorry for you.

But there's a long list of bands I don't like (pretty much go down the list of Neo Prog and Prog Metal artists...)

There's plenty out there to enjoy. It's all subjective.
Please, explain your sorrow. I'm all eyes.
"It just has none of the qualities of your work that I find interesting. Abandon [?] it." - Eno
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote Howard the Duck Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: July 30 2019 at 19:52
I find it interesting that a lot of people who found the mid to later albums challenging preferred the earlier ones, because those ones are by and large the weaker albums for me (but have some solid early tracks here and there). Never knew that most of the early material was never written out - kind of brings to mind the lyric from Interview where they imply that they really found their sound from Octopus onwards.
MacGyver can do a super guitar solo with a broom and an elastic band. Can you do better?

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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote AFlowerKingCrimson Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: July 30 2019 at 19:57
Originally posted by Rednight Rednight wrote:

Originally posted by miamiscot miamiscot wrote:

I feel sorry for you.

But there's a long list of bands I don't like (pretty much go down the list of Neo Prog and Prog Metal artists...)

There's plenty out there to enjoy. It's all subjective.
Please, explain your sorrow. I'm all eyes.

I believe he was addressing the OP not you personally.
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote Atavachron Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: July 30 2019 at 20:01
Originally posted by siLLy puPPy siLLy puPPy wrote:

If you can't stand GG have you tried sitting them?

There's a Joycean turn of phrase that went over peoples' heads ~

"Too often we enjoy the comfort of opinion without the discomfort of thought."   -- John F. Kennedy
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote richardh Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: July 31 2019 at 00:14
Originally posted by Howard the Duck Howard the Duck wrote:

I find it interesting that a lot of people who found the mid to later albums challenging preferred the earlier ones, because those ones are by and large the weaker albums for me (but have some solid early tracks here and there). Never knew that most of the early material was never written out - kind of brings to mind the lyric from Interview where they imply that they really found their sound from Octopus onwards.
 

Octopus , The Power and The Glory and Freehand are the ones that I really like.

I would be happy to have a compilation of the best tracks from the first 3 albums but there are some real gems contained therein.

In A Glass House is the real problematic one for me. It's another Tales From Topographic Oceans from my perspective but thankfully not as long!!
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