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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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Jared View Drop Down
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    Posted: February 20 2024 at 02:46
Originally posted by AFlowerKingCrimson AFlowerKingCrimson wrote:

My guess would be that Rajaz would get more votes than the first Camel album but not more than Mirage to MM. 

hmm that's a good question... I think their first would shade it over Rajaz for me, but then so does A Nod & A Wink...
Music has always been a matter of energy to me. On some nights I believe that a car with the needle on empty can run 50 more miles if you have the right music very loud on the radio. Hunter S Thompson
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Jared View Drop Down
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Originally posted by Psychedelic Paul Psychedelic Paul wrote:

No, ten Gentle Giant albums were more than enough for me. Tongue

Being as they made 11, which one do you actually like? Wink
Music has always been a matter of energy to me. On some nights I believe that a car with the needle on empty can run 50 more miles if you have the right music very loud on the radio. Hunter S Thompson
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Jared View Drop Down
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Originally posted by Octopus II Octopus II wrote:

I love Gentle Giant but I think they ended at just the right time to be honest. Smile

I agree. The music landscape had become brutal for bands like GG by 1980. Neither GfaD or Civilian are as awful as they are made out to be; indeed if they had been created by a wholly new band, they'd have probably got more airplay at the time, as they were sufficiently mainstream. The problem was, there was no room for their kind of idiosyncratic creativity from then on and unless they were going to become a completely different band, carrying on would have been futile. 
Music has always been a matter of energy to me. On some nights I believe that a car with the needle on empty can run 50 more miles if you have the right music very loud on the radio. Hunter S Thompson
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Psychedelic Paul View Drop Down
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Points: 41204 		Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote Psychedelic Paul Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: February 20 2024 at 02:16
No, ten Gentle Giant albums were more than enough for me. Tongue
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I love Gentle Giant but I think they ended at just the right time to be honest. Smile
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AFlowerKingCrimson View Drop Down
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My guess would be that Rajaz would get more votes than the first Camel album but not more than Mirage to MM. 

Anyway, as far as GG goes, I've moved on too but still listen to them occasionally. I don't currently own several of their albums so there's that also. There's just so much prog out there (and music in general) then I'm not that interested in listening to stuff that much that I've heard a whole lot already (which is most of the most famous prog bands). 
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It's a strange question because the answer it totally unlinked as to whether I like them or not. Yes of course they should have continued but I still reserve the right not to buy the albums if I so choose. 
Most of the classic prog bands struggled to put anything out after the seventies that matched their best music of that decade. I can't imagine that GG would have been any different. For instance people can go on about how much they like Rajaz but in any Camel poll it's the first 4-5 releases that sweep up the votes and Rajaz gets a few consolation votes at best. I think it's safe to say that GG wouldn't have been any different.
Nowadays I've more or less handed in my prog badge when it comes to GG having purchased pretty much everything and tried to appreciate them as much as possible. I've put in my time but there is just no Gentle Giant scratch that I need to itch. I've moved on.
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Bump...

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.
Eager the hear the new Missing Piece mixes including surround. It's a underappreciated album.
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Frenetic Zetetic View Drop Down
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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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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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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.

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Frenetic Zetetic View Drop Down
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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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Points: 1781 		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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Heart of the Matter View Drop Down
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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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Frenetic Zetetic View Drop Down
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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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AFlowerKingCrimson View Drop Down
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Points: 18487 		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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AFlowerKingCrimson View Drop Down
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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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geekfreak View Drop Down
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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!
Friedrich Nietzsche: "Without music, life would be a mistake."



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Heart of the Matter View Drop Down
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^ 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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Frenetic Zetetic View Drop Down
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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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