Most Accessible Gentle Giant Album - Progressive Rock Music Forum

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Aaron

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Posted: November 16 2005 at 22:10

i liked Freehand right away, and it's still my favorite

Aaron

OldFatherThames View Drop Down

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Posted: November 16 2005 at 15:18

In a glass house (my second favorite) is the most accessible

Acquiring the taste (my favorite) is probably the less accessible

Badabec

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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".

Man Erg

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Posted: November 16 2005 at 09:10

Octopus and The Missing Piece

Do 'The Stanley' otherwise I'll thrash you with some rhubarb.

cmidkiff

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Posted: November 16 2005 at 08:53

Free Hand

cmidkiff

Sean Trane View Drop Down

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Posted: November 16 2005 at 08:47

Trouserpress wrote:

Publius wrote:

I'd say Power and the Glory. It's easy to listen to. The title track sounds like something Stevie Wonder might write.

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.Right on , brother

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.

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

Edited by Sean Trane

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Gentle Ronnie View Drop Down

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Posted: November 16 2005 at 08:22

I say Octopus.

The Hemulen View Drop Down

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Posted: November 16 2005 at 07:29

Publius wrote:

I'd say Power and the Glory. It's easy to listen to. The title track sounds like something Stevie Wonder might write.

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.

nico

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Posted: November 16 2005 at 06:17

I think Octopus and Freehand!

pero

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Posted: November 16 2005 at 05:32

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

Marc Baum

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Posted: November 15 2005 at 16:02

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

Moogtron III View Drop Down

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Posted: November 15 2005 at 15:51

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!

Edited by Moogtron III

mjf85maf

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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.

Orbert

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Posted: November 15 2005 at 15:15

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...

robertplantowns View Drop Down

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Posted: November 15 2005 at 03:16

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.

SlipperFink View Drop Down

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Posted: November 15 2005 at 02:53

greenback wrote:

civilian

Indeed.

And a great rock record to boot.

SM.

richardh

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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

OT Räihälä View Drop Down

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Posted: November 15 2005 at 01:55

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).

dima_olkov View Drop Down

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Posted: November 15 2005 at 01:12

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

Pafnutij

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Posted: November 15 2005 at 00:24

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?

Edited by Pafnutij