Gentle Giant

The Power And The Glory is my favourite by them. Precision musical engineering! The early albums have some beautiful moments but they don't really hang together that well for me. It's a bit like comparing ELP's debut to Brain Salad Surgery. I prefer it when ELP went up a gear and the same is largely true of how I feel about GG.

Big Gentle Giant fan here; I have all of their albums, and like every one of them. Though not structurally like Triumvirat, they formed and disbanded at around the same time, and despite that, continue to turn heads with their initial second tier popularity helping them to ride the tide, despite all those years!

Edited by presdoug - December 21 2017 at 11:44

It's interesting how someone on another thread on here was suggesting that Gentle Giant were not that influential or important in the seventies and that they seem influential now just because of the internet. It turns out the person who said this is apparently from the UK so I'm guessing that they weren't that big in their home country. Still, I can't see how anyone can think they "weren't that important."

Frank H, I find it odd that GG were opening for Renaissance at that time. However, I see you are from upstate NY and if you were there at the time I can sort of understand it because apparently Renaissance were very big up there back then. I even mentioned this to Annie when I met her once and she confirmed that. For whatever reason they had a big following up there. 

Had the incredible pleasure of catching Gentle Giant twice live, about months apart in what I believe was late 1976 and mid - 1977.

The first show, opening for Annie Haslam and Rennaissance. Prior to this my friends laughed at my predilection. They inquired delicately, "What the hell is this!?" Demanding and derisive.

The first record that fell into my hands was The Power And The Glory and even I, myself initially doubted. Next was Freehand.
Then, In A Glass House, procured through my connection at the record store, because at that time it was only available in Europe.

Doubts dissipated. Playing The Fool.

It was one thing listening to the warped little 2 and a half minute studio piece So Sincere, and completely another thing the epic 13 minute monstrous live version. This was where the true genius of the band lay hidden. In order to fully comprehend, you had to see them. You had to catch them live.

It took their roadies about forty minutes to set up all the instrumentation the band were to employ that night, and one had to remind oneself that this was the OPENING BAND. What they did that night I don't think they could do these days. Openers are not given this kind of leeway. They aren't supposed to blow the headliner off the stage, nor are they to be afforded the opportunity.

The set list was Freehand era and resembled very much the content of Playing The Fool, less the Interview material and sadly no So Sincere. But, I will never forget this show.

Highlights were Kerry Minnear's vibes on Funny Ways(a blur!), actually Kerry Minnear on everything. Cello. And especially the keys, firing chords off like he was typing a letter 250 words a minute. Probably the best keyboard player I have ever or will ever witness. Ray's violin, but especially his bass. You were so right about these two. All of them less JP singing On Reflection. JP so solid and somehow funky behind the kit.

My friends never had sport with my predilection, again.

The second show was hot, too but not as much as that first. They headlined with Dr. Feelgood opening.

Poor, lovely Annie Haslam. She and Rennaissance never knew what hit them. She showed alot of class as people shouted, "GIANT!!!" at her for the rest of the night.

Unforgettable. And now, 41 years ago. It had to have been unforgettable for me to recall any of it, now all these decades and all those drugs later.

^ Well said, Chris !!

Gentle Giant have been / always will be, one of my long time favourite Prog bands. Cannot rave on enough about them !! Any ‘ranting’ is welcome

I think the point about GG being "more head than heart" has some relevance. I think as they innovated in the early 1970s they attempted to take music farther than it had yet gone, and in doing so wrote some complex music that worked sometimes but not other times, and indeed, veered into the pretentious at times. When I listen to their discography I see a kind-of arc. They began very musical but less complex, became more complex and innovative but often less musical (the pinnacle of this is Octopus), and then gradually became more musical again, culminating (for me) with their most musical album, Free Hand (more musical, but perhaps less ground-breaking than Octopus, Glass House, etc). 

Barbu wrote: and even better than the mighty Crim.

and even better than the mighty Crim.