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moebius View Drop Down
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    Posted: March 28 2007 at 23:32
They are outstanding! They deserve our admiration and respect. No more to say.
 
Share your links, videos, experiences, essays, interpretations, pictures and impressiones about this masters.
 
Come on and tell the world how good Gentle Giant were!  And how we envy this "contest winner": http://www.blazemonger.com/GG/pix/misc/garygreen-nearfest.jpg
 
 
GO!
 
 
Gentle Giant... the progressive rock at his best.
 
 
 
 
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rsmoore View Drop Down
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Points: 8 		Direct Link To This Post Posted: March 28 2007 at 23:49
I just purchased "Octopus" in the limited edition Dec. 2006 CD release, with the beautiful original Roger Dean cover art. First time hearing this whole album, though I'd previously heard Knots (it was on a 70s compilation called The Progressives, or something like that, which a college roommate owned). Fantastic music; you can hear a little of Jethro Tull in some passages, a little of Yes in others, but in the end it is a sound uniquely their own.

Oh, I've also had their first album on CD for some time. I'm looking forward to exploring more of their music.
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moebius View Drop Down
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Points: 160 		Direct Link To This Post Posted: March 28 2007 at 23:59

In the seventies, they toured many times with Jethro tull (Ian Anderson was amazed with th live rendition of Knots), also with Yes, and they opened shows for Black Sabbath (Ozzy once mentioned Gentle Giant in his reality show) and King Crimson... 

 In this site http://members.aol.com/JAskelly/GGtourhistory.html is said that there were no more than 300 people in the Gentle Giant / King Crimson concert.  I could sell my liver if i can see this two bands together in one show now...
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Points: 87 		Direct Link To This Post Posted: March 29 2007 at 00:15
Gentle Giant!!! Hear! Hear! My favorite progressive rock band. There aren't any better. (my silent admiration)
"We turn and turn in the animal belly, the mineral belly, the belly of time. To find the way out: the poem."
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Points: 71 		Direct Link To This Post Posted: March 29 2007 at 00:21
I'm grateful to this site for introducing me to Gentle Giant through the Reviews section. The first seven albums received such rave reviews that I kept on buying. It would be nice to get remixes of the first three though.... Someone mentioned a remix of Octopus which I wasn't aware of.... Two embarassing admissions: I first heard them a mere six months ago (I guess I'll have "newbie" status forever for that admission) and secondly I like the American Octopus album cover better than the Roger Dean cover. Strange how they never reunited...what's that all about?
"I'm not really spiritual, just religious."
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Points: 28427 		Direct Link To This Post Posted: March 29 2007 at 00:22
Gentle Giant are masterliness... nuff saidTongue
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Points: 65266 		Direct Link To This Post Posted: March 29 2007 at 00:27
great, great, great, great, great...


..I just regret I started with 'Aquiring the Taste, and was so turned off I waited several years to listen to Octopus, Freehand and PatG.. but late is better than never!!
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Points: 4625 		Direct Link To This Post Posted: March 29 2007 at 01:11
Ah,  I love Acquiring .  It's my fav after Glass House. Wreck is one awesome song to be sure.
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Points: 65266 		Direct Link To This Post Posted: March 29 2007 at 01:19
it is a fine album actually, it's just that the later stuff is so much more exciting..

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Points: 1009 		Direct Link To This Post Posted: March 29 2007 at 01:33
"Strange how they never reunited...what's that all about?"

Derek is the driving force behind the band NOT reuniting. He simply doesn't want to do it and has said so many times in interviews I've read.

He's done pretty well for himself. He was President of a couple of major record labels and currently president and founder of the Roadrunner label, home to Opeth and Porcupine Tree among others.    On the down side he did sign both Bon Jovi and Nickleback as well.

From what he says, he sees no point in re-living the past.


Edited by Trademark - March 29 2007 at 01:34
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rsmoore View Drop Down
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Points: 8 		Direct Link To This Post Posted: March 29 2007 at 02:19
Originally posted by moebius moebius wrote:

In the seventies, they toured many times with Jethro tull (Ian Anderson was amazed with th live rendition of Knots), also with Yes, and they opened shows for Black Sabbath (Ozzy once mentioned Gentle Giant in his reality show) and King Crimson...



Those bands must have been great together (I never got into Black Sabbath, though). My first Yes concert (GFtO tour) had Donovan as opening act (he was good but of course not prog); then Tormato and Drama "in the round" with no opening acts; saw Tull only once (Stormwatch, with UK opening IIRC) -- so I missed any chance to see Gentle Giant. Interesting to hear about Ian Anderson's opinion. It's hard to pinpoint the similarity between Tull and GG, but if I listen to the opening track "Giant" on the first GG album, I hear kind of a presaging of some of the instrumental passages in A Passion Play.

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pero View Drop Down
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Points: 1242 		Direct Link To This Post Posted: March 29 2007 at 02:28
One of my favorite bands. I have all studio albums and 4 live.
 
In a glass house is masterpiece, but it's a bit rockier then other albums.
Also first album, Power and glory, Acquiring the taste and Three friends are exellent  too.
Free hands and Interwiew are different then earlier albums, but still very good.
Last phase is shame for GG (Civilian, Giant for a day), and it would be better that they didn' record it and left the ring undefeated.
Live concerts were never their strongpoint. They were much better in studio, because with their complex music they didn't manage to establish contact with audience.
IMO their best live album is "King biscuit flower hour", followed by "Live at BBC" and "Expirience".


Edited by pero - April 02 2007 at 06:23
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Points: 822 		Direct Link To This Post Posted: March 29 2007 at 03:14
All hail the ENORMOUS CREATURE OF QUIET AND HONOURABLE DISPOSITION.

I am green [and I don't mean Gary] with envy regarding anyone who actually got to see them live . When I was in the UK in 76/77 they were apparently busy touring the US. I saw the live TV broadcast of what is now the 'GG at the GG' DVD . How good is 'Giant on the Box'?


Certainly my fav. prog band since the 70s and I don't expect to find one that appeals to me more.
Looking still the same after all these years...
mrgd
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Points: 10616 		Direct Link To This Post Posted: March 29 2007 at 03:24
Fantastic band. The first album I heard was Acquiring The Taste and I was immediately impressed. That is still my favourite Gentle Giant album, but I also like Three Friends and Octopus a lot. But I haven't heard a bad album from them (though I didn't listen yet to the albums after Free Hand).
 
Since a few weeks I have the Giant On The Box - dvd. That is one of the best live - video's I ever saw!
 
ClapClapClapClap


Edited by Moogtron III - March 29 2007 at 03:26
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Points: 7113 		Direct Link To This Post Posted: March 29 2007 at 03:32
Gentle Giant...is one of those bands that I claim I love but only own one album by and need to buy more but never get around to because other music is flashier and more interesting sounding.
"There seem to be quite a large percentage of young American boys out there tonight. A long way from home, eh? Well so are we... Gotta stick together." -I. Anderson
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pero View Drop Down
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Points: 1242 		Direct Link To This Post Posted: March 29 2007 at 03:58
I know that most of you will disagree, but "giant on the box" was a bit dissapointment for me. The music is OK, but they were playing exactly as on studio albums without additional spice and chemistry, which most of great live bands produce on concerts.
 
Example: ELP, VDGG, Genesis, Yes, Pink floyd, Jethro tull, KC, Colosseum, Mahavishnu orchestra were more exciting for me on their live performances than GG.
 
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moebius View Drop Down
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Points: 160 		Direct Link To This Post Posted: March 29 2007 at 07:45
Originally posted by pero pero wrote:

I know that most of you will disagree, but "giant on the box" was a bit dissapointment for me. The music is OK, but they were playing exactly as on studio albums without additional spice and chemistry, which most of great live bands produce on concerts.
 
 
I disagree. You realy should check the studio versions of the songs played in Giant On The Box.  All the songs are far different than studio versions, rearranged, there is a percussion frenzy, there are medleys, instrumental passages and longest solos.  My impression is that all the songs are played with a lot more energy than in studio... including the fact that the songs singed originally by Kerry (a "weak live singer") are performed by Derek live, who indeed adds more spice and power.


Edited by moebius - March 29 2007 at 07:57
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erik neuteboom View Drop Down
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Points: 7659 		Direct Link To This Post Posted: March 29 2007 at 07:54
I had difficulties to get into their their 'conservatory prog' when I discovered Gentle Giant in the late Seventies but now I love their music featuring awesome interplay Thumbs%20Up  One of the great things in their sound is the use of the underrated Hohner D6 clavinet, so swinging and powerful , to be seen on the Giant On The Box DVD Clap so a big hand for Gentle Giant!

Edited by erik neuteboom - March 29 2007 at 07:55
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Points: 4460 		Direct Link To This Post Posted: March 29 2007 at 08:07
When I was concert chairman at my college back in the 70s, we had Gentle Giant open for Dave Mason.  Great, great show.  They had just released "The Power and The Glory".  Still to this day my favorite GG album.
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Points: 149 		Direct Link To This Post Posted: March 29 2007 at 08:20
i also have Gentle Giant on the Box DVD.
it's great stuff. i would have to agree with the other guy on this thread,
its probably the best live dvd of a past era.
if left is wrong i don't wanna be right...
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