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Ghostnote View Drop Down
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Points: 52 		Direct Link To This Post Posted: March 31 2007 at 15:50
      Gentle Giant are awesome. The amount of quality material they released
in the 70's is almost unrivaled by the other Prog giants of that decade.
       I can't believe that Bradley Smith didn't include them in his book "The
billboard guide to progressive music"!
       Does anyone else agree?
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Points: 870 		Direct Link To This Post Posted: March 31 2007 at 22:38
Originally posted by Ghostnote Ghostnote wrote:

I can't believe that Bradley Smith didn't include them in his book "The
billboard guide to progressive music"!
       Does anyone else agree?


Someone took the time to write an entire book about progressive rock and failed to even mention Gentle Giant?! That is among the most absurd things I've ever heard, in a journalistic sense.
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Points: 16 		Direct Link To This Post Posted: April 01 2007 at 19:38
just got into them about a year ago, and can't believe I had never explored them before. Totally indespensible, awesome music. Enjoyable as hell. Luckily enough, as I started getting into prog last year, I started going to a small local used cd shop (they also sell new stuff, and order stuff for you), and the owner is a total lover of prog, and recommended In a Glass House to me, so sight unheard and on his recommendation, I bought it. Now, I have all their cds from the first to The Missing Piece. In an alternate world with justice, these guys would be huge.....but, we still have the great, consistent catalogue of work they left us.
 
kind of hard to think of a better band right now....   
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Points: 1381 		Direct Link To This Post Posted: April 02 2007 at 16:09
Really the most talented and interesting to listen to bands ever.
I can strangle a canary in a tin can and it would be really original, but that wouldn't save it from sounding like utter sh*t.
-Stone Beard
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Points: 46833 		Direct Link To This Post Posted: April 02 2007 at 16:22
deserves all the ranking and spots in the top 20 of the PA's album list that Genesis has....

better debut, better 2nd, better 3rd, better 4th albums,  and so on hahahha

hell even their 'pop' albums are better...
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Points: 1313 		Direct Link To This Post Posted: April 04 2007 at 07:00
By the way, I don't know why there are so many people who say IN'TERVIEW was a weak or at least no truly excellent album. It is one of the band's best outputs if you ask me.

Edited by Badabec - April 04 2007 at 07:00
Mesmo a tristeza da gente era mais bela
E além disso se via da janela
Um cantinho de céu e o Redentor

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Points: 1242 		Direct Link To This Post Posted: April 04 2007 at 08:17
Originally posted by Badabec Badabec wrote:

By the way, I don't know why there are so many people who say IN'TERVIEW was a weak or at least no truly excellent album. It is one of the band's best outputs if you ask me.
 
Interwiev is very decent album, similar in style as "free hand", but for me a bit weaker.
 
This was unfortunately their last good album.
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Points: 71 		Direct Link To This Post Posted: April 04 2007 at 11:01
I've known of Gentle Giant for years, but i've never actually picked up any albums.  Anyone have any recommendations on which I should buy first?  The more I listen - the more I love.
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Points: 657 		Direct Link To This Post Posted: April 04 2007 at 11:06
^ Everyone has their favourite, really you can't go wrong with any of their top albums listed here: http://www.progarchives.com/artist.asp?id=118
My favourite is "Free Hand"
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Points: 7606 		Direct Link To This Post Posted: April 04 2007 at 11:07
I'd recommend Free Hand as the most immediately addictive

it's a worn statement but you ultimately can't go wrong with any of their first eight albums
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Points: 283 		Direct Link To This Post Posted: April 04 2007 at 11:16
They're ok................................Just kidding.  They're Great.  I can't deny that.

JOIN THE COMMUNIST PARTY!
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Points: 354 		Direct Link To This Post Posted: April 04 2007 at 12:34
I just listened to the bonus track on "In A Glass House" which of course is a live medley of Runaway/Experience. IT IS POWERFUL!
The guitar tone is mint condish...wow
The drums are more driving!
The "Go insane" part doesn't make me go insane anymore! He sings it more bluesy.
The whole thing is an improvement on what I didn't think could be improved...and its live!

This one track has convinced me I need some live albums.
Anyone else share the thought that they have a heavier and more driving sound live? Don't get me wrong, I love the light studio sound on some songs but others deserve a heavy live representation.

Awesome stuff!
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Points: 5111 		Direct Link To This Post Posted: April 04 2007 at 18:06
Originally posted by endlessepic endlessepic wrote:

I just listened to the bonus track on "In A Glass House" which of course is a live medley of Runaway/Experience. IT IS POWERFUL!
The guitar tone is mint condish...wow
The drums are more driving!
The "Go insane" part doesn't make me go insane anymore! He sings it more bluesy.
The whole thing is an improvement on what I didn't think could be improved...and its live!

This one track has convinced me I need some live albums.
Anyone else share the thought that they have a heavier and more driving sound live? Don't get me wrong, I love the light studio sound on some songs but others deserve a heavy live representation.

Awesome stuff!
 
There is definitely more electricity and drive captured on some the live recordings than comes through in the studio.  If you want live albums you won't go wrong with Playing the Fool or King Biscuit Flower Hour.  Both are excellent, though I prefer Playing the Fool - if you do get it, make sure you get the 35th Anniversary edition, which sounds just great.  
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kane View Drop Down
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Points: 22 		Direct Link To This Post Posted: April 04 2007 at 18:07
Originally posted by Ben2112 Ben2112 wrote:

Originally posted by Ghostnote Ghostnote wrote:

I can't believe that Bradley Smith didn't include them in his book "The
billboard guide to progressive music"!
       Does anyone else agree?


Someone took the time to write an entire book about progressive rock and failed to even mention Gentle Giant?! That is among the most absurd things I've ever heard, in a journalistic sense.


I would agree that he missed the boat on Gentle Giant.  However, to correct you the book does say progressive music NOT progressive rock.  It is also put out by Billboard so what exactly do you expect?
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endlessepic View Drop Down
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Points: 354 		Direct Link To This Post Posted: April 04 2007 at 19:53
Originally posted by Mascodagama Mascodagama wrote:

Originally posted by endlessepic endlessepic wrote:

I just listened to the bonus track on "In A Glass House" which of course is a live medley of Runaway/Experience. IT IS POWERFUL!
The guitar tone is mint condish...wow
The drums are more driving!
The "Go insane" part doesn't make me go insane anymore! He sings it more bluesy.
The whole thing is an improvement on what I didn't think could be improved...and its live!

This one track has convinced me I need some live albums.
Anyone else share the thought that they have a heavier and more driving sound live? Don't get me wrong, I love the light studio sound on some songs but others deserve a heavy live representation.

Awesome stuff!
 
There is definitely more electricity and drive captured on some the live recordings than comes through in the studio.  If you want live albums you won't go wrong with Playing the Fool or King Biscuit Flower Hour.  Both are excellent, though I prefer Playing the Fool - if you do get it, make sure you get the 35th Anniversary edition, which sounds just great.  


Playing the fool has a good rating on here...I want to get it, one question though. Do they change up arrangements at all like on "Experience?"

(Differant drum beats in parts, more guitar based )
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endlessepic View Drop Down
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Points: 354 		Direct Link To This Post Posted: April 04 2007 at 19:54
^^^^^^^^^^

Which of course would be a good thing!
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Failcore View Drop Down
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Points: 4625 		Direct Link To This Post Posted: April 04 2007 at 20:04
They change up a lot of the stuff. It's awesome. Excerpts from Octopus is guaranteed to rock your world.
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Points: 160 		Direct Link To This Post Posted: April 04 2007 at 22:13
I agree with the last post... Knots live (from the excerpts of octopus) has a very heavy king crimson - like accent.
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Points: 1313 		Direct Link To This Post Posted: April 05 2007 at 06:28
Playing The Fool is the best live-album ever made, in my opinion (check my review if you like). And yes: Gentle Giant is live a bit heavier. My favourite song on Playing The Fool is... Free Hand...? Pretty hard decision, but the solo in this song is simply ingenious.

By the way, my 1000th post! Smile
Mesmo a tristeza da gente era mais bela
E além disso se via da janela
Um cantinho de céu e o Redentor

- Antônio Carlos Jobim, Toquinho & Vinícius de Moraes - Carta ao Tom 74
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Moogtron III View Drop Down
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Points: 10616 		Direct Link To This Post Posted: April 05 2007 at 06:32
Originally posted by kane kane wrote:

Originally posted by Ben2112 Ben2112 wrote:

Originally posted by Ghostnote Ghostnote wrote:

I can't believe that Bradley Smith didn't include them in his book "The
billboard guide to progressive music"!
       Does anyone else agree?


Someone took the time to write an entire book about progressive rock and failed to even mention Gentle Giant?! That is among the most absurd things I've ever heard, in a journalistic sense.


I would agree that he missed the boat on Gentle Giant.  However, to correct you the book does say progressive music NOT progressive rock.  It is also put out by Billboard so what exactly do you expect?
 
Yes, but he did put a lot of Krautrock in his book, a lot of cd's that are only known to a few people, a lot of experimental stuff... It's Billboard, but it's a great book, with a lot of attention to detail, so I have no clue at all why he didn't include Gentle Giant (and Van der Graaf Generator).


Edited by Moogtron III - April 05 2007 at 06:34
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