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Tom Ozric 
Prog Reviewer
Joined: September 03 2005
Location: Olympus Mons
Status: Offline
Points: 15926
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 Posted: December 24 2017 at 07:44 |
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I really love the Phil Shulman albums, not that what came afterwards wasn’t great. Even Civilian is a decent effort for the time. Would’ve been interesting to see where they could’ve gone had they not packed it in forever.......
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dr wu23
Forum Senior Member
Joined: August 22 2010
Location: Indiana
Status: Offline
Points: 20671
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Posted: December 24 2017 at 08:13 |
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Just out of curiosity.....anyone know what they are doing these days...other than being retired.....assuming thy are still alive and well...?
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One does nothing yet nothing is left undone.
Haquin
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Magnum Vaeltaja
Special Collaborator
Honorary Collaborator
Joined: July 01 2015
Location: Out East
Status: Offline
Points: 6777
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Posted: December 24 2017 at 08:24 |
 BarryGlibb wrote:
Of all the polarizing prog bands (e.g. VdGG, KC, GG, etc) GG were the only ones who in my opinion, consistently rocked...you can't really find anything that rocked in KC's catalogue...or am I wrong? |
Yeah, I can definitely admire that about Gentle Giant; it probably helps that they kept strong blues influences, especially on the early albums.
As far as King Crimson songs that rock, what do you think about these ones? - 21st Century Schizoid Man
- Pictures of a City
- Easy Money
- Larks' Tongues In Aspic, Pt. 2
- Red
- One More Red Nightmare
To name a few...
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when i was a kid a doller was worth ten dollers - now a doller couldnt even buy you fifty cents
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Frenetic Zetetic
Forum Senior Member
Joined: December 09 2017
Location: Now
Status: Offline
Points: 9233
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Posted: December 24 2017 at 08:56 |
dr wu23 wrote:
Just out of curiosity.....anyone know what they are doing these days...other than being retired.....assuming thy are still alive and well...? |
Derek became CEO of Roadrunner Records and I think he signed Slipknot. Ray did some scores for movies/shows/games I think?
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Dopeydoc
Forum Senior Member
Joined: September 05 2016
Location: France
Status: Offline
Points: 1366
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Posted: December 24 2017 at 15:24 |
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If I have to retire one day on a desert island with only one band discography, it would be GG. I cannot get bored listening them again and again.
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Daysbetween
Forum Senior Member
Joined: November 12 2006
Location: Scotland
Status: Offline
Points: 1036
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Posted: December 24 2017 at 17:03 |
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Have always enjoyed GG. I have played the Steven Wilson mix 'Three Piece Suite' many, many times since release and it will be in my top 10 for 2017.
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Dellinger
Forum Senior Member
VIP Member
Joined: June 18 2009
Location: Mexico
Status: Offline
Points: 12816
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Posted: December 24 2017 at 17:48 |
Frenetic Zetetic wrote:
dr wu23 wrote:
Just out of curiosity.....anyone know what they are doing these days...other than being retired.....assuming thy are still alive and well...? |
Derek became CEO of Roadrunner Records and I think he signed Slipknot. Ray did some scores for movies/shows/games I think? |
I thought some of them were touring as "Three Friends" some years ago. I don't know if they are still, touring, though.
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The.Crimson.King
Forum Senior Member
Joined: March 29 2013
Location: WA
Status: Offline
Points: 4596
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Posted: December 24 2017 at 19:30 |
Dellinger wrote:
I thought some of them were touring as "Three Friends" some years ago. I don't know if they are still, touring, though. |
Here's some cool info from their website...definitely sounds like they put on a fun show 
Three Friends were named after the eponymous third Gentle Giant album,
Three Friends were formed in 2009 when prog keyboard legend Kerry
Minnear joined fellow former Gentle Giant members, drummer Malcolm
Mortimore and guitarist Gary Green to play a series of gigs in Europe
and Canada. Minnear has since left, his place at the keyboards now taken
by session musician and composer Neil Angilley. The lineup is completed
by bassist Jonathan Noyce (Jethro Tull), multi-instrumentalist
Charlotte Glasson, and vocalist Mick Wilson (10CC).
Three Friends is about bringing Gentle Giant’s eclectic and highly
original music back to the live stage, where it belongs. The repertoire
is drawn from all the classic albums up to Interview, including many
songs that were never played live by the original band.
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Tom Ozric
Prog Reviewer
Joined: September 03 2005
Location: Olympus Mons
Status: Offline
Points: 15926
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Posted: December 24 2017 at 22:59 |
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^ Oh, what a sight they would’ve been (Three Friends is my ‘special’ one)
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Frenetic Zetetic
Forum Senior Member
Joined: December 09 2017
Location: Now
Status: Offline
Points: 9233
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Posted: December 25 2017 at 03:13 |
Dopeydoc wrote:
If I have to retire one day on a desert island with only one band discography, it would be GG. I cannot get bored listening them again and again.
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My thoughts exactly. I can listen to In a Glass House (the title track, especially) endlessly. In fact, sometimes in the car, I warm up vocally with that track!
Dellinger wrote:
Frenetic Zetetic wrote:
dr wu23 wrote:
Just out of curiosity.....anyone know what they are doing these days...other than being retired.....assuming thy are still alive and well...? |
Derek became CEO of Roadrunner Records and I think he signed Slipknot. Ray did some scores for movies/shows/games I think? |
I thought some of them were touring as "Three Friends" some years ago. I don't know if they are still, touring, though. |
Ah, that might be the case.
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Crimsonsnowdog
Forum Groupie
Joined: September 10 2014
Location: Maryland
Status: Offline
Points: 41
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Posted: December 28 2017 at 14:54 |
I really like Gentle Giant, and I appreciate their talent, complexity, and their brilliance. They rank right up there with King Crimson, Yes, and Genesis, but it would be difficult to argue which band is the most talented. They're all incredibly talented! Though Gary Green said in an interview that they were not the virtuoso musicians that fans thought them to be. While they were skilled playing their main instruments, when it came to playing things like the recorded quartet, they took the time to learn the part for the song. I wish I had a chance to see them live when they were around.
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AFlowerKingCrimson
Forum Senior Member
Joined: October 02 2016
Location: Philly burbs
Status: Offline
Points: 18995
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Posted: December 28 2017 at 16:41 |
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Gary Green is right they really weren't the best at their instruments(I'm sure we can all think of better keyboardists than Kerry, better bassists than Ray, better drummers than John Weathers etc). However, what they excelled at was playing well in unison. You could say that probably more so than just about any other prog band that the whole was greater than the sum of their (individual) parts.
Edited by AFlowerKingCrimson - December 28 2017 at 16:43
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Frenetic Zetetic
Forum Senior Member
Joined: December 09 2017
Location: Now
Status: Offline
Points: 9233
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Posted: December 28 2017 at 17:45 |
I'm probably biased but I'd consider GG not only criminally underrated, but misunderstood in how good those guys actually were on their instruments, despite the humbleness they appear to display.
I agree that their cohesion was larger than the sum of its parts, but honestly the ability to compose on an instrument and add that level of complexity mixed with melody completely transcends the idea of virtuosity.
Gentle Giant as a band is like one big instrument that nobody else can play.
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"I am so prog, I listen to concept albums on shuffle." -KMac2021
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AFlowerKingCrimson
Forum Senior Member
Joined: October 02 2016
Location: Philly burbs
Status: Offline
Points: 18995
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Posted: December 28 2017 at 17:55 |
Frenetic Zetetic wrote:
I'm probably biased but I'd consider GG not only criminally underrated, but misunderstood in how good those guys actually were on their instruments, despite the humbleness they appear to display.
I agree that their cohesion was larger than the sum of its parts, but honestly the ability to compose on an instrument and add that level of complexity mixed with melody completely transcends the idea of virtuosity.
Gentle Giant as a band is like one big instrument that nobody else can play. |
Well, it's not that they weren't virtuosos. Of course they were. They just knew how to show restraint and didn't play super fast all the time. They knew how to play in a way that served the composition and not just show off. I used to actually think that they were showing off but I no longer think that was the case. Yes, there was complexity involved but I don't think it was just for it's own sake. I think they were seriously inspired by medieval and renaissance music and fugues and that is why a lot of their music sounds the way it does.
Edited by AFlowerKingCrimson - December 28 2017 at 17:55
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Frenetic Zetetic
Forum Senior Member
Joined: December 09 2017
Location: Now
Status: Offline
Points: 9233
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Posted: December 28 2017 at 18:02 |
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^Absolutely. I might have a different interpretation of virtuosity; I typically associate it with superfluous, unnecessary stuff. Everything GG does serves a purpose IMO, and nobody adds the minstrel sound like those dudes did!
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"I am so prog, I listen to concept albums on shuffle." -KMac2021
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AFlowerKingCrimson
Forum Senior Member
Joined: October 02 2016
Location: Philly burbs
Status: Offline
Points: 18995
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Posted: December 28 2017 at 18:38 |
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I used to think that too but I think because it's often associated with classically trained guitarists like Yngwie Malmsteen.
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miamiscot
Forum Senior Member
Joined: April 23 2014
Location: Ohio
Status: Online
Points: 3629
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Posted: December 29 2017 at 08:38 |
Gentle Giant are in the top tier for me (which includes Yes, Genesis, King Crimson, Pink Floyd, ELP, Jethro Tull, Kansas and Rush.) People refer to a Big 6 but I've always had a Big 9.
Besides the dreadful Giant For A Day, every GG album was awesome!!!
To those looking for beauty in their music I will submit "Think Of Me With Kindness" for consideration.
QED
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AFlowerKingCrimson
Forum Senior Member
Joined: October 02 2016
Location: Philly burbs
Status: Offline
Points: 18995
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Posted: December 29 2017 at 10:24 |
Frenetic Zetetic wrote:
dr wu23 wrote:
Just out of curiosity.....anyone know what they are doing these days...other than being retired.....assuming thy are still alive and well...? |
Derek became CEO of Roadrunner Records and I think he signed Slipknot. Ray did some scores for movies/shows/games I think? |
That was later. He started out as record executive then became president and CEO of Atco. Derek was actually the one responsible for signing not just Bon Jovi but also Dream Theater. Roadrunner came later.
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AFlowerKingCrimson
Forum Senior Member
Joined: October 02 2016
Location: Philly burbs
Status: Offline
Points: 18995
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Posted: December 29 2017 at 10:26 |
miamiscot wrote:
Gentle Giant are in the top tier for me (which includes Yes, Genesis, King Crimson, Pink Floyd, ELP, Jethro Tull, Kansas and Rush.) People refer to a Big 6 but I've always had a Big 9.
Besides the dreadful Giant For A Day, every GG album was awesome!!!
To those looking for beauty in their music I will submit "Think Of Me With Kindness" for consideration.
QED |
That's cool but for me personally I don't extend it far enough to include GG even though I think they were great and as good as the others. If I did then I'd also have to include Camel and VDGG and maybe even Nektar. :)
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Frenetic Zetetic
Forum Senior Member
Joined: December 09 2017
Location: Now
Status: Offline
Points: 9233
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Posted: December 29 2017 at 19:00 |
AFlowerKingCrimson wrote:
Frenetic Zetetic wrote:
dr wu23 wrote:
Just out of curiosity.....anyone know what they are doing these days...other than being retired.....assuming thy are still alive and well...? |
Derek became CEO of Roadrunner Records and I think he signed Slipknot. Ray did some scores for movies/shows/games I think? |
That was later. He started out as record executive then became president and CEO of Atco. Derek was actually the one responsible for signing not just Bon Jovi but also Dream Theater. Roadrunner came later. |
Also Slipknot and *GASP* Nickelback if IIRC!
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"I am so prog, I listen to concept albums on shuffle." -KMac2021
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