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fragile43k 
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Joined: October 26 2004
Location: United States
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Points: 83
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 Topic: Gentle Giant are Prog Gods!!!!!!!!!
Posted: November 15 2004 at 15:19 |
Well I just finished listening to Gentle Giant's first album and I have come to the conclusion that Gentle Giant are the Kings of Prog. It's tight, experiemental, artistic, dynamic and brilliant. And oh my God!!! the vocals and guitar playing. Everyone must buy this album. Who ever said E.L.P. and Gentle Giant were the purist form of Prog. were right. I cant wait to get the rest of thier albums.
P.S. Echolyn are just a cheap, watered down version of Gentle Giant.
Correction, I have heard some of the songs from the first 6 albums. I meant I did'nt listen to the other albums all the way through. And I think that the weakest thing of Echolyn is the lead vocals; they just come off cheesy to me I don't know what you guys are talking about.
Edited by fragile43k
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gdub411
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Joined: August 24 2004
Location: United States
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Points: 3484
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Posted: November 15 2004 at 15:26 |
Wow...after one LP!!
P.S....you should have saved yourself some money and just purchased the Edge of Twilight Compilation...it has darn near every tune from their 1st 4 cds as well as their 6th.
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the musical box
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Joined: November 01 2004
Location: Canada
Status: Offline
Points: 436
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Posted: November 15 2004 at 15:48 |
 gdub411 wrote:
Wow...after one LP!!
P.S....you should have saved yourself some money and just purchased the Edge of Twilight Compilation...it has darn near every tune from their 1st 4 cds as well as their 6th.
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   they are good, but it does seem like fragile43k came to that conclusion a BIT too quickly doesnt it?
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something pretentious
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Cesar Inca
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Joined: May 19 2004
Location: Peru
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Points: 4888
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Posted: November 15 2004 at 16:05 |
ECHOLYN is very much influenced by GG, but they're not clones, they have a talent and musical creativity of their own. In fact I regard them as the best current prog act from the U.S.A.
On the other hand, GG is best properly introduced via their 'Free Hand' and/or 'Three Friends' and/or 'Octopus' albums. Then, you can go for the most overtly experimental, 'Acquiring the Taste' and 'In a Glass House', which in my opinion are their best.
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Vibrationbaby
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Joined: February 13 2004
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Points: 6898
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Posted: November 15 2004 at 19:04 |
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You definitely have to listen to Octopus, In a Glass House and Free Hand as Inca suggests. I invite you to read my wife's review of Octopus in my collaborators section under my real name Ian Gledhill. She is a classically trained musician currently working on her Phd. There will be another Gentle Giant review from her shortly. Glad to see that people are still getting into this remarkable band.
Edited by Vibrationbaby
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Dan Bobrowski
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Joined: February 02 2004
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Posted: November 15 2004 at 20:54 |
Cesar Inca wrote:
ECHOLYN is very much influenced by GG, but they're not clones, they have a talent and musical creativity of their own. In fact I regard them as the best current prog act from the U.S.A.
On the other hand, GG is best properly introduced via their 'Free Hand' and/or 'Three Friends' and/or 'Octopus' albums. Then, you can go for the most overtly experimental, 'Acquiring the Taste' and 'In a Glass House', which in my opinion are their best. |
It won't take much to see that I whole-heartedly agree with Cesar on this point. I love GG, but Echolyn's vocals are MUCH better and they are clearly influenced more than imitative. If you would actually LISTEN to Echolyn, you'd hear more than JUST GG in their sound. Actually, Cowboy Poems and Mei see the band breaking away from GG, IMO. I do agree with maani's ascertion that without GG, Echolyn would not exist, at least as we know them. There is no telling that Kull, Weston and Buzby wouldn't have still formed and played prog. 
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greenback
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Joined: August 14 2004
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Posted: November 15 2004 at 21:17 |
gentle giant are real gods! YES!
well, their first album is not their best one: it sounds very hard rock, less progressive.
just try octopus, free hand, power & glory and in a glass house.
But, for God's sake, just listen to INTERVIEW!
INTERVIEW is one of the most underrated prog albums on this Earth!
INTERVIEW is just...DELIGHTFUL!
Edited by greenback
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Eddy
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Joined: September 22 2004
Location: USA
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Points: 637
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Posted: November 15 2004 at 22:49 |
yes i agree that gg is pretty darn good.
if you got giddy when listen witrh the first cd, you'll explode when you hear octopus!
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Vibrationbaby
Forum Senior Member
Joined: February 13 2004
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Points: 6898
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Posted: November 15 2004 at 22:59 |
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Gentle Giant is a real exception in progressive rock music. They never put out a dud and threw in the towel when it was time to throw in the towel. I even love their final more simplified album Civilian ( see my review under my real name, Ian Gledhill) Also see Peter Rideout's excellent review on The Missing Piece. And I whole heartedly agree with greenback that Interview is delightful! However I hate the number of live bootlegs that have been released legally recently. Although there are some interesting versions of GG pieces (they never played their work the same way) they suffer from poor sound quality and are not worth their price so I would give them a listen before deciding on a purchase. I'll admit I have them all just because I'm a Gentle Giant fanatic and sometimes have more money than brains. Go to the official GG web-site. It's loaded with information about the band. It's unfortunate that we will never see a reunion.
Edited by Vibrationbaby
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Guests
Forum Guest Group
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Posted: November 16 2004 at 14:06 |
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The Giant man - what a band - Nothing AT All of the fist LP and River of Octopus must be two of the greates prog tracks around. Poor GG - the punk wars wasn't kind to them was it?
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Guests
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Posted: November 16 2004 at 14:33 |
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wow is INTERVIEW that good, Greenback - like most I've tended to give late-period GG a miss only going upto the live lP from 1975 - I defo think I'll give that LP a go next time i see it on vinyl.
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Prog_Bassist
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Joined: August 29 2004
Location: Canada
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Points: 830
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Posted: November 16 2004 at 15:12 |
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I don't know about everyone else, but even though I like all the albums I own by GG, My favorite one is The Power and the Glory.
Edited by Prog_Bassist
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greenback
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Joined: August 14 2004
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Posted: November 16 2004 at 18:23 |
mandrake wrote:
wow is INTERVIEW that good, Greenback - like most I've tended to give late-period GG a miss only going upto the live lP from 1975 - I defo think I'll give that LP a go next time i see it on vinyl. |
Oh man! INTERVIEW is, well, the continuity of Free Hand! The synchronization has reached its peak on Interview! The sound is amazingly pure, clean, and the loaded music is more complex than ever! I listen to this album and i'm on a high mood for hours and hours!! This album will kick your ass so well that you won't be able to sit down for 3 days!! Get the vinyl ASAP!
Edited by greenback
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The Hemulen
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Joined: July 31 2004
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Posted: November 17 2004 at 05:15 |
Now THIS is my kinda thread!!
A lot of people seem to say that GG takes a lot of getting used to, but for me it was pretty instant. I started with Octopus and was in love from 'Knots' onwards! They're complex, but catchy, and oozing with emotion! If anyone suggests that GG compromised expression for the sake of complexity I dare them to listen to Schooldays from Three Friends or Free Hand's title track and still think like that. They excite and enthrall me like no other band.
I'd personally say that almost every Giant album up to and including Playing The Fool are essential prog purchases unless you SERIOUSLY don't dig them for some reason. Free Hand, Octopus, In a Glass House and Playing the Fool would be my personal stand-out favourites, but Aquiring the Taste, the Power and the Glory, Three Friends, the debut and Interview are all damned close. I couldn't live without any one of those albums!
I think Interview's a much maligned album. The title track alone is a work of crazed genius! Add to that classics like I Lost My Head, Give It Back and Another Show and... wow! What an album! What a band! I love them to shreds!
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Vibrationbaby
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Joined: February 13 2004
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Points: 6898
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Posted: November 17 2004 at 07:13 |
Prog_Bassist wrote:
I don't know about everyone else, but even though I like all the albums I own by GG, My favorite one is The Power and the Glory. |
Every Gentle Giant album is my favourite!
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Vibrationbaby
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Joined: February 13 2004
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Points: 6898
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Posted: November 17 2004 at 07:18 |
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I love the cover of In A Glass House and love siitting and looking at it while I have the record on the turntable. I can't think of a more ineresting or original prog cover although I love Roger Dean's work and sevreal of his posters decorate my house.
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Alucard
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Joined: September 10 2004
Location: France
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Points: 3888
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Posted: November 17 2004 at 09:55 |
Vibrationbaby wrote:
I love the cover of In A Glass House and love siitting and looking at it while I have the record on the turntable. I can't think of a more ineresting or original prog cover although I love Roger Dean's work and sevreal of his posters decorate my house. |
I agree, unfortunetaly I didn't have the first edition with the b/w photo printed on the plastic inlet. There was a CD Rerelease which tried to reproduce the original and GG rereleased it with two concert cuts. Still my favourite with 3 Friends.
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Gentle Giant are Prog Gods!!!!!!!!!