New Gentle Giant DVD!
Printed From: Progarchives.com
Category: Progressive Music Lounges
Forum Name: Prog Bands, Artists and Genres Appreciation
Forum Description: Discuss specific prog bands and their members or a specific sub-genre
URL: http://www.progarchives.com/forum/forum_posts.asp?TID=21408
Printed Date: March 12 2025 at 21:15
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Topic: New Gentle Giant DVD!
Posted By: oddentity
Subject: New Gentle Giant DVD!
Date Posted: April 07 2006 at 21:06
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re: GG at the GG. This has certainly come out of the blue. I was led to believe that the Giant on the Box DVD contained the only footage of Gentle Giant there was. Now suddenly we have an entirely new DVD complete with performances of On Reflection, Freehand, Just the Same, Playing the Game and a number of other classics, plus video clips of some Interview numbers. That's amazing. Does anyone have this one yet? Trouserpress? -
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Replies:
Posted By: Bj-1
Date Posted: April 08 2006 at 00:43
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I think Man With Hat have that one. He posted a review for it a couple of days ago. I really want it too!!! ------------- RIO/AVANT/ZEUHL - The best thing you can get with yer pants on! |
Posted By: Badabec
Date Posted: May 26 2006 at 09:29
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Hey guys, I have it too! It is great! I was surprised that even the more catchier songs rocked so much! You have to buy that DVD!  By the way, it was very interesting to see some of the first music-videos ever... I was surprised that music-videos existed already that early (1976)... However, This DVD-Box rules! |
Posted By: The Hemulen
Date Posted: May 26 2006 at 09:54
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It's brilliant. If you're more than a casual GG fan it's a must. The main concert footage is from a BBC programme called Sight & Sound which featured simulcast rock concerts on BBC2 and Radio 1.
There's all a commentary track with all 5 members of the band remeniscing and taking the piss out of each other clothes, which is very funny but also a little depressing - it's painfully clear that they all see it as very much "that was then, this is now". Reunion chances look dimmer than ever.
There's some great bonus footage too, and some charming sleeve notes from unashamed prog lover Stuart Maconie.
One word of warning - the concert features a lot of Missing Piece material... including some of the bad bits. Don't let that put you off, though. The Free Hand and Power and the Glory stuff is incredible.
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Posted By: Heino
Date Posted: May 26 2006 at 11:26
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Hey proggers, I too bought that new DVD. Again it can be seen that they were brilliant musicians, although this time the material is inferior to The Giant on the Box -DVD musically. The live gig at The Hippodrome in 1978 is very good and the videos from 1976 also, but the studio material from 1978 is simply weak, typical pop from the end of the decade - and I barely can watch most of them wearing those stupid clothes (were them that ridiculous? uh-uh) at Hippodrome. This music deserves more than overalls, this is art rock! But it was late seventies kinda disco style...They surely understood to finish they career on time! They were too clever to compose pop music, which as I understand was demand from record companies to go more commersial. Althought the music isnīt as near good as in those glory days of early seventies, their playing and singing is still interesting and enjoyable. Luckily it contains that beautiful song "Memories of Old Days" and powerful "Octopus Medley" from 1974. Gentle Giant was really one of the greats, but this DVD is a little bit disappointing. 
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Posted By: mrgd
Date Posted: May 29 2006 at 01:00
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There's no doubt that although some of the bonus material on this DVD chronicles the start of the end for GG [ in this regard I agree that the studio vision of some songs from 'Giant for a Day' , although interesting for fans , serves as a painful reminder ], the concert at Golders Green is worth having . You don't judge a book by it's cover or, in this case, by the clothes they wore [it was the mid 70's after all and the affliction of crass or kitch clothing/costumes was a product of those times] and the material they play. As the blerb says , it was to be their last live concert in the UK and the band was firing . Sure there's a heavy emphasis on 'The Missing Piece ' material with the less popular 'Two Weeks in Spain' and ' I'm Turning Around ' [the singles at that time]. But 'Memories of old Days', 'For Nobody' and all the other earlier material more than makes up for that commercial element . Again, you can only really appreciate the intricacy of their work by seeing live footage--boiler suits or not, and this is very good live footage.
The 'fill' at the start and between programmes is also worth having as new original material from KM and contributed to by JW. It may just lead to something new! A collaberation of some kind. I guess the greater the level of interest ,the greater the chance.[ Also, if you order directly from Alucard Music you get to correspond with the lovely Lesley Minnear who answers queries and handles the orders ] ------------- Looking still the same after all these years... mrgd |