"Octopus" was also my introduction to Gentle Giant. I bought it on a lark in my local used record store sometime during the early '80's. The song "Raconteur Troubador" was the most memorable song from that album for me. I gradually started loving the whole album thereafter.
Been listening to these guys for a while but now REALLY starting to get into their stuff. So exciting, discovering music as EXQUISITE as this. Think I love them for the same reasons I do the beach boys.
Absolutely LOVE The Power and the Glory by GG. That run of albums through the 70s was unbelievable. Some of the best instrumentalists of their era as well.
I have all except glass house. Of all the rock albums I;ve collected over the decades even including the Beatles and Pink Floyd, GG is the one band that I can still listen to an album and hear things I nevber noticed before and get chills. Unbelievable band. Completely unique.
chizmo7 go to the Gentle Giant website (it's unofficial - run by fans) which has links to loads of posts by people who have dissected tracks and found astonishing amounts of detail that are fascinating.)
Wow, fantastic collection. I've just come across your videos, so I have some catching up to do. Looking forward to seeing a few more of your dives into some of my favorite groups of all time. Thanks for sharing these.
The very first prog tune I ever heard was Peel the Paint. I was forever changed and it's been a wild and wonderful ride ever since. For example, I went to Glastonbury, England by myself in 2005 just to see (and ultimately hang out with) Gong. BTW, I always thought of Aspirations lyrics as a sort of prayer...love your videos
I remember seeing them at the Commodore Ballroom in Vancouver, 1977. They were backing up REO Speedwagon. We left after Gentle Giant because we were young and snooty - plus we hated REO Speedwagon. I wish I had kept all of their LPs but I moved around a lot and my parents emptied by old bedroom of all contents when they moved house in the 90s (I was living abroad - London). Thanks for the reminder of how interesting their output was.
Great collection and presentation! You remind me of a close friend of mine who is also a collector, though his collection is focused mostly on all things Beatles, Stones and early British rock, i.e., Small Faces, Humble Pie etc.. He's had an archive of vinyl for as long as I can remember. His older brother is also a collector. Here's a neat story: His brother used to work for the comedian David Brenner as a personal assistant. When Brenner was out of town (NYC) either playing Vegas or subbing on the Tonight Show, he'd sublet his townhouse. During one of these periods, David Bowie sublet the place and moved in for a couple of weeks. My friend's brother, who lived in an apartment in the basement, came along with the sublet package, sort of an in-house Man Friday. One day he invited Bowie down to his apartment to show him his extensive record collection which included a complete discography on Bowie, as well as bootlegged discs and videos. As he played a bootleg video of Bowie taken in the studio recording some album, Bowie exclaimed, "Fuck! They got me there too?!"
As a teen in a Canadian prairie town, my friend's family owned a small local country radio station. The station used to receive free demo copies of rock albums, which the station would never play. So my friend and I were allowed to go into the station and take whatever rock records we wanted. In 1977 I grabbed a copy of "Playing the Fool", having no idea who GG was. My musical world was changed forever!! To this day I think that is perhaps the best rock live album that's ever been made by anybody. It took awhile, but I eventually "Acquired" all the GG albums. In that isolated town, I was very lucky to find an imported copy of "Glass House" with the cellophane window cover. But it took a full 15 years to finally stumble on a used UK vinyl copy of "Three Friends", with the proper sleeve.
To finish, I now own a home theatre system, and am so happy that much of the Gentle Giant catalogue has been re-issued in digital 5.1 Surround. The band's dense, multi-layered sound is even more spectacular in Surround, with all the extra detail that comes out. These Surround releases also have an option where you can hear all the music without the vocals. All sorts of hidden stuff can be heard that way.
In a glass house is probably my number 1 but I acquired the taste with their first album. Have all the albums . even the sets an compilations and the expensive imports. My favorite group. Second favorite is Crack the Sky.
I love to sing particularly that song and like also a LOT of the whole album. Kerry Minnear's voice is so .. unbeliveable and soft unlike Derek's which is also great, no doubt.
I literally just discovered these guys, in my 20's. The Power and the Glory is in my top 5 albums already. Aspirations, Proclamation, and Valedictory are especially incredible expressions of the human soul.
I too have great memories of first hearing GG. I feel fortunate that they were around when I "discovered" them. I saw them live and what a band in a live setting. They were even better than their records and that's saying something.
I have all of their albums, and I have found that the band more or less expounded on the theory of what was not only going on in music but, what was also going on in their career. Many subtle hints of what was going on at the time. Some of their albums were conceptual, such as "In a glass house" about a man trapped in the legal system even though he was innocent. "Interview", seemed very introspective. That is to say what it is like being interviewed, about what you have become. One of my favorites is a song called "knots"which is a play on words on a poem written by R.D.Laing. All in all, I'd have to say that it is simply something to experience in musical extremes.
I found out about gentle giant from a friend he gave me a bunch of records and "power and the glory" was in it...crazy!!!! Also i learned about them DJing and guys like Madlib....gentle giant is excellent...
I agree completely about the song "Aspirations" from the "The Power and the Glory" record. Such an underrated masterpiece from an overall underrated band, featuring an especially powerful vocal performance from Kerry Minnear. I also have all of their albums on vinyl in my collection except for the ones made after 1977. I have the jar style "Octopus" Roger Dean cover too man! What a treasure for vinyl hunters. Wish I found your channel sooner my fellow vinyl lover...subscribing now!
Phantastic collection and music. I wasn't ready when I first heard them but I revisited them after some years and getting into more music and now I really like them since 5 years. :)
The 1st G.G. Album on( Vertigo) is extremly rare an very hard to track down, unlike the other ones such as octopus that are much easyer to find as well as other vertigo releases..
I just really started to listen to GG after performing "Just the Same" with a group for Denver's 14 Annual Prog Fest. Completely in love with the song. Thanks for the excellent tour of the band!
My guitar player paid for my ticket to see Gentle Giant with opening band Renaissance in 1977. I really wasn't interested at first, probably because I didn't really give their records a chance. They seemed strange. Well I'm glad I went because to this day it was the best concert I had ever seen, and I've seen them all!!
sorry now I see Francois Breant ! Very Beautiful it;s the track Survol de Rio ! After so many years I discover it because of your video, thanks a lot !!!!!
I bought "Free Hand" after reading an article in a magazine following its release. GG instantly became one of my very favorite bands. Then, in 1976, I got to see them open for Yes in Seattle. I had a feeling the Yes crowd would dig Gentle Giant, but I never would've guessed that the audience called them back for THREE encores. I've never seen any other support group pull that off! Saw 'em again in 1977 when they came back as headliners. They were just as amazing as the first time I saw them, and they got to play a full set. I was an aspiring bass guitarist at the time and to this day I think Ray Shulman is one the best. Trying to figure out his bass parts was like solving puzzles, but more fun!
dereckvon what excellent review of a great British band....They still wouldn't be out of place today. Oh, and Uriah Heep I seen them in 70/71. Another excellent band that didn't make the grade were Beggers Opera from here in Scotland.
A cam or motorblock flange. Great shirt. And the eat-your-heart-out album collection. 'Hav'nt seen 1 of those in a long time. Very good, complimentary fun presentation. When you pull out (was'nt expecting it) that cover to the first album...it's a little humorous (a little surreal). The Octopus album..the Roger Dean art inside..that I've never seen before..(what can be said) great stuff. & the US edit. too which I had. A comment: I arrived @ GG in 1981: A friend had 'The Missing Piece' contd
hello dereck heureux de te revoir ! tu aborde la l'un de mes groupes preferes qui alliait intelligeance et maitrise musicale (utilisation du contre point entre autres) thanks you !!
Aspirations, A Reunion, Think of me with Kindness and all their mellow? ballads? ... lol ... featuring Kerry on vocals are all really so beautiful, you just have to understand these cats. I actually have the exact same vinyl collection that you have except for the single, it's spooky !!! I also have the same cover twice and don't have the British 3 friends, but have the other necessary imports (1st, 2nd, Octopus, Glass House) and the American Octopus. "In A Glass House" was actually done before "power and the glory" and caused them to be dropped by Columbia in USA (after only releasing the 3rd and 4th) because they considered it too anti-commercial. "P&G" was later released in USA by Polydor
Really enjoyed the video my friend, I agree GG is top notch for me they are in fact my favorite band to this day!! You view is in fact on the money, Thanks for posting.
Such an outstanding band! I agree with all of your thoughts, though I will say I think "Shadows On The Street" is a wonderful track from Civilian. It reminds me of other great Kerry songs like "Aspirations" and "A Reunion." One question, what is the background music in this video that starts at 3:00?
Wow, that octopus vinyl cover, is that original? The reason im asking is, that those exact covers often are very prone to going ugly due to the green color on it oxidising, it could be a swapped sleeve from a later spaceship issue? if not, you sir are very lucky to have a copy in that pristine condition. I cannot believe how much money these copies fetch on Ebay, especially the swirl versions.
Thanks for sharing your stories about Gentle Giant. I'm probably 3-4 years older than you, with the same musical tastes of that time in music. I also still have all my vinyl, cassettes, reel to reel, I finally threw out my 8 tracks. Good music was so openly available in numerous combinations of styles. Record companies had not yet catalogized & divided these styles. Good music will always be good music regardless of styles. I am happy that bands such as Big Big Train, The Flower Kings, Spock's Beard, The Tangent, Ozric Tentacles, etc continue to carry the water for prog related bands.
nice! i love Gentle Giant - and i think it's great when you talk about their LP's in detail - i hope many young people discover the band trough you-tube :)
That phone interruption cracked me up... cuz that is was happens to me 99% of the time I'm recording... it's like: yt vid take one.... yt vid take two... yt vid take three. NOT easy for me!... smart of you to not start all over. Looking forward to sampling some Gentle Giant here on YT.
I saw GG 4 times in the mid-1970s. I actually got backstage 1 time after their set and met the band and hung out & talked with them for 45 minutes or so, at a concert hall in Rochester, NY (can't recall the name). That was the Free Hand tour, I believe. Derek Shulman even poured me a glass of wine. Great memory!
great review. I love Gentle Giant. I first heard of them at a friends in H.S. The track was "Just the Same." I still love the intro with the snapping fingers and then blending into the rhythm of the song, BRILLIANT!! I am warmed to see other admiring fans of such a unique band.
great job. They were so astonishing.I fear my brother got a hold of my old LPs, too. Haven't looked in the storage box in years. Such great covers and music. Agreed on the Freehand comments. That cover actually reminds me of the cover for The lamb lies down,( people, I KNOW that's genesis) in its stark graphic, almost noir look. Such a let down with the rainbow graphics on the next LP though it had some great tunes. Hated Missing pc. for years but two great tunes, you know the ones, are there.
I often search eBay for Gentle Giant hoping to find that first album at a good price (having never heard it!). But that "jar" cover really caught my eye. I had seen most of the other albums, but not that one.
Love Gentle Giant too. Just listening to the 2010 Remaster of "Free Hand" the other day. So that's like the fourth edition I've owned already ! In this instance the band has issued their Capitol years as Re-Mastered from the original 1/4 inch tapes thru 24bit 96k Hi-Resolution Transfer editions, no bonus tracks. But the sound does sound warmer to past cd editions to these ears in some instances.
Hello, I totally agree with you! GG is my band reference, I started to listen to 15 years old, I used their records in exhibitions to demonstrations with audio Atelc Lansing and the legendary Klipsch. I'm 52 years old and still organize listening to progressive rock with vinyl and a vintage impainto with my beliefs Altec 19. Long live the music of Gentle Giant. Thank you for your enthusiastic presentation!
Just stumbled on your video, awesome stuff! GG has been my favorite band since I heard Octopus in 1972. Saw them twice, 1975 and 1976. There aren't a lot of us hard-core fans in the world and that makes your video like watching a friend I've never met... yet. I live in Vancouver, Canada, what part of the US are you in? Thanks for sharing, hope our paths cross in the real world some day.
Funny story but here is another band that my older cousin in New York used to try to get me into in the late 70's and of course I was narrow minded then. Love the artwork of their albums because it seemed they took so much pride in them. You talked me into bidding on a mint copy of Octopus and I bought The Power and The Glory. Having all of the original pressings that shows you were a fan from the start. Time for Rob to catch up with the gentle giant~{bad play on words} Thanks Dereck~ Rob/Boston
So for my 15 year old self then...hearing 'Betcha Thought We Could'nt do it'..my friends & I mostly associated them playing the mod pop beat at the time: in 1978. Pieces like the Clashes 'Im so board w/the usa', E Costellos 'pump it up!'..Anything by Joe Jackson around that time. 'People who might've thought GG were stogy, hopelessly eccentric? They did this. 1 last note: on 10/10 '3 Friends' is playing Sellarsville Theatre in PA. it was just announced 6/5. $45/tix. I'll e-mail the link
@TheMM360 You're right about my assessment of their later works, I'll give that song a listen. Thanks for the clarification I speak without really knowing sometimes, just judging mostly from how long I've had the records.
Crikey my record collection would take up three to four of those compartments behind. So you have five or six times what I have. Mine already takes a bit of upkeep and sorting into genre/mood (I dont like alphabetical...that's not how my listening mood works!!). Yours must be a full time occupation!! :)
Gentle Giant once played as the side show band to Ozzie Osborne and Black Sabbath and got booed. So, the "In a Glass Album" is considered their black album or Gentle Giant's version of heavy metal. In other words, that album was supposed to be turned up. They weren't the only band to do this. Other notable black albums during that time were "Dark Side of the Moon," "Crime of the Century," and "Red" by King Crimson. Even ELO did a heavy album, for ELO anyway, which depicted a black light on the cover. I prefer these abstracts of heavy metal to the true metal music.
Can't help but be jealous of your GG collection. I'm still working on mine. Luckily there were pretty popular here in Canada, so tracking down the vinyl isn't too hard. Have you gotten a chance to check out the band Three Freinds? It is composed of two members of GG. Some might call them a cover band since it is only Gary Green and a drummer from GG, but they blew the roof off the place last week on Cruise to the Edge. Very impressive. Three Friends / Gentle Giant Cruise To The Edge
really awesome band. i started at the first album, and "was completely ready for it". that song "giant" to me really reminded me of some dynamic Gabriel stuff. i'd love to see your GONG" collection (and your takes on the albums) !! me and my friend smoked some nice weed to the CAMEMBERT ELECTRIQUE" album just yesterday... scared and delighted the shit out of us!
My heart aches as I watch this video. I had all of those albums except for In a Glass House, but I was burglarized in 1980 and lost all of them except for Free Hand, which I still have. *Weep* I remember being uncertain about Missing Piece. I liked it one day, then didn't the next, because I thought they were starting to "sell out." I didn't know about their roots, though. That puts a new spin on their musical shift.
Great, great review. It sounds like your introduction to GG just about paralleled mine. Started with Octopus, went back to Three Friends, then Acquiring the Taste. Power and Glory just blew me away too. One record you missed was that live album with what I think is the best On Reflection version I've heard. What a Band, eh?
Okay, I made it to 11:22 as you held up The Missing Piece and declared what song you weren't crazy about and I said with you "I betcha thought we couldn't do it" because that was the song that makes me crinkle my nose a bit. It's the streak breaker, kinda like "Circus of Heaven" on Yes' Tormato. Basically, I think you're dude me, The Power and The Glory has been played by me nonstop since I first heard it.The only place we basically differ is how you perceived the first album when you heard it, I loved it too. I can't let go of GG, and fistbump!
I have almost all there albums too. not giant for a day and missing pice. had it but didn't like it as a kid. but I agree what you say about every album
That's so subjective, but if you start with Acquiring the Taste, then move chronologically forwards, you will get the evolutionary arc of the band and be fully astonished by the time Free hand hits. Interview is a slight step down on an exponentially precipitous ladder though it has a few great tunes. Civilian also boasts a few classics amidst the commercial efforts, as does Missing Piece but they had lost me so badly by then it was hard to embrace the good with all the bad. #1= Octopus
I auditioned for a program band as a bassist in Buffalo, NY about ‘76, the piece I had to learn was ‘Boys In The Band’. Yes, I passed the audition. :)
It was 2000 when I first heard Gentle Giant. I was 14 and Free Hand was my introduction. Absolutely love that band.
"Octopus" was also my introduction to Gentle Giant. I bought it on a lark in my local used record store sometime during the early '80's. The song "Raconteur Troubador" was the most memorable song from that album for me. I gradually started loving the whole album thereafter.
Always good to know other people appreciate GG as much as I do! Brilliant albums, great musicians. It doesn’t get old!
Been listening to these guys for a while but now REALLY starting to get into their stuff.
So exciting, discovering music as EXQUISITE as this.
Think I love them for the same reasons I do the beach boys.
Absolutely LOVE The Power and the Glory by GG. That run of albums through the 70s was unbelievable. Some of the best instrumentalists of their era as well.
I have all except glass house. Of all the rock albums I;ve collected over the decades even including the Beatles and Pink Floyd, GG is the one band that I can still listen to an album and hear things I nevber noticed before and get chills. Unbelievable band. Completely unique.
chizmo7 go to the Gentle Giant website (it's unofficial - run by fans) which has links to loads of posts by people who have dissected tracks and found astonishing amounts of detail that are fascinating.)
Wow, fantastic collection. I've just come across your videos, so I have some catching up to do. Looking forward to seeing a few more of your dives into some of my favorite groups of all time. Thanks for sharing these.
The very first prog tune I ever heard was Peel the Paint. I was forever changed and it's been a wild and wonderful ride ever since. For example, I went to Glastonbury, England by myself in 2005 just to see (and ultimately hang out with) Gong. BTW, I always thought of Aspirations lyrics as a sort of prayer...love your videos
The acquiring the taste Is so good been in my play list for the last 11 months
This guy knows his stuff! Gentle Giant is probably the most uncelebrated, eclectic progressive bands ever produced.
WOW how did I miss this? Way behind on my TH-cam viewing. I am HUGE fan since 1971 & enjoying this much especially as a African American Prog lover
The Gentle Giant playing is from the album "The Power and the Glory".
I remember seeing them at the Commodore Ballroom in Vancouver, 1977. They were backing up REO Speedwagon. We left after Gentle Giant because we were young and snooty - plus we hated REO Speedwagon. I wish I had kept all of their LPs but I moved around a lot and my parents emptied by old bedroom of all contents when they moved house in the 90s (I was living abroad - London). Thanks for the reminder of how interesting their output was.
Great collection and presentation! You remind me of a close friend of mine who is also a collector, though his collection is focused mostly on all things Beatles, Stones and early British rock, i.e., Small Faces, Humble Pie etc.. He's had an archive of vinyl for as long as I can remember. His older brother is also a collector.
Here's a neat story: His brother used to work for the comedian David Brenner as a personal
assistant. When Brenner was out of town (NYC) either playing Vegas or subbing on the Tonight Show, he'd sublet his townhouse. During one of these periods, David Bowie sublet the place and moved in for a couple of weeks. My friend's brother, who lived in an apartment in the basement, came along with the sublet package, sort of an in-house Man Friday.
One day he invited Bowie down to his apartment to show him his extensive record collection which included a complete discography on Bowie, as well as bootlegged discs and videos. As he played a bootleg video of Bowie taken in the studio recording some album, Bowie exclaimed, "Fuck! They got me there too?!"
As a teen in a Canadian prairie town, my friend's family owned a small local country radio station. The station used to receive free demo copies of rock albums, which the station would never play. So my friend and I were allowed to go into the station and take whatever rock records we wanted. In 1977 I grabbed a copy of "Playing the Fool", having no idea who GG was. My musical world was changed forever!! To this day I think that is perhaps the best rock live album that's ever been made by anybody.
It took awhile, but I eventually "Acquired" all the GG albums. In that isolated town, I was very lucky to find an imported copy of "Glass House" with the cellophane window cover. But it took a full 15 years to finally stumble on a used UK vinyl copy of "Three Friends", with the proper sleeve.
To finish, I now own a home theatre system, and am so happy that much of the Gentle Giant catalogue has been re-issued in digital 5.1 Surround. The band's dense, multi-layered sound is even more spectacular in Surround, with all the extra detail that comes out. These Surround releases also have an option where you can hear all the music without the vocals. All sorts of hidden stuff can be heard that way.
In a glass house is probably my number 1 but I acquired the taste with their first album. Have all the albums . even the sets an compilations and the expensive imports. My favorite group. Second favorite is Crack the Sky.
I 100% agree with you about Aspirations. My personal favorite.
I love to sing particularly that song and like also a LOT of the whole album. Kerry Minnear's voice is so .. unbeliveable and soft unlike Derek's which is also great, no doubt.
I literally just discovered these guys, in my 20's. The Power and the Glory is in my top 5 albums already. Aspirations, Proclamation, and Valedictory are especially incredible expressions of the human soul.
I too have great memories of first hearing GG. I feel fortunate that they were around when I "discovered" them. I saw them live and what a band in a live setting. They were even better than their records and that's saying something.
I have all of their albums, and I have found that the band more or less expounded on the theory of what was not only going on in music but, what was also going on in their career. Many subtle hints of what was going on at the time. Some of their albums were conceptual, such as "In a glass house" about a man trapped in the legal system even though he was innocent. "Interview", seemed very introspective. That is to say what it is like being interviewed, about what you have become. One of my favorites is a song called "knots"which is a play on words on a poem written by R.D.Laing. All in all, I'd have to say that it is simply something to experience in musical extremes.
I found out about gentle giant from a friend he gave me a bunch of records and "power and the glory" was in it...crazy!!!! Also i learned about them DJing and guys like Madlib....gentle giant is excellent...
Thank you for sharing this fantastic collection. Definitely "Aspiration" is one of my favorite songs from Gentle Giant.
I agree completely about the song "Aspirations" from the "The Power and the Glory" record. Such an underrated masterpiece from an overall underrated band, featuring an especially powerful vocal performance from Kerry Minnear. I also have all of their albums on vinyl in my collection except for the ones made after 1977. I have the jar style "Octopus" Roger Dean cover too man! What a treasure for vinyl hunters. Wish I found your channel sooner my fellow vinyl lover...subscribing now!
Chrono Logic Get hold of the Steven Wilson remastered CD/Bluray of The Power And The Glory... stunning!!
A friend of mine from DC who recently Transition put me on GG.Rest in Peace BROTHER Thank You.
Amazingly cool. For years I thought I was the only GG fan on the earth (well at least in New Mexico). Thanks for posting.
Phantastic collection and music. I wasn't ready when I first heard them but I revisited them after some years and getting into more music and now I really like them since 5 years. :)
I discovered them recently (even as a long time prog fanatic) and bought almost all their albums. I was addicted.
The 1st G.G. Album on( Vertigo) is extremly rare an very hard to track down, unlike the other ones such as octopus that are much easyer to find as well as other vertigo releases..
I just really started to listen to GG after performing "Just the Same" with a group for Denver's 14 Annual Prog Fest. Completely in love with the song. Thanks for the excellent tour of the band!
My guitar player paid for my ticket to see Gentle Giant with opening band Renaissance in 1977. I really wasn't interested at first, probably because I didn't really give their records a chance. They seemed strange. Well I'm glad I went because to this day it was the best concert I had ever seen, and I've seen them all!!
sorry now I see Francois Breant ! Very Beautiful it;s the track Survol de Rio ! After so many years I discover it because of your video, thanks a lot !!!!!
Gentle Giant great I love!
I bought "Free Hand" after reading an article in a magazine following its release. GG instantly became one of my very favorite bands. Then, in 1976, I got to see them open for Yes in Seattle. I had a feeling the Yes crowd would dig Gentle Giant, but I never would've guessed that the audience called them back for THREE encores. I've never seen any other support group pull that off! Saw 'em again in 1977 when they came back as headliners. They were just as amazing as the first time I saw them, and they got to play a full set.
I was an aspiring bass guitarist at the time and to this day I think Ray Shulman is one the best. Trying to figure out his bass parts was like solving puzzles, but more fun!
dereckvon what excellent review of a great British band....They still wouldn't be out of place today. Oh, and Uriah Heep I seen them in 70/71.
Another excellent band that didn't make the grade were Beggers Opera from here in Scotland.
A cam or motorblock flange. Great shirt. And the eat-your-heart-out album collection. 'Hav'nt seen 1 of those in a long time. Very good, complimentary fun presentation. When you pull out (was'nt expecting it) that cover to the first album...it's a little humorous (a little surreal). The Octopus album..the Roger Dean art inside..that I've never seen before..(what can be said) great stuff. & the US edit. too which I had. A comment: I arrived @ GG in 1981: A friend had 'The Missing Piece' contd
Belíssima Coleção.
Nice collection. Love "Acquiring The Taste".
hello dereck heureux de te revoir ! tu aborde la l'un de mes groupes preferes qui alliait intelligeance et maitrise musicale (utilisation du contre point entre autres) thanks you !!
Gentle Giant is the best. So much time was killed.
Aspirations, A Reunion, Think of me with Kindness and all their mellow? ballads? ... lol ... featuring Kerry on vocals are all really so beautiful, you just have to understand these cats. I actually have the exact same vinyl collection that you have except for the single, it's spooky !!! I also have the same cover twice and don't have the British 3 friends, but have the other necessary imports (1st, 2nd, Octopus, Glass House) and the American Octopus. "In A Glass House" was actually done before "power and the glory" and caused them to be dropped by Columbia in USA (after only releasing the 3rd and 4th) because they considered it too anti-commercial. "P&G" was later released in USA by Polydor
Wow, that's a impressive vinyl collection you've got there. I like your vid very much...Thanks for posting!
Wonderful insights, Mr. D. Thanks for sharing your story. I am new to Gentle Giant but am loving the journey so far.
Loved this!
LOVE how this video ends!!!
Love Aspiration too... You described it Perfectly !!
Really enjoyed the video my friend, I agree GG is top notch for me they are in fact my favorite band to this day!! You view is in fact on the money, Thanks for posting.
Such an outstanding band! I agree with all of your thoughts, though I will say I think "Shadows On The Street" is a wonderful track from Civilian. It reminds me of other great Kerry songs like "Aspirations" and "A Reunion."
One question, what is the background music in this video that starts at 3:00?
What the fuck
Wow, that octopus vinyl cover, is that original? The reason im asking is, that those exact covers often are very prone to going ugly due to the green color on it oxidising, it could be a swapped sleeve from a later spaceship issue? if not, you sir are very lucky to have a copy in that pristine condition. I cannot believe how much money these copies fetch on Ebay, especially the swirl versions.
i am also a BIG fan Of GG.. love your videos for years!
Thanks for sharing your stories about Gentle Giant. I'm probably 3-4 years older than you, with the same musical tastes of that time in music. I also still have all my vinyl, cassettes, reel to reel, I finally threw out my 8 tracks. Good music was so openly available in numerous combinations of styles. Record companies had not yet catalogized & divided these styles. Good music will always be good music regardless of styles. I am happy that bands such as Big Big Train, The Flower Kings, Spock's Beard, The Tangent, Ozric Tentacles, etc continue to carry the water for prog related bands.
nice! i love Gentle Giant - and i think it's great when you talk about their LP's in detail - i hope many young people discover the band trough you-tube :)
Nice review...have never heard them but will investigate..That ending....funny..thanks Dereck!!
That phone interruption cracked me up... cuz that is was happens to me 99% of the time I'm recording... it's like: yt vid take one.... yt vid take two... yt vid take three.
NOT easy for me!... smart of you to not start all over. Looking forward to sampling some Gentle Giant here on YT.
I saw GG 4 times in the mid-1970s. I actually got backstage 1 time after their set and met the band and hung out & talked with them for 45 minutes or so, at a concert hall in Rochester, NY (can't recall the name). That was the Free Hand tour, I believe.
Derek Shulman even poured me a glass of wine. Great memory!
great review. I love Gentle Giant. I first heard of them at a friends in H.S. The track was "Just the Same." I still love the intro with the snapping fingers and then blending into the rhythm of the song, BRILLIANT!! I am warmed to see other admiring fans of such a unique band.
"Way of life" from "In a glass house" is epic.
Outstanding!
GG is a huge challenge for humans ear and a beautiful dosis for a musician's heart
3 Friends is an amazing album, i used to listen to it again and again when in high school, especially Mr. Class and Quality and Peel the Paint
great job. They were so astonishing.I fear my brother got a hold of my old LPs, too. Haven't looked in the storage box in years. Such great covers and music. Agreed on the Freehand comments. That cover actually reminds me of the cover for The lamb lies down,( people, I KNOW that's genesis) in its stark graphic, almost noir look. Such a let down with the rainbow graphics on the next LP though it had some great tunes. Hated Missing pc. for years but two great tunes, you know the ones, are there.
I often search eBay for Gentle Giant hoping to find that first album at a good price (having never heard it!). But that "jar" cover really caught my eye. I had seen most of the other albums, but not that one.
One of my favourite bands. So underrated, unfortunately.
Love Gentle Giant too. Just listening to the 2010 Remaster of "Free Hand" the other day. So that's like the fourth edition I've owned already ! In this instance the band has issued their Capitol years as Re-Mastered from the original 1/4 inch tapes thru 24bit 96k Hi-Resolution Transfer editions, no bonus tracks. But the sound does sound warmer to past cd editions to these ears in some instances.
Hello, I totally agree with you! GG is my band reference, I started to listen to 15 years old, I used their records in exhibitions to demonstrations with audio Atelc Lansing and the legendary Klipsch. I'm 52 years old and still organize listening to progressive rock with vinyl and a vintage impainto with my beliefs Altec 19.
Long live the music of Gentle Giant. Thank you for your enthusiastic presentation!
@TheSphinxStinks Honestly, I would go for Octopus, In A Glass House or The Power and the Glory. Thanks for watching.
Respect to you , sir .
Are you crazy ? yes. You are. And i love it. !
love the fact that you have BOTH versions of Octopus
Just stumbled on your video, awesome stuff! GG has been my favorite band since I heard Octopus in 1972. Saw them twice, 1975 and 1976. There aren't a lot of us hard-core fans in the world and that makes your video like watching a friend I've never met... yet. I live in Vancouver, Canada, what part of the US are you in? Thanks for sharing, hope our paths cross in the real world some day.
Glad you enjoyed the video. I'm in Omaha, Nebraska.
NodRoland
Yep, not many of us around anymore, will have to pass it on huh? Really appreciate this video!
GG rules! Also like a lot of the Simon Dupree stuff.
Funny story but here is another band that my older cousin in New York used to try to get me into in the late 70's and of course I was narrow minded then. Love the artwork of their albums because it seemed they took so much pride in them. You talked me into bidding on a mint copy of Octopus and I bought The Power and The Glory. Having all of the original pressings that shows you were a fan from the start. Time for Rob to catch up with the gentle giant~{bad play on words} Thanks Dereck~
Rob/Boston
Look at all that vinyl! :)...You are a love of music...And, Giant is an awesome prog band! I bet you're a big Chick and Miles fan! :)
Great analysis. I'm with you all the way. But I just have to say:
Damn cell phones!
@GalaxyRover1020 You've got my interest after describing the remasters. I will have to investigate. They were such a great band. Thanks!
Great review.
Great review, Dereck. I like your insights. I subbed. :-)
Power and The Glory and Glass House were the first 2 albums I heard by them and still my favorites next to Free Hand
So for my 15 year old self then...hearing 'Betcha Thought We Could'nt do it'..my friends & I mostly associated them playing the mod pop beat at the time: in 1978. Pieces like the Clashes 'Im so board w/the usa', E Costellos 'pump it up!'..Anything by Joe Jackson around that time. 'People who might've thought GG were stogy, hopelessly eccentric? They did this. 1 last note: on 10/10 '3 Friends' is playing Sellarsville Theatre in PA. it was just announced 6/5. $45/tix. I'll e-mail the link
GENTLE GIANT is amazing, But i also love heep, Salisbury is amazing espically the title track Mick Box plays his arse off on it!
you are so cool...I love this vid
@DocStrangelyStrange Octopus would be a great album to start with!
@TheMM360 You're right about my assessment of their later works, I'll give that song a listen. Thanks for the clarification I speak without really knowing sometimes, just judging mostly from how long I've had the records.
Aspirations can also be considered as a Prog Gospel. Think of it in religious terms.
I am so listening to their debut album on my way to work tomorrow.
Crikey my record collection would take up three to four of those compartments behind. So you have five or six times what I have. Mine already takes a bit of upkeep and sorting into genre/mood (I dont like alphabetical...that's not how my listening mood works!!). Yours must be a full time occupation!! :)
❤️
Gentle Giant once played as the side show band to Ozzie Osborne and Black Sabbath and got booed. So, the "In a Glass Album" is considered their black album or Gentle Giant's version of heavy metal. In other words, that album was supposed to be turned up. They weren't the only band to do this. Other notable black albums during that time were "Dark Side of the Moon," "Crime of the Century," and "Red" by King Crimson. Even ELO did a heavy album, for ELO anyway, which depicted a black light on the cover. I prefer these abstracts of heavy metal to the true metal music.
Oh yes! Thanks.
Can't help but be jealous of your GG collection. I'm still working on mine. Luckily there were pretty popular here in Canada, so tracking down the vinyl isn't too hard.
Have you gotten a chance to check out the band Three Freinds? It is composed of two members of GG. Some might call them a cover band since it is only Gary Green and a drummer from GG, but they blew the roof off the place last week on Cruise to the Edge. Very impressive.
Three Friends / Gentle Giant Cruise To The Edge
really awesome band. i started at the first album, and "was completely ready for it". that song "giant" to me really reminded me of some dynamic Gabriel stuff. i'd love to see your GONG" collection (and your takes on the albums) !! me and my friend smoked some nice weed to the CAMEMBERT ELECTRIQUE" album just yesterday... scared and delighted the shit out of us!
My heart aches as I watch this video. I had all of those albums except for In a Glass House, but I was burglarized in 1980 and lost all of them except for Free Hand, which I still have. *Weep* I remember being uncertain about Missing Piece. I liked it one day, then didn't the next, because I thought they were starting to "sell out." I didn't know about their roots, though. That puts a new spin on their musical shift.
Great, great review. It sounds like your introduction to GG just about paralleled mine. Started with Octopus, went back to Three Friends, then Acquiring the Taste. Power and Glory just blew me away too. One record you missed was that live album with what I think is the best On Reflection version I've heard. What a Band, eh?
Survol de Rio - Francois Breant...hmmm. i love those 2 Breant albums. :-)
I dig you...
Never got to see them.
Okay, I made it to 11:22 as you held up The Missing Piece and declared what song you weren't crazy about and I said with you "I betcha thought we couldn't do it" because that was the song that makes me crinkle my nose a bit. It's the streak breaker, kinda like "Circus of Heaven" on Yes' Tormato. Basically, I think you're dude me, The Power and The Glory has been played by me nonstop since I first heard it.The only place we basically differ is how you perceived the first album when you heard it, I loved it too. I can't let go of GG, and fistbump!
I have almost all there albums too. not giant for a day and missing pice. had it but didn't like it as a kid. but I agree what you say about every album
I ENVY YOU......REALLY !!
That's so subjective, but if you start with Acquiring the Taste, then move chronologically forwards, you will get the evolutionary arc of the band and be fully astonished by the time Free hand hits. Interview is a slight step down on an exponentially precipitous ladder though it has a few great tunes. Civilian also boasts a few classics amidst the commercial efforts, as does Missing Piece but they had lost me so badly by then it was hard to embrace the good with all the bad. #1= Octopus