Giant virgin acquires the taste

[Zeuhlmate]

I hate to be pedantic (just kidding, I love it) but while this description may give you a bit of an idea of the variegation of their robust counterpoint, it does them a disservice by implying a lack of cohesion among the parts when the compositions often display imitation and development. Gentle Giant is one of my favorite prog bands because they both exhibit a higher level of compositional craft than most of their peers while also generally not trying to prove their legitimacy qua classical music in the form of "epics", which in the cast of most rock bands tend to be meandering patchworks of unrelated material.

[Facelift]

Rank 'em:

In A Glass House
Acquiring The Taste
Octopus
Freehand
The P&TG
Interview
Three Friends
GG

...and I think that's all I have by them. They were a hell of a discovery for me in 1999/2000, around there. Never heard of them in the 70s. GG and VDGG are "the deep end" enough for me.

In a Glass House
Free Hand
Octopus
Aquiring The Taste
Interview
The Power and the Glory
Debut
Civilian
Three Friends
Missing Piece
Giant For a Day

[Paulrus]

+1

+2, though there's a ton of great music across a lot of albums.

I tend to lean toward the more Yes-ish, rocking side of the GG ledger, which Glass House seems to scratch particularly well.

[MYSTERIOUS TRAVELLER]

being a virgin is ok
but
how "giant" are you?
cause that can be bad for your health ya know...

[trurl]

I'm a little shocked that Three friends seems to rank so low for many... is it the drum/guitar solo? Because I do often skip that bit. But wow, stuff like School Days and the closing tracks rank as the best work they've done for me.

[Hobo Chang Ba]

I'm a little shocked that Three friends seems to rank so low for many... is it the drum/guitar solo? Because I do often skip that bit. But wow, stuff like School Days and the closing tracks rank as the best work they've done for me.

Actually, it's School Days for me that lowers it for me most of all. Also...Idk...I get almost a feeling of incompleteness with that album. Don't ask me how or why. I do enjoy it though, and I love Peel The Paint....top 5 GG song for me.

[undergroundrailroad]

I don't think of Three Friends so much for the individual songs. To me, it flows better as a whole than any other concept album I know of. Out of all the Gentle Giant albums, it's the most satisfying and emotionally involving to listen to beginning to end. I mean, after the complete journey, the end is so cathartic it defies superlatives.

[Hobo Chang Ba]

Ranking:

The Power & The Glory
Octopus
Acquring The Taste
Interview
Gentle Giant
Free Hand
Three Friends
In A Glass House
The Missing Piece
Civilian
Giant For A Day

First 8 are all varying degrees of great.

[mogrooves]

I prefer the albums with Phil, who was still with them the first time I saw them:

Octopus
Three Friends
AtT
s/t
TP&tG
IaGH
Free Hand
Interview

+ Playing the Fool

...and props to Ray, "Prog's" premier bassist, imo.

[dpt3]

I don't think of Three Friends so much for the individual songs.

Yeah, I always parse it as one big 35 minute "epic", rather than as a collection of individual songs.

[Stickleback]

School Days is is a marvel of compostion and performance and yes, the end of Three Friends is cathartic indeed. Love the choral work.

[Sputnik]

Actually, it's School Days for me that lowers it for me most of all.

Gasp! One of my favorite GG tracks! Turn in your GG membership card!

Just kidding. Interesting view as I really do think that song embodies much of what many love about GG. But not everything hits everyone in the same way. So it goes.

Since people are ranking them, I'll do mine:

My two favorites:

Power & the Glory
Freehand

These I like about equally, but if forced to rank them, here's what they look like:

Three Friends
Acquiring the Taste
Interview
Octopus
Glass House

I like these to some extent, but not as much as those above by a long shot:

Civilian
The Missing Piece
Gentle Giant

Ouch:

Giant for a Day

Bill

[Trane]

Just curious...did they ever bear children?

mmmhhh!!!... One of those false friends between french & english

s'imprégner means to soak or bathe/immerse yourself into something

[Zeuhlmate]

Three Friends - the only album with 4 Shulmans?
Working All day, Mister Class and Quality? and the title track are the highlights for me. But all songs works good together.

[Facelift]

I'm a little shocked that Three friends seems to rank so low for many... is it the drum/guitar solo? Because I do often skip that bit. But wow, stuff like School Days and the closing tracks rank as the best work they've done for me.

I don't dislike the album, I just don't like it as much as the ones I really love. Peel the Paint is the only song I really like on it, and it usually sounds better on the live albums.

IMO the whole album is mostly an example of the band not doing the things that they were best at - it sounds like an attempt to be a more conventional symphonic prog band, which is not what they were. I don't find the concept particularly interesting, either.

[Plasmatopia]

mmmhhh!!!... One of those false friends between french & english

s'imprégner means to soak or bathe/immerse yourself into something

I assumed something like that was the case, but of course I couldn't resist the opportunity.

[Vic2012]

I do enjoy it though, and I love Peel The Paint...

I don't dislike the album, I just don't like it as much as the ones I really love.

That sums it up for me. Peel The Paint is the standout of the whole album for me.

[Steve F.]

Ranking:
Octopus
In A Glass house
Freehand
Acquiring The Taste
Interview / The Power and The Glory (tied)
Three Friends
1st album

[Gazoinks]

Can't stop listening to the version of Free Hand from Playing the Fool. Definitely the catchiest song I've heard from them so far.

[zombywoof]

Need to revisit them, but here's where I stand -

Acquiring the Taste
Octopus
Power and the Glory
In a Glass House
Three Friends
Free Hand
S/t

I need to hear Interview again. Haven't played it in ages and I've only heard it once.

[Trane]

I assumed something like that was the case, but of course I couldn't resist the opportunity.

Can't resist that myself... Just did two in a row before replying here...

[Scrotum Scissor]

I'm a little shocked that Three friends seems to rank so low for many... is it the drum/guitar solo? Because I do often skip that bit. But wow, stuff like School Days and the closing tracks rank as the best work they've done for me.

Yes. "School Days" is probably my single fave song of theirs, perhaps because they stretch out compositionally. But I also absolutely love the opening and closing tracks and think that "Working All Day" was one of their better 'hard rocking' songs (as opposed to earlier stuff like "Why Not?" or "Plain Truth").

Rank:

Free Hand
Power and the Glory
In a Glass House
Three Friends
Octopus
Acquiring the Taste
Interview
The Missing Piece
Gentle Giant
Civilian
Giant for a Day

And that double live is very good, although I hardly ever listen to it.

[Sputnik]

...think that "Working All Day" was one of their better 'hard rocking' songs (as opposed to earlier stuff like "Why Not?" or "Plain Truth").

Should have mentioned that before when talking about why I like Three Friends. I totally agree with this. Working All Day is among my favorite GG tracks, and to me one of their best "rockers." I'm surprised this track, and another of my very favorites, Mobile from Freehand, don't get more love. But again, so it goes.

Bill

[Baribrotzer]

IMO the whole album (Three Friends) is mostly an example of the band not doing the things that they were best at - it sounds like an attempt to be a more conventional symphonic prog band, which is not what they were.

I don't know about that. They essentially said themselves (in the lyrics to "Interview") that they were still experimenting at the time, and hadn't quite established a definitive musical direction or style.

[No Pride]

Welcome to this forum and congrats on discovering GG!

Of the classic '70s prog "titans," I think they were very possibly the best, though they never achieved the same popularity as Yes, Genesis, ELP, King Crimson, Tull, etc. Sometimes I think they were perhaps too progressive even for the heyday of prog. I discovered them when I was still a teen (Octopus was my first exposure) and it didn't take me any time to "get it." Of the studio albums, my favorites are TPatG and Free Hand, but everything from AtT through Interview are great! Love 'em!