FEATURED CD : Gentle Giant : Gentle Giant

[Duncan Glenday]

Credit for this featured CD : Downbytheriver

Based on a CD received from the collection bequeathed to Progressive Ears by the late Chris Buckley (Winkersnuff)

Downbytheriver's comments


This is a review of the self titled Gentle Giant released in by the band of the same name.

I first fell in love with British Rock bands in the seventies. I don't remember if it was Yes or ELP that first attracted my attention. I do have a clear memory of first hearing Lucky Man from ELP and then searching for that album. Sometime around that time I heard Roundabout on the radio and was an instant Yes fan.

In those days there was no internet no web. I got my music news from a newspaper called Melody Maker. I really couldn't always afford to buy it, so I would stand in the bookstore and try to read as much as I could. I suspect that is how I heard of Gentle Giant. They were drawing comparisons to Genesis at the time so I somehow found a way to hear them, probably listening to KY102 in Kansas City who played a lot of new rock music. They had a show on Sunday Nights called Her Majesty's Voice that I loved and taped. I wish I would have kept all those cassettes.

I was crazy about Genesis so I found Gentle Giant a bit difficult to get into. The vocals weren't my cup of tea so I pretty much ignored them after that. Sometimes when you are young you make decisions that aren't the best. At any rate my funds were limited so I didn't pursue their music.

The first cut on Gentle Giant, Giant listening to it after all these years puzzles me why I dismissed the band so readily as a young man. The drumming, the keyboards with organ and mellotron should have been right up my alley. I can only assume that I never heard this particular album. In fact none of the songs on this album were familiar to me in the slightest. I figure I must have heard later albums that formed my opinion, because this one is pretty darn good.

The second song Funny Ways featuring strings is interesting and again the vocals are fine. In fact the rest of the album featured instruments such as violin, trumpet, recorder, cello certainly a bit sophisticated for bands at this time. Maybe I was put off by the directions the music took. Comparing them to Genesis they lacked much of the melody that I so prized.

Nothing at All the fifth song reminds me a bit of ELP and definitely has some jazz vibes. The guitar and vocals are very pleasant.

[Sputnik]

Much as I love Gentle Giant, this one has never done much for me. You can hear elements of what's to come, but very little here really measures up in the long run. "Funny Ways" is probably the most completely realized piece, and justifies its inclusion in their setlists through the 70s. The rest is largely best forgotten, or simply dismissed as music from a band with high aspirations that hadn't quite yet found their true voice.

It would all change on Acquiring the Taste, but this album is at best quaint, and at worst over-indulgent in all the least desirable ways. IMO.

Bill

[Enidi]

The first song "Giant" makes references in the lyrics like..." He is coming" or "See the giant" and the song itself is peculiar and whimsical . I like the breaks in the song..and the usage of Mellotron.

"Funny Ways" in particular is revealing. In the future they would continue to write songs that were reminiscent of its style and its structure. "Alucard " lyrically describes a nightmarish experience. Some sections are based around the usage of the tri tone interval which gives the piece a creepy edge. I am reminded of Rod Serlings "The Night Gallery" Their voices are enhanced with an effect often heard on "so called " EVP recordings. The fade in and fade out of their words in a fuzzy haze ..not unlike unusual voices that are eerie and disruptive to a radio broadcast on a short wave radio.

"Isn't It Quiet And Cold" is very Gentle Giant. "Nothing At All", "Why Not" and "The Queen" are not memorable for me...except "Nothing At All" has a nice melody. It's merely a preference as to what you like. Aquiring The Taste was definitely a step forward and by Three Friends they mastered doing a concept album. ...leaving me the impression that the first Gentle Giant album was more like a collection of songs...which is perfectly fine...

[aith01]

Oh I really like Alucard and Why Not. Both great tunes.

[moecurlythanu]

Much as I love Gentle Giant, this one has never done much for me. You can hear elements of what's to come, but very little here really measures up in the long run. "Funny Ways" is probably the most completely realized piece, and justifies its inclusion in their setlists through the 70s. The rest is largely best forgotten, or simply dismissed as music from a band with high aspirations that hadn't quite yet found their true voice.

This, in a nutshell.

[Zappathustra]

I love the first Gentle Giant album. Everything that is essentially Gentle Giant is already in there, and it sounds ridiculously different than any music released in 1970. The first side is solid gold, and while the second one has its awkward moments - that percussion solo in the middle of the beautiful Nothing At All is too darn long - the overall result is remarkably high for a debut album. Up to Freehand all albums are more or less brilliant in my opinion (but if I had to chose, I would pick Octopus, with great difficulty).

[thedunno]

An absolutely fine debut album from Gentle Giant. Not quite up to the heights of later album but still very very good. Funny ways is classic GG.

[Steve F.]

I like it enough to still own it after all these years [although maybe it's time for a re-evalutation on that], but I gotta say, I lean more towards Bill's [Sputnik] feelings towards it than I do towards thinking that this one is special.

IF it's special it's because of what came after. IMO.

[Poisoned Youth]

I love the album more for what it is, focusing less on what it's not. I find that it reminds me more of American rock and blues rock than a British band, right down to the "Americanizing" of God Save The Queen. I also connected with it because there is a tone that reminded me of early Kansas and even part of Wooden Nickel era Styx. I'd also put out there that it has commonalities with some of the proto-prog music that permeates the turn of the 70s, yet more confident and less garage band.

I have also found it a bit odd the cold reception this album gets considering how many people adore AtT. I personally find the first album has as much in common with AtT as AtT does with Three Friends. It helps to "complete a picture" on the development of the group. But I think the s/t album is not one that is typically recommended to first time listeners, and maybe that has something to do with it.

Up to Freehand all albums are more or less brilliant in my opinion (but if I had to chose, I would pick Octopus, with great difficulty).

I feel the same, but my top 3 are Three Friends, Acquiring, and S/T in that order.

[aith01]

Up to Freehand all albums are more or less brilliant in my opinion (but if I had to chose, I would pick Octopus, with great difficulty).

This is tough for me, but if I had to pick a favorite it would be Acquiring the Taste. Octopus would follow close behind it, and then In A Glass House.

[Mister Triscuits]

If we're doing top threes, Octopus and Three Friends are interchangeable #1 & 2, with the highly underrated Interview at #3.

[starless and bible black]

While my favorite albums by Gentle Giant are Acquiring The Taste, Octopus, In A Glass House, The Power and The Glory & Free Hand, their first album IMHO has it's moments and serves as a template for the best work they would do during the '70s.

[neuroticdog]

If we're doing top threes, Octopus and Three Friends are interchangeable #1 & 2, with the highly underrated Interview at #3.

I agree about Interview! I think it's right up there with Free Hand but neither reaching the lofty heights of In a Glass House.

Interview will always hold a special place in my heart because it brings back memories of sitting up in my buddy Fred's bedroom doing bong hits and grooving to it.

Sorry, I was just in a sharing mood today

best
Michael

[Dok]

Great debut! Think I'll put on the SW remix. I was 15 when this was released but didn't hear it until several years later.

[Digital_Man]

I haven't heard it in ages but I remember liking this one a lot. I think a lot of people slag it off just because it was their first and in their mind it couldn't have been mature enough. As far as prog debuts go I would only put the first albums by KC and ELP ahead of it.

[Paulrus]

I like this one more every time I hear it. A pretty solid debut, especially given the times and how relatively on-their-own the band were at the time.

[Dok]

I'll tell you what makes me appreciate this one even more is hearing the instrumental tracks without the vocals. Not that there is anything wrong with them, only that I can hear the compositions more clearly. Ray's bass being a fine example. All the details were thoroughly thought out and in place. They weren't just 'slapped together'. Tony probably had a big hand in that. What an exciting time it must have been for the band. I can sense their hearts and minds coming together in that gestalt to create something new. 52 years ago now.

[pb2015]

Good album but they were just getting started. Acquiring.. is a big leap forward from it. As far as my favorites I don't go for Three Friends much but otherwise everything from Acquiring to the live album is gold (and I am also very partial to Interview).

[Trane]

Much as I love Gentle Giant, this one has never done much for me. You can hear elements of what's to come, but very little here really measures up in the long run. "Funny Ways" is probably the most completely realized piece, and justifies its inclusion in their setlists through the 70s. The rest is largely best forgotten, or simply dismissed as music from a band with high aspirations that hadn't quite yet found their true voice.

I kind of really like their debut, precisely because it shows the band still building itself and that's relatively refreshing in comparison to rge Acquiring until Interview album run. I some ways, it'sd the GG album I listen most in the last few years - not that I play all that much GG anymore .

The first song "Giant" makes references in the lyrics like..." He is coming" or "See the giant" and the song itself is peculiar and whimsical . I like the breaks in the song..and the usage of Mellotron.

"Funny Ways" in particular is revealing. In the future they would continue to write songs that were reminiscent of its style and its structure. "Alucard " lyrically describes a nightmarish experience. Some sections are based around the usage of the tri tone interval which gives the piece a creepy edge. I am reminded of Rod Serlings "The Night Gallery" Their voices are enhanced with an effect often heard on "so called " EVP recordings. The fade in and fade out of their words in a fuzzy haze ..not unlike unusual voices that are eerie and disruptive to a radio broadcast on a short wave radio.

"Isn't It Quiet And Cold" is very Gentle Giant. "Nothing At All", "Why Not" and "The Queen" are not memorable for me...except "Nothing At All" has a nice melody. It's merely a preference as to what you like. Aquiring The Taste was definitely a step forward and by Three Friends they mastered doing a concept album. ...leaving me the impression that the first Gentle Giant album was more like a collection of songs...which is perfectly fine...

Nothing At All is my fave on this album, though Caravan's Nothingness (on Lilly) is also great.

[Frankk]

I'm probably in a minority (or, even, alone) but this is my favorite Gentle Giant album. I think the "Phil Shulman era" was the best. When he left the band, I feel something was lost. My second favorite is Acquiring the taste and 3rd favorite is Three friends, so you guess. That initial run of albums, IMO, has a melodic feature and a warmth that subsequent albums don't have. They sound more human. From Octopus onwards, GG became a sort of proto math-rock band. Not that it's not impressive, but I miss the sentiment in the music.
To me, GG is an example of a band or artist that put all their creativity in their first album, like King Crimson, Black Sabbath, Mike Oldfield, etc., having a hard time in subsequent albums to reach that bar.
As I said, I also love Acquiring the taste and Three friends, but I think even these two albums lack the charm of the debut album.
Just my very subjective opinion.

[TheH]

This one should not be compared to the following ones. A very fine album on its self, 'nough said.

[Sputnik]

To me, GG is an example of a band or artist that put all their creativity in their first album, like King Crimson, Black Sabbath, Mike Oldfield, etc., having a hard time in subsequent albums to reach that bar.

Wow. That is quite a subjective opinion. I'd say in terms of sheer creativity, AtT buries the debut album. I'll give you "charm." The debut does have that (though I'd say all GG albums have a certain charm). But there's nothing on the debut that presages "Edge of Twilight," "The Moon is Down," or the much more refined complexity of most of the other tracks, save "Plain Truth," which sounds like a holdover from the early days, and would have fit well (and I feel would have dramatically improved) the debut.

I get what you're saying, and I actually sort of agree with you when it comes to King Crimson, who I think did struggle to repeat the magic of that first album, at least until Larks. But with GG, I feel it's the total opposite in terms of creativity (again, I can see where you're coming from with "charm"). In terms of creativity, though, the first album is still too mired in late 60s early 70s Proto Prog. It's better than many of these, but the radical and almost unparalleled inventiveness of this band really started with AtT, and by comparison, the debut merely looks quaint.

This one should not be compared to the following ones. A very fine album on its self, 'nough said.

It's hard not to compare it, as I, and likely many others, probably wouldn't own this record were it *not* for what followed.

Bill

[Frankk]

I appreciate your response Bill. Yes, I knew my opinion wouldn't be very popular over here. But, as I stated very clearly, it was totally subjective. I don't want to annoy the fans of the more proggy phase of GG (1972-1975). I know it's great and I like some songs, but I'm more into their first phase for the reasons already mentioned in my previous post.
I've been listening to prog for 25 years. I've had many phases. I began with Pink Floyd, Yes, Genesis and KC, like most folks here. Then I went to explore all prog subgenres (Canterbury, Avant-Prog, Electronic, etc.), all the spectrum, back and forth. But I'm always kinda going back to my roots (Beatles), so I like my prog to have some poppy or strong melodic elements. Maybe that's why I have a soft spot for GG's early years, when their music still had some blues, R&B, pop and psychedelia elements.

[Progbear]

I would have liked this a lot more if it were the first album of theirs I heard. Unfortunately, this was never released in the USA until the CD era, so it was way after I heard most of the others until I finally heard this. Everything that is Gentle Giant is already there, but it has yet to be developed and refined. In retrospect, I am surprised what a leap forward Acquiring the Taste was on all fronts.

Is anyone else irked that the US release of Three Friends uses the same cover art?

[Hunchentootz]

Rarely play it - good album for sure - but just not on the level of the rest.