Acquiring The Taste

[gregory]

'The Moon is Down' is one of my favorite GG songs of all time. That instrumental section is absolutely .... what's the word? Charming? No not quite... Well I really love it anyway. Also really enjoy 'Pantagruel's Nativity', 'Edge of Twilight', and 'Wreck' is pretty cool too. The only weak song to me is 'Plain Truth' of course. A song I always skip.

I concur on Plain Truth - too plain anyway) I can't say I'm fond of 'cats concert' part in Black Cat. Pentagruel's Nativity for me is the best song of the album.

[Ten Thumbs]

A minute of song AtT was also played as part of a keyboard solo spot in the early days, as can be found on Keyboard Concerto on disc 3 of Scraping The Barrell.

[Zeuhlmate]

To me, it's one of the most brilliant albums that the entire genre of prog has to offer.

[Mr Rael]

I always though Missing Piece was the most accessible.

[Scrotum Scissor]

I've always been of the opinion that the very strength of GG was their exact ability to communicate tricky theory and technique in a most accessible and melodic manner. I could never understand how they would ever appear "inaccessible".

[Musitron]

IMHO The first GG and Octopus are good. And 3 or 4 other albums contain a couple of good cuts. That's it. But damn there were good live

[mogrooves]

...3 or 4 other albums contain a couple of good cuts. That's it.

[rottersclub]

Oddly enough, this is the only one I didn't have back in the day. I eventually picked it up on CD about 20 years ago and like others here, I think I prefer it, 3 Friends and Octopus to the ones that followed.

3 Friends in particular evokes a lot of good memories, so it's very difficult for me to disassociate that from the music any more.

[No Pride]

IMHO The first GG and Octopus are good. And 3 or 4 other albums contain a couple of good cuts. That's it.

That's just crazy talk!

[ItalProgRules]

What's supposed to be happening on the cover of Acquiring the Taste?

Hey, there are all kinds of different forms of lovemaking. Who are we to judge?

But seriously, bad visual jokes NEVER work as cover art, not in the long run. See: RUSH, Signals.


Great, great album though. This and In a Glass House are my favorite GGs.

[rottersclub]

Oh, I forgot to mention, the thing that brings this album down are the truly pompous liner notes!

[zombywoof]

Oh, I forgot to mention, the thing that brings this album down are the truly pompous liner notes!

I don't see anything wrong with Gentle Giant telling us they are good, because they can back it up in the recording. Acquiring the Taste defines prog.

[Scrotum Scissor]

I don't see anything wrong with Gentle Giant telling us they are good, because they can back it up in the recording. Acquiring the Taste defines prog.

Overall, I think it's a rather uneven record. There are a handful of truly magnificent tracks there ("Pantagruel", "Edge", "Moon", "Cat"), but as with the debut, the hard rock stuff just doesn't quite work.

I'm still of the opinion that GG from Three Friends and up including Interview delivered the strongest string of coherent albums released by a progressive rock band - although I actually adore Henry Cow, Magma and 70s KCrimson more.

[mogrooves]

^^^^^ IMO, only "Plain Truth" keeps AtT from the "perfect" category, but I agree that Three Friends is their first fully-realized album...

[rottersclub]

Acquiring the Taste defines prog.

I don't disagree, I just don't like anyone that feels it necessary to point out how fucking great they are. It immediately negates the proposition.

[zombywoof]

I don't disagree, I just don't like anyone that feels it necessary to point out how fucking great they are. It immediately negates the proposition.

My old band director had a saying, "Its not bragging if you can back it up..."

[zombywoof]

Overall, I think it's a rather uneven record. There are a handful of truly magnificent tracks there ("Pantagruel", "Edge", "Moon", "Cat"), but as with the debut, the hard rock stuff just doesn't quite work.

I'm still of the opinion that GG from Three Friends and up including Interview delivered the strongest string of coherent albums released by a progressive rock band - although I actually adore Henry Cow, Magma and 70s KCrimson more.

I don't believe in a 'Top 5', but if I did, Acquiring with be up there. And I love those other bands you mentioned, too.

[polmico]

Oh, I forgot to mention, the thing that brings this album down are the truly pompous liner notes!

Then don't read them?

[gregory]

Not their best, but good, experimental, but slightly trivial. With caution - how we're doing? You're doing well, of course...

[DarthVander]

It's funny as Acquiring the Taste has always been my least favourite GG album (I've got them all up to Interview) - guess I just never really managed to acquire the taste for it. 'Pantagruel's Nativity' I love, but the rest while all musically very accomplished just leaves me cold. All the other albums I consider to be very strong and find it hard to pick a favourite, though I'm partial to the debut (while their sound wasn't fully formed yet I just love all the songs on it - though it's probably also that that one was my introduction to the band).

[rottersclub]

Then don't read them?

Too late.

[ItalProgRules]

Regarding the liner notes, to me, the notes on THREE FRIENDS are even more pompous.

[polmico]

I'm sure I've read both at some point. I don't recall a thing about them.

[gregory]

It's funny as Acquiring the Taste has always been my least favourite GG album (I've got them all up to Interview) - guess I just never really managed to acquire the taste for it.

It's no funny at least for me, quite understandable.

'Pantagruel's Nativity' I love, but the rest while all musically very accomplished just leaves me cold.

I love half of it - first two from side 1, and first two from side 2.

All the other albums I consider to be very strong and find it hard to pick a favourite, though I'm partial to the debut (while their sound wasn't fully formed yet I just love all the songs on it - though it's probably also that that one was my introduction to the band).

Maybe you will like Missing Piece, it's their last classic album. Lighter than other albums, but partly very strong.

[Scrotum Scissor]

I just don't like anyone that feels it necessary to point out how fucking great they are. It immediately negates the proposition.

An interesting position which I can side with for several reasons, the immediate being that - IMHO, of course - too much is always being bragged about the "complexity" of GG's music, whilst very little is ever mentioned in regard to its overt idiosyncracy or even eccentricity. To many a listener, it appears as if GG represents the outer limit to their acceptance of "progression" - beyond that there's usually only Kobaïan or RIO weirdo stuff which goes much too far into mental and/or aesthetic oblivion.