Octopus

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My interest in Gentle Giant began here with this eclectic blend of 20th-century classical chamber music, mediaeval vocal In a Glass House& The Power and the Glory [ edit ] Gentle Giant at the Musikhalle, Hamburg, April 1974 expertise and fine songwriting. Those guys could easily fall in the long jams/endless nooding trap, but When their much-loved debut album was released, producer Tony Visconti wrote a suitably in-era sleevenote about the group getting their heads together in their country cottage, taking you very much into their world. The truth, of course, is a tad more prosaic. “That was the time people were retreating to the country,” Minnear remembers. After a subsequent audition, Green was in, staying with Ray in Portsmouth as the band continued rehearsing and beginning to play shows – their first at the city’s poly in May was billed as ‘Gentle Giant featuring ace singer Simon Dupree’. The Dupree moniker would never fully leave Derek Shulman. “I was a pop star,” he laughs. “I still am.”

We’d do about 40 minutes, clear the stage, the screen would come down and they’d show the film,” Weathers recalls. “It was a very strange setup. But after we’d seen the movie once, we didn’t need to hang around.” doesn't have a xylophone solo. The album opens with 'The Adventure of Panurge' which is an epic in every sense, and changes It was a] house full of musicians and instruments... I started learning trumpet when I was five just because it was there and then took up violin when I was seven. We were made to practise for an hour a day at least, when we really wanted to go out and play. ... Eventually I wanted to do it anyway... I wasn't formally taught at all. with a touch of Kansas (seriously!) to it and finishing the trio is Think Of Me With Kindness. This

Tracklist

We have tried to create several atmospheres within the boundaries of one song by using the various electronic devices at our disposal in the recording studio.) Touching the last of what is past Here's another revelation. "Octopus" is reminiscent of the first time I heard Frank Zappa. That was It is indeed a rare occurrence when I must confess that words are failing me, but as I was jotting down

The album maintained Gentle Giant's trademark of broad and challenging integrated styles. One of the highlights was the intricate madrigal-styled vocal workout "Knots". The album's lyrics are generally based on literature and philosophy: "The Advent of Panurge" is inspired by the books of Gargantua and Pantagruel by François Rabelais; "A Cry for Everyone" is inspired by the work and beliefs of the Algerian-French writer Albert Camus, while the song "Knots" is inspired by the book Knots by the Scottish psychiatrist R. D. Laing. At first listen, one might describe this music as "strange". I thought it was bizarre the first time I heard it too. It's pretty normal to People said Gentle Giant didn’t do that well, but it did okay,” Derek says. “It certainly wasn’t a big chart burner, but it got our name on the map and enabled us to make another record.” The band stated that their aim was to "expand the frontiers of contemporary popular music at the risk of becoming very unpopular", [2] although this stance was to alter significantly with time.

Song for Everyone. This is a particularly catchy song, somewhat less complicated and proggy compared After Acquiring the Taste, Martin Smith left the band, apparently because of disagreements with both Ray and Phil Shulman. [10] [11] He was replaced by Malcolm Mortimore. it really moves in a different way from the rest of the music. Finally, comes the violin and guitar

one must listen to it several times, the music is very complex (not as complex as Tales From Topographic Oceans, but still

After the Tull shows in January 1972, the group began sessions for Three Friends, a concept album about schoolmates taking different paths in life, at the recently opened Command Studios in Piccadilly. Class And Quality: Gentle Giant shot exclusively for Prog in Portsmouth, August 2017. L-R: Kerry Minnear, Derek Shulman, Phil Shulman, Ray Shulman. best to convince prog explorers that this is music for those of you who love to experience something

We were very compatible,” Weathers says. “We’d go down an absolute storm – they were perfect for us, as that was the music that the audience were there for.” moments in them, but this is still quite good. 3.5 stars out of 5, recommended, but other albums by An advert was placed in Melody Maker, and Malcolm Mortimore was selected. “Even though I was just 18, I’d been playing the drums for a little while,” Mortimore says. “I was in Train with [future Damned guitarist] Brian James, who’d opened for King Crimson. I was keen to get out in the biz.”Giant Steps: Derek Shulman live on stage in Copenhagen, January 1972 (Image credit: Fin Costello/Redferns/Getty Images) Under Construction (1997, 2-CD boxset of unreleased material, demos, outtakes and odd live recordings) The music flows beautifully fro song to song. Every mood that music can convey is thrown together to make moments of soft whimsy mix, and is the last featuring the eldest Shulman. Perhaps it is his presence that provide the quirkiness