Conference marvin::uk_music

                               
    
    Hi,
    
    Well, thanks to various record fairs that I've been to recently,
    I have managed to pick up 4 GG albums..... At the time that they
    were big (were they ever "big" !!!), I was too young to appreciate
    them, but listening to their material...well...its too good for
    words, it really is !!
    
    
    Cheers
    
    Harv

    Harvey, Gentle Giant were never really 'big' in the UK. They were
    quite popular, but I think they were overshadowed by other 'techno'
    (horrible word, but that was the label they and many others had
    to endure) bands who were more popular. Apparently, though, they
    were a lot bigger in Europe, especially, I think Italy.
    
    Bob

    hi bob,
    
    yea, i have "Interview". its real hard to find an import of "Glass
    House" here in the states. It suprising a band with that kind of
    talent just fades out. Technically, they were superior to most other
    techno-bands like Yes ect. They are probably session players now
    or something like that. 

    Hello all!
    
    I'm trying to remember who GG were before they became GG. Were they
    the group who had a psychedelic smasheroo with 'Kites'? I can't
    remember the name of the group, or if that was them, but they were
    certainly around at that time.
    
    Where's Alan Trevennor when you need him?
    
    Bob

    Bob, "Kites" was a hit for Simon Dupree & The Big Sound, but I
    had no idea they mutated into Gentle Giant...
    
    Cheers,
    �Paul�

    Thats them, I think, Paul. I was getting confused between SD & the
    BS, and Sounds Incorporated....
    
    Bob

    Yes,
    
    
    Simon Dupree & the BS contained all 3 of the Shulman brothers with
    Derek being "Simon Dupree". Drummer , John Weathers, used to play
    with Graham Bond and also the Grease Band.
    
    
    Harv

    
    John Weathers was also better known as Pugwash.
    
    Ken

Great to see a note about Gentle Giant.  They have always been one
of my very favorite bands.  I really don't know what they are
all up to now, though I did read recently that one of the Schulmans
(Derek, I think) is now a big cheese at *mumble* record company
(Polydor comes to mind). Jeesh, I'm a wealth of information, huh?

About a year ago, the subject of Gentle Giant came up on USENET's
rec.music.misc.  Chris Koenigsberg posted the following.  He replied
'yes' to my request to re-post here.  He added that the mention
of the album titled PHOTOGRAPH is an error - he was thinking of
a tune from CIVILIAN.  Here it is - enjoy!
    
-Dan Hall    
    
Posted with permission
    
Newsgroups: rec.music.misc
Path: decwrl!hplabs!sri-unix!husc6!bbn!rochester!PT.CS.CMU.EDU!
Andrew.cmu.edu!ckk+
Subject: Re: Gentle Giant Challenge
Posted: 8 Mar 88 04:12:03 GMT
Organization: Carnegie Mellon University
In-Reply-To: <[email protected]>
 
 
I get a little carried away and emotional in discussing Gentle Giant, the 
world's greatest rock band which was nearly completely ignored by the record 
buying public and finally gave up after producing some of the world's greatest 
albums and some incredible live sets.
 
Here's how I would rank the Gentle Giant LP's. I'm surprised that Erland S. 
places In A Glass House so low on his list; perhaps because he's not a native 
English speaker? That album has some of the most profound and moving lyrics 
I've ever heard and read.
 
1. Octopus, 2. In A Glass House, 3. Free Hand, 4. The Power And the Glory, 6. 
Three Friends, 7. Playing the Fool, 8. Interview, 9. Acquiring the Taste, 10. 
Giant (i.e. untitled first album with the same cover as American pressing of 
Three Friends)
 
11. The Missing Piece, 12. Giant For a Day, 13. Civilian
 
The first ten Gentle Giant albums on my list are actually my ten all-time 
favorite albums in the history of rock music (I don't know what the tenth 
would be; perhaps Sergeant Pepper, or Starless and Bible Black by King 
Crimson). Octopus and In A Glass House belong to what I'd call the exclusive 
elite category of "absolutely perfect albums" and the others come pretty damn 
close to being perfect too.
 
Gentle Giant's first album was good but was only a rock band (there's even a 
so-so cheap bluesy-rock-n-roll jam on it, but their real forte was to be in 
classical composition-group arrangement). The second, Acquiring the Taste, had 
some superhuman works on it (like Pantagruel's Nativity, with the 
quintessential synthesized beginning) and showed the promise of what was to 
come. Three Friends achieved the heights of wonder (I still cry over childhood 
friendships when I hear this conceptual album). Up to this point they had 
trouble with drummers; there's a different one on each of these albums. 
Finally the last drummer died in a motorcycle accident (a real tragedy, he was 
the best of all) and they got one more (John Weathers) for "Octopus", who 
stayed with the group forever after.
 
And "Octopus" was the ultimate perfect album from the standpoints of lyrics, 
composition, performance, production, arrangement, cover design, etc (KNOTS is 
the greatest song of all time - a tantalizing, terrifying, confusing a capella 
madrigal based on R.D.Laing's psychological brain-benders, alternated suddenly 
with childlike xylophones and crunching metal guitar-synth riffs). But it did 
so poorly in sales that the next album was never even released in the United 
States. And that next album was "In A Glass House" which is less dense than 
Octopus but still perfect, in my opinion. I will never get over my hatred for 
the general record-buying public which ignored, disliked, or never heard about 
this pair of ultimate albums.
� 
The team of the three Shulman brothers and keyboard wizard Kerry Minnear has 
never and can never be equalled for composing, group-arranging, and performing 
wondrous music. One huge mega-brain melded out of four. Plus a kickass guitar 
and drummer keeping it honest, heavy, and grooving.
 
Glass House did poorly too so Phil Shulman left the group. They got a new U.S. 
record label and tried with "Free Hand" to reach a bigger audience. Free Hand 
is still a fantastic rock album - it just uses a few less overdubbed 
instruments, and is closer to their live sound. (including the fantastic a 
capella work which they actually do reproduce live on stage)
 
Then came The Power And the Glory. Another great conceptual album about 
politics and leaders and the corruption of power, with intricate music, mostly 
with their more live rather than overdubbed sound. The song "SO SINCERE" was 
on this album. It goes from a bizarre classic cello-violin-saxophone intro 
into some real heavy odd stuff and fascinating lyrics ("....Yes. That is to 
say, No......understanding.....Wrong. He makes his promise right, with your 
hand. You'll never know why") And by the way, "Cogs in Cogs" is from this 
album......
 
next was "Interview" which had the underlying continuous theme that it was 
about being a band on the road. ("Can you describe your music?" and they all 
start talking at once saying completely different things in a fantastic jumble 
of words. Perfect!!) They were actually touring a lot at this time. Some great 
rock and roll numbers and heavy rock playing and composing, another great a 
capella work. This was the last great Gentle Giant studio album.
 
The live album "Playing the Fool" came out next. It's a really good live 
album. If you never got to see the band in concert, this album will give you a 
taste of what you missed. If you were one of those fortunate to catch them, 
this will remind you of the joy you will always savor in your heart. 
(everybody sings, a capella. Now everybody plays recorders. Now they play 
cello and violin and saxophone. Now they all play drums. Now they rock out 
wildly. Now they crunch with contrapuntal elaborate Bach-like electric rock 
music)
 
Then came "The Missing Piece". The title made us suspicious before we even 
heard it. There were a couple of songs which were reminiscent of the old 
sound, even a long classic Memories of Old Days, but it wasn't weaving quite 
the same tangled web.......
 
And then there was "Giant For a Day", "Photograph", and "Civilian". These are 
just a blur to me; there's some decent rock and roll moments ("I'll bet you 
thought we couldn't do it...." No, I just knew it was the end when you did!!!) 
but it's like seeing your former best friend after a near-fatal auto accident 
and a lobotomy. Rather than intricate compositions and the magic of Kerry 
Minnear, they feature the lead guitar of Gary Green. They got signed to some 
new label which tried to make them into rock stars, told them what clothes to 
wear, and even told them to STOP SMILING because BIG STARS DON'T SMILE!!!!!!!! 
This is pathetic.
 
The last three are so different, so disappointing, that I'd hesitate to even 
consider them as being produced by the same band. Same people, perhaps, but 
the Giant was gone.
 
Finally there were two compilations. One was called "Prententious.....For the 
Sake of It". I forget what the second was called.

    
Posted with permission

[The second compilation was called GIANT STEPS - THE FIRST FIVE YEARS. -Dan]

    
    FYI....
    
    "Playing the Fool" has been re-released on CD and also LP on Essential
    records.   Also, "Octopus" is available on Import at your friendly
    Virgin megastore.
    
    Cheers
    
    
    Harvey

    
    I just purchased the only copy of "The Power and the Glory" in
    Denver or Colorado Springs, it was out on Capitol's GREEN LINE
    of re-releases ............and it was only $ 10.98 !
    
    It sounds AWESOME on CD, every bit as good as I'd hoped for !
    
    - Andy

    This is a cross-over question (of sorts) from the MUSIC conference note
    557 (on Gentle Giant).
    
    Here in the USA, in a music chain-store called Tower Records, I
    recently found several GG CDs on the Road Goes On Forever label.  They
    were (rather) high-priced imports.  I purchased 
    
    			The Missing Piece and
    			Giant For A Day
    
    and noticed that 
    
    			Power and The Glory
    
    was also on this label, though it was also available on a cheaper label
    (budget priced, actually) -- Capitol, I think.  [I bought the cheaper
    version a while ago, and so wasn't inclined to shell out twice the
    price for the same thing.]
    
    	My question is, is Interview or Playing the Fool available on this
    label (which has a London address)?  If so, I will look forward to
    completing my GG CD collection.  [I have everything but these two and
    Civilian on CD ... and Civilian I'm willing to skip.  I even managed to
    find In A Glass House at Tower Records!]
    
    	Thanks in advance if anyone knows anything (which you can take any
    way you want :-).
    
    							-mark.

    Playing the Fool is available (but I dunno what label).
    Missing Piece isn't available (going by HMVs CD Catalogue but this
    didn't list Glass House either.
    
    Out of interest one of the Schulman brothers is now a record producer in
    the US (produced the Sugar Cubes apparently).
    The drummer (Weathers ?) plays the pubs with The Man Band. 
    
    

I saw a review of some Gentle Giant records (sorry CD's) on re-release
in Q this month

Mark.

    
    	re:last
    
    
    	Which ones?
    
    
    	Vinny

    (Cross-posted from MUSIC, for any lurking GG fans...)
    
    BTW, you can always get all the Gentle Giant info you need (and then
    some) at 
    
    	www.cs.umass.edu/~barrett/gentlegiant.html
    
    
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                                 -< MUSIC V4 >-
================================================================================
Note 557.15                   Gentle Giant (on CD?)                     15 of 15
STAR::BENSON "My other fiddle is a Strad"            25 lines  17-FEB-1997 10:51
                            -< A good year for GG >-
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
    In case anyone's still listening... A couple of Gentle Giant tribute
    CDs are about to be released. One is a "fan" tribute, done by people
    from their internet mailing list, but including a couple of semi-famous
    people like Mike Keneally and the late Kevin Gilbert. You can read all
    about this one (and even hear some of it) at
    
    	www.quackwatch.com/GT/
    
    They're taking advance orders now for shipping on March 15.
    
    The other one is from Mellow Records in Italy, a prog rock specialist.
    Theirs should be available in 2-3 weeks. Both of these are 2-CD sets,
    btw... The reason I know so much about them is that I have songs on
    both. Ex-DECcie Lance Levine also sings on em.
    
    There are also some recent GG releases. The best is "Out of the Woods",
    a live BBC concert. "The Last Steps", another live one, just came out a
    couple of months ago. But "Out.." is much much better. A 2-CD
    compilation of stuff from their first 5 albums also came out last year:
    "Edge of Twilight" is the name. Believe it or not, ANOTHER live release,
    this one from the King Biscuit Flower Hour, is also rumoured. Of course
    it's impossible to find any of these outside of mail order specialists!
    
    Tom