GENTLE GIANT

Gentle Giant's masterpiece has to be Three Friends. I know all Giant's fans have a different favourite, that is the beauty of their work, but i find Three Friends the most poetic and musical of all the albums. I must say that apart from the last two albums, Civilian and Giant for a Day, their work is top notch. Any of their albums from the seventies can be examples of extreme well crafted prog rock. Their musicianship is always excellent. Kerry Minnear on keyboards and percussion and composition is an absolute genius with a beautiful voice also. Ray Shulman is an sadly underrated bass player, also great composer. Funky as hell, lyrical when it needs to be, powerful when the giant kicks in. Phil Shulman and Derek Shulman provide the beautiful layering of all the voices and horn arrangements. A beautiful blending of saxes and trumpets particularly on "Working All Day" with the use of a baritone sax. Gary Green provides the guitars, alternating between the calm and precision on "Schooldays" or the rawness of the electric blues on the "Peel the Paint" drum and guitar jam. Malcolm Maltimore is the drummer and I'm delighted to say that his playing is almost perfection. The unheard breaks of drums on "Prologue" the power on "Peel the Paint" and the clockwork precision on "Mister Class And Quality". All musicians seem to be perfectly aware of the composition process and with playing their instruments, an amazing array of violins, cello, saxes, trumpets, vibraphone, xylophone, piano. Etc. One can say the story is a bit lame, yes, three friends in school are drawn apart, and we get to know the place they occupy in the society after some years. It is a pretty straightforward plot but the way it develops can say something also about the way we live our lives. First we Work All Day (we're young), then we Peel the Paint (we decide our way, we struggle, we face the contradictions of life) and then we become, hopefully a mister class and quality where the world looks at us to "give and take the orders". I know, i am also a bit lame myself. The music in the album is almost perfect. If you don't know this record, you're the only one to blame. It is a masterpiece and in my opinion is one of the most beautiful records of the 70's prog rock. 1972. What a year that was. I was 3.

In my opinion, 'The Power and the Glory' is Gentle Giant's number one album. As of writing this, I bought the beautiful record on vinyl for a whopping five dollars at my go-to local record store and listened to it all the way through. But enough about me, let us talk about this masterpiece of a concept album. 'Proclamation' opens the album subtly, but effectively. It is also the longest track on the album, running at a moderate (for progressive rock, at least) six minutes and forty-four seconds, according to my original vinyl. This is the same length as 'Playing the Game'. The second track is 'So Sincere'. Funky, complex, and verging on math rock. It is my personal favorite song on the album. Then is 'Aspirations', the saddest song on the album. This track is beautiful, to say the least. 'Playing the Game' is one of the more accessible tracks on this album, regardless of the length. Groovy keyboards really sell this song. 'Cogs in Cogs' is my least favorite track on this album, but not for an actual reason, if you get what I mean. The only reason I dislike this song is because of the painful brevity of it all. It ends abruptly, which doesn't help. 'No God's a Man' manages to have some of the best vocal dubs in the entirety of Gentle Giant's discography. 'The Face' is arguably the most starkly political track on the album. To put this wonderful record to an end is the rocky 'Valedictory', which features an altered 'Proclamation' reprise. This ending track acts as a summarization of the album. I had a lot of good things to say about this album, but I'm not done. This concept album is quite confusing when it comes to story. Complex lyrics and no real timelines to follow, each song feels more like one singular sentiment as opposed to something akin to a chapter in a book. But, I've written enough. This is a great album in terms of music, lyrics, and conceptual themes, even if the latter was not executed perfectly. I hope everyone can find something in this album like I did. I even managed to get a friend into this album by listening to it with them. Have fun listening.

Review #30: The Power and the Glory

Today, on a rainy day, I decided to get up and nourish myself with the paradigmatic album that is the protagonist of this review. GG never ceases to amaze me, be it arrangements, rhythmic breakdowns, their crazy experimentation, or the particular sound that has always made this band very innovative. It is necessary to emphasize that Gentle Giant has always been characterized by the high multi instrumental level of its members, something that few bands can say.

I had already listened to this work several times before, but as of the date of writing this, this is the moment in which I have most felt a connection with P&G's medieval and spacey but at the same time eclectic atmosphere.

"The Power and the glory", released in 1974, Gentle Giant's sixth album, and successor to one of the band's masterpieces "In a Glass House". This album offers us brave and supreme melodies and lyrics.

"TP&TG" tells us, in a way, the story of that man who longed for incredible power, based on doing good, who ends up succumbing to the temptations that such a life odyssey would entail.

Beyond the classical and jazz influences, the cult quintet had a clear musical identity in the way it connected these styles. Throughout its existence, it managed to amalgamate a wide variety of musical currents with a vocal polyphony and a rhythmic and melodic complexity that were focal points for a brotherhood of musicians who saw in the quintet an unparalleled appeal.

In conclusion, "TP&TG" is undoubtedly one of the finest albums by one of the best bands in the progressive rock universe, and a must-have masterpiece in any progressive rock music collection. Some may say that "Octopus", "In A Glass House", "Acquiring The Taste" or "Free Hand" are better than "The Power And The Glory". I don't really know if that's true, and honestly, I don't think it's really relevant. What I really think is that it's more a matter of personal taste. What is really true and relevant is that "The Power And The Glory" has its share of classic Gentle Giant songs and is still one of the best progressive rock albums ever made. This is a truly amazing album, not only for its very technically accomplished progressive music, but also for its ingenious concept. It has numerous emotional and virtuosic musical moments and remains a must for all progressive rock fans. Enjoy it.

With this debut, they clearly establish who they are. And that they are like no other band. I like the track Giant very much. Alucard is another favorite of mine. It shows what they have in store for later albums. Nothing at all does appeal to me less. Especially the second part of this track is a bit too much noodling for my taste.

Obviously Gentle Giant fans have to consider this a must. I'm not so certain if this applies to others as well. While great, I won't call this an essential listen.

I rate it 3.5 stars, rounded down for this site.

This is another great one from Gentle Giant. Slightly below their best work IMHO (Power and the Glory and In a Glass House). I am absolutely amazed by their musical craftsmanship.

Just the Same - Nice opener and a great indicator of what you may expect from the album 8.5/10

On Reflection - highlight of the album. Not only the harmonies but also the musical complexity 10/10

Free Hand - I love the musical part of the song. I'm less certain about the singing. The lyrics come off as goofy/lazy to me. 7.5/10

Time to Kill - Musically nice and varied song 8/10

His Last Voyage - Beautiful slower piece with great harmonies 8.5/10

Talybont - I love this quirky piece very much. 9.5/10

Mobile - Typical Gentle Giant track with all the musical variation and quirkiness you would expect 8/10

This one gets 4 stars from me.

This took multiple spins. But I'm game. This is another great GG record.

Proclamation is a great opener. Complex, varied and well played and sung 9/10

So Sincere is weird and quirky. And it's mindboggling 8/10

Aspirations is rather straightforward but really beautiful 9/10

Playing the game is one of my favourite GG songs ever. I love the bass and the guitar riff 10/10

Cogs in cogs is GG virtuoso in action 8.5/10

No God's a man is a beautifully layered slower song 8.5/10

The face is another jumpy, quirky track. Very much GG. 8.5/10

Valedictory is a great closer to the album. I love all the instrumentation. but especially the bass and keys. 9.5/10

I rate this a 5-star album.

This was my first introduction to Gentle Giant and I found it too confusing. Although I loved bands like Yes and King Crimson. It even resulted in me avoiding GG for a while.

The next time I gave them I try, I started at the beginning. And I grew to understand the premise of the band. I also grew to like them. A re-introduction to this record was a feat for my ears.

The runaway is an eventful and playful piece of music. Great playing. 9.5/10

An Inmates Lullaby continues the atmosphere of the opener, but then much slower and a bit gloomier. 8.5/10

Way of life is an adventure from start to finish. The number of switch-ups is staggering. Love it. 9.5/10

Experience has great guitar solos and the other instruments are immaculate too. 9/10

A reunion is a nice little tune close to the end 8/10

In a glass house ties the album up nicely 9.5/10

This is a 5-star album in my book.

A deceptive record in my book. Seemingly accessible, it has layers upon layers which are discovered upon repeated listening.

The advent of Panurge has beautiful harmonies and excellent musicianship. 9/10

Raconteur Troubadour is enormously diverse for such a short song. Great strings 8/10

A cry for everyone is a straight rocker for the first 30 seconds when it branches off, then switching from straight rockery to playfulness 8/10

Knots starts with great vocal harmonies. It's the most experimental of their tracks with some Crimson vibes. 8.5/10

The boys in the band is a playful and adventurous instrumental. 8/10

Dog's life is a slow song with some great strings 8.5/10

Think of me with kindness is another slower track that feels like a great closer for the album. 8.5/10

River is another great GG song, but I'm unsure if this is the best closer.

This is another 4-star effort for me. They are consistently great.

I like the concept and the way they deliver it. Their harmonies are beautiful. Their playing is phenomenal.

Prologue sets the stage beautifully. Great bass, synths and guitar playing 8.5/10

Schooldays is very playful. Exactly the atmosphere they are aiming to achieve by hearing the lyrics. This doesn't mean it doesn't eb and flow. I love the harmonies and the keys. 8.5/10

Working all day music also mimics the feeling you get from the lyrics. It's hard, it's heavy. Great organ solo. 8.5/10

Peel the pain is heavy and rocking, with twists everywhere of course. The guitar is awesome 8.5/10

Mister class and quality? is a heavy tune as well. Relatively straightforward with ripping guitar. 8.5/10

Three Friends is a great closer. Atmospheric, great organ, great base, great drums. Super closer. 9/10

This is another 4-star album for me.

I was very late for the Gentle Giant party. I didn't connect with them as fast as I did with the usual suspects of 70's prog.

But I can say I like this album. It's inventive, playful and crisp.

Pantagruel's Nativity is an awesome opener of the record. The harmony singing stands out here. 9/10

Edge of Twilight has a haunting atmosphere and I love the percussion 8/10

The House, The Street, The Room has some weird outings, but also a ripping guitar solo 8.5/10

Acquiring the Taste is a nice short instrumental 8/10

Wreck has beautiful instrumentation. Notably guitar and flute 8.5/10

The Moon is Down has great sax, keys and guitar 8.5/10

Black Cat is pleasantly weird. 8/10

Plain Truth is a great way to close the record. I love the guitar solo 9/10

I rate this one 4 stars. It's excellent.