Gentle Giant Album Ranking | Top 11 Studio Albums Ranked
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- Опубліковано 1 жов 2024
- Join me as I dive deep into the wonderful world of Gentle Giant, one of the most innovative and influential bands in the history of progressive rock. In this video, I rank all 11 studio albums from Gentle Giant's discography, covering their groundbreaking blend of intricate arrangements, complex time signatures, and unique fusion of rock, classical, jazz, and medieval music.
From the eclectic genius of Octopus to the adventurous spirit of Acquiring the Taste, I look each album, discussing what makes some of these albums essential listening for prog fans. Whether you're a long-time prog rock enthusiast or just discovering Gentle Giant, this ranking will take you on a journey through their most iconic works, including Freehand, The Power and the Glory, and Three Friends.
Tune in to see where albums like In a Glass House, The Missing Piece, and Interview land on our list, and relive the brilliance of these progressive rock legends. Don’t forget to share your ranking and thoughts in the comments below, let's celebrate the legacy of Gentle Giant together!
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For Nobody I think is a great track from The Missing Piece
Yeah a brilliant track.. The keyboards and those phased vocals are wonderful.. and that bass from Ray!!😎
It's really interesting reading all your comments. It shows that Gentle Giant are a LOVED band. I have taken on board a lot that's been said and I'm going back to a couple of albums again and going to give them more of a listening, one is Interview, because I really should like it more that I do now and the other is The Missing Piece. Thanks for all your comments and keep them coming 😎
1 Octopus
2 Free Hand
3 The Power and the Glory (use 2 rank this much lower grew on me a lot in the last decade)
4 Acquiring the Taste
5 Gentle Giant
6 Interview
......................................................
7 In a Glass House (2 standout tracks/rest do little for me)
8 Civilian (2 standout tracks)
9 The Missing Piece
10 Three Friends (over-rated... never clicked with me)
11 Giant for a Day
Friend of mine when i was 16 suggested Gentle Giant based on i was into Progressive Metal, Fusion, Stravinsky, Zappa...
Octopus was my first album from GG... Love at first listen...
I don't subscribe to the notion the first album that you get by a band is your favorite for me rarely is that ever the case but this time, it is...
Zappa/King Crimson/Gentle Giant (no order/tied) are my Big 3 from the Classic Prog era...
Great comment and a great ranking, It's interesting about some albums just not grabbing you. With you it's Three Friends which I love and with me it's Interview, which because of some of the comments I listened to again last night and nothing, still leaves me cold.. So weird! Thanks for connecting.
A me piace tree Friends
Great video.
The only GG releae I don't care for at all is Giant for a Day. Even those later albums offer something decent within.
You're totally right. there are some great moments in The Missing Piece and Civilian.. they just don't carry over the incredible GG vibe of the earlier albums.. but GG are an amazing band and even when they are trying to be a commercial band, they still cant help themselves from being a brilliant band, the problem is that they lost their fanbase and they didn't pick up a new one.. shame coz they were an amazing band..
I love their first 8 albums, "Interview" still being audacious ; that's too hard to put them in order. The last 3 (Missing Piece, Giant For A Day, Civilian) are too ordinary for me.
It is hard to rank all the classics, but it was a great excuse to go back and listen to them all again over the last week or so ha ha, what would you say was your #1 if you really had to pick one?
I'd say "Octopus". I forgot to write that I also like the Simon Dupree's album !
Great ranking video! Total respect to your ranking too and mine isn't too far off. Gentle Giant are a favorite of mine. My entry point was Three Friends around 1989/1990 so of course that will rank higher for me. For me the top two and bottom three pretty much remain solidified in their position. It's the other six that are the toughest to rank as they're all so close and all so good in my opinion. At this moment I rank them:
11. Giant For A Day
10. The Missing Piece
09. Civilian
08. Gentle Giant
07. Interview
06. Acquiring The Taste
05. The Power And The Glory
04. In A Glass House
03. Free Hand
02. Three Friends
01. Octopus
Your ranking is a great one. It's hard to rank to top 4 with any real conviction. As soon as I finished the video, I listened to Octopus again and thought maybe this should have been my #1, but then I thought, no I need to stand by it, but was was not easy ha ha 😎
I'm a casual fan and quite fond of Giant for a Day and Civilian, The Missing Piece is the one album I've got that I couldn't get into. I first got to know Gentle Giant from compilation tapes my friend made me years ago - some of the great tracks from Power and the Glory and Octopus were standouts but I never owned an LP until my Uncle gifted me his copy of Octopus from his vinyl collection about 10 years ago. I've managed to pick up some more LPs since but they are quite expensive which is why I have been able to pick up later releases in advance of some of the classics.
Yeah I first got into gentle Giant through a compilation album called 'Pretentious For The Sake Of It' and so glad I did.. Thanks for the comment 😎
Very enjoyable stuff (once again)
Agree about Memories Of Old Days - my no:1 Gentle Giant song. The intricate build up at the start is sublime. Two thoughts on this great band:
1) With the possible exception ofThree Friends, I never felt they ended an album with an out and out classic. Decent/ good maybe but no killer endings (just my opinion of course) unlike Yes (Heart Of The Sunrise, Siberian Khatru, Awaken) or Floyd ( Brain Damage/ Eclipse, Echoes etc) or Genesis (The Knife, Supper's Ready, Los Endos).
2) I would have been fascinated to hear GG just attempt one sidelong epic. I know they didn't need to and could cram plenty into a 5-minute song. But with their huge talent, the brilliant and unique way they constructed songs and all the different instruments they had mastered it could have been a killer.
Thanks Mark, yeah Memories of old days is a fantastic track and your right about no killer ending to the albums. But you second point is the most interesting one of all.. A 20 minute epic from GG would have been an interesting exercise. They would have had some space to explore on musical themes a bit more, stretched their legs a little.
A good mate of mine, who's a big prog fan once said to me, Gentle Giant are amazing, but they tend to cram too much into track, they need to relax ha ha. A one side epic could have enabled them to do just that.. Very interesting idea.. 😎
11 Giant for a Day
10 Civilian
9 The Missing Piece
8 Acquiring the Taste
7 Free Hand
6 Gentle Giant
5 Interview
4 Three Friends
3 Octopus
2 In a Glass House
1 The Power and the Glory
Any one of my top 5 could be number 1 depending on my mood. More than most bands this is a difficult catalogue to rank, it does show how subjective rankings are. I know I have Free Hand low, but I never cared for the production and side 2 never grabbed me. I like Interview because it rocks hard and comes closest of all their albums of capturing the band’s live sound. Octopus is the better realization of the 8 highly varied mini-masterpieces (opuses?) format of Acquiring the Taste. I love the first album because it’s about the only Prog album I can think of with genuine soul influences, especially in the singing. In a way, The Power and the Glory was their first “sell-out” album, which consolidated their “Glass House” Style into shorter and tighter songs and introduced funk to the mix. The sound now was hard as opposed to heavy like the first 4 albums with Phil Shulman. To me it sounds like their peak.
That was a brilliant explanation of your ranking. Can't disagree with you, in fact I'm going to go back and listen to Interview again.. Thank you so much for the ranking and the explanation.. 😎
I saw the "Free Hand" concert in Philly 1975, they played "So Sincere". I would have gone with Octopus as number 1. Or my choice Power and the Glory, for some reason when I listen to it it makes me think of Nixon or his rise and fall.
Wow, I'm jealous, I didn't get to see them live until a lot later, and yes the #1 spot could be any of the top 4.. They are all so bloody good. 😎
Can't argue too much with your ranking. I may have put Octopus at #1, only because it was the first Gentle Giant album I purchased way back in 81 or 82. I do live Freehand as weel. Great video, thanks
Yeah it was a tough job, could have quite easily have been Octopus. Thanks for the comment 😎
In the late 70s they were basically trying to do what Genesis did around the same time which is to say trying to be more commercial. It somehow worked out for Genesis but not GG. That pressure they felt to become more commercial is what ultimately led them to break up (imo).
Yeah, it's a shame. I understand why, but they got al traction at all from new fans, and people like me who loved the progressive side of their music just didn't go with them.
The greatest most epic legendary unique original innovative genius band ever. I like most of what you have said and appreciate you for liking the band but strongly disagree with your ranking of interview its a masterpiece.
I know it should be... and I'm going to keep listening because it absolutely should be.. Thanks so much for the comment 😎
Memories of Old Days kind of reminds me of something Genesis would have done around the time of Nursery Cryme or Foxtrot so for that reason alone it's a good one imo.
Yes beautiful and reflective, wonderful piece of music.. 😎
I like GFAD.
Really?
Great ranking, it slightly differs from my ranking on my channel. Besides the last two studio albums, everything else is top-class, even though I like Civilian.
Hey Pat, thanks for that.. It's difficult to rank the top 5 or 6 because they are all amazing. And having a relisten to Civilian, although not a full out prog album, as a rock album it's bloody good.. 😎
@@ProgAxia Yes, it is very difficult to rank the top ones as it can change from day to day. I love Inside Out on Civilian. Extremenly underrated band.
You’re right about the Three Friends LP cover in the US. It’s the cover of the first Gentle Giant. Not only does this make it confusing for the US audience on the GG discography, but the US misses out on the great artwork of the UK version of Three Friends.
It us a beautiful artwork, When they re release the album today do they still do it with the first artwork or do they have the UK version?
@@ProgAxia I do not know about the reissue. I’d be surprised if they haven’t fixed the problem
Great ranking, my top two are The power and the Glory and Freehand. He's last voyage is one of the most beautiful songs ive ever heard. Proclamation is a favourite of mine too
Oh yeah... His Las Voyage is an incredible track, it's got everything! overlapping themes, wonderful vocals, great dynamics and a beautiful guitar solo from Gary.. classic GG 😎
@ProgAxia I agree. I love Kerry Minnear vocals on that absolutely breathtaking, and Derek Shulman rocks on Proclamation
Absolutely love this band and take every opportunity I can to introduce them to people.
What album would you give a GG newbie to listen to first?
@@ProgAxia debut album or Octopus generally since those were the first I heard. Funny Ways or Nothing at All are usually the first songs I suggest. Great video as always 👍
@@Evergrimrecordings Great choices, and thanks so much
Great video and ranking. Octopus is #1 for me, as that's where I came in on the band. Cheers
Hey Bobby, thanks man.. Yeah, Octopus is a phenomenal album, nearly changed last minute ha ha 😎