Your video perfectly represents a gentle giant album, 36 minutes long, eccentric, full of odd time signatures, goin off on weird tangents but somehow still making perfect sense by the end.
God bless you, Andy. Unwittingly you have done the most Gentle Giant thing possible - fitting 11 into 10 and succeeding! Gentle Giant has been one of my favourite bands for over 40 years and I have never come across a better ranking list of their work than yours. You deserve every biscuit you can get your hands on from my patreon money! Cheers!
Fun Tidbit: There was a television show here in the states called The Jeffersons by Norman Lear that starred Sherman Helmsley. Sherman was a huge Prog Rock fan and in particular Gentle Giant. Now I never saw this, but I was told Sherman actually danced to tunes like Interview.
1st equal: Octopus, In a Glass House, Power and the Glory, Freehand; 5th equal: Acquiring the Taste, Three Friends Interview; 8th: Gentle Giant; 9th: Missing Piece; 10th Civilian; 11th: Giant for a Day.
One crucial aspect of Gentle Giant that most people fail to mention is their incredible humor and sickness in their music, but not so much their lyrics. And i happen to believe the album which contains the most sickness and humor is "Interview". I usually laugh the entire way through that album. Completely genius!
Exactly! Derek Shulman is a brilliant lyricist. As much as I like Phil's literary lyrics in the earlier albums, Derek's playfulness takes GG to a new level and is a perfect fit for their unique brand of music.
Awesome job! Here's my list with the points I used to rank them... 1. Interview - 4.7857 2. Free Hand - 4.7857 3. In A Glass House - 4.6666 4. Octopus - 4.0625 5. Three Friends - 3.75 6. The Power & The Glory - 3.625 7. Gentle Giant - 2.8571 8. Acquiring The Taste - 2.75 9. Civilian - 2.1875 10. The Missing Piece - 2.1111 11. Giant For A Day - 1.45
This could very well be my favorite UA-cam ranking video ever! Absolutely loved this, warts and all. Can’t wait for your next one. I started getting into Gentle Giant recently at the advice from a dear old friend. I have 6 of their albums on vinyl. Still need 5: Power and Glory, Three Friends, Interview, the debut, and In a Glass House.
Good day Andy - a thoroughly enjoyable show! I've been a fan of Gentle Giant since Aquiring the Taste came out and it is probably tied with Power and the Glory for my #1. I am not a musician or student of musical structure and strictly a consumer. Your presentation style is top notch and i hope you keep it up. Cheers, Brian from Ontario Canada
My favorite is probably their debut, but their first 7 albums are all dynamite!! Pantagruel's Nativity is my favorite song! That's one of the best prog songs of all time!!
Agreed. Their debut is really amazing. I love all the albums but in some of them their playing is "too staccato". The debut and 3 friends are more rocking, and they could come up with some great riffs.... Anyway, I love all of them.
The mistakes are fine. We know which Schulman brother left after Octopus, but you've got the insight into how that shaped the sound and why it matters.
Ah, four-for-the-price-of-one! We're offered a GG ranking list (ho-hum but sure). Then we get the comedic breakdown (yes, please)! Next, the lift-off to the BIG question ("What is it about GG that we find fascinating?) and finally, the glimpse of the lightbulb moment (your existential terror and a possible connection to GG). It was probably exhausting to get there but, yes, it was worth it. Thanks, Andy.
Thanks for the video, Andy! My friend Robby introduced me to Gentle Giant in our first year of college. I had just enrolled in an Intro to Modern Jazz course and was not yet familiar with the world of Fusion, Chick Corea or Sun Ra. Gentle Giant's sound immediately came as a jolt to my system. I did not like them at first. "Proclamation" was the first song I heard by them, and I remember thinking that I was not into the singer's voice - Derek Schulman. However, their ability to transition from one section to another in a seemingly fragmented composition was very intriguing and impressive to me as a young amateur musician. I'd always loved this similar technique in tracks like "You Never Give Me Your Money," or "Band on the Run," which are Pop/Rock tunes by my favorite artists, but it's clear from the start that Gentle Giant was always doing something different. I so appreciate you ranking the album "In A Glass House" at #1 because it's always been a toss up between this album and "Three Friends" for me. "In A Glass House" beats "Three Friends" purely for nostalgic reasons. I believe they are equally sophisticated albums in terms of a thoughtful concept and smart songwriting. I discovered this album one year after being introduced to GG, at which point they had really grown on me, and started listening to them as much as 1950s/60s classic jazz albums. What's cool about GG is they released multiple concept albums, and "In A Glass House" is definitely one of them, although not as cohesive a concept album as "Three Friends." I believe this album carries an implicit discussion of insanity, how to navigate the world, and what happens when the man breaks out of his strait-jacket. It's all tied together at the very end of the final, title track when we hear 3-second clips of all 6 tracks spliced together to close the album with the final shattering of glass from "The Runaway." I love this as an album conclusion, and I can't think of any other artist who does this either in the 1970s or now. My favorite tracks are "Experience" and "In A Glass House." They are great examples of solid prog-rock songwriting, impressive even for Gentle Giant. While I believe the genius of Gentle Giant can be heard in every one of these 6 songs, those 2 are my beloveds. Thanks again, Andy. Cheers!
Fun stuff!!! 1. In'terview 1a. In a Glass House (after re-listening again it can't not be #1, it just has to share!) 3. Octopus 4. Power & the Glory 5. Three Friends 6. Free Hand 7. Acquiring the Taste 8. Gentle Giant 9. Civilian 10. Missing Piece 11. Giant for a Day
Thanks Andy. Most entertaining especially the off track bits which were brilliant. GG are the all time prog band. Eccentric like yourself. I'll check out your band. cheers.
Playing the fool is my favorite album. The first time hearing giant was live and I was blown away. Went out the next day and got 3 friends the day after that got their new album at the time the Power and the Glory still my favorite studio album, never liked the way it was recorded but Steven Wilson fixed that now it's just sublime.
Andy, I just wanted to thank you for this video. Although I'm a long term fan of Genesis, Jethro Tull, King Crimson and Yes, I have to say Gentle Giant weren't even on my radar. I've had the first 6 albums on strict rotation since Christmas and I'm learning to enjoy them all. Not an easy listen at first but rewarding.
I remember I think it was 75, 76 my dear brother came to me on a saturday after football, and said here you go listen to this and he gave The Lamb and the Power and the Glory. I still remember that weekend. What a treasures!!
Great video.thanks. I was reading Stuart Maconie"s memoir of being a trendy nme journalist and was astonished to read that he was and is a massive Gentle Giant fan.
Keep going Andy. Love the warts and all approach. A live album with no overdubs. Keep it real. I loved the psychological exploration at the end and the references to R. D. Laing. That is something that interests me due to my own mental health issues.
Enjoyed that. The songs you pointed out got me to go and listen. So many tracks….I have my favs….but I have lot’s more to discover. I saw GG open for Tull at the Baltimore Civic Cenetr in the early 70’s. Probably Tull’s TAAB tour. GG blew me away. Inspiring and giving me hope and passion. Funny that I didn’t run out and buy a GG album…? Later, a band mate pulled out some Thai Stick and put on “In a glass house”. MIND BLOWN. I went out and special ordered an import. When I found In a glass house on CD in the 90’s, it brought them back to me. Funny story….a keyboard sub in my former Disney Morockin group was in one day. I was playing some GG in the break room from my iPOD. He was a jazz music major at UCF in Orlando. When he heard GG….he proclaims “IS THAT LEGIT MUSIC?!? WHY DO YOU HAVE THAT ON YOUR IPOD. DO YOU LISTEN TO THAT IN YOUR CAR?!?” Can’t make this up. Anyway….funny moment.
My brother and I went to see jethro Tull.. opening act gentle giant!! The most fantastic band in history I’ve ever seen!! Blew us away.. the next day we got 3 friends (us) copy. They’re next to king crimson for me.. the every other prog band!! Thanks for the great work!
I frigging love this video. You better not ever start over for something like this. We want to see your whole process and see the bloopers. As a matter of fact, find the footage of the times you mentioned before where you started over, and post the blooper one.
Hey Andy :) Your flaws, floor me! Well done for soldiering on when many lesser mortals, would have bailed out of the listing madness!! I fully concur with your top choice. Personally, I've always loved "The Runaway", but my favourite GG track is "Knots" as mentioned briefly by you from the Octopus album. The band are pretty faithful to some of the thoughts of R.D.Laing in that track, and overall is a masterpiece in itself imo. All told it's a tough task to rate these albums as there are elements of musical and conceptual genius throughout. The facts are that they were a very accomplished group who I feel never truly received the plaudits they deserved from a larger audience, but no matter as over 50 years later, they still pick up fans who realise, that there was a group of musicians who could do the lot!! Another group deserving of similar praise is (or was anyway) , Hatfield and the North, but they had nothing like the output of GG, but I digress. Cheers 👍🏻
My original Giant for a Day LP came with a cardboard slip-in with a printed GG mask in that you could cut out and use without destroying the album cover (should you feel the need).
Andy, your honesty is very endearing. I love it! Oh yeh, Gentle Giant are amazing too. I was introduced to them via a Nik Kershaw interview in the 80s.
Well done for getting there in one video, 😂. Agree with Glass House, for me 3friends then Octopus, power and glory…..maybe try a part 2 anyway, fav tracks and break them down ?
Really enjoy the video. I couldn't have ranked the GG albums like you just did. I would have put all of those from Acquiring the Taste to Interview at number 1, and the others like you said. Any yes, it was worth it.
Haha, no, you're not incompetent, though you also missed out the double live album too! I got into GG after hearing Free Hand on John Peel and love them to bits. Power And The Glory would be my favourite though. Just great to hear you raving about my favourite bands of course. All the best MT
It kind of depends on which Gentle Giant albums you were exposed to. I have high regard for The Power and the Glory. It's the first of their albums I purchased when I learned of the band in 1975,
That was awesome! I'm fine with the mistakes...just keep rollin'! And your list is scarily similar to mine, although my favorite is Acquiring the Taste. The slower/quieter tracks are sorta prog, but sorta just...weird. Maybe you're right - those are the tracks that are exposing those deep sublime truths in my subconscious!
Very entertaining .Gentle Giant and Jethro Tull very mind boggling trying to pick the best. You forgot Gerry Shulman the Triangle player and Roberta Shulman the Octopus woman. There are so many hidden wonders in most GG tracks eg. the depth of the Drums in Edge Of Twilight.
My list is almost the same as yours - I'd just swap Three Friends and Free Hand. It's a tough choice, but remembering their live performance of "On Reflection" (the same band doing chamber orchestra -> a cappella -> rock in 5 minutes, just magical!) pushes it over the edge. But really, the run from Acquiring the Taste to Free Hand has to be the greatest run of 6 albums in prog, if not all of the Album era. (Maybe that's an idea for a video - "greatest runs of consecutive albums"!)
I like missing piece and giant for a day. They aren’t the same level as glass house, octopus, three friends, free hand, and power and the glory but they are great albums in my opinion.
Acquiring The taste is gentle giants Sgt pepper, it's a masterpiece every gentle giant ranked video that I watched never has this at number one. I don't get it what's wrong with you people.
I saw Gentle Giant open for Yes in 1976. My favorite concert of all time. I loved this video Andy. I have never heard you mention another band from England that plays extremely complex Symphonic Rock since 1976 and have consistently released albums and continue to this very day. I am referring to The Enid. This band produces the sounds of an orchestra using drums guitars bass a crapload of keyboards sometimes 3 players in a live show and on occasion vocals. Truth be told they don’t sing often and I don’t really think they are necessary anyway. My favorite tune by them is an incredible instrumental that absolutely kicks ass: Punch and Judy Man ( not to be confused with Punch and Judy by Marillion) It’s a Seven minute masterpiece and kicks off their Six Pieces album from 1979. I am placing it here in case you or anyone else who loves Gentle Giant and Prog in general are interested. They literally must have recorded at least 30 studio albums and a bunch of live albums. ua-cam.com/video/X8OuUe0RFAE/v-deo.html
thx for the *gentle giant* special, a superb 70ies progrock band, that wasn't as famous as e.g. *yes* on the continent! ANDY what about a special about the finish progrock band *wigwam* ?!
Having heard them first in 1970 on John Peel’s radio show with Alucard, and was hooked. Have to agree with you that their 2nd to 7th albums are equally amazing a different, but, like you the two I have Octopus and In a Glass House at the top.
Playing the Fool should have made the list as the last achievment of the band and before the dark studio period that started in 1977. Obviously my opinion. Thanks Andy for remembering GG the greatest Prog innovators ...Proclamation!
Mine...for what it's worth: 1. Free Hand 2. In A Glass House 3. Octopus 4. Three Friends 5. Power And The Glory 6. Gentle Giant 7. Civilian 8. Interview 9. Acquiring The Taste 10. The Missing Piece 11. Giant For A Day Followed them since the mid--70s. First GG album I bought was Acquiring The Taste...I didn't like it and still am indifferent to it. Each to their own.
The Missing Piece is an evolutionary album. Different from what came before, as they tried to create a simpler more accessible sound. I enjoy all of it very much, but "Memories Of Old Days" deserves special mention. It is extraordinary and extraordinarily beautiful, as fine a piece of music as anything they ever did.
Interview: I think this suffered a lot for not using the varied instrumentation of all albums preceding it. The compositions themselves are at least as good as those.
It appears they decided for compositional variety and much more heaviness relative to their prior albums. It is the album's urgency that I love so much. Kind of like Yes and Drama (which I also dearly love).
Nice video Andy. All of Gentle Giant albums have something going for them -even their weakest album -Giant For a Day. I don't quite share your enthusiasm for Interview. It includes one of my favourite tracks-the quasi Medieval "I Lost My Head" but I find many of the other tracks so dense and borderline incoherent in their complexity that they are actually rather irritating. For me their absolute best GG album is a toss up between Octopus (which is a huge leap in sophistication from the previous Three Friends) and Free Hand which manages to be highly complex and highly accessible at the same time- no mean feat. In a Glass House is a great album where they really fuse that quasi Medieval stylings with dense heavy Prog Rock- and the follow up Power and The Glory is another great Concept Album that manages to be intense but accessible .I'm not totally sold on the first album which has some good songs but only hints at what they were going to achieve with later releases. Aquiring the Taste is as you said highly experimental but not necessarily enjoyable although it does include the brilliant Pantagruel's Nativity. Three Friends is an immensely enjoyable album but I have always felt they played it a bit "safe" and it seems almost mainstream Prog especially when compared to the overtly weird Aquiring. Peel the Paint is an absolute cracker though I am totally at odds with most fans( including you apparently) when it comes to The Missing Piece because I absolutely LOVE that album. For me they achieve essential Gentle Giant preceding
Giant and Van Der Graaf Generator were always labeled 2nd tier Prog bands growing up in the 70’s…I think they were not easy to get into on first listen, certainly were not on the radio in their day!
Three Friends Acquiring the Taste The Power and the Glory Octopus In a Glass House Interview Freehand Civilian Gentle Giant Missing Piece Giant for a Day
I have not listened to every Gentle Giant album yet. I would consider myself a fan of theirs, but I’m more of a casual fan as they aren’t one of my top favorite bands. Here’s my ranking of the 5 albums I’ve heard so far: 5. Octopus - Like I said, I’m a casual fan, and as such, my opinions don’t align exactly with those of hardcore Gentle Giant fans. I just don’t get this album. I don’t care for a lot of the arrangements on here and I struggle to find some of it musical at all. With that said, it does have a few strong songs to my ears: “The Advent of Panurge,” “Raconteur Troubadour,” “A Cry for Everyone,” and “River.” Maybe someday this album will click with me, but so far it hasn’t. 4. Free Hand - The most recent listen for me. It’s very good, and I quite like songs like the title track, “Time to Kill,” and “Mobile.” I still need more time with this album and I could definitely see it moving up in my ranking in the future. 3. The Power and the Glory - I know some people don’t love this one because it was where Gentle Giant started experimenting heavily with playing out of tune and singing off pitch. I like its weirdness and I find many of the songs memorable. My favorites include “Proclamation,” “Aspirations,” “Cogs in Cogs,” and “The Face,” with “The Face” being my favorite short song from the band. 2. In a Glass House - I actually think this album is weaker than Power and the Glory, at least song for song. But I think this album flows better as a complete album than its follow-up. I also love its opener and closer; “The Runaway” has such a cool groove and a catchy set of melodic lines, and “In a Glass House” is my favorite GG song for its violin intro and the bouncy, energetic instrumental and vocal. 1. Three Friends - I am just a sucker for this album. I love the concept behind it and the music on it is unmatched in my opinion. “Prologue” is a strong start for the album before calming things down with “Schooldays.” And then you get to the real focus of the album: “Working All Day,” a hard-driving rocker that gives the sense of determination and powering through a day of work; “Peel the Paint,” a pretty strange song that starts out soft and pretty-sounding before becoming loud, heavy, and even angry, with one of my favorite vocals of their catalog; and “Mister Class and Quality?,” my favorite on the album for the sounds of violin and electric piano, as well as the vocal melody and bass work. It closes with the title track, an atmospheric song featuring beautiful vocal harmonies and electric piano chords washed in reverb. It’s by far my favorite Gentle Giant album (so far), even though ‘Power and the Glory’ and ‘In a Glass House’ are closely matched for second and third.
Totally agree with you on EXPERIENCE and your general rating. That said, I just never could enjoy Octopuss, don't know why. The themes on it just don't work for me...
It's strange to think that at the time the members of GG were quoted as being unhappy with In a Glass House because it turned out too simple for what they intended. Fun fact.
I Liked a lot the wrong it felt an real progressive video !!! Caos is adorable and we could see your human side and it was the truth !! Gentle Giant made you lost your head for good , thanks a lot , I am your fan from Brazil
Really enjoy your 'warts and all' videos. I'm not into ranking albums or trying to decide which band is 'best', but do like to be advised on ones to avoid. Just out of interest, my introduction to GG was through the Playing the Fool live album, that I think is fantastic. You don't mention this and was curious why. Thanks for your videos.
Fair enough, it's just that I think PtF was released at the time they were popular and really shows them as the phenomenal live band that they were. The classics from their studio albums are brought to life and obviously showcases their virtuosity in a live setting. It's superb. Anyway, love your videos and thanks for the effort you put into them.
As for mistakes, you are human - at least you realize some mistakes as such while you are making them and try to self correct. There are several approaches to UA-cam production. A few just hit record and let it run with no edits. Some others will mainly do that, and then edit out obvious miscues before posting. And then there are those that will go for perfection, and put together little snippets to compose their presentation. If you are going for a conversational tone, the first approach can work well, that is how real conversations take place. As for Gentle Giant, a friend loaned me a couple of their albums about 30 years ago, and it just didn't make sense to me. I was a fan of King Crimson, Yes, ELP, Jethro Tull, Mahavishnu Orchestra, Soft Machine, Weather Report and Return to Forever when they were new, and I just did not see where Gentle Giant was interesting. Thanks to your reviews, perhaps I will go back and try again.
1- Three Friends 2- Octopus 3- In A Glass House 4- Interview 5- Free Hand 6- The Power and The Glory 7- Acquiring the Taste 8- Gentle Giant 9- The Missing Piece 10- Civilian 11- Giant for a Day By the way "Playing the Fool" is one of the best live albums of all time
This is as difficult as choosing favorite children or pets... Free Hand, In a Glass House, Octo, P&G. I can't choose btw 3 Friends, Acquiring, GG, Interview. And the final three in reverse order as you have it.
You might have a point, maybe you are evolving to a more value based, less list based type of approach to youtube videos. Three Friends tops the list for me, just be glad you never saw them live as the experience would have rendered any other gig by any other band sub-par. Love the channel and huge apologies for juvenile previous comments on King Crimson.
1. Three Friends 1972, 2. Octopus 1972, 3. In A Glass House 1973, 4. Acquiring The Taste 1971, 5. Gentle Giant 1970, 6. The Power And The Glory 1974, 7. Free Hand 1975, 8. Interview 1976, 9. ...
@@AndyEdwardsDrummer To me, all the first 6 albums are great, the next two OK, the rest I forgot existed! For me, after Zappa's bands (all of them) and King Crimson, Gentle Giant was the greatest band ever and this is only for these first 6 albums here! I follow your podcast for more than a year now, great work, I like it! 🙂👍
"Why don't you know which brother left and which ones stayed in the band?" Phil left, Derek (the guy that sings) and Ray (the bass player) stayed. This is like the prog bands video where you left out ELP. Really good video but the editing and production is ... nonexistent. Keep doing videos this way. I like watching the screw-ups, brain farts and we are learning a lot about you and and your need to show us your "god-like" prog knowledge by doing stuff "off the cuff" (BTW, I also like watching car-wreck videos). It's hard to be "wrong" when you rank Gentle Giant albums and their first 8 are in your top 8. My listing 1-11 would be Octopus and In a Glass House tied for first place, The Power and the Glory, Acquiring the Taste, Free Hand, Three Friends, Interview, First Album, The Missing Piece, Civilian and Giant for a Day.
Your video perfectly represents a gentle giant album, 36 minutes long, eccentric, full of odd time signatures, goin off on weird tangents but somehow still making perfect sense by the end.
You are very kind
Well said @bonscott6353!
My favorite band ever. RIP Ray Shulman 😥
God bless you, Andy. Unwittingly you have done the most Gentle Giant thing possible - fitting 11 into 10 and succeeding!
Gentle Giant has been one of my favourite bands for over 40 years and I have never come across a better ranking list of their work than yours.
You deserve every biscuit you can get your hands on from my patreon money! Cheers!
This is an impossible task. They are all brilliant.
Great job Andy-Improvising is part of prog.
Yes...sometimes
Fun Tidbit: There was a television show here in the states called The Jeffersons by Norman Lear that starred Sherman Helmsley. Sherman was a huge Prog Rock fan and in particular Gentle Giant. Now I never saw this, but I was told Sherman actually danced to tunes like Interview.
1st equal: Octopus, In a Glass House, Power and the Glory, Freehand; 5th equal: Acquiring the Taste, Three Friends Interview; 8th: Gentle Giant; 9th: Missing Piece; 10th Civilian; 11th: Giant for a Day.
One crucial aspect of Gentle Giant that most people fail to mention is their incredible humor and sickness in their music, but not so much their lyrics. And i happen to believe the album which contains the most sickness and humor is "Interview". I usually laugh the entire way through that album. Completely genius!
Exactly! Derek Shulman is a brilliant lyricist. As much as I like Phil's literary lyrics in the earlier albums, Derek's playfulness takes GG to a new level and is a perfect fit for their unique brand of music.
Agree that interview is always underrated…..
My favorite as well....
Awesome job! Here's my list with the points I used to rank them...
1. Interview - 4.7857
2. Free Hand - 4.7857
3. In A Glass House - 4.6666
4. Octopus - 4.0625
5. Three Friends - 3.75
6. The Power & The Glory - 3.625
7. Gentle Giant - 2.8571
8. Acquiring The Taste - 2.75
9. Civilian - 2.1875
10. The Missing Piece - 2.1111
11. Giant For A Day - 1.45
Good video as always Andy. Loved the psychology class at the end!
Everybody needs to quit bashing Giant for a Day and The Missing Piece. I've worn those albums out! Just have fun and enjoy them for what they are! 😊
absolutely agree
I'd actually put those two albums embarrassingly high in my personal GG ranking lol. My opinion is they never made a bad album... Not even close.
You don't need to stop. Of course this is what we came for. Making mistakes is the only parh for perfection. The ending is always your best bit
fantastic show Andy!!
Keep on as you are Andy! You're like an album before click tracks, auto-tune and pro tools.
This could very well be my favorite UA-cam ranking video ever! Absolutely loved this, warts and all. Can’t wait for your next one.
I started getting into Gentle Giant recently at the advice from a dear old friend. I have 6 of their albums on vinyl. Still need 5: Power and Glory, Three Friends, Interview, the debut, and In a Glass House.
Wow, thank you!
Good day Andy - a thoroughly enjoyable show! I've been a fan of Gentle Giant since Aquiring the Taste came out and it is probably tied with Power and the Glory for my #1. I am not a musician or student of musical structure and strictly a consumer. Your presentation style is top notch and i hope you keep it up. Cheers, Brian from Ontario Canada
My favorite is probably their debut, but their first 7 albums are all dynamite!!
Pantagruel's Nativity is my favorite song! That's one of the best prog songs of all time!!
Pantagruel's Nativity has the ultimate killer riff IMHO!
Agreed. Their debut is really amazing. I love all the albums but in some of them their playing is "too staccato". The debut and 3 friends are more rocking, and they could come up with some great riffs.... Anyway, I love all of them.
The mistakes are fine. We know which Schulman brother left after Octopus, but you've got the insight into how that shaped the sound and why it matters.
This is great! A real passionate human being. You make me happy.
Ah, four-for-the-price-of-one! We're offered a GG ranking list (ho-hum but sure). Then we get the comedic breakdown (yes, please)! Next, the lift-off to the BIG question ("What is it about GG that we find fascinating?) and finally, the glimpse of the lightbulb moment (your existential terror and a possible connection to GG).
It was probably exhausting to get there but, yes, it was worth it.
Thanks, Andy.
Thanks for the video, Andy! My friend Robby introduced me to Gentle Giant in our first year of college. I had just enrolled in an Intro to Modern Jazz course and was not yet familiar with the world of Fusion, Chick Corea or Sun Ra. Gentle Giant's sound immediately came as a jolt to my system. I did not like them at first. "Proclamation" was the first song I heard by them, and I remember thinking that I was not into the singer's voice - Derek Schulman. However, their ability to transition from one section to another in a seemingly fragmented composition was very intriguing and impressive to me as a young amateur musician. I'd always loved this similar technique in tracks like "You Never Give Me Your Money," or "Band on the Run," which are Pop/Rock tunes by my favorite artists, but it's clear from the start that Gentle Giant was always doing something different. I so appreciate you ranking the album "In A Glass House" at #1 because it's always been a toss up between this album and "Three Friends" for me. "In A Glass House" beats "Three Friends" purely for nostalgic reasons. I believe they are equally sophisticated albums in terms of a thoughtful concept and smart songwriting. I discovered this album one year after being introduced to GG, at which point they had really grown on me, and started listening to them as much as 1950s/60s classic jazz albums. What's cool about GG is they released multiple concept albums, and "In A Glass House" is definitely one of them, although not as cohesive a concept album as "Three Friends." I believe this album carries an implicit discussion of insanity, how to navigate the world, and what happens when the man breaks out of his strait-jacket. It's all tied together at the very end of the final, title track when we hear 3-second clips of all 6 tracks spliced together to close the album with the final shattering of glass from "The Runaway." I love this as an album conclusion, and I can't think of any other artist who does this either in the 1970s or now. My favorite tracks are "Experience" and "In A Glass House." They are great examples of solid prog-rock songwriting, impressive even for Gentle Giant. While I believe the genius of Gentle Giant can be heard in every one of these 6 songs, those 2 are my beloveds. Thanks again, Andy. Cheers!
I wish I would make a video like this. You’re a man after my own heart
It's about time I get into this band. Bit late, I know, sorry about that 😅. Thx Andy, very inspiring 👍
Fun stuff!!!
1. In'terview
1a. In a Glass House (after re-listening again it can't not be #1, it just has to share!)
3. Octopus
4. Power & the Glory
5. Three Friends
6. Free Hand
7. Acquiring the Taste
8. Gentle Giant
9. Civilian
10. Missing Piece
11. Giant for a Day
Thanks Andy. Most entertaining especially the off track bits which were brilliant. GG are the all time prog band. Eccentric like yourself. I'll check out your band. cheers.
Playing the fool is my favorite album. The first time hearing giant was live and I was blown away. Went out the next day and got 3 friends the day after that got their new album at the time the Power and the Glory still my favorite studio album, never liked the way it was recorded but Steven Wilson fixed that now it's just sublime.
Great job👍 now I know what to look for to complete my collection of Gentle Giant ! You’ve done a great service.😉
I love this video no one has made nothin like this and im so glad its on the web
Andy, I just wanted to thank you for this video. Although I'm a long term fan of Genesis, Jethro Tull, King Crimson and Yes, I have to say Gentle Giant weren't even on my radar. I've had the first 6 albums on strict rotation since Christmas and I'm learning to enjoy them all. Not an easy listen at first but rewarding.
My pleasure!
Octopus in number one for me. The perfect combination of innovation and memorable compositions.
I remember I think it was 75, 76 my dear brother came to me on a saturday after football, and said here you go listen to this and he gave The Lamb and the Power and the Glory. I still remember that weekend. What a treasures!!
Great video.thanks.
I was reading Stuart Maconie"s memoir of being a trendy nme journalist and was astonished to read that he was and is a massive Gentle Giant fan.
Keep going Andy. Love the warts and all approach. A live album with no overdubs. Keep it real.
I loved the psychological exploration at the end and the references to R. D. Laing. That is something that interests me due to my own mental health issues.
Enjoyed that. The songs you pointed out got me to go and listen. So many tracks….I have my favs….but I have lot’s more to discover. I saw GG open for Tull at the Baltimore Civic Cenetr in the early 70’s. Probably Tull’s TAAB tour. GG blew me away. Inspiring and giving me hope and passion. Funny that I didn’t run out and buy a GG album…? Later, a band mate pulled out some Thai Stick and put on “In a glass house”. MIND BLOWN. I went out and special ordered an import. When I found In a glass house on CD in the 90’s, it brought them back to me. Funny story….a keyboard sub in my former Disney Morockin group was in one day. I was playing some GG in the break room from my iPOD. He was a jazz music major at UCF in Orlando. When he heard GG….he proclaims “IS THAT LEGIT MUSIC?!? WHY DO YOU HAVE THAT ON YOUR IPOD. DO YOU LISTEN TO THAT IN YOUR CAR?!?” Can’t make this up. Anyway….funny moment.
What an amazing prog group they were with so many brilliant albums. Your drumming on Milliontown by Frost is still up there with the best in prog.
My brother and I went to see jethro Tull.. opening act gentle giant!! The most fantastic band in history I’ve ever seen!! Blew us away.. the next day we got 3 friends (us) copy. They’re next to king crimson for me.. the every other prog band!! Thanks for the great work!
Your presentation is excellent, Andy. Human and engaging.
Very subjective, but I’d plump for Octopus and Power and the Glory. Wonderful band.
I frigging love this video. You better not ever start over for something like this. We want to see your whole process and see the bloopers. As a matter of fact, find the footage of the times you mentioned before where you started over, and post the blooper one.
I love my viewers!
Hey Andy :) Your flaws, floor me! Well done for soldiering on when many lesser mortals, would have bailed out of the listing madness!!
I fully concur with your top choice. Personally, I've always loved "The Runaway", but my favourite GG track is "Knots" as mentioned briefly by you from the Octopus album. The band are pretty faithful to some of the thoughts of R.D.Laing in that track, and overall is a masterpiece in itself imo.
All told it's a tough task to rate these albums as there are elements of musical and conceptual genius throughout.
The facts are that they were a very accomplished group who I feel never truly received the plaudits they deserved from a larger audience, but no matter as over 50 years later, they still pick up fans who realise, that there was a group of musicians who could do the lot!!
Another group deserving of similar praise is (or was anyway) , Hatfield and the North, but they had nothing like the output of GG, but I digress.
Cheers 👍🏻
Absolutely loved this video! Most entertaining and interesting. I saw them live around In a Glass House/Octopus time - one of the best gigs ever!
Glad you enjoyed it!
I discovered Gentle Giant much much later..... like last year!!
My original Giant for a Day LP came with a cardboard slip-in with a printed GG mask in that you could cut out and use without destroying the album cover (should you feel the need).
Andy, your honesty is very endearing. I love it! Oh yeh, Gentle Giant are amazing too. I was introduced to them via a Nik Kershaw interview in the 80s.
There is audio of Nik Kershaw playing Just the same in a band pre-fame, at breakneck speed. Well worth seeking out.
Well done for getting there in one video, 😂. Agree with Glass House, for me 3friends then Octopus, power and glory…..maybe try a part 2 anyway, fav tracks and break them down ?
My top 5:
1. Octopus
2. In a Glass House
3. The Power and The Glory
4. Freehand
5. Three Friends
And I really enjoyed this video!
I've been listening to Gentle Giant since 1972 and I agree with most of your ratings.
Really enjoy the video. I couldn't have ranked the GG albums like you just did. I would have put all of those from Acquiring the Taste to Interview at number 1, and the others like you said.
Any yes, it was worth it.
Haha, no, you're not incompetent, though you also missed out the double live album too! I got into GG after hearing Free Hand on John Peel and love them to bits. Power And The Glory would be my favourite though. Just great to hear you raving about my favourite bands of course. All the best MT
This was a very fun video. For me. no 1. Octopus. 2. In a Glass House. Then all same.
It kind of depends on which Gentle Giant albums you were exposed to. I have high regard for The Power and the Glory. It's the first of their albums I purchased when I learned of the band in 1975,
Agreed. That first exposure hit hard.
My favourite just about all the time.
That was awesome! I'm fine with the mistakes...just keep rollin'! And your list is scarily similar to mine, although my favorite is Acquiring the Taste. The slower/quieter tracks are sorta prog, but sorta just...weird. Maybe you're right - those are the tracks that are exposing those deep sublime truths in my subconscious!
Very entertaining .Gentle Giant and Jethro Tull very mind boggling trying to pick the best. You forgot Gerry Shulman the Triangle player and Roberta Shulman the Octopus woman. There are so many hidden wonders in most GG tracks eg. the depth of the Drums in Edge Of Twilight.
I remember Ian Anderson saying that GG were the greatest and most inventive of all the prog bands.
My list is almost the same as yours - I'd just swap Three Friends and Free Hand. It's a tough choice, but remembering their live performance of "On Reflection" (the same band doing chamber orchestra -> a cappella -> rock in 5 minutes, just magical!) pushes it over the edge. But really, the run from Acquiring the Taste to Free Hand has to be the greatest run of 6 albums in prog, if not all of the Album era. (Maybe that's an idea for a video - "greatest runs of consecutive albums"!)
I like missing piece and giant for a day. They aren’t the same level as glass house, octopus, three friends, free hand, and power and the glory but they are great albums in my opinion.
Acquiring The taste is gentle giants Sgt pepper, it's a masterpiece every gentle giant ranked video that I watched never has this at number one. I don't get it what's wrong with you people.
I saw Gentle Giant open for Yes in 1976. My favorite concert of all time. I loved this video Andy.
I have never heard you mention another band from England that plays extremely complex Symphonic Rock since 1976 and have consistently released albums and continue to this very day.
I am referring to The Enid.
This band produces the sounds of an orchestra using drums guitars bass a crapload of keyboards sometimes 3 players in a live show and on occasion vocals. Truth be told they don’t sing often and I don’t really think they are necessary anyway. My favorite tune by them is an incredible instrumental that absolutely kicks ass:
Punch and Judy Man ( not to be confused with Punch and Judy by Marillion) It’s a Seven minute masterpiece and kicks off their Six Pieces album from 1979. I am placing it here in case you or anyone else who loves Gentle Giant and Prog in general are interested. They literally must have recorded at least 30 studio albums and a bunch of live albums.
ua-cam.com/video/X8OuUe0RFAE/v-deo.html
Wow what a lineup
Great list. I agree on Interview and I lost my head in particular😮
thx for the *gentle giant* special, a superb 70ies progrock band, that wasn't as famous as e.g. *yes* on the continent! ANDY what about a special about the finish progrock band *wigwam* ?!
Just keeping on going Andy, you silly man.
Having heard them first in 1970 on John Peel’s radio show with Alucard, and was hooked. Have to agree with you that their 2nd to 7th albums are equally amazing a different, but, like you the two I have Octopus and In a Glass House at the top.
Playing the Fool should have made the list as the last achievment of the band and before the dark studio period that started in 1977. Obviously my opinion. Thanks Andy for remembering GG the greatest Prog innovators ...Proclamation!
Mine...for what it's worth:
1. Free Hand
2. In A Glass House
3. Octopus
4. Three Friends
5. Power And The Glory
6. Gentle Giant
7. Civilian
8. Interview
9. Acquiring The Taste
10. The Missing Piece
11. Giant For A Day
Followed them since the mid--70s. First GG album I bought was Acquiring The Taste...I didn't like it and still am indifferent to it. Each to their own.
The Missing Piece is an evolutionary album. Different from what came before, as they tried to create a simpler more accessible sound. I enjoy all of it very much, but "Memories Of Old Days" deserves special mention. It is extraordinary and extraordinarily beautiful, as fine a piece of music as anything they ever did.
IF IT WASN'T FOR AN OLD FRIEND IN 1975 I WOULD NEVER KNOWN GENTLE GIANT EXISTED ! BTY
I LOVE MISSING PIECE I BETCHA THOUGHT I WOULD HAVE WROTE THAT !
Interview: I think this suffered a lot for not using the varied instrumentation of all albums preceding it. The compositions themselves are at least as good as those.
It appears they decided for compositional variety and much more heaviness relative to their prior albums. It is the album's urgency that I love so much. Kind of like Yes and Drama (which I also dearly love).
"Want to be seen as Rock and Roll music,
Don't take us for something that we're not."
Nice video Andy. All of Gentle Giant albums have something going for them -even their weakest album -Giant For a Day. I don't quite share your enthusiasm for Interview. It includes one of my favourite tracks-the quasi Medieval "I Lost My Head" but I find many of the other tracks so dense and borderline incoherent in their complexity that they are actually rather irritating. For me their absolute best GG album is a toss up between Octopus (which is a huge leap in sophistication from the previous Three Friends) and Free Hand which manages to be highly complex and highly accessible at the same time- no mean feat. In a Glass House is a great album where they really fuse that quasi Medieval stylings with dense heavy Prog Rock- and the follow up Power and The Glory is another great Concept Album that manages to be intense but accessible .I'm not totally sold on the first album which has some good songs but only hints at what they were going to achieve with later releases. Aquiring the Taste is as you said highly experimental but not necessarily enjoyable although it does include the brilliant Pantagruel's Nativity. Three Friends is an immensely enjoyable album but I have always felt they played it a bit "safe" and it seems almost mainstream Prog especially when compared to the overtly weird Aquiring. Peel the Paint is an absolute cracker though I am totally at odds with most fans( including you apparently) when it comes to The Missing Piece because I absolutely LOVE that album. For me they achieve essential Gentle Giant preceding
Giant and Van Der Graaf Generator were always labeled 2nd tier Prog bands growing up in the 70’s…I think they were not easy to get into on first listen, certainly were not on the radio in their day!
first-tier quality-wise for me. Van der Graaf is second only to Crimson in my book.
Three Friends
Acquiring the Taste
The Power and the Glory
Octopus
In a Glass House
Interview
Freehand
Civilian
Gentle Giant
Missing Piece
Giant for a Day
very good group I enjoy there unique sound progressively
The best
The best band ever, even better than Nectar.
I have not listened to every Gentle Giant album yet. I would consider myself a fan of theirs, but I’m more of a casual fan as they aren’t one of my top favorite bands. Here’s my ranking of the 5 albums I’ve heard so far:
5. Octopus - Like I said, I’m a casual fan, and as such, my opinions don’t align exactly with those of hardcore Gentle Giant fans. I just don’t get this album. I don’t care for a lot of the arrangements on here and I struggle to find some of it musical at all. With that said, it does have a few strong songs to my ears: “The Advent of Panurge,” “Raconteur Troubadour,” “A Cry for Everyone,” and “River.” Maybe someday this album will click with me, but so far it hasn’t.
4. Free Hand - The most recent listen for me. It’s very good, and I quite like songs like the title track, “Time to Kill,” and “Mobile.” I still need more time with this album and I could definitely see it moving up in my ranking in the future.
3. The Power and the Glory - I know some people don’t love this one because it was where Gentle Giant started experimenting heavily with playing out of tune and singing off pitch. I like its weirdness and I find many of the songs memorable. My favorites include “Proclamation,” “Aspirations,” “Cogs in Cogs,” and “The Face,” with “The Face” being my favorite short song from the band.
2. In a Glass House - I actually think this album is weaker than Power and the Glory, at least song for song. But I think this album flows better as a complete album than its follow-up. I also love its opener and closer; “The Runaway” has such a cool groove and a catchy set of melodic lines, and “In a Glass House” is my favorite GG song for its violin intro and the bouncy, energetic instrumental and vocal.
1. Three Friends - I am just a sucker for this album. I love the concept behind it and the music on it is unmatched in my opinion. “Prologue” is a strong start for the album before calming things down with “Schooldays.” And then you get to the real focus of the album: “Working All Day,” a hard-driving rocker that gives the sense of determination and powering through a day of work; “Peel the Paint,” a pretty strange song that starts out soft and pretty-sounding before becoming loud, heavy, and even angry, with one of my favorite vocals of their catalog; and “Mister Class and Quality?,” my favorite on the album for the sounds of violin and electric piano, as well as the vocal melody and bass work. It closes with the title track, an atmospheric song featuring beautiful vocal harmonies and electric piano chords washed in reverb. It’s by far my favorite Gentle Giant album (so far), even though ‘Power and the Glory’ and ‘In a Glass House’ are closely matched for second and third.
Totally agree with you on EXPERIENCE and your general rating. That said, I just never could enjoy Octopuss, don't know why. The themes on it just don't work for me...
This is how all videos on you tube should be.
It's strange to think that at the time the members of GG were quoted as being unhappy with In a Glass House because it turned out too simple for what they intended. Fun fact.
Some homework required Andy 😂👍🏻 “knots” comes to mind 😉. Entertaining though 😊
I Liked a lot the wrong it felt an real progressive video !!! Caos is adorable and we could see your human side and it was the truth !!
Gentle Giant made you lost your head for good , thanks a lot , I am your fan from Brazil
Thank you so much!!
Really enjoy your 'warts and all' videos. I'm not into ranking albums or trying to decide which band is 'best', but do like to be advised on ones to avoid. Just out of interest, my introduction to GG was through the Playing the Fool live album, that I think is fantastic. You don't mention this and was curious why. Thanks for your videos.
I don't mention live albums as many bands will have lots of live albums, usually released after the demise of the band which muddy the waters.
Fair enough, it's just that I think PtF was released at the time they were popular and really shows them as the phenomenal live band that they were. The classics from their studio albums are brought to life and obviously showcases their virtuosity in a live setting. It's superb. Anyway, love your videos and thanks for the effort you put into them.
How would you rate the live album within the list if you were to include it
I absolutely love Three Friends, but good lord that artwork🤦🏻♂️
Sorry, but the missing piece is my favorite. Its a well balanced mix of progrock and pop and the overall feel is breathtaking...
As for mistakes, you are human - at least you realize some mistakes as such while you are making them and try to self correct. There are several approaches to UA-cam production. A few just hit record and let it run with no edits. Some others will mainly do that, and then edit out obvious miscues before posting. And then there are those that will go for perfection, and put together little snippets to compose their presentation. If you are going for a conversational tone, the first approach can work well, that is how real conversations take place.
As for Gentle Giant, a friend loaned me a couple of their albums about 30 years ago, and it just didn't make sense to me. I was a fan of King Crimson, Yes, ELP, Jethro Tull, Mahavishnu Orchestra, Soft Machine, Weather Report and Return to Forever when they were new, and I just did not see where Gentle Giant was interesting. Thanks to your reviews, perhaps I will go back and try again.
My favorite GG album is "Acquiring the taste". Love the others as well but they are sometimes a bit too aggressive and strident for my personal taste.
Andy, I think you need a drink.... 😆 I think it's great that you don't autotune your videos. LOL
Where would you put Playing the Fool on this list?
Keep in the mistakes! Keep it real. I like it!
1- Three Friends
2- Octopus
3- In A Glass House
4- Interview
5- Free Hand
6- The Power and The Glory
7- Acquiring the Taste
8- Gentle Giant
9- The Missing Piece
10- Civilian
11- Giant for a Day
By the way "Playing the Fool" is one of the best live albums of all time
In a glass house is my number 1.
This is as difficult as choosing favorite children or pets...
Free Hand, In a Glass House, Octo, P&G. I can't choose btw 3 Friends, Acquiring, GG, Interview.
And the final three in reverse order as you have it.
I don't understand why you don't like the cover to Acquiring The Taste, that would be in my top 10 album covers of all time!!!
Who's Derek Schulman?
Phil Shulman left in 73.
You might have a point, maybe you are evolving to a more value based, less list based type of approach to youtube videos. Three Friends tops the list for me, just be glad you never saw them live as the experience would have rendered any other gig by any other band sub-par. Love the channel and huge apologies for juvenile previous comments on King Crimson.
This ranking video deserves a boxset 😂
1. Three Friends 1972,
2. Octopus 1972,
3. In A Glass House 1973,
4. Acquiring The Taste 1971,
5. Gentle Giant 1970,
6. The Power And The Glory 1974,
7. Free Hand 1975,
8. Interview 1976,
9. ...
A low placing for Power and The Glory...in many ways it could be their greatest....
@@AndyEdwardsDrummer To me, all the first 6 albums are great, the next two OK, the rest I forgot existed! For me, after Zappa's bands (all of them) and King Crimson, Gentle Giant was the greatest band ever and this is only for these first 6 albums here! I follow your podcast for more than a year now, great work, I like it! 🙂👍
Thanks a lot Andy your top 11 is just the same as mine.
"Why don't you know which brother left and which ones stayed in the band?" Phil left, Derek (the guy that sings) and Ray (the bass player) stayed. This is like the prog bands video where you left out ELP. Really good video but the editing and production is ... nonexistent. Keep doing videos this way. I like watching the screw-ups, brain farts and we are learning a lot about you and and your need to show us your "god-like" prog knowledge by doing stuff "off the cuff" (BTW, I also like watching car-wreck videos). It's hard to be "wrong" when you rank Gentle Giant albums and their first 8 are in your top 8. My listing 1-11 would be Octopus and In a Glass House tied for first place, The Power and the Glory, Acquiring the Taste, Free Hand, Three Friends, Interview, First Album, The Missing Piece, Civilian and Giant for a Day.
Hard for me to rank. My favorites though are "Acquiring the Taste", "Three Friends", "Octopus" and the debut.
"PROG'S PROG'' always make me laugh 🤣
You forgot Power and the Glory!