Octopus- Gentle Giant

[Foolonthehill]

Octopus- Gentle Giant

1972

1. The Advent Of Panurge (4:45)

2. Raconteur Troubadour (4:03)

3. A Cry For Everyone (4:06)

4. Knots (4:11)

5. The Boys In The Band (4:34)

6. Dog's Life (3:13)

7. Think Of Me With Kindness (3:31)

8. River (5:52)

The first thing that struck me, listening to this album, was the band's extraordinary skill with vocal harmonies. Right from the first track Gentle Giant had one person singing one line of lyrics/music and someone else singing another one, yet they somehow managed to make the two separate lines harmonise. I am told that this band is an acquired taste, but after only a week of listening to this album I am enjoying it hugely. Gentle Giant's use of a very wide variety of instruments, all of them real, not synthesized, ensures that the listeners attention is held through the entire album by the contrast in sounds from track to track. It becomes very obvious very quickly that the songs on this album are not just ideas sprung from improvised jams but have been composed ahead of time, with classical influences clearly present. At the end, "Octopus" feels to be perfectly resolved. 9/10.

Edited July 26, 2007 by Guest

[Batman]

an excellently layered album

[Foolonthehill]

yes

[Foolonthehill]

And since I wouldn't expect a lot of people to know Gentle Giant, you can listen to them here:

http://www.progarchives.com/artist.asp?id=118

[edna]

A friend of mine had this album and I liked it a lot... but that was some 30 years ago, or maybe more. I´m no longer in the mood for Gentle Giant.

[Foolonthehill]

I hope I'm always in the mood for it... I'm really enjoying it.

[Tony Baloni]

Wow I've never heard this one.

Which album is "The Room" on?

[Foolonthehill]

I'd recommend that you give it a listen. I think I prefer it to "In A Glass House" even (which seems to be considered their best by most).

I couldn't find a GG album with a song called "The Room"...

[Foolonthehill]

And while I'm posting on this thread, does anyone know a group called Final Fantasy? I hear a huge Gentle Giant influence in it.