At the fourth dimension Gentle Giant's line-up consisted of Gary Green (electric guitar, acoustic guitar, 12-string guitar, alto recorder, descant recorder, vocals, percussion), Kerry Minnear (keyboards, cello, vibes, tenor recorder, vocals, percussion), Derek Shulman (vocals, alto sax, descant recorder, bass, percussion), Ray Shulman (bass, violin, acoustic guitar, descant recorder, trumpet, vocals, percussion) too John Weathers (drums, vibes, tambour, vocals, percussion). This line-up stayed together until they broke upwards inward 1980.
The outset disc starts alongside Free Hand. At this point, Gentle Giant were slightly simplifying their complicated music inward gild to achieve a wider (read: American) audience, although the band's music could live regarded to live 'polished' rather than 'compromised'. Compared to other stone artists at the time, Gentle Giant's music was all the same real complex. However, the procedure itself seemed successful plenty to larn the album into the USA-charts. The songs were strongly influenced past times the music of the Renaissance era too the Middle Ages. The album's songs reflected on lost loves too damaged relationships including the breakdown of the band's human relationship alongside their onetime manager. Regardless of the issues of simplification, Free Hand became 1 of the band's most pop too accessible albums.
CD1 ends alongside half dozen additional tracks. The outset 1 is an intro tape of 1976 which they used to larn on stage. It's a non bad but curt instrumental slice that lasts exclusively 1.39 minutes. Next are ii tracks recorded during the John Peel sessions on the 16th of September 1975. The alive versions of Just The Same too On Reflection audio to a greater extent than brilliant than the studio versions so having to a greater extent than energy. Finally yous tin lavatory relish the international 7-inch mix of Give It Back too the 7-inch mix of I Lost My Head. Both differ non that much from the original versions.
The 2nd disc features Interview, Gentle Giant's adjacent release. It's in 1 lawsuit to a greater extent than a concept album based upon an imaginary interview alongside the band. The music pointedly poked fun at the Earth of the music manufacture too at the lightheaded questions that stone stars are repeatedly asked inward gild to build an paradigm for marketing. Ironically, this to a greater extent than satirical too subversive approach ultimately proved to live a symptom of the undermining of the band's operate too artistic integrity. Derek Shulman after admitted: “I intend Interview was the start of the erosion. The creative juices were starting to wane a footling bit... I intend it was the start of the slide towards the realization that this is a draw organisation now, too that's too a purpose of what the draw organisation had become. I was managing the band at the fourth dimension the music draw organisation became a major business.” Despite this approach, the album peaking at number 137, didn't repeat its predecessor's American nautical chart success.
In the same year, Gentle Giant's notoriously virtuoso alive act, featuring rapid-fire musical instrument swapping too every bit demanding rearrangements of the already complex studio pieces was captured on the alive album Playing The Fool. However, on the 2nd disc yous tin lavatory relish outset the consummate version of The Missing Piece. For the band this album was the start of the 'pop' years. While the band's skills as performers remained undiminished, their creative peak was forthwith behind them. Of course of education the music all the same contained plenty lineament featuring rigid musical elements. The album was recorded inward Holland merely similar Genesis did earlier them alongside Wind & Wuthering (1976). The outset side of The Missing Piece explored the unlike musical directions that the band was previously known for, including pop music too punk rock, piece the 2nd side was to a greater extent than inward the vein of Gentle Giant's signature of progressive stone style. This was the in conclusion album to nautical chart inward the USA.
On the tertiary disc yous tin lavatory relish the already mentioned alive double album Playing The Fool. On this CD yous tin lavatory hear how the band performed on phase inward total glory. The songs are much longer than the original studio versions. Influenza A virus subtype H5N1 skillful illustration is Excerpts From 'Octopus' on which yous tin lavatory hear additional parts performed on the acoustic guitars too recorders. Another skillful illustration is the rigid percussion solo on So Sincere. This album tin lavatory undoubtedly live considered to live 1 of their musical highlights.
The 4th too terminal disc starts alongside the 2nd album that was recorded during their 'pop' years. Giant For Influenza A virus subtype H5N1 Day emphatically shows the evidence of aiming for a bigger audience. The music clearly tends towards pop music. The 7-inch unmarried Thank You too its B-side Words From The Wise create got been included as bonus tracks. Later on Derek Shulman described Giant For Influenza A virus subtype H5N1 Day as existence 'real contrived'. The instrumental slice Spookie Boogie in all likelihood is the highlight on this album.
In 1979, they relocated their centre of operations to the USA inward gild to tape their 12th too most mainstream album Civilian, a tape containing curt stone songs. This album ends the 4th disc. The musical highlight on this unloose is Shadows On The Street, a rail that takes yous dorsum to the days when they all the same wrote existent progressive stone tunes. The residue of the cloth is mainly an AOR form of music. Ray Shulman after admitted: “I hated making that in conclusion record, I hated existence involved alongside it.” And inward 2005, Derek Shulman reflected: “Civilian was done alongside less passion than around of the other albums. As it turns out nosotros as a band were merely non skillful at existence stone or pop stars. We would create got loved to live as pop as Genesis, Rush or Yes. In hindsight, I sometimes intend that Gentle Giant was wrongfully lay into the progressive stone category. Much of what nosotros did was real clever, but nosotros for certain didn't produce these long complex tunes similar Yes or Genesis did.”
After the band was lay on concur 3 members thought nigh the thought of continuing alongside keyboard actor Eddie Jobson too alongside around other vocalist. As history tells us this never genuinely happened too the band never got dorsum together inward the line-up that recorded the albums for the Chrysalis label. However, around of them revived their music alive on phase nether the moniker of Three Friends. People who desire to know to a greater extent than nigh the music Gentle Giant, but don't desire to start alongside their complex music, this box-set is appropriate to laid about with. All inward all this a real skillful release! Especially the outset 3 CDs are worthwhile listening to!
Albums remastered past times Fred Kervorkian at Avatar Studios, NYC from the original 1/4 inch tapes through 24bit 96K hi-reolution transfer.Mastered past times Peter Mew at Abbey Road Studios, London. Disc 1 tracks 8-13 too disc 4 tracks xi & 12 previously unreleased on CD.
Courtesy: Original uploader.
Tracks Listing:
Disc 1
FREE HAND (1975)
1. Just The Same (5.34)
2. On Reflection (5.43)
3. Free Hand (6.15)
4. Time To Kill (5.09)
5. His Last Voyage (6.27)
6. Talybont (2.43)
7. Mobile (5.03)
Bonus tracks
8. 1976 Intro Tape (previously unreleased) (1.39)
9. Just The Same (John Peel session) (6.00)
10, Free Hand (John Peel session) (6.05)
11. On Reflection (John Peel session) (5.42)
12. Give It Back (International 7" mix) (3.48)
13. I Lost My Head (7" mix) (3.29)
Disc 2
INTERVIEW (1976)
1. Interview (6.51)
2. Give It Back (5.12)
3. Design (5.02)
4. Another Show (3.31)
5. Empty City (4.39)
6. Timing (4.39)
7. I Lost My Head (6.55)
THE MISSING PIECE (1977)
8. Two Weeks In Espana (3.06)
9. I'm Turning Around (3.59)
10. Betcha Thought We Couldn't Do It (2.25)
11. Who Do You Think You Are? (3.36)
12. Mountain Time (3.23)
13. As Old As You're Young (4.21)
14. Memories Of Old Days (7.19)
15. Winning (4.17)
16. For Nobody (4.07)
Disc 3
PLAYING THE FOOL (LIVE 1976)
1. (a) Just The Same/(b) Proclamation (11.17)
2. On Reflection (6.27)
3. Excerpts from 'Octopus' (15.39)
4. Funny Ways (8.31)
5. (a) The Runaway/(b) Experience (9.31)
6. So Sincere (10.19)
7. Free Hand (7.40)
8. Sweet Georgia Brown (1.22)
ix (a) Peel The Paint/(b) I Lost My Head (7.28)
Disc 4
GIANT FOR Influenza A virus subtype H5N1 DAY (1978)
1. Words From The Wise (4.16)
2. Thank You (4.50)
3. Giant For Influenza A virus subtype H5N1 Day (3.51)
4. Spookie Boogie (2.55)
5. Take Me (3.37)
6. Little Brown Bag (3.29)
7. Friends (2.01)
8. No Stranger (2.31)
9. It's Only Goodbye (4.20)
10. Rock Climber (3.53)
Bonus tracks
11. Thank You (7" unmarried edit A) (3.50)
12. Words From The Wise (7" unmarried edit B) (3.04)
CIVILIAN (1980)
13. Convenience (Clean And Easy) (3.13)
14. All Through The Night (4.23)
15. Shadows On The Street (3.16)
16. Number One (4.47)
17. Underground (3.49)
18. I Am Influenza A virus subtype H5N1 Camera (3.32)
19. Inside Out (5.52)
twenty It's Not Imagination (4.04)
Personnel:
- Derek Shulman/ vocals, saxes, alto sax, descant recorder, bass & percussion
- Ray Shulman/ bass, violin, acoustic guitar, descant recorder, trumpet, vocals & percussion
- Kerry Minnear/ keyboards, cello, vibes, tenor recorder, vocals & percussion
- Gary Green/ electric, acoustic & 12 string guitars, alsto & descant recorder, vocals & percussion
- John Weathers/ drums, tambour, vibes, percussion & backing vocals
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