| Gentle Giant Playing the Fool |
|
 | Tracklist:
1. Just the Same
2. Proclamation
3. On Reflection
4. Excerpts from 'Octopus'
5. Funny Ways
6. The Runaway
7. Experience
8. So Sincere
9. Free Hand
10. Sweet Georgia Brown (Breakdown in Brussels)
11. Peel the Paint / I Lost My Head
Release Date: 1977 | |
|
|
| Summary: Gentle Giant were and still are one of the most skillfull prog band in the whole progressive rock story. Their music is so majestic it never gets old. |
1 of 1 thought this review was well written
Gentle Giant was a prolific british prog band troughout the seventies. They were the precursors of an innovative and ambitious kind of prog rock music. The band was particularly flexible due to the exceptionally broad musical skills of its members. All accomplished multi-instrumentalists, they also have a solid classic formation. From the start they were determined to strive beyond existing stagnant music. Have they succeed ?... Of course they did. Frontman Derek Shulman one time stated : ..''From the outset we have abandoned all preconceived thoughts on blatant commercialism.. Instead we hope to give you something far more substantial and fulfilling''...
Could take you some time to acquire the taste, but sooner or later you
could be seduced by their versatility, creativity and originality., At first glance Gentle Giant might seem pretentious, but they were trying to impress themselves with their talent, before impress anyone else. 'Giant's music was considered complex even by progressive rock standards. They built an unique soundscape based on an unusual blend of influences. So the label 'Experimental Prog Rock' would be fair enough. In a very unique way the rythm section comes balancing the movements of their ambitious music, They flirt with some classical, medieval and even baroque textures. They went further into experimental explorations; They augmented the usual rock instruments with cello, horns, mallet percussions, Moog, trumpets, flutes, vibes, etc...By doing so they have highlited their clever orchestrations, their songwriting and their brillant structures and dynamics. By using some intricate time signatures, detailed vocal harmonies and counterpoint (polyphony), they manage to surprise the most sophisticated prog rock music lovers. 'Giant music is imbued with subtlety and depth and is filled with numerous memorable melodies. They never fail to impress. Even their less good songs have something to offer musically. Giant is tall.. And they know how to captivate and entertain the audience ('Giant trademark). PLAYING THE FOOL gives you good impression pretty fast. You get it, or you let it down I guess. But if you don't let it grow on you: you're gonna miss a wonderful, orgasmic journey into a world of sensory pleasure. So yes, it's worth a serious listen.
---------------
'PLAYING THE FOOL' is Gentle Giant on top of their game. All the tracks are enjoyable on here. Everything represents what I'd like to hear within a GG concert. And you know what. It rocks! We believe in the singer Derek Shulman from the start. He is the man. No doubt. He plays some Saxophone here and there as well. The drumming of John Weathers is technical and cool. Amazing. Unique. He's the rocker and the entertainer of the band. He just knows how to feel their music and he knows how to support each and every notes heard around. He use to mix occasional solid rock feels, and he usually incorporates more or less hard sympho-prog rock patterns. The drumming flows so well and drives the music sometimes safely or sometimes imprevisible but all the time Sooo Grreat!! John is the solid time-keeper rocker. He sort of 'simplifies' the whole thing in a subtle and fantastic way. So their songs are soon much more accessibles. Amazing drummer with nice dynamics. His creative playing inspires me as a drummer. Variation is the word. I love his very original style. I saw Giant on a DVD concert called 'GIANT ON THE BOX'. Weathers is a cool, humoristic guy. The way he moves, his grimaces when he plays drums. He also doesn't hesitate to take the mic and thus feel the pulse of the crowd. He also plays some vibes.
Gary Green is a very talented guitarist. He managed to create inventive and original riffsand solos. He brought a lot either for electric and acoustic GG soundscape. He did ocasionally some cool classic guitar duet with Ray as well. And like his fellows, he was made to perform on stage. Key-boardist Kerry Minnear is a pillar within Gentle Giant. He plays all keys, cello, moog and vibes. Like the whole staff he does vocals and percus-sions. He used to compose several songs as well. Bassist Ray Shulman
did most of GG compositions and arrangements. Versatile and very talen-ted musician, he plays bass, violins and trumpet with class. From the 'GIANT ON THE BOX' DVD (a must have) it's funny to look at the charismatic frontman. He used to follow the song movements while he sings. What a powerful vocal he got! And what a performance on stage. Derek is very demonstrative in both facial expressions and theatrical body language. On that way he manages to entertain and seduce the audience. These guys are very honest both with their public and their prestations.
As soon as a newbie succeeds to get used to their style, he will promptly be tempted to explore their full discography. Beyond their unorthodox structures and uncommon prog-rock-baroque style they used to offer some of the greatest melodies ever. Most of their material is as precious as gold. So be patient and open minded. I swear to you: You're gonna ask for more. I could label the 'Giant's range that way:
'AVANT-GARDE-CLASSIC-FOLK-MEDIEVAL-SYMPHO-PROG-ROCK'.
Despite their intricate time signatures and stuff, they always knew what they were doing and where they were. No doubt 'Giant left a deep trail in prog music world. It's hard to put words on this and to give it justice. These guys are amazing. They are both unique in song-writing and struc-turing. With its flawless setlist, PLAYING THE FOOL is an excellent start to get into Gentle Giant. So on that note...
--- Back to 1977...
PLAYING THE FOOL starts pretty nicely with 'JUST THE SAME', (a top 3). The song is more rocky than on 'Free Hand' and is performed with conviction. 'PLAYING THE FOOL' took the floor brillantly. The journey continues with 'PROCLAMATION'. Great counterpoint and vocal melodies and harmonies. I have to give a solid or a very solid 5/5 for each and every songs. They're all ACE actually. I'm so impressed they can easily play live all these intricate studio works. Must admit that Gentle Giant were a highly polished live act. Everytime they cannot fully replicate their very elaborated studio versions, they managed to turn it into a more 'heavy prog' soundscape rearrangement. No worries, songs always remain the same. After all, either live or in studio, 'Giant stays Giant'. Of course their studio versions are tremendous, incredibly refined and well executed. (Especially for
their first eight albums) Giant rule.
'ON REFLECTION' is a pure bliss. An inventive harmony of flutes, vibes, cello and violins followed by one of their best vocal harmonies, as imposing as the one heard in 'KNOTS' from OCTOPUS (featured on 'EXCERPTS FROM OCTOPUS' as well). Then the gorgeous closing part took the floor with an happy medieval tour-de-force. I can figure out some Elfins dancing on it. Very Great Giant. And its linked together well with the follower 'EXCERPTS FROM OCTOPUS', a fantastic 'OCTOPUS Revisited' work. It starts wonderfully with the beginning of 'THE BOYS IN THE BAND' wich is brillantly well executed, and finishes on a good note with an incredible version of 'THE ADVENT Of PANURGE'. And in between we got an acoustic medley of some 'OCTOPUS' gems. Next is 'KNOTS' with its brillant vocal harmony. Well done. Then their famous classic guitar duet, courtesy of Ray and Gary. After that, Kerry did a moog bridge that leaded to 'THE ADVENT OF PANURGE' with its cool harmonic flutes jam. Ray shines on bass. Very inspired arrangements. (the OCTOPUS version rules as well). 'FUNNY WAYS' is from their debut album and it's a fan favorite. So beautiful version here. Intense and emotional. Nice performance of Ray, the master violonist. Great vibes solo from Minnear as well.
'THE RUNAWAY' is the opener of album 'IN A GLASS HOUSE'. The song has the same glass breaking sound sample found on the original version. The crowd welcomed the song with enthusiasm. The two versions are fairly identicals, and that's fine. 'EXPERIENCE' is one of my fave. Easily a top 3. And they delivered so brillantly on here. It's one of their most intricate and seductive ones. John Weathers shines on here. When the drum's coming we got a creative and effective upbeat that retains the heat of musicians engaged to play in polyphony. Then after we got a beautiful instrumental bridge announcing the glorious ending of the song. It makes me want to sing over Derek's voice. Very happy and catchy. Here's the GG paradox: Music can be catchy while remaining complex. With no doubts largely a reason why I like them. And again, I imagine some Elfins dancing on it. I could listen to it several times in a row. This will actually get stuck in your head for days. A groovy and melodic mid tempo takes it over on second part, and all instruments are audacious. It's an immense pleasure to listen to.
'SO SINCERE' is among the most complex of their catalog. Brillant time signatures and musical arrangements as usual. Listen to the the bass drum kicking and take note that Weathers had only one bass drum pedal. 'SO SINCERE' highlights all band members. Right after its audacious jam we got a stunning drum solo. Then it calms down to intro-duce a tremendous vibes bridge wich sets the table for their famous 'Drum and percussion bash' nicely executed by each members. This piece of work has quickly become a must for their shows, since their Power And Glory tour, in 1974.
'FREE HAND' is a great song, but it would be even better instrumental. The song was already charged enough musically. So I always found that Derek's voice sounded a little inappropriate on this one. Bassline is sublime especially in intrumental moments. The song offers aditional soloing opportunities for the guitarist, of wich he takes excellent advantage. After a short and funny musical interlude (courtesy of Ray Shulman on violin), the stage is set for an Electric conclusion. Guitarist Gary Green really shines and he rocks all through the 'heavy prog' medley PEEL THE PAINT / I LOST MY HEAD. The latter is easily one of my all time favorite GG songs. Especially the second part, with the gong announcing one of their best melodies ever. Grandiose. So powerful ending, really. Derek sings with an obvious enthusiasm. A perfect closer for a perfect album.!...Lets join elfins and dance to this lively music...
Gentle Giant never ceased to impress me, except after 'INTERVIEW' album. Too bad their last three albums were more 'pop' oriented and
have clearly shown signs of weakness. But overall Gentle Giant had proudly let their mark in progressive rock. Keep on listening to it again and again, and see how great they are. Until now their musical level has rarely been achieved. Good luck to you all musicians wanting to cover some 'Giant properly. And it never gets old. Still love it even after 30 years of listening.
PLAYING THE FOOL is Highly Recommended. --------> 5/5
|
Good review, although you might want to review a different album by the band, like their first one or something. But yeah, very good first review.
Digging: Jethro Tull - Roots To Branches
| | |
nice to see a gentle giant fan. Try fixing up the formating, and instead of saying high talented, go for something like very talented. Keep on practicing and don't be afraid of the language barrier.
Digging: The Mars Volta - Frances the Mute
| | |
I definately dig Gentle Giant. It's nice to see someone review them around here.
Digging: Grayceon - This Grand Show
| | |
One friendly reminder is not to give double comments on Sputnik.
| | |
I just saw that you wanted to know how the change the look of the text. Just go here http://www.sputnikmusic.com/forums/misc.php?do=bbcode and it will explain how to do it.
| | |
nice review Jethro. This album sounds great I'll definitely give it a look
Digging: Porcupine Tree - Stupid Dream
| | | Album Rating: 5
Here's the best way to get into the band, and to make you want for some more.
EVedder, knowing that you have 'Acquiring The Taste', I suggest you
to try 'Free Hand' and 'In A Glass House'. Everything they've
released before 'Missing Piece' is a good call.
Digging: Genesis - Seconds Out | | |
|
Stumble
Digg
Twitter
Del.icio.us