[Doc Sarvis]

I've been hearing some very good things about the new remasters - except Interview which was accidentally released in mono! I assume that's been fixed now. The rest are apparently fantastic. I have In a Glass House on order - probably my favorite GG.

 

[drarthurwells]

Aman's, Doc Sarvis' and others' posts compelled me to order the first Gentle Gaint CD and it was great.


Now hunting down "Edge of Twilight", "In a Glass House" and "Free hand".

Wondering how the h*** I missed out on them before.

I do remember a friend, many years ago, recommending them to me, but I never followed up on it.

Any one know more about the new compilation set coming out this year? Wondering if I should hold off and purchase it instead of the above.

 

[Doc Sarvis]

Quote:

Originally Posted by drarthurwells Aman's, Doc Sarvis' and others' posts compelled me to order the first Gentle Gaint CD and it was great. Now hunting down "Edge of Twilight", "In a Glass House" and "Free hand". Wondering how the h*** I missed out on them before. I do remember a friend, many years ago, recommending them to me, but I never followed up on it. Any one know more about the new compilation set coming out this year? Wondering if I should hold off and purchase it instead of the above.

That's a tough one. On one hand, "Edge of Twilight" is so complete that you don't really need any of the albums from which it is culled. Thus, you could get the three you mention above (E of T doesn't have anything from "In a Glass House" or "Free Hand"), and you'd have an essential GG collection.

On the other hand, based on the 35th anniversary remaster of "In a Glass House" that I just got, the sound is incredibly fantastic. The E of T remastering was good but this is even better. I can only assume that the new compilation will be taken from the new remasters, so it'll be great.

Has anyone seen a tracklist from the new compilation?

I'll probably buy it all...

 

[bigshot]

I've still got the octopus in a jar album around here somewhere from my high school days. I'm amazed anyone remembers Gentle Giant. No one really paid much attention to them back then. Does anyone remember Matching Mole?

See ya
Steve

 

[periurban]

Drs Art & Sarvis.

For me the DVD is pretty essential. It really explains what the band were all about. I always loved them from first listening, but the mystery only became clear when I actually saw what they were doing.

The bemused reaction of a Sunday afternoon German classical audience is telling in the extreme. These days we all love GG, surrounded as we are by many strange and wonderful musical forms. Back in the seventies, when Led Zepellin were considered to be "left field", GG were like nothing else on Earth.

 

[drarthurwells]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Doc Sarvis ....On one hand, "Edge of Twilight" is so complete that you don't really need any of the albums from which it is culled. Thus, you could get the three you mention above (E of T doesn't have anything from "In a Glass House" or "Free Hand"), and you'd have an essential GG collection....

Does ET have much of Octopus in it? Should I get Octopus separately?

 

[Doc Sarvis]

Quote:

Originally Posted by drarthurwells Does ET have much of Octopus in it? Should I get Octopus separately?

No need - There's only one song on Octopus that isn't on E of T. It's called "Dog's Life" and it's the weakest cut on the album IMO.

 

[drarthurwells]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Doc Sarvis Normally I don't like compilations, but Edge of Twilight is an exception: It contains virtually all of the good stuff from five of the first six albums (In a Glass House is not included since it was on a different label). It is remastered with great sound. So, if you picked up E of T, plus In a Glass House and Free Hand (the latter two preferably on the new remasters series), you will have an excellent intro to GG - possibly all you ever need. All three are essential. The albums after Free Hand started to go downhill quite rapidly; all are great for a completist like me but they are not the best place to start - each one is progressively farther from the contrapunctal sound that made their earlier work so wonderful. Alternatively, if you like live albums, Playing the Fool is a good intro to the band and one of the best live recordings of the 70s IMO. Finally, GG is one of the most bootlegged bands in rock history, and many other unofficial live recordings exist, some of them good, some pretty weak. Good luck! As I said earlier, no one that I have introduced to GG has failed to become a fan. You might also enjoy the fan website, with lots of good info on the band: http://www.blazemonger.com/GG/

Art: The posters here have been terrific in helping me make good CD buying decisions - you guys and gals know your music.

Could you, Aman, or others tell me about this new GG release?

How does the selections compare to the the "Edge of Twilight" compilation in terms of best ones that you like?

Would I be better off getting the ET compilations plus "In a Glass House" and "Free Hand" that you previously recommended?

If I went with the new OR release then what additional separate albums would you advise?


GENTLE GIANT - ON REFLECTION: THE ULTIMATE ANTHOLOGY
3 CD SET (Release set for 10/11/05).

TRACKS:
Disc One:


Giant
Funny Ways
Alucard
Nothing At All
Why Not
Pantagruel's Nativity
Edge Of Twilight
Wreck
Black Cat
Plain Truth
Prologue
Schooldays
Peel The Paint

Disc Two:

The Boys In The Band
The Advent Of Panurge
Raconteur Troubador
A Cry For Everyone
Knots
The Runaway
An An Inmate's Lullaby
Way Of Life
In A Glass House
Proclamation
So Sincere
Aspirations
Playing The Game
Cogs In Cogs
The Power And The Glory

Disc Three:

Just The Same
On Reflection
Free Hand
Interview
Another Show
I Lost My Head
Two Weeks In Spain
I'm Turning Around
Memories Of Old Days
Words From The Wise
Friends
It's Only Goodbye
Convenience
All Through The Night
Number One
Inside Out

 

[Doc Sarvis]

The new compilation is very impressive - I'm going to pick it up even though I have every track on other releases. I can't imagine a better single introduction to GG for a new fan - it spans their entire career and even includes the track "The Power and the Glory" which was never released on any other album (despite the fact that one of their albums bears the same name). Also, the new set eliminates the need to buy the last three albums, since it contains the best of all of them. Combine all that with likely better remastered sound and you have a winner.

However, if you are a completist, I'd still recommend all of the following:

Edge of Twilight (which nearly encompasses the LPs Gentle Giant, Octopus, Acquiring the Taste, Three Friends, and Power and the Glory) - contains several tracks not on the new set;
In a Glass House
Free Hand
Interview

Of course, truly fanatical GG completists like me will buy it all, in multiple formats, plus bootlegs and live recordings!

P.S. Where did you see it being released on 10/11? I want to pick up a copy!

 

[Doc Sarvis]

The recent GG remasters were done by DRT Entertainment - Derek Shulman's company. (It's an interesting bit of trivia that Derek Shulman, lead singer for Gentle Giant, went on after the band's demise to become a record company executive and President of ATCO, responsible for signing AC-DC, Bon Jovi, Slipknot, Pantera and many others. He's left the big-company scene now and has his own startup called DRT.)

According to the GG webmaster, "On Reflection" is a DRT release. Thus they should be the same excellent remasters.

 

[drarthurwells]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Doc Sarvis The recent GG remasters were done by DRT Entertainment - Derek Shulman's company. (It's an interesting bit of trivia that Derek Shulman, lead singer for Gentle Giant, went on after the band's demise to become a record company executive and President of ATCO, responsible for signing AC-DC, Bon Jovi, Slipknot, Pantera and many others. He's left the big-company scene now and has his own startup called DRT.) According to the GG webmaster, "On Reflection" is a DRT release. Thus they should be the same excellent remasters.

Thanks again.

I let my son have my "Gentle Giant" (their first) CD that I bought a month ago, so I plan to buy this new 3 CD compilation, plus in a Glass House, to start with.

 

[Relayer71]

I'm a few months late to this party but I've only just discovered these wonderful boards the last couple of days while researching headphones!

Anyway being a fan of Prog Rock faves Rush, Genesis, King Crimson, Yes and ELP for quite some time, I heard about GG about 2 years ago and downloaded a few songs which I really liked them but never went beyond that.

But after recently seeing the new 35th Anniversary remastered editions I picked up the following albums (all in the last 2 weeks):

In a Glass House
The Power And The Glory
Free Hand

I can't believe I didn't give these guys a chance before. What an amazing group of musicians! This is evident in the Jazz and even Funk elements on some of their songs, not to mention some of the intricate vocal arrangements.

GG seems to be at the bottom of the list in terms of popularity and record sales compared to the bands I mentioned, but it's rather surprising because a few of the songs on these albums sound more accesible (catchy, rhythmic, and as I mentioned above, funky at times) than most of the stuff the other bands were doing AT THE TIME (73 - 76). But after just 2 weeks of listening they're slowly becoming my favorite of the bunch, right up there with Genesis (up until '77).

 

[Doc Sarvis]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Relayer71 I'm a few months late to this party but I've only just discovered these wonderful boards the last couple of days while researching headphones! Anyway being a fan of Prog Rock faves Rush, Genesis, King Crimson, Yes and ELP for quite some time, I heard about GG about 2 years ago and downloaded a few songs which I really liked them but never went beyond that. But after recently seeing the new 35th Anniversary remastered editions I picked up the following albums (all in the last 2 weeks): In a Glass House The Power And The Glory Free Hand I can't believe I didn't give these guys a chance before. What an amazing group of musicians! This is evident in the Jazz and even Funk elements on some of their songs, not to mention some of the intricate vocal arrangements. GG seems to be at the bottom of the list in terms of popularity and record sales compared to the bands I mentioned, but it's rather surprising because a few of the songs on these albums sound more accesible (catchy, rhythmic, and as I mentioned above, funky at times) than most of the stuff the other bands were doing AT THE TIME (73 - 76). But after just 2 weeks of listening they're slowly becoming my favorite of the bunch, right up there with Genesis (up until '77).

You definitely want to try their earlier stuff too (Octopus and Acquiring the Taste come to mind): More whimsical but very, very worthwhile.

The new compilation On Reflection promises to be great as well.

 

[JimmyD]

Totally out of the woods = the stuff of kings.

 

[Doc Sarvis]

Quote:

Originally Posted by JimmyD Totally out of the woods = the stuff of kings.

Agreed. Technically a bootleg, but what a bootleg!

Here's a fun, well-written article about GG from a recent Village Voice:

http://www.villagevoice.com/music/06...,71655,22.html