I understand why, in general, live albums tend not to be included in these kind of lists but in this case Playing the Fool is so stupendous I really feel it should be somewhere in this line up, and high at that
An interesting ranking of those old records. Here's my opinion on the order: 1. Free Hand (1975) 5 2. The Power & the Glory (1974) 5 3. In a Glass House (1973) 5 4. Octopus (1972) 5 5. Interview (1976) 4 6. Three Friends (1972) 4 7. The Missing Piece (1977) 4 8. Acquiring The Taste (1971) 3.5 9. Gentle Giant (1970) 3 10. Civilian (1980) 2.5 11. Giant for a Day! (1978) 2
Sandwiched between Acquiring The Taste and Octopus, Three Friends seems a bit of an anomaly - like having Rubber Soul come out between Sgt Pepper’s and the White Album. It could be (wrongly) mistaken for a lightweight album in comparison, and perhaps the cover does it no favours (although it is actually a lovely gatefold). However, it is a delight from start to finish, jazzy and groovy, intricate and deft, with some heavy kicks and the lightest of touches. Although the album is highly regarded by most Gentle Giant fans it is rarely ranked as their best, rather as a precious gem to be taken out and admired from time to time along with the other diamonds.
Three Friends is the best. The masterpiece! In Brazil, where I speak from (using a translator), the name given to such an achievement is: "closed work" (obra fechada). Because it is simply impossible to be heard separately.
I purchased *Octopus* when it was released on the strength of the *Roger Dean* cover!? Boy was I shocked upon listening to the complex tunes and non *Yes* ditties contained therein. I grew to understand as repeated listenings bore fruit. I went off for a while and became a *Hatfield and the North* fan (still am a bit), and consequently ignored the subsequent releases until a an old friend loaned me *In a Glass House.* For me in hindsight, as much I love Hatfield's *Rotters Club,* I have to admit that *Gentle Giant* are the greatest of all the proggers at that time. It's difficult to separate them, but my favourite four are, in no particular order ~ In a Glass House, Freehand, Power and the Glory and Octopus. 😎👌
My top choices: 5. In a Glass House - 4 4. Acquiring the Taste - 4 3. Octopus - 4 2. Free Hand - 4.5 1. The Power and the Glory - 5 Playing the Fool: One of the better live albums of its time, this capturing the Giant's energy and playfulness ... their complex studio arrangements are well reproduced throughout. - The Rough Guide to Rock Most underrated: The Missing Piece - 3.5: A collection of concise and relatively populist songs, though retaining the band's cleverness and sensitivity. - The Rough Guide to Rock
One of my favourite bands! My list is: 1. Acquiring the Taste 2. Octopus 3. Interview 4. In a Glass House 5. Three Friends 6. Gentle Giant 7. Free Hand 8. The Power and the Glory 9. Civilian 10. The Missing Piece 11. Giant for a Day
I would have to say that even their "worst" albums have some fascinating moments. Malcolm left the band due to back problems but just for the record, still a fabulous player and regular with Herbie Flowers. Slighly biased, I have known Malcolm for over 20 years. We teach at the same school though he is on leave at the moment
an erudite and descriptive synopsis of each album as one expects from this high quality channel. My rankings concur with yours Barry and a criminally underrated band deserved so much better in terms of commercial popularity. I acquired two DVD s of this band in concert and still remain amazed at the different instruments each member played during the performance culminating in all 5 playing percussive instruments as their finale. RIP Ray Shulman.
Wonderful as usual. Even when I think I know an album from front to back your commentary never fails to bring something new to the mix. I go back and forth on which of their albums is my favourite, but it's almost always 'Octopus' or 'Free Hand'. Ah, but not so fast: 'In a Glass House'...
It has to be Power and the glory and Free hand for me, they both contain most if not all of my favorite Gentle Giant songs, I mean , Proclamation, what a song that is and He's last Voyage from Free Hand is absolutely beautiful, great informative content as always, thank you Barry
Well done mate. I got into GG late but one my favorite songs is "Why Not" It's got a killer riff, softer interlude then finishes with a rocking 12 bar Blues. Another favorite is "Peal the paint" off of "Three Friends" (the first GG song I ever consciously heard) The official video of it is super. Thanks
GG is a lot of fun to listen to: so many instruments appear at unusual times during these songs. Tasteful listening every time! GG HAS PRODUCED 7 EXCELLENT ALBUMS THROUGHOUT HIS CAREER. It's rather rare! Most bands produce 5 or 6 excellent albums only to be disappointing before/after. GG gets 7 great albums! Here is my observation (ordered by group/album rating): GENTLE GIANT (7): 1. Octopuses 2. In the glass house 3. Three friends 4. Acquiring the taste 5. Free hand 6. (First) Gentle Giant 7. The power & the glory PINK FLOYD (6): 1. Dark side... 2. Animals 3. Wish you... 4. Meddle 5. Atom... 6. The wall LED ZEPPELIN (6): 1. 4 2. 2 3. Houses... 4. Physical... 5. 1 6. 3 GENESIS (5): 1. Selling... 2. Foxtrot 3. The lamb... 4. Nursery cryme 5. A trick... YES (5): 1.Close... 2. Relay 3. Tales... 4. Fragile 5. Yes album KING CRIMSON (5): 1. In the court... 2.Red 3. Discipline 4. Lark's... 5. Starless... VAN DER GRAAF GENERATOR (3): 1. Pawn hearts 2. Still life 3. Godbluff JETHRO TULL (3): 1.Thick... 2. Aqualung 3. Passion play SUPERTRAMP (3): 1. Crime... 2. Even... 3.Breakfast... RUSH (3): 1. Moving pictures 2. Permanent waves 3. 2112 What do you think of this list or the comment preceding it?
Greetings Barry!! I thoroughly enjoyed your Gentle Giant ranking, especially your commentary and analysis of each. GG have long been one of my favorite bands of all-time, and ranking them (for me anyway) was a difficult task, to say the least. I am including my ranking below, however, depending on what day I'm asked to do so, the results could be vastly different. 1 Octopus 2 Free Hand 3 The Power and the Glory 4 Three Friends 5 In A Glass House 6 Acquiring The Taste 7 The Missing Piece 8 Interview 9 Civilian 10 Gentle Giant 11 Giant For A Day Thanks so very much for creating this GG video, and a fantastic job, well done!!
This is a great list, but I really enjoyed Civilian. It's not "Free Hand" or dare I say "Octopus" by any means, but it was a fun listen, accessible and appropriate for an early 80's prog environment.
I found your reasons for your rankings very interesting. We all approach music in such a different way, and what resonates with one may leave another cold. I discovered Gentle Giant in 73, and they quickly became my favorite program band. My choices: 1. Octopus 2. Freehand 3. In A Glass House 4. The Power And The Glory 5. Three Friends 6. Acquiring The Taste 7. Interview 8. Gentle Giant 9. The Missing Piece 10. Civilian 11. Giant For A Day
I love this analysis of the albums, but I'm not sure I totally agree. This might be coloured by the fact that I came in to Gentle Giant quite late, "Interview" being my first, and even then I wasn't sure what to make of it. I then got "The Missing Piece" when i came out and saw them live touring htt album and was just blown away. I think TMP is wildly uneven, particularly the first half where it's trying too hard to be "contemporary" but tht second half has some of their best material, tight and concise and loaded with verve. And "Memories of Old Days" is just stunningly beautiful with its dreamy wash of acoustic guitars. I'd probably put Giant for a Day at the bottom of the pile, because while Civillian is rather unremarkable as a whole, it doesn't have anything as gobsmackingly twee as "Friends", "Thank You" or as generic as "Rock Climber". I have a soft spot for the title song and "Little Brown Bag", as well as "It's Only Goodbye" being a guilty pleasure, but they're wildly balanced out by the other, really embarassing songs. Hard to say what I'd put at the top, though -- To be honest, I never really "got" Octopus, having worked my way through the US vinyl (yep, with that weird cover) to various CD iterations and finally getting Steve Wilson's remaster in High Res, and I'd still prefer "Power and the Glory" (which has made a long journey from its flat vinyl sound to the glorious full fat recent remasters) and "Interview"...but that could just be sentiment.
11. Giant for a Day 10. The Missing Piece 9. Interview 8. In a Glass House 7. Civilian 6. Gentle Giant 5. The Power & the Glory 4. Aquiring the Taste 3. Three Friends 2. Free Hand 1. Octopus 🐙 Such a solid band. While I'd say the Missing Piece and Giant for a Day are maybe at the worst bland, they still have some great songs on them. As for the rest of the catalogue, it's incredibly good and embodies some of the best of prog. I have to give some love to Civilian which I think is supremely underrated. Yes, they went for a more commercial sound but I think what they did with that new sound was really unique and interesting (and unequivocally Giant!). I also really love the whole dark, dystopian concept behind it.
I'd switch Octopus for Free Hand, and the debut for In a Glass House. Solid list though, hardly debatable. 1. Acquiring the Taste 2. Free Hand 3. Power & the Glory 4. Three Friends 5. In a Glass House 6. Octopus 7. Gentle Giant 8. Interview 9. Civilian 10. Giant for a Day 11. The Missing Piece
GG are one of the few bands who never produced a truly wretched LP. Even Giant for a Day has a certain charm. I personally love The Missing Piece which has a perfect balance of accessibility and innovation and it has a place in my heart because it was literally the first GG album I ever heard. The one album I struggle with a bit is Interview which is so dense and overtly complex as to be nearly unlistenable in places- yeah I know COMPLEXITY was their MO but even so....As far as which is their absolute best LP, for me it is always a toss up between Free Hand and Octopus.
What timing! I was just listening to Gentle Giant on Spotify for the first time. I’d never really dig into their catalogue before….and then today I see this episode. Perfect timing. Thank you. ✌️
My ranking FWIW: Top tier: Free Hand, The Power & the Glory, Octopus, In a Glass House; 2nd tier: Three Friends, Acquiring The Taste; 3rd tier: Interview, Gentle Giant; 4th tier: The Missing Piece, Civilian, Giant for a Day!
Thank you for your review of one of my favorite bands. I saw them live in 1976. They were the opening act for Yes. I had never heard of them but was totally amazed and mesmerized. They effortlessly switched from instruments sometimes in the middle of a song. I acquired Interview and worked my way backwards.
Eight very good to great studio albums of 11 in total - the last three being a misguided but understandable attempt to “go commercial”. Ranking them isn’t easy. My top 3 would be Acquiring The Taste, Octopus and Three Friends in changeable order. The others, with the exception of Interview, are more or less equal 4th. After In A Glass House, I had the feeling the record company were beginning to give up on them, although The Power And The Glory is a real statement and Free Hand brought them a modicum of commercial success. But times and musical tastes were changing and Interview - only good in parts when something game-changing was needed - was probably the nail in the coffin for the band’s aspirations. Now, decades later, they seem to be getting the critical acclaim that often seemed to elude them at the time.
I like the American artwork for octopus. I think it’s also a cool looking design, maybe not as great as the UK… However still groovy. When we gonna get your thoughts on other great progressive groups like gracious, spring, and Barclay James harvest?
I'm with you... The debut album is actually my favorite (and I'm a huge fan), but I'm in the minority. Most GG fans rank it way lower than you did. So, an underrated album from an underrated band.... go figure. It's a goldmine.
Still have "The Missing Piece" on vinyl from '77. Agree, an inconsistent album, but a couple good tunes (e.g., "Memories of Old Days"). For my money, "Octopus" is their best work, but their live album, "Playing the Fool" is outstanding.
My ranking goes kinda different: 1. The Power and the Glory/In a Glass House. 3. Free Hand/Interview. 5. Three Friends/Gentle Giant/Civilian. 8. Octopus. 9. The Missing Piece/Acquiring the Taste. 11. Giant for a Day.
1 - Acquiring the Taste 2 - Three friends 3 - Gentle Giant 4 - In a Glass House 5 - Octopus 6 - Free Hand 7 - In'terview 8 - The power and the Glory 9 - Giant for a Day 10 - The missing Piece 11 - Civilian There a couple of song on for a day that nobodies seems to like, but for me they are fun if anything. Missing piece feel like dying to me. And Civilian is that band I always new I neve really want to hear. It's like to me they are trying to be something else, they should have at this point.
Baz does it again...Wasn't a Jethro Tull fan until becoming a regular of this channel - now listen to their pre 1980 stuff a lot. Same can be said for Gentle Giant. Once I would have run a mile - now I embrace.
Excellent ranking video! Here's my ranking and my point system... 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
Aptly evaluation of Gentle Giant's works! Octopus has always been my favourite, closely followed by their first, which for me ist among the greatest prog debut albums along with the Nice "The Thoughts of Emerlist Davjack", Moody Blues " days of Future passed" and King Crimson's "Court of the Crimson King"🎉 When I saw Gentle Giant live in the mid seventies after Phil had left, they had lost some magic unfortunately
Sorry for jumping on the GG thread, but wondering if due to recent news we could get a review of a Pogues album? Or better yet a worst to best! Anyway I love your channel.
This is well nigh impossible to do, but I would put Free Hand, Octopus and In a Glass House as the top 3. Having got into them right at the beginning, I will always have a special place for the first album. 🎉🎉
Gentle Giant is my favorite musical group. I agree with their last 2 albums being lowest on the list but while the first side of The Missing Piece does have a similarly mainstream sound, the second side is some of their best work with its 4 great songs so I would rate it way ahead of their debut album and Three Friends. Octopus is probably my favorite of their albums but there's so much amazingly great stuff that it's difficult to judge.
I agree Civilian doesn't sound as much like Gentle Giant, but I think it's a much stronger album than Giant for a Day. OK, here's my ranking: 11. Giant for a Day 10. The Missing Piece 9. Civilian 8. Interview 7. Acquiring the Taste 6. Three Friends 5. Gentle Giant 4. In a Glass House 3. Free Hand 2. The Power and the Glory 1. Octopus
I'll just add… when I am in the mood to listen to Gentle Giant (which is much less often these days than when I was in college in the '90s), I will happily put on any of the top 9 albums in my list. 10 and 11 are the only ones I generally don't listen to, except as a joke. (People who don't share my appreciation for GG tend to find songs from those two albums particularly funny so I oblige them by playing "Two Weeks in Spain" or "Spooky Boogie".)
GG never had a consensus masterpiece like Close to the Edge or Dark Side of the Moon; rather they produced a solid 8 album run of almost-masterpieces which are mostly indistinguishable in terms of the quality of the music. So any ranking can only reflect one’s personal tastes. I rank Interview higher than most because it’s the one album where they seemed to capture their harder-edged live approach in the studio. And I think if you consider GG to be Prog’s prog, then In a Glass House has to be #1. My ranking: 1. In a Glass House 2. The Power and the Glory 3. Octopus 4. Interview 5. Three Friends 6. Gentle Giant 7. Free Hand 8. Acquiring the Taste 9. The Missing Piece 10. Civilian 11. Giant for a Day
Civilian sounded better than mostly New Wave bands then! It took me years to admit it and today I like the album , but about GG to me is difficult to rank such a great legacy of music!!!
Pretty sure the problems they had with audiences in the US were confined to their very earliest tours with the likes of Black Sabbath. Even then they were never really booed offstage and usually won the Sabbath audience over to some extent. There was an incident at the Hollywood Bowl where they left the stage after some idiot threw a cherry bomb on stage. By the Free Hand album they had established a devoted, if only cult-sized, US fanbase, and certainly did not get booed.
Civilian ranks higher for me, I like that album, Giant For A Day is the bottom of the barrel, even the band thinks it is, Civilian is miles above that album.
Interesting note. In The Rolling Stone Record Review book The Power And the Glory was awarded zero stars and was called unlistenable and should never have been recorded. Pretty harsh don't you think?
Ironically the same mag was probably giving XTC rave reviews just a few years later. A band that pretty much based it's early sound on So Sincere from The Power And The Glory. Strange, anyway, as TP&TG is one of the band's most accessible albums. The reviewer probably only played the first two tracks and then gave up, lol.
Giant for a day is by far their weakest effort. I rank Civilian much higher as it seemed brilliant following GFAD. 1- Octopus 2- In a glass house 3- Three Friends 4- The power and the glory 5- Acquiring the taste 6- Free Hand 7- Civilian 8- GG debut 9- Interview 10- The missing piece 11- Giant for a day.
Upon first listen to "The Missing Piece", I was a little disappointed, as it didn't measure up to what came before it. However, with tracks like "As Old As You're Young", "Memories Of Old Days", and "For Nobody", it quickly became an album I could not take off the turntable, except perhaps for another GG album!! Even "I'm Turning Around" soon became a favorite. "Mountain Time" and "Two Weeks In Spain" are okay. The only completely dreadful track is obviously, "Betcha Thought We Couldn't Do It". Horrific! I realize what they were going after, but far too cheesy to hit that elusive mark. For me, the real stinker LP was "Giant For A Day". I kind of like the title track, but even that wears on with the elongated and repetitive ending. "Spooky Boogie" and "Words From the Wise" are just okay. I don't care for, and have never warmed up to any of the tracks on Side Two. For my ears anyway, it's their worst material. I think "Civilian" was a shift in the right direction and, had they made another album, they might have finally reached what they had been grabbing for, for quite some time. Personally, I think they threw in the towel 1 album too soon. I don't think Civilian is near as bad as most say it is. "Number One" is still a GG favorite of mine. Does "Civilian" have that Gentle Giant sound and feel that we all love so much? Of course not, but we also know that it would have been nearly impossible for GG to achieve global stardom AND retain the sound that all GG fans love so much. Something would have had to give. Perhaps more support and marketing from the record company would have helped, but by this time, prog bands were not the focus of the industry... but I digress. LOL!
Early 70s in the UK. Although the term is used in the liner notes if Caravan's first album from 1968. Americans will sometimes tell you that the term wasn't used until the 90s. That ONLY applies to the US, if at all.
IMO the first coherent progressive album is the revolutionary art pop Eli and the Thirteenth Confession (1968) by the New York prodigy Laura Nyro: innovative, complex and seismically influential. "It blew everybody's mind " Todd Rundgren. Nyro "probably influenced more successful songwriters than anyone " Elton John, 2007. Olivia Rodrigo's mega hit from 2021 is based on Nyro's You Don't Love Me When I Cry (1969). The line up of musician's on Nyro's album is incredible - session and jazz greats, some of whom went on to play on Steely Dan albums. Walter Becker's favourite track on Nyro's album was Women's Blues.
I must admit, I do rather like Quo... but I did think it was amusing to discuss Gentle Giant wearing this shirt.... I did a critique of Bing Crosby once wearing a Motorhead shirt.
@@classicalbum Did Quo ever find their missing third chord? I admit to owning a couple of early albums, and seeing them on one of their many "farewell" tours!
It's okay. I'm not really sure if I get it, but I enjoy listening their music. And I always wonder if they had trouble remembering how to play their songs live, they are so complicated and weird. My favorite songs are An Inmates Lullaby and Talybont (that one sounds like 90s JRPG music)
There are several videos of GG playing live. They had no trouble whatsoever playing their stuff live. Often they rearranged the songs for live performances to some extent and made them even more complex.
For me it goes something like this, favorite to least favorite: 1. Acquiring the Taste 2. Three Friends 3. Octopus 4. Gentle Giant 5. In a Glass House 6. Free Hand 7. The Power and the Glory They lose me after these.
Gary Green must be one of the most overlooked and under appreciated guitarists ever.
I understand why, in general, live albums tend not to be included in these kind of lists but in this case Playing the Fool is so stupendous I really feel it should be somewhere in this line up, and high at that
Yes, a pity that set could not be included. It is a great live album.
Yes, one of my favorite live albums of all-time!!!
Too bad is poorly recorded. The playing is astonishing.
An interesting ranking of those old records. Here's my opinion on the order:
1. Free Hand (1975) 5
2. The Power & the Glory (1974) 5
3. In a Glass House (1973) 5
4. Octopus (1972) 5
5. Interview (1976) 4
6. Three Friends (1972) 4
7. The Missing Piece (1977) 4
8. Acquiring The Taste (1971) 3.5
9. Gentle Giant (1970) 3
10. Civilian (1980) 2.5
11. Giant for a Day! (1978) 2
My BIG 5
1. Three Friends
2. Acquiring the Taste
3. In a Glass House
4. Free Hand
5. Octopus
Octopus, Free Hand and The Power and the Glory are flawless. I thoroughly enjoy The Missing Piece for some reason! Excellent work sir
I like Missing Piece too, some fine songs on there
In ter view, Freehand, both fine releases.
For me, In a Glass House is their best.
Great point. I have it at #2, right behind Octopus.
My fav with Three Friends 👍🏻
Sandwiched between Acquiring The Taste and Octopus, Three Friends seems a bit of an anomaly - like having Rubber Soul come out between Sgt Pepper’s and the White Album. It could be (wrongly) mistaken for a lightweight album in comparison, and perhaps the cover does it no favours (although it is actually a lovely gatefold). However, it is a delight from start to finish, jazzy and groovy, intricate and deft, with some heavy kicks and the lightest of touches. Although the album is highly regarded by most Gentle Giant fans it is rarely ranked as their best, rather as a precious gem to be taken out and admired from time to time along with the other diamonds.
Three Friends is the best. The masterpiece! In Brazil, where I speak from (using a translator), the name given to such an achievement is: "closed work" (obra fechada). Because it is simply impossible to be heard separately.
I purchased *Octopus* when it was released on the strength of the *Roger Dean* cover!? Boy was I shocked upon listening to the complex tunes and non *Yes* ditties contained therein.
I grew to understand as repeated listenings bore fruit.
I went off for a while and became a *Hatfield and the North* fan (still am a bit), and consequently ignored the subsequent releases until a an old friend loaned me *In a Glass House.*
For me in hindsight, as much I love Hatfield's *Rotters Club,* I have to admit that *Gentle Giant* are the greatest of all the proggers at that time.
It's difficult to separate them, but my favourite four are, in no particular order ~
In a Glass House, Freehand, Power and the Glory and Octopus.
😎👌
Rotters Club is a tremendous album, and Dave Stewart gives Kerry Minnear a run for his money. But they have nothing like the body of work that GG has.
Three Friends will always be my favourite.
Nice comments, as usual. My ranking is, probably, very different, though. Time for a Van Der Graaf Generator albums ranking.
Cheers.
My top choices:
5. In a Glass House - 4
4. Acquiring the Taste - 4
3. Octopus - 4
2. Free Hand - 4.5
1. The Power and the Glory - 5
Playing the Fool: One of the better live albums of its time, this capturing the Giant's energy and playfulness ... their complex studio arrangements are well reproduced throughout. - The Rough Guide to Rock
Most underrated:
The Missing Piece - 3.5: A collection of concise and relatively populist songs, though retaining the band's cleverness and sensitivity. - The Rough Guide to Rock
One of my favourite bands! My list is:
1. Acquiring the Taste
2. Octopus
3. Interview
4. In a Glass House
5. Three Friends
6. Gentle Giant
7. Free Hand
8. The Power and the Glory
9. Civilian
10. The Missing Piece
11. Giant for a Day
I would have to say that even their "worst" albums have some fascinating moments. Malcolm left the band due to back problems but just for the record, still a fabulous player and regular with Herbie Flowers. Slighly biased, I have known Malcolm for over 20 years. We teach at the same school though he is on leave at the moment
an erudite and descriptive synopsis of each album as one expects from this high quality channel. My rankings concur with yours Barry and a criminally underrated band deserved so much better in terms of commercial popularity. I acquired two DVD s of this band in concert and still remain amazed at the different instruments each member played during the performance culminating in all 5 playing percussive instruments as their finale. RIP Ray Shulman.
Wonderful as usual. Even when I think I know an album from front to back your commentary never fails to bring something new to the mix. I go back and forth on which of their albums is my favourite, but it's almost always 'Octopus' or 'Free Hand'. Ah, but not so fast: 'In a Glass House'...
I'm normally on the same page as you but this time I'm lost for words ! gentle giant fans will be wondering your talking about the same band.
One of the most underrated prog bands of all time. They were really unique.
Never listened to any of their stuff . I'll give them a listen now.
They're fantastic! Highly recommend. Start with Octopus
Or Acquiring the Taste, their two best albums in my opinion with the edge slightly to AtT for me.
It has to be Power and the glory and Free hand for me, they both contain most if not all of my favorite Gentle Giant songs, I mean , Proclamation, what a song that is and He's last Voyage from Free Hand is absolutely beautiful, great informative content as always, thank you Barry
Really enjoyed that Barry, thanks. GG are my favourite of the 'classic' proggers. I attempted a cover of Freehand once...😳🤯
Well done mate. I got into GG late but one my favorite songs is "Why Not" It's got a killer riff, softer interlude then finishes with a rocking 12 bar Blues. Another favorite is "Peal the paint" off of "Three Friends" (the first GG song I ever consciously heard) The official video of it is super. Thanks
GG is a lot of fun to listen to: so many instruments appear at unusual times during these songs. Tasteful listening every time!
GG HAS PRODUCED 7 EXCELLENT ALBUMS THROUGHOUT HIS CAREER. It's rather rare!
Most bands produce 5 or 6 excellent albums only to be disappointing before/after. GG gets 7 great albums!
Here is my observation (ordered by group/album rating):
GENTLE GIANT (7):
1. Octopuses
2. In the glass house
3. Three friends
4. Acquiring the taste
5. Free hand
6. (First) Gentle Giant
7. The power & the glory
PINK FLOYD (6):
1. Dark side...
2. Animals
3. Wish you...
4. Meddle
5. Atom...
6. The wall
LED ZEPPELIN (6):
1. 4
2. 2
3. Houses...
4. Physical...
5. 1
6. 3
GENESIS (5):
1. Selling...
2. Foxtrot
3. The lamb...
4. Nursery cryme
5. A trick...
YES (5):
1.Close...
2. Relay
3. Tales...
4. Fragile
5. Yes album
KING CRIMSON (5):
1. In the court...
2.Red
3. Discipline
4. Lark's...
5. Starless...
VAN DER GRAAF GENERATOR (3):
1. Pawn hearts
2. Still life
3. Godbluff
JETHRO TULL (3):
1.Thick...
2. Aqualung
3. Passion play
SUPERTRAMP (3):
1. Crime...
2. Even...
3.Breakfast...
RUSH (3):
1. Moving pictures
2. Permanent waves
3. 2112
What do you think of this list or the comment preceding it?
Greetings Barry!! I thoroughly enjoyed your Gentle Giant ranking, especially your commentary and analysis of each. GG have long been one of my favorite bands of all-time, and ranking them (for me anyway) was a difficult task, to say the least. I am including my ranking below, however, depending on what day I'm asked to do so, the results could be vastly different.
1 Octopus
2 Free Hand
3 The Power and the Glory
4 Three Friends
5 In A Glass House
6 Acquiring The Taste
7 The Missing Piece
8 Interview
9 Civilian
10 Gentle Giant
11 Giant For A Day
Thanks so very much for creating this GG video, and a fantastic job, well done!!
This is a great list, but I really enjoyed Civilian. It's not "Free Hand" or dare I say "Octopus" by any means, but it was a fun listen, accessible and appropriate for an early 80's prog environment.
I found your reasons for your rankings very interesting. We all approach music in such a different way, and what resonates with one may leave another cold. I discovered Gentle Giant in 73, and they quickly became my favorite program band. My choices:
1. Octopus
2. Freehand
3. In A Glass House
4. The Power And The Glory
5. Three Friends
6. Acquiring The Taste
7. Interview
8. Gentle Giant
9. The Missing Piece
10. Civilian
11. Giant For A Day
Well done, as always. Love the channel.
Glad to hear it!
1. Acquiring The Taste - 5.0 stars
2. Free Hand - 5.0
3. In A Glass House - 4.5
4. Power & The Glory - 4.5
5. Octopus - 4.0
6. Interview - 3.5
7. Three Friends 3.0
8. Gentle Giant - 2.5
9. Missing Piece 2.5
10. Civilian 1.5
11. Giant For A Day 1.5
Saw them open for Jethro Tull in 71, I think. They were kinda charming, great show...
I love this analysis of the albums, but I'm not sure I totally agree. This might be coloured by the fact that I came in to Gentle Giant quite late, "Interview" being my first, and even then I wasn't sure what to make of it. I then got "The Missing Piece" when i came out and saw them live touring htt album and was just blown away. I think TMP is wildly uneven, particularly the first half where it's trying too hard to be "contemporary" but tht second half has some of their best material, tight and concise and loaded with verve. And "Memories of Old Days" is just stunningly beautiful with its dreamy wash of acoustic guitars. I'd probably put Giant for a Day at the bottom of the pile, because while Civillian is rather unremarkable as a whole, it doesn't have anything as gobsmackingly twee as "Friends", "Thank You" or as generic as "Rock Climber". I have a soft spot for the title song and "Little Brown Bag", as well as "It's Only Goodbye" being a guilty pleasure, but they're wildly balanced out by the other, really embarassing songs.
Hard to say what I'd put at the top, though -- To be honest, I never really "got" Octopus, having worked my way through the US vinyl (yep, with that weird cover) to various CD iterations and finally getting Steve Wilson's remaster in High Res, and I'd still prefer "Power and the Glory" (which has made a long journey from its flat vinyl sound to the glorious full fat recent remasters) and "Interview"...but that could just be sentiment.
They’re all good but my top are
5. Octopus
4. Three Friends
3. Free Hand
2. Acquiring The Taste
1. The Power And The Glory
11. Giant for a Day
10. The Missing Piece
9. Interview
8. In a Glass House
7. Civilian
6. Gentle Giant
5. The Power & the Glory
4. Aquiring the Taste
3. Three Friends
2. Free Hand
1. Octopus 🐙
Such a solid band. While I'd say the Missing Piece and Giant for a Day are maybe at the worst bland, they still have some great songs on them. As for the rest of the catalogue, it's incredibly good and embodies some of the best of prog. I have to give some love to Civilian which I think is supremely underrated. Yes, they went for a more commercial sound but I think what they did with that new sound was really unique and interesting (and unequivocally Giant!). I also really love the whole dark, dystopian concept behind it.
It's nice to hear some positive comments regarding 'Giant for a day'!
I'd switch Octopus for Free Hand, and the debut for In a Glass House. Solid list though, hardly debatable.
1. Acquiring the Taste
2. Free Hand
3. Power & the Glory
4. Three Friends
5. In a Glass House
6. Octopus
7. Gentle Giant
8. Interview
9. Civilian
10. Giant for a Day
11. The Missing Piece
GG are one of the few bands who never produced a truly wretched LP. Even Giant for a Day has a certain charm. I personally love The Missing Piece which has a perfect balance of accessibility and innovation and it has a place in my heart because it was literally the first GG album I ever heard. The one album I struggle with a bit is Interview which is so dense and overtly complex as to be nearly unlistenable in places- yeah I know COMPLEXITY was their MO but even so....As far as which is their absolute best LP, for me it is always a toss up between Free Hand and Octopus.
Octupus is my prog fave . A lovely album never saw themlive. I remember thatfilm with alucard playin inthe background. Good review baz cheers mate
Obviously great band don’t think many giant fans would agree with your listing though, but your enthusiasm and your channel are always worth a listen😀
What timing! I was just listening to Gentle Giant on Spotify for the first time. I’d never really dig into their catalogue before….and then today I see this episode. Perfect timing. Thank you. ✌️
Thank you sir. Sometimes I think this band gets totally forgotten here in the states😢
My ranking FWIW: Top tier: Free Hand, The Power & the Glory, Octopus, In a Glass House; 2nd tier: Three Friends, Acquiring The Taste; 3rd tier: Interview, Gentle Giant; 4th tier: The Missing Piece, Civilian, Giant for a Day!
Thank you for your review of one of my favorite bands. I saw them live in 1976. They were the opening act for Yes. I had never heard of them but was totally amazed and mesmerized. They effortlessly switched from instruments sometimes in the middle of a song. I acquired Interview and worked my way backwards.
Eight very good to great studio albums of 11 in total - the last three being a misguided but understandable attempt to “go commercial”. Ranking them isn’t easy. My top 3 would be Acquiring The Taste, Octopus and Three Friends in changeable order. The others, with the exception of Interview, are more or less equal 4th. After In A Glass House, I had the feeling the record company were beginning to give up on them, although The Power And The Glory is a real statement and Free Hand brought them a modicum of commercial success. But times and musical tastes were changing and Interview - only good in parts when something game-changing was needed - was probably the nail in the coffin for the band’s aspirations. Now, decades later, they seem to be getting the critical acclaim that often seemed to elude them at the time.
I’m A Glass House is the one I played the most
I like the American artwork for octopus. I think it’s also a cool looking design, maybe not as great as the UK… However still groovy. When we gonna get your thoughts on other great progressive groups like gracious, spring, and Barclay James harvest?
I'm with you... The debut album is actually my favorite (and I'm a huge fan), but I'm in the minority. Most GG fans rank it way lower than you did. So, an underrated album from an underrated band.... go figure. It's a goldmine.
Still have "The Missing Piece" on vinyl from '77. Agree, an inconsistent album, but a couple good tunes (e.g., "Memories of Old Days"). For my money, "Octopus" is their best work, but their live album, "Playing the Fool" is outstanding.
With that Barry how about a full Quo review of every album they’ve ever made , might take an hour or two though, but your the man to do it !
Too much... I have done some nice Quo videos on my channel including a ranking ruclips.net/video/OKFVC2sLua4/видео.htmlsi=XU3m8cl3XrJrSnoH
@@classicalbum I did like that Quo review you just mentioned,keep up the good work 👍
My ranking goes kinda different:
1. The Power and the Glory/In a Glass House.
3. Free Hand/Interview.
5. Three Friends/Gentle Giant/Civilian.
8. Octopus.
9. The Missing Piece/Acquiring the Taste.
11. Giant for a Day.
1 - Acquiring the Taste
2 - Three friends
3 - Gentle Giant
4 - In a Glass House
5 - Octopus
6 - Free Hand
7 - In'terview
8 - The power and the Glory
9 - Giant for a Day
10 - The missing Piece
11 - Civilian
There a couple of song on for a day that nobodies seems to like, but for me they are fun if anything. Missing piece feel like dying to me.
And Civilian is that band I always new I neve really want to hear. It's like to me they are trying to be something else, they should have at this point.
Great Quo t-shirt Barry !
Baz does it again...Wasn't a Jethro Tull fan until becoming a regular of this channel - now listen to their pre 1980 stuff a lot. Same can be said for Gentle Giant. Once I would have run a mile - now I embrace.
Excellent ranking video! Here's my ranking and my point system...
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
Aptly evaluation of Gentle Giant's works! Octopus has always been my favourite, closely followed by their first, which for me ist among the greatest prog debut albums along with the Nice "The Thoughts of Emerlist Davjack", Moody Blues " days of Future passed" and King Crimson's "Court of the Crimson King"🎉
When I saw Gentle Giant live in the mid seventies after Phil had left, they had lost some magic unfortunately
I would place "Acquiring the taste" at top apart for this I very agree this rank, bravo!
Sorry for jumping on the GG thread, but wondering if due to recent news we could get a review of a Pogues album? Or better yet a worst to best! Anyway I love your channel.
Great seven album run from the debut through Free Hand.
This is well nigh impossible to do, but I would put Free Hand, Octopus and In a Glass House as the top 3. Having got into them right at the beginning, I will always have a special place for the first album. 🎉🎉
Gentle Giant is my favorite musical group. I agree with their last 2 albums being lowest on the list but while the first side of The Missing Piece does have a similarly mainstream sound, the second side is some of their best work with its 4 great songs so I would rate it way ahead of their debut album and Three Friends. Octopus is probably my favorite of their albums but there's so much amazingly great stuff that it's difficult to judge.
Thanks for the post! GG were an excellent band with top notch musicians. Power and the Glory and Free Hand my personal faves.
No problem!
My ranking would be in almost the reverse order of yours :) I love their later albums with more focus on artrock.
I agree Civilian doesn't sound as much like Gentle Giant, but I think it's a much stronger album than Giant for a Day. OK, here's my ranking:
11. Giant for a Day
10. The Missing Piece
9. Civilian
8. Interview
7. Acquiring the Taste
6. Three Friends
5. Gentle Giant
4. In a Glass House
3. Free Hand
2. The Power and the Glory
1. Octopus
I'll just add… when I am in the mood to listen to Gentle Giant (which is much less often these days than when I was in college in the '90s), I will happily put on any of the top 9 albums in my list. 10 and 11 are the only ones I generally don't listen to, except as a joke. (People who don't share my appreciation for GG tend to find songs from those two albums particularly funny so I oblige them by playing "Two Weeks in Spain" or "Spooky Boogie".)
Always enjoy your dry British wit.
Thank you
GG never had a consensus masterpiece like Close to the Edge or Dark Side of the Moon; rather they produced a solid 8 album run of almost-masterpieces which are mostly indistinguishable in terms of the quality of the music. So any ranking can only reflect one’s personal tastes. I rank Interview higher than most because it’s the one album where they seemed to capture their harder-edged live approach in the studio. And I think if you consider GG to be Prog’s prog, then In a Glass House has to be #1. My ranking:
1. In a Glass House
2. The Power and the Glory
3. Octopus
4. Interview
5. Three Friends
6. Gentle Giant
7. Free Hand
8. Acquiring the Taste
9. The Missing Piece
10. Civilian
11. Giant for a Day
…”King Crimson seems to have disappeared up their own aspic.” Oh Barry! (More) See what I did there!
Have you not done ranking of King Crimson, or am I just not finding that video, it would be interesting to hear your view.
I'm a hardcore Quo fan and I love Gentle Giant.
Civilian sounded better than mostly New Wave bands then! It took me years to admit it and today I like the album , but about GG to me is difficult to rank such a great legacy of music!!!
Power and Glory is my #1, otherwise, agree with our host
Pretty sure the problems they had with audiences in the US were confined to their very earliest tours with the likes of Black Sabbath. Even then they were never really booed offstage and usually won the Sabbath audience over to some extent. There was an incident at the Hollywood Bowl where they left the stage after some idiot threw a cherry bomb on stage.
By the Free Hand album they had established a devoted, if only cult-sized, US fanbase, and certainly did not get booed.
Civilian ranks higher for me, I like that album, Giant For A Day is the bottom of the barrel, even the band thinks it is, Civilian is miles above that album.
I like them both as well as The Missing Piece, never understood the dislike for those three.
@@LarryFleetwood8675 imtginimits because they went into a different musical direction and tried to take chances in that direction.
Interesting note. In The Rolling Stone Record Review book The Power And the Glory was awarded zero stars and was called unlistenable and should never have been recorded. Pretty harsh don't you think?
And very WRONG!
Ironically the same mag was probably giving XTC rave reviews just a few years later. A band that pretty much based it's early sound on So Sincere from The Power And The Glory.
Strange, anyway, as TP&TG is one of the band's most accessible albums. The reviewer probably only played the first two tracks and then gave up, lol.
Could only get In a Glass House on import in the USA, should be rated higher!
Giant for a day is by far their weakest effort. I rank Civilian much higher as it seemed brilliant following GFAD. 1- Octopus 2- In a glass house 3- Three Friends 4- The power and the glory 5- Acquiring the taste 6- Free Hand 7- Civilian 8- GG debut 9- Interview 10- The missing piece 11- Giant for a day.
Played with ZZTOP, here in the mid 70s. Went to see GG.
Much, MUCH, closer to Simon Boyers ranking below than to yours, Barry.
1. Octopus
2. Freehand
3. In A Glass House
4. The Power And The Glory
5. Three Friends
6. Acquiring The Taste
The rest do nothing for me.
Upon first listen to "The Missing Piece", I was a little disappointed, as it didn't measure up to what came before it. However, with tracks like "As Old As You're Young", "Memories Of Old Days", and "For Nobody", it quickly became an album I could not take off the turntable, except perhaps for another GG album!! Even "I'm Turning Around" soon became a favorite. "Mountain Time" and "Two Weeks In Spain" are okay. The only completely dreadful track is obviously, "Betcha Thought We Couldn't Do It". Horrific! I realize what they were going after, but far too cheesy to hit that elusive mark. For me, the real stinker LP was "Giant For A Day". I kind of like the title track, but even that wears on with the elongated and repetitive ending. "Spooky Boogie" and "Words From the Wise" are just okay. I don't care for, and have never warmed up to any of the tracks on Side Two. For my ears anyway, it's their worst material. I think "Civilian" was a shift in the right direction and, had they made another album, they might have finally reached what they had been grabbing for, for quite some time. Personally, I think they threw in the towel 1 album too soon. I don't think Civilian is near as bad as most say it is. "Number One" is still a GG favorite of mine. Does "Civilian" have that Gentle Giant sound and feel that we all love so much? Of course not, but we also know that it would have been nearly impossible for GG to achieve global stardom AND retain the sound that all GG fans love so much. Something would have had to give. Perhaps more support and marketing from the record company would have helped, but by this time, prog bands were not the focus of the industry... but I digress. LOL!
Crazy Horse is a pretty good garage band.
I agree, "For Nobody" is one of their best and most concise jewels.
In a glass house just edges octopus.
When was the term “Prog rock” first used?
It was originally progressive pop as music navigated its way out of the lysergic haze of psychedelia.
Early 70s in the UK. Although the term is used in the liner notes if Caravan's first album from 1968.
Americans will sometimes tell you that the term wasn't used until the 90s. That ONLY applies to the US, if at all.
IMO the first coherent progressive album is the revolutionary art pop Eli and the Thirteenth Confession (1968) by the New York prodigy Laura Nyro: innovative, complex and seismically influential. "It blew everybody's mind " Todd Rundgren. Nyro "probably influenced more successful songwriters than anyone " Elton John, 2007. Olivia Rodrigo's mega hit from 2021 is based on Nyro's You Don't Love Me When I Cry (1969). The line up of musician's on Nyro's album is incredible - session and jazz greats, some of whom went on to play on Steely Dan albums. Walter Becker's favourite track on Nyro's album was Women's Blues.
Drivers Licence by Olivia Rodrigo.
I assume you're wearing the Quo T Shirt ironically?
I must admit, I do rather like Quo... but I did think it was amusing to discuss Gentle Giant wearing this shirt.... I did a critique of Bing Crosby once wearing a Motorhead shirt.
@@classicalbum Did Quo ever find their missing third chord? I admit to owning a couple of early albums, and seeing them on one of their many "farewell" tours!
I keep trying but I can't get into this band.
It's okay. I'm not really sure if I get it, but I enjoy listening their music. And I always wonder if they had trouble remembering how to play their songs live, they are so complicated and weird. My favorite songs are An Inmates Lullaby and Talybont (that one sounds like 90s JRPG music)
There are several videos of GG playing live. They had no trouble whatsoever playing their stuff live. Often they rearranged the songs for live performances to some extent and made them even more complex.
Keep trying, you won't regret it.
US Octopus cover dreadful? I quite like the die cut. Certainly cost them more to produce.
Dude, have you listened to these records - this ranking is all wrong 😢
Every ranking is different and depends on one's taste and preference
Free Hand - ranks too low
I quite like Civillian :) really wouldn't say they made a "bad album" just different is all :) Three Friends is perhaps my favourite
For me it goes something like this, favorite to least favorite:
1. Acquiring the Taste
2. Three Friends
3. Octopus
4. Gentle Giant
5. In a Glass House
6. Free Hand
7. The Power and the Glory
They lose me after these.