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Gentle Giant
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
| Gentle Giant | ||
|---|---|---|
 From left to right: Kerry Minnear, Derek Shulman, Gary Green, Ray Shulman and John Weathers
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| Background information | ||
| Origin | Great Britain | |
| Genre(s) | Progressive rock | |
| Years active | 1970–1980 | |
| Label(s) | Chrysalis (UK) Vertigo (UK,US) Columbia (US) Capitol (US) One Way Alucard Music DRT Entertainment |
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| Members | ||
| Kerry Minnear Derek Shulman Ray Shulman Gary Green John Weathers |
||
| Former members | ||
| Phil Shulman Martin Smith Malcolm Mortimore |
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Gentle Giant was a British progressive rock band, one of the most experimental of the 1970s. Textually inspired by philosophy, personal events and the works of François Rabelais, the group's compositional purpose was to "expand the frontiers of contemporary popular music at the risk of becoming very unpopular."[1]
Contents |
Gentle Giant was formed by Derek, Ray and Phil Shulman in 1970 after they dissolved their soul/pop band Simon Dupree and the Big Sound in 1969. The brothers joined with Gary Green, Kerry Minnear, and a succession of drummers to produce a series of twelve albums throughout the 1970s, finally dissolving quietly in 1980.
Their earlier albums were more eclectic and experimental than the later ones. By 1974, as they started to gather an American following, they simplified their songs (which, compared to other rock artists at the time, were still very complex) to gain a wider audience. Free Hand reached the Top 50 in the U.S.
By 1977, as the fashion trends in the music market shifted toward punk and New Wave, the band shifted toward a more commercial sound. In 1979, the band relocated to America to record their twelfth and most mainstream album, Civilian, after which the group disbanded.
There has been renewed interest in Gentle Giant since 1990, with new fan clubs, new releases of live concerts and previously unreleased material, several tribute albums and a failed 1997 attempt by fans to convince the members to perform a reunion concert. Several recent progressive rock bands claim to have greatly been influenced by the music of Gentle Giant, including Spock's Beard and Echolyn.
In 2005, to celebrate the band's 35th anniversary, a series of digitally remastered and specially packaged CDs of their later albums were released, also featuring unreleased live tracks (of varying quality) as bonuses. Many of these albums (most notably, In a Glass House) were previously difficult to purchase in North America without resorting to imports. The re-released albums are: In a Glass House, The Power and the Glory, Free Hand, Interview, The Missing Piece, Playing the Fool (live) and Giant for a Day.
Sadly for fans, the rights of the band's catalogue are scattered among many companies, not all of which are keen on re-releasing the albums properly. In particular, the first four albums have yet to receive definitive CD releases. For example, the title track on Acquiring the Taste begins with an obvious defect, possibly due to a damaged master tape, on all current CD and vinyl releases. The 1996 compilation Edge of Twilight includes a corrected version of the song.
It should be noted that this defect exists on the original 1971 vinyl release of the album, with the opening note bending up as the tape comes up to speed - probably an engineering error.
Gentle Giant's music had many aspects in common with other progressive rock bands of the time:
- Rapid, changing tempo
- Non-standard time signatures
- Complex melodies, frequently contrasting harmonies with dissonance
- Unconventional use of numerous classical and medieval instruments
- Musical structures typically associated with classical music, like the madrigal "Knots" and the fugal exposition in "On Reflection"
- Multi-part vocal harmonies
- Extensive use of instrumental and vocal counterpoint
- Complex lyrics
- Concept albums (on the occasion)
One Gentle Giant album listed a total of 46 instruments in the musician credits.
- Derek Shulman - born Derek Victor Shulman, on 11 February 1947 in Glasgow, Scotland.
- Kerry Minnear
- Ray Shulman - born Raymond Shulman, on 8 December 1949 in Portsmouth, England.
- Gary Green
- John Weathers (drums 1972 – 1980)
- Phil Shulman (1970-1972) - born Philip Arthur Shulman, on 27 August 1937 in Glasgow Scotland.
- Martin Smith (drums 1970 – 1971)
- Malcolm Mortimore (drums 1971 – 1972)
Main article: Gentle Giant discography
Gentle Giant members created the shulberry, a stringed instrument named after the Shulman brothers.
Gentle Giant's song "Funny Ways" is sampled by the hip hop artist Madvillian in his song "Strange Ways."
- ^ Quoted from the liner notes of Acquiring the Taste.
| Gentle Giant |
| Derek Shulman | Ray Shulman | Gary Green | Kerry Minnear | John Weathers |
| Phil Shulman | Martin Smith | Malcolm Mortimore |
| Discography |
| Main Albums: Gentle Giant | Acquiring the Taste | Three Friends | Octopus | In a Glass House | The Power and the Glory | Free Hand | Interview | Playing the Fool | The Missing Piece | Giant for a Day | Civilian |
| Other Releases: In Concert-BBC Radio 1 | Out of the Woods | Under Construction | Scraping the Barrel | Giant on the Box | GG at the GG |