{"id":625,"date":"2011-10-19T05:21:25","date_gmt":"2011-10-19T10:21:25","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/blog.musoscribe.com\/?p=625"},"modified":"2011-10-19T05:21:25","modified_gmt":"2011-10-19T10:21:25","slug":"album-review-gentle-giant-three-friends","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/blog.musoscribe.com\/index.php\/2011\/10\/19\/album-review-gentle-giant-three-friends\/","title":{"rendered":"Album Review: Gentle Giant – Three Friends"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"\"Three Friends<\/em> finds 70s progressive group Gentle Giant<\/strong> at their most rocking and abrasive, yet the group manages to deliver a set of challenging, progressive numbers in the process. Right out of the gate with \u201cPrologue,\u201d the band combines the fiddly-bits melodic style that endears them to fans (and drives everyone else up the wall), but weds that fussy approach to a power-riffing delivery. It may be a misnomer to describe the recurring melodic motif in \u201cPrologue\u201d as a riff \u2013 it\u2019s much more intricate and involved than that term suggests — but it\u2019s delivered in a manner that gives it the feel of one.<\/p>\n

A relatively dry, intimate production style puts the music right in the listener\u2019s face. Unison playing of the melodic line puts the emphasis on some aggressive, dirty-sounding guitar work from Gary Green<\/strong>, and his lines are doubled and\/or harmonized by Kerry Minnear<\/strong>\u2019s buzzing analog synthesizer work.<\/p>\n

\u201cSchooldays\u201d is built around some deft crosstalk between Minnear (on vibraphone and electric piano) and Derek Shulman<\/strong> on trademark acrobatic vocals. Co-producer (with the band) Malcolm Mortimore<\/strong> deftly delivers percussion work that\u2019s both assertive and light (the band would finally setlle on a permanent drummer in John Weathers<\/strong>, who came aboard after Three Friends<\/em>).<\/p>\n

The medieval trappings that are a central part of the Gentle Giant sound are in full flower here; there\u2019s a theatrical bent to the songs as well. In places \u2013 especially during some of Minnear\u2019s piano-centric excursions — \u201cSchooldays\u201d recalls Procol Harum<\/strong>. But when Minnear launches into a manic vibes solo \u2013 punctuated by electric piano riffs and wide-panned stereo vocal work from Derek \u2013 the record heads decidedly (and delightfully) in a jazz direction.<\/p>\n

The plucky guitar intro to \u201cWorking All Day\u201d is reminiscent of some of King Crimson<\/strong>\u2019s more dissonant moments, but the stomping riffage that\u2019s the song\u2019s centerpiece suggest an unholy hybrid of Uriah Heep<\/strong> and a medieval troupe of balladeers. Philip Shulman<\/strong>\u2019s sax work adds a gritty dimension to the track, suggesting what Supertramp<\/strong> might have sounded like had they pursued a more musically ambitious (but certainly less remunerative) direction. Again it\u2019s Minnear who steals the show, with some fine, expressive organ soloing.<\/p>\n

Ray Shulman<\/strong>\u2019s multiple-overdubbed violin work is the main attraction on \u201cPeel the Paint.\u201d Plucked, sawed and pizzicatoed, his fiddly bits create an airy ambience that suits the lyrics perfectly. Some super-heavy riffage comes as a bit of a shock, then, when it comes in. Sax, distorted guitar and wailing vocals work together, delivering a melody that\u2019s all riff and little melody. If you want to evangelize some prog to a Black Sabbath<\/strong> fan, \u201cPeel the Paint\u201d is a suggested starting point. Green briefly channels Jimi Hendrix<\/strong> (or at least Robin Trower<\/strong>) in a blistering solo, the likes of which one wouldn\u2019t expect on a Gentle Giant record. (Mortimore does his best Mitch Mitchell<\/strong>, too.)<\/p>\n

\u201cMister Class and Quality?\u201d answers the where-did-Kansas<\/strong>-get-their-ideas-from question once and for all. The band weaves a twisting, complicated melodic line, but delivers it in a stomping, gritty manner. The title track unfolds in a majestic manner, summing up all that has come before.<\/p>\n

Like many albums of its type, Three Friends<\/em> is built upon a narrative of sorts: in this case (as the liner notes relate it), the story concerns \u201cold school friends\u2026and whatever became of them.\u201d Following the narrative isn\u2019t necessary to enjoyment of the record.<\/p>\n

The 2011 digipak reissue of Three Friends<\/em> appends a live reading of \u201cPrologue\u201d from 1972, and some fascinating studio outtakes of \u201cPeel the Paint\u201d and \u201cThree Friends\u201d vocal parts. \u00a0<\/span>The former proves \u2013 better, perhaps than did the official Playing the Fool<\/em> live album \u2013 that onstage, Gentle Giant could be forceful and overpowering one moment, subtle and fussy the next, and then crushingly heavy the moment after that. And the studio outtakes are required listening for anyone who\u2019s ever enjoyed Gentle Giant\u2019s singular and unique brand of progressive rock.<\/p>\n

Note: You may also enjoy my reviews<\/a> of several other Gentle Giant reissues, and my interview with the band<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Follow \u201cthe_musoscribe\u201d on \"\" Twitter<\/a> and get notified
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Three Friends finds 70s progressive group Gentle Giant at their most rocking and abrasive, yet the group manages to deliver a set of challenging, progressive numbers in the process. Right […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_exactmetrics_skip_tracking":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[65],"tags":[893],"class_list":["post-625","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-review","tag-gentle-giant","cat-65-id"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"http:\/\/blog.musoscribe.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/625","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"http:\/\/blog.musoscribe.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"http:\/\/blog.musoscribe.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/blog.musoscribe.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/blog.musoscribe.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=625"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"http:\/\/blog.musoscribe.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/625\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"http:\/\/blog.musoscribe.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=625"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/blog.musoscribe.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=625"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/blog.musoscribe.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=625"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}