Octopus

Artist: Gentle Giant
Label: Sony
Category: Music

Average customer rating:

Media: Audio CD
Number Of Discs: 1

UPC: 074643202220
EAN: 0074643202220
ASIN: B000002504

Release Date: 1990-08-20

Octopus

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Progressive Rock

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Pop Rock

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CDs $7 - $10

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Tracks:

The Advent Of Panurge
Raconteur Troubadour
A Cry For Everyone
Knots
The Boys In The Band
Dog's Life
Think Of Me With Kindness
River

Similar Items:

Three Friends
Acquiring the Taste
In a Glass House
Free Hand
The Power and the Glory

Customer Reviews:

Great Music!!!.......2007-04-05

I like Gentle Giant and do give 5 stars to all of the mid-period recordings. If you own several other Gentle Giant CD's then go ahead and get this one also.

If you are looking for your first GG CD, don't start here. This is a very heavy album that is a more satisfying listen after you've gotten used to the Gentle Giant sound. IMPO: You should start with Free Hand!!!, Power and the Glory or 3 Friends (which is more of a classic progressive Rock album). If you hate any of these albums, don't go any futher.

I consider this album to be a masterpiece as well as In a Glass House, Power and the Glory, Free Hand, 3 Friends and Interview. This is thoughtful intersting music!

NOT BAD..........2007-04-01

I really don't know how so many people call this intelligent or complex or anything like that; one reviewer was correct in saying the sounds/melodies were monotonous (spelling?)...the music isn't bad, the first 3 or 4 songs are kinda cool (although not amazing or anything...), but then somewhere around track 5, the CD just gets WAAAAAAAAY too repetitive! I think that's why GENESIS got more attention than these guys, although it seems the full potential of GENESIS was never realized. THE LAMB LIES DOWN ON BROADWAY was their most pop sounding record (from the Gabriel era), even though many prog-rock afficionados say its their best (I happen to agree). This CD is probably best suited for people who want 300 CDs or more in their collection; I have a hard time fitting 10 on my list (I write lists of CDs for my "ultimate" CD collection that I someday wish to obtain...). sorry if I offended anyone.

Very Original..........but only in the Prog Rock realm.......2007-03-13

I am not a huge GG fan, but do like their music.

I'll explain why i wrote: "Very Original..........but only in the Prog Rock realm"

If you take the vocals out of the mix the music is not as complex as some make it out to be. I'm wondering if some that are seeing the music as mindboggling have ever listened to much of Chick Corea's work or Josef Zawinul or even the young gun Jordan Rudess. Certainly, Frank Zappa's INCREDIBLY quirky discography would make GG's music sound like POP by comparison. How about Steve Vai?! Another giant of originality and adventurous composition.

I want to be fair and not give the impression that I'm dogging Octopus or GG by making comparisons to other musicians. The Giant are professionals through and through. And certainly, their music is quirky and angular and is HIGHLY entertaining. But I would stop short of declaring them the masters of complexity.

The vocals are the MAIN attraction of Octopus and what makes the recording sound "complex". I'll give GG this: they sure can make some interesting vocals. But even though they change time signatures very frequently the changes are not very interesting. They change signature, but not the meter. The tempo of the music seems to stay fixed for the entire piece; if not the whole album. A kind of repetitive technique for such talented musicians.

I encourage fans of GG, if you haven't already, to listen to Chick Corea's work; specially the Return to Forever era stuff. The acoustic or electric recordings from that era will make your head spin if you enjoy complex arrangements and funky time signatures.

I recommend Octopus to fans of prog rock who like lots of vocal layers in their prog diet. Those that like funky, staccato keyboard work will also enjoy this recording.

wonderful music.......2007-02-12

I really love this album. Vocal harmonies galore, musicality, musicianship, great singing voice, clever lyrics, vast array of moods, serious, witty, and humorous... it does offer all of the above and then some. It is intelligent music. And I don't mean only intelligent people will like it, it's beautiful at many levels.
On top of all that, the sound quality is remarkable for its time.

Difficult listening, but incredibly rewarding .......2006-05-15

This 1973 release is often cited by many fans as their favorite GG album and after a few years of listening to the album, I generally agree. Although admittedly, it really knocked me for a loop when I first listened to it - as I recall the overwhelming complexity of the album nearly tore my head off. I guess it's worth noting that although I am a Biologist, I did study music formally once upon a time. This background allowed me to dissect each composition into smaller pieces, which made digesting the music that much easier. It took me a while, but I eventually "got it".

This album saw the band moving light years beyond the comparatively more rocking first three albums (although it is really stretching things to use terms like rocking when discussing GG) and composing their pieces with the staggeringly intricate counterpoint and medieval English styles that made them a personal favorite. The band lineup had also changed and featured drummer John Weather's first recorded performance with the group. Joining him were Kerry Minnear (piano, Hammond organ, mellotron, mini-moog, the Regal, lead/backing vocals); Ray Shulman (bass, violin, guitar, percussion, and vocals), Gary Green (acoustic/electric guitars, percussion); Derek Shulman (lead vocals, alto saxophone); and Phil Shulman (saxophones, trumpet, mellophone, lead/backing vocals).

Although the eight pieces range in length from only 3'10" to 5'54, which are generally short by prog standards, they seem enormous due to the use of instrumental preludes, interludes, and postludes. The opening track Advent of Panurge is a great example of how these guys would layer parts that on their own are fairly straightforward, but when combined, the emergent property is that of mind-numbing complexity. As the title implies, Raconteur Troubadour is a great example of their ability to weave medieval English styles into their works. Other tracks that are somewhat varied include the maddening piece Knots, which showcases their ability to write multi-part vocal sections of considerable complexity; the delightful and nostalgic Think of Me with Kindness (a nice reprieve); a fantastic instrumental (The Boys in the Band); and a lighthearted piece dedicated to their roadies which features the nasal and somewhat abrasive tones of the Regal, which is a medieval keyboard instrument. Of all the tracks, River is the most rocking and closes the album on a great note.

Music Album:

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Dancing in the Dark ~ Sonny Rollins

Figure and Spirit ~ Lee Konitz

Jazzy Touch ~ Vernon Cash

Live in Concert 1974 ~ The Kings of Jazz featuring Kenny Davern

Next ~ Soulive

15 Años Vivo ~ Alberto Plaza

De Repente: Serie 100 Anos De Musica ~ Carlos Dafe

Master Piece ~ Master Piece

Ensho Hyakuseki V.3 ~ Ensho Sanyutei