Gentle Giant - Definition and Overview

Gentle Giant was a British progressive rock band with strong classical influences that emerged from Simon Dupree and the Big Sound in 1970 and existed continuously until 1980. Their music is described by one critic as "an unlikely mix of dissonant 20th-century classical chamber music, medieval vocal music, jazz and rock."

Gentle Giant stands as a very representative example of the 1970s progressive rock movement, as it embodied all of the aspects that defined the movement in a textbook fashion:

• Rapid, frequently changing tempo
• Complex melodies, frequently contrasting harmonies with disharmonies
• Grand arrangements, featuring unusual instruments
• Unconventional use of classical instruments
• Multi-part vocal harmonies
• Complex lyrics

Personnel

• Derek Shulman
• Phil Shulman (1970-1972)
• Ray Shulman
• Gary Green
• Kerry Minnear
• Martin Smith (drums 1970-1971)
• Malcolm Mortimore (drums 1971-1972)
• John Weathers (drums 1972-1980)

Discography

• Gentle Giant (1970)
• Acquiring The Taste (1971)
• Three Friends (1972)
• Octopus (1972)
• In A Glass House (1973)
• The Power And The Glory (1974)
• Free Hand (1975)
• Interview (1976)
• Playing The Fool (1977, live)
• The Missing Piece (1977)
• Giant For A Day (1978)
• Civilian (1980)

The album The Power And The Glory received the highest critical acclaim; however, according to fans, Playing The Fool provides the best introduction to the works of Gentle Giant..

One Gentle Giant album listed a total of 46 instruments in the musician credits.