| Gentle Giant - Gentle Giant (1970) |
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| Track List | |||||
| 01 | Giant The birth of a realisation; The rise of a high expectation; Emerging successful, defiant; Together the parts make a Giant. See the world in the palm of his hand, Striding steps that will cover the land. He is coming; Hear him coming; Are you ready For his being? See the Giant Feel the Giant Touch the Giant Hear the Giant. The birth of a realisation; The rise of a high expectation; Emerging successful, defiant; Together the parts make a Giant. | Lyrics | 0 | 06:24 | |
| 02 | Funny Ways Lead vocals: Phil (verses), Derek ("My ways are strange") I'm sorry to have been so much of a bore But in my own funny way I find I learn much more. I realise what you think from your eyes, But in your own funny way I find I learn much more. My ways are strange They'll never change They stay, strange ways I'm sorry to have been so close from the start, But for all that I cared we could be miles apart. I understood that you never would Understand a way of life that I never could. My ways are strange They'll never change They stay, strange ways Go your own way or wait for me Go your own way or wait for me Go your own way or wait for me Go your own way or wait for me And so you see what happened to me Since the time when I judged my life in nights and days I realised that my life was lies So you see what I mean with all my funny ways. I'm sorry to have been so much of a bore But in my own funny way I find I learn much more Funny ways, Funny ways, Funny ways, Funny ways. | Lyrics | 0 | 04:23 | |
| 03 | Alucard Lead vocals: ensemble Lying still; Am I dreaming Feel the chill Breath of fear Evil fingers Hover, linger Someone help me Terror fills my soul. Living dead; Am I breathing Sightless, blind Heart stopped beating Hear the crying Of the dying Someone help me Ogres of the night. | Lyrics | 0 | 06:01 | |
| 04 | Isn't It Quiet And Cold? Lead vocals: Phil Isn't it quiet and cold walking all alone, alone? Happened I missed the bus and found I had to walk, alone. What was that? Only me. Hear the echo of my feet Footsteps Are they mine? Hear the echo of the street. Wished I lived near at hand although I live alone, alone At least I'll find company, so why should I moan, alone. Movement By my feet Paper wind across the street Curtains closed Sleepy heads Wrapped together in their beds I used to walk with someone else I didn't seem to notice sights and sounds of the lonely street I used to talk with someone else Now the only answers are the calls of the night Look at that alley cat, it's winding home to rest, alone Half-past four and daylight shows itself once more Walking all alone Walking all alone | Lyrics | 0 | 03:53 | |
| 05 | Nothing At All Lead vocals: Derek and Phil (verses); Derek ("What could she do...") Now she sits by the riverside Watching the waters glide by, With a sigh And the things she put faith in Are ripples just waving her by With a sigh She sees lovers pass by with much more than a kiss Ah this - little girl who had everything finds she's nothing at all Now the wind seems so cold Seems all old as it laughs at her fears And her tears And as ducks swim away from her Visions of past love appear In her tears She sees love in his face as she tells him to go, And so - here's a girl who had everything now she's Nothing at all What could she do if she saw him now; Now that he's gone she's losing If she could see what she's seeing now For sure she's more than just choosing Now she sits by the riverside Watching the waters glide by, With a sigh And the things she put faith in Are ripples just waving her by, With a sigh She sees lovers pass by with much more than a kiss Ah this - little girl who had everything finds She's nothing at all | Lyrics | 0 | 09:08 | |
| 06 | Why Not? Lead vocals: Derek; Kerry ("Why not climb a hill...") Don't sing a tune to yourself You might believe this one. Try not to sew it yourself The threading won't stretch none. Don't give me none of that line. Why not? Got to sing something. Love's song there's nothing to find Why not? Dead before playing. Don't sing a tune to yourself You might believe this one Try not to sew it yourself The threading won't stretch none Who says the things that go in The song is only saying. Dead thought can kill a good thing The band is only playing. Why not climb a hill With someone that hates you Why not hate someone Who climbs a hill with you And as time passes by Your feet start slipping You are wondering why There is no forgetting Don't sing a tune to yourself, You might believe this one Try not to sew it yourself The threading don't stretch none Who says the things that go in The song is only saying Dead thought can kill a good thing The band is only playing Don't give me none of that line Why not? Got to sing something Love's song there's nothing to find Why not? Dead before playing Dead before playing. | Lyrics | 0 | 05:31 | |
| 07 | The Queen | 0 | 01:40 | ||
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| Notes |
| Musicians Gary Green - lead guitar, 12 string guitar Kerry Minnear - keyboard, some bass, cello, lead vocals, backing vocals, some tuned percussion Derek Shulman - lead vocals, backing vocals, some bass Phil Shulman - sax, trumpet, recorder, lead vocals, backing vocals Ray Shulman - most bass, violin, some guitar, percussion, backing vocals Martin Smith - drums, percussion Formed at the dawn of the progressive rock era in 1969, Gentle Giant seemed poised for a time in the mid-'70s to break out of its cult band status, but somehow never made the jump. Somewhat closer in spirit to Yes and King Crimson than to Emerson, Lake & Palmer or the Nice, their unique sound melded hard rock and classical music, with an almost medieval approach to singing. Gentle Giant was born out of the ruins of Simon Dupree & the Big Sound, an R&B-based outfit led by brothers Derek, Ray and Phil Shulman. After switching to psychedelia in 1967 and scoring their only major hit that year with "Kites," as Gentle Giant the group abandoned both the R&B and psychedelic orientations of the previous band; Derek sang and played guitar and bass, Ray played sang and played bass and violin, and Phil handled the saxophone, augmented by Kerry Minnear on keyboards, and Gary Green on guitar. Their original line-up also featured Martin Smith on drums, but they went through several percussionists in the first three years of their existence. In 1970, Gentle Giant signed to the Vertigo label, and their self-titled first album — a shockingly daring work mixing hard rock and full electric playing with classical elements — came out later that year. Their second effort, 1971's Acquiring The Taste, was slightly more accessible and their third, Three Friends, featuring Malcolm Mortimore on drums, was their first record to get released in the U.S. (on Columbia). Their fourth album, 1973's Octopus, looked poised for a breakthrough; it seemed as though they had found the mix of hard rock and classical sounds that the critics and the public could accept, and they finally had a permanent drummer in the person of John Weathers, an ex-member of the Graham Bond Organisation. In 1974, however, Gentle Giant began coming apart. Phil Shulman decided to give up music after the Octopus tour, and became a teacher. Then the group recorded the album In a Glass House, their hardest rocking record yet, which Columbia's U.S. arm rejected as too uncommercial. The two-year gap in their American release schedule hurt their momentum, and they weren't heard from again until the Capitol release of The Power and the Glory in 1975. Gentle Giant released Free Hand, their most commercial album, in 1976, but then followed it up with the jarringly experimental Interview. After the 1978 double album Playing the Fool, the group went through a seeming change of heart and issued a series of albums aimed at mainstream audiences, even approaching disco, but by the end of the 1970's their popularity was in free-fall. Minnear, who had been playing an ever-more central role since the mid-1970's, had already left the group when Gentle Giant called it quits in 1980. Ray Shulman later became a producer and had considerable success in England working with bands like the Sundays and the Sugarcubes, while Derek Shulman became a New York-based record company executive. — Bruce Eder |