Top Ten Songs by Gentle Giant
1. Advent of Panurge
This is an undisputed classic Gentle Giant song from the band’s fourth album “Octopus” (1972), widely considered to be one of their finest. The song opens with Kerry Minnear’s quiet, psuedo-Medieval vocals, which burst into a hard rocking jazzy groove driven by trademark piano, funky bass and wailing blues guitar. The lyrics were based on a scene from Francois Rabelais’ “Gargantua and Pantagruel,” a humorous epic of the French Renaissance. Many of the songs on “Octopus” were inspired by literature.
2. Just the Same
A single from Gentle Giant’s most commercially popular album “Free Hand” (1975), the song features plentiful polyrhythms and off-kilter counterpoint yet manages a generally poppy sound, essentially a “rock” song for all its unorthodox use of multiple time signatures.
3. Pantagruel’s Nativity
Another piece inspired by “Gargantua and Pantagruel”, this was the opener to the band’s second album “Acquiring the Taste” (1971), which is considered by most Gentle Giant listeners to be somewhat different in tone from their other work. Decidedly haunting and ethereal, the song moves from flutes and trumpets into a chilling hard rock guitar riff, dark Renaissance-style vocal polyphony and back again.
4. Knots
A trademark piece for Gentle Giant, this standout piece from “Octopus” features masterful 4-part vocal counterpoint, a xylophone solo, and an almost metal-like hook. Inspired by the knot-like riddles of R.D. Lang. The album’s liner notes proclaim it to be a “modern-day madrigal”.
5. In a Glass House
One of Gentle Giant’s longer pieces at 8 1/2 minutes (though rather short in the context of progressive rock!), the title track to the 1973 album never rests for a moment, delivering a dynamic musical journey. The song can be generally split into two sections, the first part including the energetic violin and acoustic-guitar driven part that opens the song, the second section built around a hard rock groove. This was a pattern that the band followed in several of their songs, although they never repeated themselves too closely.
6. On Reflection
This is a beloved classic and fan favorite from “Free Hand”, and a tour-de-force from composer Kerry Minnear. Five-part vocal counterpoint (yes, each member of the band sings!), taken straight from Renaissance music, recalls a bitterly ended relationship through twisting, jumping melodies. Gentle Giant are famed for their astonishingly ability to perform these kinds of pieces very well in live concert.
7. So Sincere
One of Gentle Giant’s most dissonant and jagged pieces from 1974’s “The Power and the Glory”. If at first it sounds alien and incomprehensible, wait for the heavy drum beat to kick in and feel it groove. This song is actually in 4/4 time, but don’t ask me to transcribe it! In live performances, this piece would segway into a five-man percussion solo.
8. Playing the Game
Another piece from “The Power and the Glory”, a comparatively simple song from Gentle Giant but still a great classic. The song opens with a rhythmic figure that continues throughout, which according to the band is actually a violin being hit with drumstick, simultaneous with marimba. The lyrics are written from the perspective of a politician discussing his position of power, in keeping with the album’s theme.
9. Funny Ways
Possibly the only song to be played live on almost every single Gentle Giant tour, this piece from their self-titled debut album is decidedly folkier and simpler than their later works. This ballad is a feature for the violin and cello playing of Ray Shulman and Kerry Minnear, respectively, and is one of the few songs to be sung on the record by Phil Shulman.
10. Design
Sort of a sequel to the vocally-driven “Knots” and “On Reflection”, this piece from “Interview” (1976), what many consider to be their last great album, is very atonal and dark, inspired by 20th century classical. Built completely around heavily multi-tracked vocals and orchestral percussion.
