Gentle Giant - Octopus (Gentle Giant) -- Discipline Global Mobile Shopping Cart -- Octopus

<H1>Gentle Giant - Octopus -- Discipline Global Mobile Shopping Cart</H1> Fourth Album <IMG SRC="https://store.nexternal.com/dgm/images/sm.JPG" ALIGN=right ALT="Gentle Giant - Octopus" NAME="Gentle Giant - Octopus" BORDER=0 HSPACE=10> Review by Dave Thompson Returning to Gentle Giant's fourth album after any kind of lengthy absence, it's astonishing just how little Octopus has dated. Often written off at the time as a pale reflection of the truly gargantuan steps being taken by the likes of Jethro Tull and Barclay James Harvest, the band's closest relatives in the tangled skein of period prog, Gentle Giant often seemed more notable for its album art than its music. Octopus, however, marries the two seamlessly, with the cover speaking for itself, of course. And the mood continues within, the deliciously convoluted opening "The Advent of Panurge" itself riding waves of sonic tentacles as Derek Shulman's guitar shrieks short but so effective bursts around the thundering bass and, occasionally, churchy organ. Against the pulsating volume of the album's heavier tracks — "Panurge" is joined by "A Cry for Everyone" — the band's excursions into less excitable territory are never less than captivating. Twiddly though they are, the sometimes a cappella "Knots," the lilting "Dog's Life," and the Yes-with-fiddles-ish "Raconteur Troubadour" all have moments of sublime sweetness, while the instrumental "The Boys in the Band" is a succession of quirky showcases for, indeed, all the boys. Occasionally arrangements do get overly cluttered — with each of the six bandmembers doubling up on at least three different instruments, there's a distinct sense of overdubs for overdubbing's sake. Follow the key instruments alone, however, and the soundscapes not only make perfect sense, but so do the flourishes and intrusions that rattle around. And the end result is an album that has withstood the test of time a lot better than anyone might have expected. <LI>SKU: CK32022 Other products in the category <A HREF="http://www.nexternal.com/dgm/Category137" TITLE="Gentle Giant">Gentle Giant</A>: <LI><A HREF=http://www.nexternal.com/dgm/Product691 TITLE="Gentle Giant - Acquiring the Taste">Gentle Giant - Acquiring the Taste</A> -- Their 2nd album. <LI><A HREF=http://www.nexternal.com/dgm/Product692 TITLE="Gentle Giant - Free Hand/Interview (Import)">Gentle Giant - Free Hand/Interview (Import)</A> -- 7th and 8th albums together. <LI><A HREF=http://www.nexternal.com/dgm/Product681 TITLE="Gentle Giant - Gentle Giant (UK Import)">Gentle Giant - Gentle Giant (UK Import)</A> -- Debut Album <LI><A HREF=http://www.nexternal.com/dgm/Product696 TITLE="Gentle Giant - In A Glass House">Gentle Giant - In A Glass House</A> -- 35th anniversary edition. <LI><A HREF=http://www.nexternal.com/dgm/Product982 TITLE="Gentle Giant - Live in New York 1975">Gentle Giant - Live in New York 1975</A> -- Latest in the series of live recordings on the Glasshouse label. <LI><A HREF=http://www.nexternal.com/dgm/Product683 TITLE="Gentle Giant - Playing The Fool/Civilian (Import)">Gentle Giant - Playing The Fool/Civilian (Import)</A> -- Remastered with additional sleeve notes. <LI><A HREF=http://www.nexternal.com/dgm/Product839 TITLE="Gentle Giant - Sight & Sound in Concert (DVD/CD COMBO)">Gentle Giant - Sight & Sound in Concert (DVD/CD COMBO)</A> -- Live in London with a BONUS CD! <LI><A HREF=http://www.nexternal.com/dgm/Product684 TITLE="Gentle Giant - The Missing Piece/Giant For A Day (Import)">Gentle Giant - The Missing Piece/Giant For A Day (Import)</A> -- Remastered with additional sleeve notes. RELATED PRODUCTS <LI><A HREF=http://www.nexternal.com/dgm/Product677 TITLE="Gentle Giant - Giant On The Box - DVD">Gentle Giant - Giant On The Box - DVD</A> <LI><A HREF=http://www.nexternal.com/dgm/Product839 TITLE="Gentle Giant - Sight & Sound in Concert (DVD/CD COMBO)">Gentle Giant - Sight & Sound in Concert (DVD/CD COMBO)</A> <A HREF="http://www.nexternal.com/dgm" TITLE="Discipline Global Mobile Products">Discipline Global Mobile Products</A> <A HREF="http://www.dgmlive.com/shop.htm">Discipline Global Mobile</A> Discipline Global Mobile <A HREF="http://www.nexternal.com" TITLE="ecommerce software">ecommerce software</A> powered by Nexternal