Gentle Giant - Octopus (1972)

Actualizamos este post de uno de los discos engreídos del blog cabezón, gracias al Mago Alberto que ha sacado de la chistera infinita la edición remezclada por Steven Wilson en 2015, con bonus incluidos.
Artista: Gentle GiantÁlbum: Octopus
Año: 1972
Género: Progresivo ecléctico
Duración: 34:15
Nacionalidad: Inglaterra

Es sabido que las nuevas mezclas de Steven Wilson rescatan para el oído aquellas pequeñas cosas que son inaudibles en las mezclas originales, agregándole matices, nitidez, amplitud, definición y le dan un sonido muy particular a estas nuevas versiones.
En el caso de Gentle Giant y de las nuevas mezclas de Octopus y The Power and The Glory, quizás por la cantidad de instrumentación, de los característicos climas de GG, las potencia sobremanera.
Los cabezones saben perfectamente de que se trata Octopus y lo que sucede cuando Wilson trabaja sobre estas obras de arte del progresivo.
Hoy solo agregamos una version distinta a esta joya del progresivo que ya estaba recontra cubierta en el blog cabezón.

Mago AlbertoCarlos el menduco otra vez comparte algo de los geniales Gentle Giant para nuestro festival de buena música. Un hermoso disco para disfrutar mientas se come una cazuela... bah... o una asado, o fideos, o arroz y hasta sopa, incluso haciendo cualquier cosa, pero se disfruta más si uno tiene el tiempo para prestarle atención a todas las maravillosas combinaciones de sonidos que pasan por este disco.
En 1972, Gentle Giant comenzó el que sería el período más alto de su carrera con el álbum más pesado de toda su discografía. Esta placa es un clásico induscutible, un ícono del progresivo. Gentle Giant logra una conjunción de épocas y estilos verdaderamente única. Con un crisol de instrumentos del rock, instrumentos del folklore clásico inglés, como de la música clásica, el gigante gentil es una mixtura del medioevo y el presente, con una especie de sensibilidad pop. Y suena como... como... hummm... únicamente como el siguiente grupo, como nadie más:


Las harmonias de voces y las complejas estructuras rítmicas estan perfectamente empleadas con buen gusto y sensatez, descartando de lleno cualquier similitud con intentos musicales similares, que se pierden en si mismo por presentar complejidad. En "Cry for Everyone", vemos el potencial rockero, demostrando una agrupacion polifacética. Ademas del buen gusto musical, y de una verdadera mixtura de melodias juglarezcas, fugas y rock.
Vamos al primer comentario...

Gentle Giant fue, a mi criterio, una excelente banda de rock progresivo. Pero, porqué no fue popular? Creo que por dos motivos… el primero es porque su carácter “experimental” hacía que no fuera considerado seriamente dentro de los circuitos de comercialización de discos más tradicionales. En realidad, cuando los escuchás, te das cuenta que lo experimental es bastante liviano. Su estilo musical es bastante convencional (dentro de lo que era el rock progresivo en los 70´s), pero ellos usaban nuevos instrumentos, probaban nuevos sonidos... cosas bastante poco atrevidas si se las analiza a la distancia. Por ejemplo: usar un Xilofón... no parece tan grave, verdad?
El segundo motivo es que este disco salió en 1972. Alguna vez hablamos acerca de esos años. Yo considero que entre 1971 y 1975 se editó el 80% o 90% de la mejor música que hasta hoy escucho. Y en particular, en 1972. Fijate: Deep Purple editaba Machine Head, y pocos meses después coronaba su mejor año con Made In Japan. Neil Young sorprendía con ventas sin distraerse de su alineado estilo contracultural de la hippie San Francisco con Harvest. La elegancia y el rock&roll se combinaban en el progresivo rock de Yes con su Close to the Edge y Fragile, los dos del mismo año. Lou Reed golpeaba con Transformer y su Walk On The Dark Side. Alice Cooper, Paul Simon, y Al Green se hacían un lugar entre el impactante Ziggy Stardust de David Bowie y el Exile On Main Street de los Rolling Stones. Emerson Lake & Palmer atacaban con Trylogy, mientras que Genesis lo hacía con Foxtrot. Jethro sacaba el disco que más me gusta de su carrera: Thick As a Brick. Focus editó 2, Frank Zappa 3, y Elvis Presley 5! Y todo en 1972!
Hacerse un lugar y ser popular entre ese océano de música ha de haber sido muy difícil. Imagino la cantidad de cosas que se habrán perdido sólo por haber nacido ese año.
Gentle Giant fue una gran banda, que se dio el lujo de, por ejemplo, jugar en temas como “A Cry For Everyone”, donde emulan a Jethro Tull y otras bandas de rock con maestría. Creo que muchos de los “famosos” escuchaban al gigante gentil, y se alimentaron de su creatividad.

The Sacred Monster


Este mismo año en el que sacan este disco, realizan una gira con los Jethro Tull que está documentada en las siguientes líneas:

De gira junto a Jethro Tull
A principios de 1972, en enero y febrero, Gentle Giant iniciaron una gran gira europea abriendo conciertos para Jethro Tull. La gira con los Tull fué su primer gran tour organizado y la gran oportunidad que estaban esperando. Los dos grupos funcionaban muy bien juntos y el Gigante no desaprovechó la ocasión de seguir dándose a conocer en los paises nórdicos, Alemania, Italia, Suiza y Francia, países en los que ya tenían una buena aceptación.
Hacia finales de marzo las cosas se tuercen un tanto. Malcolm Mortimore resulta herido en un accidente de moto con tan mala suerte que se rompe un brazo, una pierna y la pelvis. La banda se ve obligada a buscar otro batería rápidamente para sustituirle. Contactaron con Mike Giles, ex King Crimson, pero por una u otra razón este plan no funcionó. Finalmente contrataron de forma temporal a John Weathers, que hacía poco había dejado The Grease Band y había estado trabajando en una fábrica de alfombras. Con John Weathers como batería temporal iniciaron una gira por el Reino Unido en abril. Desgraciadamente para Malcolm, su recuperación lleva más tiempo del previsto, así que deciden ofrecer permanentemente el puesto a Weathers y éste acepta. Lógicamente esto molestó a Malcolm pero nada pudo hacer para evitarlo.
Esta gira en en el Reino Unido resultó un tanto humillante para el grupo, según Kerry Minnear, ya que en realidad servía como acto de apertura en una película de Jimi Hendrix. Esto nos dá una idea del poco nombre que tenían por entonces y del poco terreno que estaban ganando entre el público británico.
El mes de mayo regresan a Alemania e Italia, pero esta vez acompañando a Chicken Shack y Man. El apoyo que reciben en el continente sigue siendo mucho mayor que el que estaban recibiendo en el Reino Unido, donde aún siguen siendo unos grandes desconocidos.
Y por fin en la segunda mitad del año el grupo consigue irse de gira a Norte América. Abren para Black Sabbath entre los meses de agosto y septiembre y en estos conciertos se ven obligados a tocar en ocasiones un estilo mas heavy para agradar también a los fans de Sabbath. Poco a poco van logrando lo que desean, darse a conocer en el panorama musical americano. También tocan algunas fechas con Yes y Edgar Winter entre finales de septiembre y primeros de octubre.
A mediados de octubre se unen de nuevo a Jethro Tull, que está resultando ser el mayor patrocinador de la banda, esta vez en la gira de promoción del Thick As A Brick. Este fué un momento muy importante para Jethro Tull, el TAAB estaba siendo un gran éxito y los conciertos eran ante auténticas multitudes. Tocar en la gira americana del TAAB resultó enormemente positivo para Gentle Giant. Al contrario que lo que ocurrió cuando abrieron para Black Sabbath, a los fans de Jethro Tull les gustaba su estilo. La música de las dos bandas tiene mucho en común y esto permitió al Gigante recoger un buen número de fans, además de consolidarse como una de las mejores bandas de rock progresivo del momento.

Mingus


Enmarcado el contexto de la banda, vemos que a esta gente le pasó algo parecido a lo que les venía pasando a los Van der Graaf Generator, si bien parecian que estaban en el momento indicado y en el lugar indicado y haciendo lo indicado (tocando de lo mejor del rock progresivo en la Inglaterra al principio de los 70s) no tenían la aceptación masiva que tuvieron otros monstruos... quizás falta de gancho, quizás alguna pizca de eso que no se sabe qué es pero que marca un punto de inflección entre el casi anonimato y el éxito. Sea como sea, las dos bandas carecieron de ese ángel, pero sin embargo su sello quedó grabado a fuego en la historia del mejor rock que ha hecho la humanidad...

Octopus es un fascinante disco de rock progresivo, de lo mejor que ha grabado el grupo Gentle Giant, banda que mezclaba el rock, la música clásica, el folk británico, el jazz y elementos sonoros procedentes de la época medieval con preciosismo, teatralidad en las voces y un excitante ensamblaje musical con trompetas, xilófonos, cellos o violines arropando los instrumentos básicos del rock’n’roll.
Las composiciones de este gran LP demuestran que el rock progresivo, si huye de la autocomplacencia artística y conceptúa el virtuosismo en pos de la escritura y no al revés, con tacto melódico y riqueza en las estructuras, ofrece algunos de los mejores pasajes sonoros del panorama musical de finales de los 60 y comienzos de los años 70.
“The Advent of Panurge” presenta en su conseguida melodía un sugerente trayecto de texturas sonoras con textos sobre el clásico personaje de François Rabelais, Pantagruel, y su encuentro con un viejo amigo llamado Panurge.
Sus resonancias de la etapa juglaresca es apreciable en la magistral “Raconteur Troubadour”, historia de trovadores en el que su perfecta conjunción instrumental nos permite pasearnos por un castillo y por las callejuelas empedradas de una ciudad medieval con sus princesas, caballeros, reyes y bufones.“A Cry For Everyone” es un excelente y fibroso tema con potente riff guitarrero, intrincados pasajes sonoros, conseguida melodía y materia de carácter existencialista derivada de textos del gran escritor Albert Camus. Una de las mejores piezas del album.
“Knot” es un madrigal con un espectacular juego lírico e instrumental, retozón xilófono y una ligazón vocal asombrosa. Una canción realmente disfrutable conceptuada en base a los estudios del psicólogo R. D. Laing.
Una risa y una moneda cayendo sobre una mesa es el inicio de “The Boys In The Band”, instrumental en el que todos los miembros del grupo ofrecen lo mejor de sí mismo con sugestivos cambios de tempo.
“Dog’s Life”, pieza de resonancia medieval, evoca los andares de un sabueso empleado como metáfora y tributo a los roadies de la banda.
“Think Of Me With Kindness” es una sensacional balada, melódica, sensible, relata con emoción la lánguida y melancólica situación vivida por el autor tras la ruptura de una relación amorosa.
“River” es la última composición del album e intentando capturar la imaginería natural de un río y su contexto el grupo logra una intensa atmósfera gracias a su interactuación instrumental.
Si hay que empezar a iniciarse en la obra de Gentle Giant, no cabe duda que este es un óptimo principio.

AlohaCriticón 

Enfrentarse a un disco de estas características es siempre un reto y una experiencia nueva. Cada nueva escucha, cada fragmento que se descubre, maravilla al oyente,hasta que se acaba de comprender que estamos ante una de los discos más increíbles y maravillosos que una banda de Rock haya podido concebir.
Nada más y nada menos que 37 años nos contemplan desde que Gentle Giant sacaran a la luz esta obra maestra del Rock Progresivo y muchas cosas han cambiado desde entonces en las maneras de hacer música, pero ni los últimos avances tecnólogicos,ni la globalización e Internet, ni las mejores máquinas del mundo, son capaces de emular a unos músicos haciendo bien su trabajo, sintiendo la música, desbaratando ideas preconcebidas y amalgamando estilos tan alejados, en principio, como la música clásica y el rock. Cosa que en Octopus es patente y notorio.
Octopus (nombre que según la propia banda fue ideado por la esposa de Phil Shulman y que hace referencia a los ocho cortes del disco: octo opus) es el cuarto trabajo de Gentle Giant y sería el último realizado como sexteto, ya que Phil abandonaría la formación tras su publicación. También es el disco que vio la incorporación de John Weathers a la batería, lo que le dio más fuerza a la sección rítmica.
Más sinfónico y rockero que sus antecesores, Octopus es una apabullante cascada de armonías vocales múltiples perfectamente construidas, un dechado de virtuosismo instrumental, con una emsambladura de una precisión casi mágica de los muy variados y diversos instrumentos que la banda toca; y aún así su sonido es limpio, inteligible, claro, luminoso. Perfecto.
En Octopus encontramos, por supuesto, Rock, pero también destellos de música clásica, Jazz, Folk británico, elementos medievales… Todo ello envuelto en unas letras inteligentes inspiradas en la literatura clásica y la filosofía.
Por cierto, si alguien está buscando una comparación para este disco en concreto y para la música de Gentle Giant en general, que desista: Gentle Giant suenan a Gentle Giant. Son los creadores de un sonido y de una manera de entender el Rock Prgresivo, única e inigualable. Para bien o para mal.
En mi opinión estamos ante uno de los discos más importantes del Progresivo y del Rock sin apellidos. Una “octo opus” de poco más de 30 minutos que deja sin aliento al oyente. Un disco maravilloso que ningún aficionado a la buena música debería dejar de escuchar.
Según he leído por ahí, el crítico D. Fisherman dijo que Gentle Giant compusieron la música que crearía un genial maestro clásico si decidiera hacer rock.
No se hable más. Escuchemos Octopus.
The Advent of Panurge: El primer tema de Octopus empieza con una sencillez y suavidad de terciopelo. Las voces de los Shulman componen una de las tantas armonías vocales que vamos a disfrutar en este disco para darnos la bienvenida. Casi a capella, tan sólo acompañados por notas aisladas de guitarra, bajo o teclados.
Luego entrarán el resto de los músicos y el tema se enrosca en una combinación impresionante de instrumentos y coros, con pasajes jazzísticos y unas estructuras sonoras típicamente Giant.
La melodía principal de este tema es de las que no se olvidan.
Según las notas explicativas de mi CD, en este tema se narra el encuentro entre el fabuloso gigante rabelaisiano Pantagruel y un viejo amigo y compañero llamado Panurge.
Raconteur, Troubadour: Los chicos de Gentle decidieron darnos un paseo por el medievo y vaya si lo consiguen. En este tema desarrollan unos ritmos y cadencias musicales que nos introducen con gran acierto en el espíritu trovadoresco de la Inglaterra medieval. Instrumentación, arreglos y letras están pensados y dispuestos para ello.
Esta canción tiene una sección central de violín y órgano que es digna de cualquier compositor clásico. Grandioso y maravilloso pasaje de verdad, que pena que no lo alargaran, qué se yo, unos veinte minutillos más... Luego se van añadiendo vientos y las voces y la cadencia particular de este tema de nuevo se hacen protagonistas.
A Cry for Everyone: Según las notas del CD, “la letra está basada en los pensamientos de uno o dos miembros de la banda, y está inspirada en la litetarura y filosofía de Albert Camus”.
Para muchos una de las mejores piezas del álbum, comienza con un potente riff gitarrero. Una típica canción de Rock Progresivo con una poderosa instrumentación y unos pasajes sonoros deliciosos en los que alternativamente cobran protagonismo los teclados y la guitarra, siempre apoyados en una impecable y fuerte base rítmica con un fibroso y rotundo bajo.
Knots: Este tema es un precioso madrigal inspirado por los juegos poéticos del eminente psicólogo R.D. Laing.
Un juego musical en el que los divertimentos vocales cobran protagonismo mientras un xilófono puntea notas aquí y allá. Por momentos también tiene su toque de Jazz, pero lo que destaca realmente en este tema son las voces, perfectamente articuladas y moduladas en unos impresionantes coros.
A veces me pregunto si Freddie Mercury no se inspiró en estos juegos vocales para desarrollar, tres años más tarde, los coros de temas como Bohemian Rhapsody o The Prophet Song, ambos en el gran A Night at the Opera.
The Boys in the Band: Una risa y el sonido de una moneda girando sobre si misma sobre lo que parece una superficie de madera (ambos obra del ingeniero Rushant) dan paso a un tremendo instrumental en el que de nuevo aflora la potencia rockera de los Gentle.
Según el libreto “un tema para Gentle Giant como un todo, nuestro ingeniero Martin Rushant incluido”.
En este tema, con esos sonidos iniciales y unos buenos cascos, es posible apreciar la excelencia de la grabación de este disco, tiene un sonido maravilloso y la producción es magnífica.
Una canción para valorar en su máximo esplendor la prodigiosa calidad de estos músicos.
Dog’s Life: De nuevo la temática musical vuelve a ser de corte medieval, y digo musical porque la letrística está dedicada a la “vida de perros” de los roadies de la banda, en tono de comedia por supuesto.
La melodía es maravillosa, arropada por unos arreglos de cuerda y un órgano medieval espectaculares, y, de nuevo, unos coros para disfrutar una y otra vez.
Una canción sencilla y preciosa que desearías que se alargara un poco más, como casi todo en este disco.
Think of Me with Kindness: Son sonar las primeras notas de piano y se me pone carne de gallina. Siempre.
Esta canción es una de las más emocionantes y bellas que he escuchado nunca, de verdad. Íntima, conmovedora y, a la vez, potente.
La voz es sublime. La instrumentalización delicada y perfecta. La sección de viento magnífica.
Mi favorita de este disco.
Cuenta la situación vivida por el autor tras una ruptura amorosa.
River: Quizá el tema más auténticamente progresivo del disco, Gentle Giant trataron de “crear diversas atmósferas usando los diferentes aparatos electrónicos a nuestra disposición en el estudio de grabación”.
Les quedó un tema fuerte y muy rockero, con una sobresaliente guitarra y, como decía al principio, una clara orientación rock-progresiva en el sentido de experimentación, avance y creatividad.
Por cierto la portada original de la edición inglesa es obra de Roger Dean, el creador, como muy bien sabéis, de las portadas de Yes.
Nada más que decir, salvo que si no has escuchado este disco, no sabes lo que te estás perdiendo…

Anin Jadas


Otro acierto dentro de "Octopus" es el equilibrio de su instrumentación. Violines, guitarras eléctricas y sonidos sintéticos conviven en perfecta armonía en función a grandiosas composiciones.

A ver... Octopus, tengo que confesarlo, es difícil de describir. Pasajes corales, guitarras rockeras, cortes medievales y riffs avasallantes se escuchan con un toque muy personal de sus compositores en Octopus.
Hay algo en este disco que llama la atención. La mayoría de sus canciones no llegan a ser del todo fuertes en materia de composición, son divagaciones. No digo que sea tan errante y raro como Trout Mask Replica o Lumpy Gravy (no llega a ser ni la mitad de lo que son esos discos), pero son todos temas cortos que desarrollan como máximo dos o tres ideas musicales y tienen casi siempre estructuras poco convencionales que a la vez son poco consistentes. Además, Octopus no pretende ser un compilado de suites magistrales. Ahora, el hecho de que esta obra sea así no quita puntos: al contrario, el LP logra un sonido muy llamativo, sobre todo para los amantes del progresivo.
The advent of panurge empieza con coros complejos y sutiles y una guitarra discreta. La peculiar masa de sonidos que se escucha después del minuto 1 y se repite al final es entusiasmante y los pianos son destacables. Las melodías son disfrutables, nada más.
Raconteur troubadour tiene arreglos orquestales muy buenos que a veces pueden hacerse monótonos, melodías agradables y teclados amistosos. Lo mejor viene después del minuto 1: 50, cuando se escuchan violines a los que se le suman teclados y pianos acompañando medievalmente y armando un hermoso ambiente que culmina con la aparición de las voces y unos pausados teclados disminuyendo su velocidad.
A cry for everyone se abalanza con una guitarra rockera y melodías excelentes. El puente del intermedio es magnífico, los pianos me fascinan y lo que se forma entre la guitarra y el hammond es dinámico y entretenido. Nada que perderse, el primer tema realmente consistente del disco. Al final se arma una mezcla ácida de guitarras y teclados tocando riffs fascinantes.
Unos coros extraños abren lo mejor del disco, Knots. Las voces, los xilófonos locos y los violines y saxos delirantes me encantan, y sonando todos juntos son más que excelentes. El riff de la segunda estrofa es maravilloso, y los coros hacen el aburrimiento imposible. Ni hablar del solo de xilofón con el piano maniático acompañándolo y sintetizando en ese acompañamiento lo que antes ejecutaban los vientos, cuerdas y percusiones. Los cortes vocales son tajantes, y esas melodías que después se mezclan forman una mezcla polifónica, fascinante y vigorosa extraordinaria.
Una moneda girando y una risa casual abren The boys in the band, que tiene un riff muy pegadizo, unas guitarras y teclados sutiles e improvisados geniales, y una batería inquieta. Cabe destacar el caudaloso riff de bajo y piano del medio junto con las guitarras con sonido nasal. Otro highlight.
Dog’s life comienza con un llamativo motivo de guitarra clásica que se repite varias veces a lo largo de la canción. El moog que acompaña a las voces en las estrofas tiene un sonido muy adecuado para su función y los arreglos orquestales son buenos. Nada demasiado destacable.
Think of me with kindness es una balada melosa con pianos reposados y una voz hermosa aportada por Minnear. Luego cambia, y se aproxima un corno con unos teclados caudalosos y unos coros bajos que luego se despliegan en un suspiro de Kerry. El final es muy bueno: a la melodía inicial se le agregan teclados caudalosos que forman un ambiente sublime.
River estaría número dos si tuviera que hacer un ranking de rockers del disco. Tiene una melodía loca muy buena, y un riff esquizoide acompañándola. Se escuchan pasajes tranquilos de voz, golpeteos desaforados de la batería, y un solo de guitarra excelente que hace todo todavía más rockero.
A diferencia de King Crimson (sólo por dar un ejemplo), Gentle Giant es un acto colectivo de composición. Todos salvo Green aportan algo, y esto hace que la música del grupo sea ecléctica.
Me impresiona la precisión que tienen los miembros del grupo para cantar: los coros son muy complejos y requieren maestría a la hora de tocar y cantar a la vez. En realidad, los miembros de Gentle Giant son muy buenos (y no sólo cantando), nada más que no lo demuestran. En ningún momento se le dio al guitarrista un espacio amplio para improvisar (salvo en River), o al tecladista un lugar para solear. Los músicos de la banda son exactos y con eso les basta. Podrían hacer más, seguramente, pero no quieren: la música que hacen en este disco no da para eso.

Strauss_14


Y vamos con los comentarios en inglés para nuestros visitantes de todos lados del mundo y también por si te quedaron dudas de la calidad de este disco:

If some person were to ask you, "hey, what is this prog rock stuff?" you could start telling them about this rock music that's adventurous, ambitious, beautiful, challenging, complex, etc. etc... or you could just throw on "Knots" from this album. I'm glad to exist in this universe where the creatures join together and cook up something as wildly genius as "Knots". Positively the most intricate, head-spinning, disorienting vocal arrangement ever (revered and imitated by such bands as Spock's Beard), rivalled in complexity only by a few of Gentle Giant's other compositions; as well as one of the most magical and timeless endings I've ever heard (with the multiple vocal layers, and frenetic drums...) -- this is far beyond songwriting, this is "musical architecture". Beyond "Knots," the entire album consists of masterful music making, and is a perfect place to get acquainted with GG's delightfully skewed sense of musical logic -- actually, not everyone likes this stuff the first time they hear it. Actually, more typically, most everyone DOESN'T like this stuff the first time they hear it. But what good things in life come without effort and appreciation? One of the best albums ever made (...followed by even "better" best albums ever made).

Corbet

At the time of re-writing my GG review (they paled in comparison with newer reviews from my dear collabs) and after re-reading those, I decided not to spend too much time talking of the music itself, what happens and who they remind me off (no-one but themselves in this album), I have opted for a side route, explaining the background for this album.
By the end of the US tours for the Three Friends album (their first released there), most of the group were at each other's throats, with Phil Shulman (older by a few years than all of the other members-he was in his mid-30's then and was the only one married with kids) had grown particularly concerned about the band's lack of success and seeing his age, it was his one and only (last?) chance to the big times. This made him rather uptight and made him more authoritarian and enforcing rules of conduct and "chaperoning" the others, which of course did not sit well with the others. Funnily enough, Phil was caught at his own rules after a fling with a young groupie, and this weakened him as the central or leader stance, so much that his two younger brothers even wished him to leave, as he was undefendable and he would soon. The new drummer Mortimore being quite younger, (19 in fact and not virtuosi enough) was badly injured in a motorbike accident and replaced with a more permanent member Welshman John Weathers who actually was ideally suited for the band and he was no rookie either having played in Eye Of Blue, which metamorphosed into Big Sleep then Ancient Grease recording four albums along the way (all vaguely progressive) and also playing a stint for beat poet extraordinaire Pete Brown's Piblokto. The man also had played for Graham Bond, the Grease Band and had a stint with Wild Turkey (with ex-Tull Glen Cornick as leader), so he was a seasoned veteran. So by the time this quintessentially "English" album came out, the group consisted of three Scots (the Shulmans), one Welsh and two Angles. And IMHO, it is the crazy Welsh's arrival that helped GG to really go on to the next gear, his powerful playing really allowing much more options for Minnear and the Shulman bros to expand their playing. From the opening Rabelaisian Panurge to the medievalesque Troubadour to the incredible almost/mostly a cappella Knots (where each verse is sung by a different band member taking turns) and the more standard (for GG) Cry For Everyone, the first side is absolutely awesome in execution and inventiveness. The second side pales a bit in comparison with the middle two tracks being noticeably weaker, but nothing bothersome. The record ending with a fitting résumé of the themes developed in the album.
Despite Phil Shulman's great contributions to this album his subsequent departure did not cause much problems the sextet being reduced to a quintet where four members were multi-instrumentalists. This fourth album is certainly a peak for them , both artistically and commercially as it was their first (and almost only) record to sell decently.
Oh yes! This album also came out in the US with a much different but same themed artwork sleeve (the one you see above) with a slight cut-out around the cap of the bottle. Progheads tend to denounce this artwork but I find it at least as interesting as the Roger Dean artwork reserved for the rest of the planet

Sean Trane

GENTLE GIANT have been responsible for so many great albums, but I feel that "Octopus" rises to the top of them all. "Octopus" delivers their unmistakeable GG sound with strong vocal harmonies throughout orchestrated with some of their best song writing ever. Musicanship is high here and vocals and instruments seem to blend-in perfectly giving the listener a stong feeling of cohesion and not necessarily the precision from other albums.

James Unger

Discovering Gentle Giant was for me, a huge step. I moved from symphonic grandeur (Yes, Genesis and Pink Floyd) to a more underground progressive rock. Lucky for me, the first GG album I purchased was this one. I was strucked immediatly by the 'mathematical' sound . I also discovered in me a fondness for 'medieval' sound (which brought me to Gryphon and then further to Amazing Blondel). Raconteur Troubadour explores the middle age stuff and so is The Advents of Panurge, based on the french litteracy of Rabelais. Gentle Giant is like listening to maths in music (Knots is definitely a good example). It takes a while to like it, but after, you find bands like Yes pompous (and perhaps pretentious?). I mean, when you hear violin or flutes, it's actually them. It's not your basic guitar-bass-keys-drums. Also, humor is very present in their music. Yeah, I like the HUMBLE side of this band. Never we get the feeling that they say :"Hey dudes, preach peace and I love every one of you!" (sorry Jon Anderson but you do sound like Cheech & Chong in 'Up in Smoke'). Great album, but try Glass House and Acquiring The Taste also. Wonderful threesome that is!

Jonathan Payeur

This is the most accessible one, among the best albums by GENTLE GIANT, without any excess of virtuosity, except on "Knots", one of the best vocal performances ever (listen also to "On Reflection" from the album "Free Hands"). Besides it's one of the best recordings in the course of the early seventies!! I like indeed this balanced use of Mellotron keyboards and other typical "jazz" instruments! "The Advent of Panurge" is an immortal classic, a fantastic imprinting of their own, often played live... moreover the strange mix of hard rock with some unplugged wood instruments (without regarding of a strange flare, reminding me of such "troubadours era") could represent the best example regarding their style... Recommended!!

Lorenzo

"Octopus" is a fitting title, since the band is playing here like they've got extra arms. I have yet to hear any GG album so skillfully wrought as "Octopus"; if you're approaching the band from the outside, this is definitely the right appetizer. When describing the band's music, words like "medieval", "madrigal", "complex" and "counterpoint" usually find their way into the text, and all of them would apply here. But the album's real achievement is delivering all of these qualities in a remarkably soft sell. They're not out to dazzle you, their genius is simply a natural outcropping of the individuals involved. "The Advent of Panurge" sets the stage for this, introducing all manner of music in as natural and organic a setting as possible so that listeners don't gag on the amount of substance crammed into a single song. Elsewhere, the humorously bleak "A Cry For Everyone" (which seems to poke a little fun at brooding acts like BLACK SABBATH and JETHRO TULL) and playful experiments like "Knots" and "Dog's Life" reveal a band maintaining a sense of humor in a genre (progressive rock) known for being self-consciously serious. I'd also be remiss if I didn't mention how good Derek SHULMAN's voice sounds on this record; Derek can sometimes come across as an acquired taste, but he's as smooth as butter on "Octopus". New drummer John WEATHERS also adds some wonderful touches, like the xylophone solo on "Knots."
Coming on the heels of having listened to GENESIS' Trespass, I'm reminded of how the word "sublime" is overused in musical criticism. To call "Octopus" "sublime" is perhaps to miss the point, since the band works hard to keep their heavenly arrangements earthbound.

Dave Connolly

This album reminds me to the early period when I first knew a kind of music which was later be called as progressive music. I still remember that I got this album about the same period I was listening to PINK FLOYD "The Dark ..", JETHRO TUL "Minstrel In The Gallery", "Thick As a Brick", YES "Tales .." "Relayer" "Fragile" dated bak in 70s. Each band has their own identity. and most importantly almost all of them are enjoyable. "Octopus" was probably the only exception as I sensed at that time that their music was harder to digest and had diverse beats and tempos. This albums was the first that I knew about GENTLE GIANT.
This album then generated my attention when parts of "A Cry for Everyone" were (intentionally?) used by our local band GOD BLESS in their song called "SETAN TERTAWA" (The Laughing Ghosts). At that time I loved SETAN TERTAWA very much but when I found a kind of plagiarism (?), my appreciation to GB had lowered a little bit. But my appreciation to "Octopus" had increased as I thought that this album must be powerful. Indeed, it is.
"The Advent Of Panurge" is a track with varieties of melodies, full of energy, and diverse singing styles. All instruments seem like being played in different directions, heavily influenced by jazz improvisations, but at the end it results in an excellent harmony. The piano is explored in a unique way. "Raconteur Troubadour" is a ballad song performed unconventionally by the band. The violins / cellos are used intensively in this track and they guide the overall music composition. It has great violin solo at interlude and excellent vibraphone / piano. "A Cry For Everyone" is an energetic song with excellent melody, stunning vocal. This track I consider as a legendary track. (When our local classic rock FM radio station aired a GENTLE GIANT special in its program, this song was used as a tagline for the program). This track is very enjoyable. It has interesting interlude, organ solo, lead guitar fills. The part that GOD BLESS used in SETAN TERTAWA is located exactly at minute 2:30 - 3:00 of this track. It's a dynamic part.
"Knots" is a repertoire with an acapella vocal style at intro part; it has an avant-garde component in its composition where it can be seen on how vibraphone / percussion are played. The music flow is "discrete" or at least it's not as continuous like other tracks. "The Boys In The Band" is relatively a complex composition with great organ style; violin is used to accentuate the melody. The music suddenly shifts to slower tempo with a controlled melody using a soft keyboard sound and come back again to complex one.
"Dog's Life" is an explorative composition (violin and cello) that you should enjoy seriously as this is not the kind of music you listen to at background. "Think Of Me With Kindness" is a composition that is more easy listening than previous track. It's a nice mellow track with good melody. "River" is a melodic and fascinating track with a double lead guitar at intro, followed by excellent vocal with organ at background. The lead guitar solo at the interlude is really stunning. It's a brilliant decision by the band that this track is positioned to conclude the album.
To conclude, this album is a masterpiece as it has strong songwriting, great composition, musicianship and overall performance. The production quality is excellent. It's a classic and. it's HIGHLY RECOMMENDED! Gatot Widayanto, Indonesia.

Gatot Widayanto

Octopus was the first Gentle Giant album to be added to my collection and it still remains my favorite, not because of nostalgic reasons but because despite listening to the album around 250 times I kept discovering new things about it. It's really a rollercoaster of moods and structures focusing heavily on medevial elements and experimentation (bordering avant-garde sometimes), it's probably Giant's most daring album when it comes to inspiration. The avant-garde vocal workout "Knots", one of the bands signature songs, is easily the most "far out" piece here and it's odd structure is as memorable as the piece itself. Great stuff! John Weathers is introduced here on drums and works splendidly as a solid backbone on this otherwise complex and highly adventurous music. This was also Phil Shulman's last and you can easily hear his absence on later GG albums.
The strongest cut here have to be "The Advent of Panurge" which is easily in my GG top-three, a very inventive piece that set the standard both for this album and later Gentle Giant albums. It's a very refreshing song that is heavy on the rhythm section but so wonderfully eclectic, adventurous and playful at the same time and will surely provide hundreds of great listening experiences alone. This album is for the adventurous listener, and while you might not like it as much as I do you'll surely enjoy it in some strange way nevertheless.

Björnar Lunde

"Octopus" is the first album on which GENTLE GIANT really found their sound and style: less hard rock, extremely rhythm changing, very progressive and rather nervous, full of pauses. You also have many pleasant & unbelievably charming melodic & dissonant moods. Everything is perfectly synchronized and VERY structured. There is a perfect balance between the NUMEROUS instruments involved: electric & acoustic guitars, bass, drums, keyboards, vibraphone, cello, saxophones, trumpet, mellophone, bass violin and xylophone among others: no one wants to steal the show. All the tracks are at least excellent, and you do not feel the tracks are redundant, given their originality and variety! "The boys in the band" is VERY nervous, fast and loaded; this track sets the pace for the next album orientation. "Think of me with kindness" is the relaxing moment of this album: a beautiful, catchy & tender song, rather sentimental; the horns arrangements are really poignant! Finally, "River" is the more hard rock one, having the style of the earlier albums.
HIGHLY RECOMMENDED!

Greenback

An hour of pure genius crammed into one 35 minute disc. There aren't any long songs here, each being around the 4-minute mark, but these short songs might as well be, given the amount of material in them. Gentle Giant has been drooled over by many a prog fan, and not for nothing. They have to be one of the most innovative bands in history, mixing medieval vocals with pre-metal, symphonic rock, and any number of other styles.
"The Advent of Panurge" begins with a very spacey but intricate and medieval vocal part, leading into a funky, complex main groove. Then there's a short horn section and softer, weaving vocal part followed by a reprise of the main groove with some echoed, gibberish vocal parts, then the intro again then the main part, all in the space of 4 minutes. The story is fairly inconsequential, about a giant meeting a creature from hell and becoming friends with it.
Most of the medievalness of the album comes from "Raconteur Troubadour," which actually doesn't sound that much like a medieval troubadour. Instead, it uses some violin for a vaguely medieval 11/8 main part and some stranger instrumental parts which occaisionally become reminescent of a big band because of their use of a horn. Again, excellent, and absolutely wonderful stuff.
The proto-metal aspect of Gentle Giant comes from "A Cry for Everyone," which is on the surface simpler than the other songs, but if you really listen you'll hear just as much complexity as "The Advent of Panurge." It goes through many sections and moods, but keeps within the range of being dark. The lyrics are almost humorously bleak, but you really can't tell if they mean it or not.
"Knots" is every bit as complex and woven as it sounds. This is by far the least accessible song here, and must be listened to many times before it can be appreciated. It is sung almost acapella, with all four vocalists complimenting each other to create an impossibly intricate vocal arrangement. The instruments are present as well, and generally the whole thing builds as instruments are added. The lyrics are just as confusing as the song.
The instrumental "Boys in the Band" consists of an arranged theme and some excellent solos by the keyboards, guitars, then saxophone. Again, magnificent.
You can hear a slight drop in the quality of material in "Dog's Life," which is basically a snide tribute to their roadies, and coincidentally to stray dogs. They use a weird honking instrument here, I'm not really sure what it is, but it's unique to say the least.
Many people accuse "Think of Me with Kindness" of being out of place or too simple, but really it isn't. The theme is beautiful, and it features mainly keyboards against a darker atmosphere than the rest of the album. If you listen closely you'll hear a quick theme in 7/8 dart by, but overall it is a bit less complex than the others and somewhat more pop- ish, but not at all bad.
"River" is the longest song, at around 5 minutes, and is a general sum up of the album, twisting its way through different themes. They use a lot of studio effects here, giving it a strange and experimental quality, especially with the drums.
Absolutely essential. It goes beyond symphonic prog, but not quite as far as avant-rock. The band is as tight as everyone says they are, which I think is a byproduct of half of them being brothers. Sooner or later you have to buy this. If you don't like, stay away from Gentle Giant, but if you do, by all means get the other albums by them, which are great in their own right.

Dex F.

Gentle Giant's followup to Three Friends, this album lets down the hard rock sound and goes into more complex territories. The songs aren't that long, but all the more appealing in the way they are constructed. The mood are incredibly well made, starting with ''The Advent of Panurge'', constructed around the great bass work from Ray Shulman and the guitar of Derek Shulman. The album is influenced by the medieval period, as the rest of Gentle Giant's music, but this is no fairy music. Jazzy at times, this album is also probably the band's most accessible. Highlights count ''Knots'' a vocalistic tour de force, and The Boys in the Band, a song about, well, the boys in the band. You can listen to every insturment alone here, and it will still make great music. This is probably Gentle Giant's album that stood the test of time in the most untouched way. Still today, the melodies are fresh, the moods inspiring, and the playwork magnificent. An quasi-masterpiece. 4.5/5

Philippe Rodriguez

All the five stars are well justified! This album is inspired by Rabelais and reminds me of Teofilo Folengo's "Baldus", a great poem in false-latin language that tells the story and the adventures of giant friends. They spend the time togheter eating in the pubs, wasting the same pubs, and receiving all the pleasure that life can give us. This is the vein of "Octopus". In particular I love "The advent of Panurge" and "Think of me with kindness", but the others are of a so highest level that it's impossible to find anything wrong. Only greatness from Gentle

Andrea Cortese

It's somehow painful to choose one Gentle Giant album of their early period ('70-'76) to call their best, because any single record between these years was and still is something special on it's own way. My personal favourite Gentle Giant album is "Three Friends", which was my introduction to them and still is the one to beat in my personal point of view out from the whole work of GG, even I consider "In A Glass House" as their overall best, followed by "The Power And The Glory" as their "peak" and "Free Hand" as their "zenith" ("Interview" was also very good, but doesn't count in this matter). I simply fell in love with that record, specially the melodic attitude (remember "School Days" or "Three Friends") was more foundable than on every other GG record.
The album before these mentioned records, "Octopus", shows at the first time ever the perfection of the typical & unique Gentle Giant prog-rock, for what they became famous for and they really found their own niche after the more accesible, blues/hardrock (mostly on the debut) influenced first three albums. This album is nothing short of a perfect Gentle Giant observation, but sometimes seems closely sterile, specially the sound quality in comparison with their previous efforts is so much better and with one perfect clear sound. This record is the most loved GG release by many fans and progressive rock listeners, who adore the band and their unforgettable classic-period material. "Octopus" seems flawless, and IMO it's perfect for what it is - a essential masterpiece of progressive music, even it may be hard to understand the attitude of complexity on here, so if you're new to the world of Gentle Giant, I recommend to start up from the beginning - so you understand the maturity-process the band went through at best. It's useless to review or rate the single tracks on "Octopus", all would receive the high score from my side, I still can't find one misplacement on here, all fits perfectly together, which is a big statement, specially on the look of complexity. The great Roger Dean cover is the i on the cake, what more is left to say about the perfect job of the Gentle Giants? Short: One of the best and unique progressive rock albums ever recorded - a total prog-masterpiece!

Marc Baum

Feels strange to be reviewing a Gentle Giant album as a relative newcomer to them. I can say that I have no preconceptions or bias. I claim no knowledge of when they were at their best or what led to their demise. I have to say that one track on this album makes it worth buying alone. The opening track 'The Advent of Panurge' is,to my mind,a CLASSIC. Excellent lyrics, and superb musicianship, and the kind of timing that reminded me of how I felt when I heard 'Dance on a Volcano' many years ago. Its up there now amongst my prog favourites. 'Raconteur Troubadour' seems typically English to me, the type of thing morris dancers listen to whilst watching cricket on ye olde village green. I'm unsure whether its really my thing though. 'A cry for everyone' reminds me a little of Jethro Tull,but I feel Anderson is the better singer of the two. Its a great track all the same, but not the best on the album. 'Knots' is pretty different by any standards. I know it inspires lots of people on the PA,and I have to agree that it is appealing in an eccentric way. The middle section of the song borders on Zappa/early Yes. 'The boys in the band' starts with the sound of someone tossing or spinning a coin on a table and then gets down to business. Its a nice instrumental,but seems to be missing something. 'Dog's Life' is a musical ode to mans best friend. Pink Floyd's 'Seamus' was also,I believe,an ode to a dog, however Gentle Giants canine-tribute is simpler and more to the point,and humorous to boot. The penultimate track 'Think of me with kindness', is pleasant enough without really DOING very much. The album closer 'River' is pretty bluesy and a grower. The whole album pays you back the more you listen to it. Its certainly not an immediate gratification that Gentle Giant offer. I'd say this album is well worth having.

horza

I like this album; not a lot, but I like it, to coin a phrase. It is the first fully developed GG effort, full of quirky rhythm changes, complex vocal harmonies and a huge variety of instruments. It was the last to feature the third of the Shulman brothers, Philip, and though his contributions are worthwhile, his loss was not terminal. GG are never easy listening and this album is challenging in the extreme. There are many great moments but a few lows as well, which is typical of the band and these can occur within the same track. Catherine Motuz's review hits the nail on the head except for the rating in my opinion. I prefer Free Hand overall, so this is a 4* effort.

Tony Fisher

I might say this is my favourite album from them. Everything is good music. And the others are good, beetween '71 and '75 the best period. A true prog band. Try to listen to the beautiful Think to me with kindness, superb, like the instrumental one. A must for every prog lover.

Bogdan Olariu

An old school friend of mine back in the 70s was a huge Gentle Giant fan but at the time I couldn't get into them at all. Since discovering this site last year, I've "matured" and seen the light. Of the various Giant albums I have listened to so far, this is the best, although I know that some people will disagree. Opinion on the best Giant album does seem to be divided.
Although very short, this album has four prog classics - The Advent Of Panurge, Raconteur Troubadour, Knots and Think Of Me With Kindness.
The Advent Of Panurge tells of the meeting of the Rabelais giants Panurge and Pantagruel and is a fairly rocky, even a bit funky, track. Raconteur Troubadour is my favourite Giant track so far. A great vocal and the backing track is superb. Listen to the way the violin plays a variation on the verse melody underneath the chorus. The verse melody also features again on the stately instrumental section before it all breaks down and a hand running down the piano keys takes us back into the last verse. Wonderful stuff.
Knots is a much-discussed track, featuring stunning 4 part vocal harmonies and a great xylophone solo. Think Of Me With Kindness is a gentle and thoughtful number, featuring a fantastic piano "riff", nice vocal and a very effective brass solo.
Of the other numbers, A Cry For Everyone is another rocky number, The Boys In The Band is a clever instrumental, Dog's Life is dedicated to their roadies and River has some interesting effects. All good songs but it is the other 4 that, for me, make this album a prog classic. This is the sort of album that you really have to listen to in order to appreciate how skilful the arrangements and the musicianship is.

Alan Hyde

My second favorite Gentle Giant album, (Freehand is my fav, btw) it's also probably their most medival. The first side of the album is out-and-out classic Gentle Giant with "Raconteur Troubadour" and "The Advent Of Panurge" a firm base of medival prog. Nobody can match their muscianship, but when it comes to singing acapella, "Knots" proves it. Just flat out awesome! The brother Phil's horn work gets little play on this album, but when it does as in "The Boys In The Band" it gives the music that extra little kick of color and besides, it's a showcase for the band whenever they played it live. "A Dog'e Life" gets little respect, but if you listen carefully, the boys try alittle electronic music with a game show tick tock beat, (if you grew up watching game shows in the US, you'll understand) Kerry uses a weird synth sound that's very sparse, but it enhances the song brillantly. "Think Of Me With Kindness" is the pretty ballad. The band usally have one on every release and it's as good as all the others. The only song that falls a tad below excellent is "River". It just seems a little out of sync, especially Ray's singing. It's almost like he's trying to catch up with the band. What saves it is Gary's bluesy guitar solo in the center. You don't get to hear him wail like this too often. All in all, a masterpiece of prog from a band that pretty much is all alone when it comes to originality. You absolutely can't go wrong with this album. Just plain stunning!!

Ray Rappisi jr

Octopus is an album I have trouble rating, sometimes I can listen to it back to back and enjoy every second of it, and, other times I cannot stand it. It's strange but this circumstance occurs regularly with me with many albums. There is one song I can always enjoy on Octopus and that song is, A Do's Life, it brings me fond memories of my little Scottish terrier who fits the description perfectly. This is quite a strange song and the harmonies of the violin and synthesizer (I think it's a synthesizer) clash. It amazes me that these clashes still sound good, probably due to the fact that Gentle Giant are very igneous.
I suppose they got this inspiration from early 20th century composers who experimented with clashing dissonances and such. I also identify that the band went back to the Middle Ages and picked up church modes. Something which 20th centaury composers also did, they experimented with the Lydian, mixolydian, Dorian ( there are several more modes I cannon remember) and most of all the pentatonic scales. These experimentations changed the course of modern music in my opinion. Gentle Giant also use these modes.
Even some of the instrumentation is similar to that of the Middle Ages, but when comparing to actual instrumentals from the Middle ages the difference is huge. That my seem like a big contradiction but I understand it, haha. Certainly there were Troubadours around back then, so there are influences from said times. Anyway back to the album.
Octopus is a fantastic album and borders on the masterpiece level, but as I said earlier it is more enjoyable at certain times. This depends greatly on what type of prog fan you and what mood you are in. There are some subtly beautiful sections on Octopus, particularly Think of me With Kindness which is a short, but effective song. There is a wonderful horn solo at the climax of the song. Knots is a masterpiece of Gentle Giant music, the vocals on this song are of an almost inhuman quality. If you listen to closely to all the part then you will wonder how difficult it would have been to record, and to perform live. The Piano theme on Knots is very jazzy and cool, while the glockenspiel solo in the middle of the song is freakishly fast.
One thing I am certain of in this album is that the instrumentation is at the highest level in all prog. Very few bands/artists could compare to the skill of Gentle Giant, and Octopus is a very real example of how good they are. I like the fact that Gentle Giant isn't as guitar dominated as many other bands are. The guitar solo on River reminds me greatly of the song Statbrough blues by The Allman Brothers, just a thought. I have to comment on the cover picture which is very cool in my opinion; I mean an octopus in a Jar, you couldn't ask for anything more.
1. The Advent Of Panurge (4/5) 2. Raconteur Troubadour (4/5) 3. A Cry For Everyone (4/5) 4. Knots (5/5) 5. The Boys In The Band (4/5) 6. Dog's Life (5/5) 7. Think Of Me With Kindness (4/5) 8. River (5/5) Total = 35 divided by 8 (number of songs) = 4.375 = 4 stars Excellent addition to any prog music collection
Octopus is a tiny bit off being a five star album as I have already stated, it isn't quite there. To be correct it is exactly 0.625 off being a masterpiece according to my method of rating. Gentle Giant isn't everyone's cup of tea but if you were to start anywhere with them, I'd recommend Octopus first. It is the easiest album to listen to by the band, for me anyway. I hope this review has made sense to the readers as I have sort. droned on about nothing for a while.

Matt

Octopus manages to captivate us without going overboard with a concept, and trust me, that's a good thing. Gentle Giant have created a very fine album here, incorporating quirky antics with some smooth melodies, taking advantage of their instrumental talents to give them a broad symphony like sound.
All the tracks manage to resist that tendency of wanting to write a 20 minute epic, giving us some very fun and whimsical tracks. More competent as songwriters than most of their peers, GG allows us to relax and just enjoy the music on Octpus. Highlights are 'Raconteur Troubadour,' an instantly memorable song that is perhaps the star of the album for many. My personal favorite is 'The Boys in the Band', with a killer opening that many musicians themselves would enjoy.
Overall, an awesome record from a very capable and under appreciated band. Not quite up their with some of my favorites, as it lacks some of the redeeming qualities I find in those albums. Nevertheless, this album is essential for understanding and appreciating the band Gentle Giant.

Joey Kelley

As someone who was introduced to the prog phenomenon through yes in the 1970s I was a late comer to Gentle Giant. My loss. In some ways it's odd reviewing albums you've known for over 25 years (for some people they'll have listend to this album 35 years ago!!)
Prepare for a mix a tight harmonies, an impressive display of musicianship across a broad range of instruments.
Side one has a dramatic and memorable opening: the advent of panurge and the raconteur troubador present a medieval vocal theme which is captivating.
Knots is marvellous but I find it a bit too difficult at times: if I'm in the modd it's fantastic but not a song for all seasons.
Dog's Life is charming, beautifully paced, complex: irresistible. Think of me with kindness is just about the perfect balance between sentimentality and charm.
I find Gentle Giant the most accomplished interesting and articulate prog band I have had the pleasure of listening to. I enjoy this album more than any other.
River is another complex number: at times quirky, then sublime, it moves around from theme to theme, mood to mood. Glorious. A love the guitar sound: sounds cliched but it's so 70s.
It's not just 5 stars it's a desert island disk.

Brian McKee

Un disco muy bueno, parejo y de bases muy sólidas. Indiscutible el lugar que se gano entre discos de las grandes bandas. Otro discazo hiper super recontra recomendado en el blog cabezón, un verdadero disfrute para los oídos que no te podés perder por nada del mundo. Y nuestro espacio se sigue conviertiendo en una recopilación de maravillas musicales...

Digipack de la edición 2015 remix de S. Wilson

Lista de Temas:
1. The Advent Of Panurge
2. Raconteur Troubadour
3. A Cry For Everyone
4. Knots
5. The Boys In The Band
6. Dog's Life
7. Think Of Me With Kindness
8. River
BONUS edición Steven Wilson (2015):
9. Excerpts From Octopus (Live)
Alineación:
- Gary Green / guitars, percussion
- Kerry Minnear / all keyboards, vibraphone, percussion, cello, Moog, lead and backing vocals
- Derek Shulman / lead vocals, alto saxophone
- Philip Shulman / saxophones, trumpet, mellophone, lead and backing vocals
- Raymond Shulman / bass, violin, guitar, percussion, vocals
- John Weathers / drums, percussion, xylophone