Many rock bands have either tried to play with classical
musicians or play like they
are classical musicians – mostly with dismal
results. Gentle Giant played music that was firmly in the rock idiom, but they
played with such virtuosity and composed music with such complexity that they
are at the top of an extremely small list (along with maybe just Zappa) of
those who successfully played rock music like they actually were classical
musicians. Titled
Octopus as a play on the idea that the band was
composing 8 songs, each about a different member of the band or crew, each song
is its own wildly ambitious symphony of musical ideas and masterful execution.
Perhaps no song is more symbolic in their entire career (12 albums over a
decade) than “Knots,” a miraculous number in which they employ the Madrigal
(unaccompanied vocal composition) form to begin a song that then bursts into
complex changes and time signatures hinting at jazz, classical, rock and
avant-garde all at once. Every track on
Octopus is equally
sophisticated. This is not light music for the faint of heart. While every song
bristles with musical invention and enough musical changes to give a careful
listener whiplash, there is always a melodic core, as well as beautiful and complex
vocals, and some rock star-worthy instrumental fireworks – although never at
the expense of compositional integrity. This is one band that never jammed
mindlessly.
Another factor that really sets Gentle Giant apart is their
intensely personal, philosophical and literary lyrics. Hugely influenced by the
works of several philosophers/authors the band always imbued their lyrics with
an intellectual humanism that escaped most of their contemporaries. Take for
example “A Cry For Everyone” which was influenced by the writings of Albert
Camus. Demonstrating a sensibility far elevated from the typical rock fare the
lyric warns:
“One day everyone dies
If only to justify life.
Live. I’ve lived a thousand lives: And anyone is the
right, the just life.
If I could cry, I’d cry for everyone.”
Gentle Giant’s lyrics are filled with thought provoking
insights and moral quandaries –some resolved, some left hanging. This alone
makes their work worth exploring, and none of their albums is quite as
cohesively successful as Octopus.
My first exposure to Gentle Giant was a strange and jarring
one. In 1976 they were the opening act on Paul Simon’s tour for
Still Crazy
After All These Years. What marketing genius thought this pairing would be
a good idea should have been fired immediately for surely most of the audience
was baffled and/or annoyed by this frenetic prog-rock freak show. They did
however convert one person. When they finished their set (which included a
medley of songs from
Octopus) I remember sitting there with my mouth
hanging open wondering what I had just seen. I had no idea rock musicians were
allowed to play with such accomplished fury. They weren’t goofing around up
there, they were executing musical mazes which required the highest level of
rehearsal and professional dexterity. I could barely pay attention to Paul
Simon’s set (which I’m sure was great). I had to hear more from this band. I
have cherished Gentle Giant’s albums since and hold them in a rare place of
musical reverence, but I understand that this music is not for everyone. To
illustrate this fact, vocalist/saxophone player Derek Shulman (one of three
Shulman brothers in the band) became a respected A&R man for a well-known
record label after the band broke up. He famously said (I paraphrase) “I would
never sign a band like Gentle Giant.” It seems that sometimes even the most
ambitious artists understand themselves that they are making music for the few
and not the many. What better endorsement do you need?
- Paul Epstein
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