Gentle Giant - "Octopus" (1972)

A deep dive into the prog world via Gentle Giant's fourth album Octopus. Can that be something? In the prog world, it's often a balancing act between the beautiful, a bit difficult and too difficult. I usually argue that Gentle Giant always manages to stay on the right side of the balance point. Even their regular excursions into the more complex and strange soundscapes are nice to listen to, and are relatively accessible, at least at Octopus. That said, it should be mentioned that the Gentle Giant is considered one of the more experimental bands within the 70's progressive music, and the music they made was unusually complex. So they should not be underestimated. 

Gentle Giant consisted at the time of the recording of the three brother Shulmans, Kerry Minnear, Gary Green and the new drummer John Weathers. Almost all members were multi-instrumentalists and extremely adept at their respective instruments. It's fun to watch concert clips of the band on Youtube, then they unconcerned switch instruments in the middle of songs and seamlessly continues playing. On the album, they often play up to three instruments each in the songs.

Octopus is considered by many to be the start of Gentle Giants best musical period, Ray Shulman argue that it is their best album (possibly second behind Acquiring The Taste). And as mentioned, I like Octopus. It is varied and fun to listen to. Although it can be very complex arrangements and creations that are often outside  the normal musical box, it is never too difficult. Which is one of the things that makes me like Gentle Giant. Many other bands within the same genre sometimes make music that one suspects is difficult just for the sake of it, and it becomes hard to appreciate what you hear. Gentle Giant does not fall into that trap on Octopus.

One of my favorites on the album is Think Of Me With Kindness. A beautiful song that is perhaps the least "progressive" on the record. If you like progressive music the album can absolutely be recommended, almost a must-have. If you like more accessible and "normal" rock and pop maybe Octopus will seem a bit too difficult and strange. A funny detail is that Gentle Giant, before the Octopus tour, was a supporting act for Black Sabbath  on a number of concerts. This combination did not go down well with the audience, one can safely say, which loudly expressed its displeasure with the prog band on stage.

The album I have is the North American pressing, I found it for 4 dollars in good condition in a local vinyl store, here in Montreal, which I of course couldn't resist (I have it on CD since long). The European cover looks like this:

Tracklist 

Side A 

1. Adevent Of Panurge 4:42
2. Raconteur, Troubadou 4:03
3. A Cry For Everyone 4:06
4. Knots 4.10

Side B 
1. The Boys In The Band 4:33
2. Dog's Life 3:12
3. Think Of Me With Kindness 3:32
4. River 5:51

Wire - "154" (1979)

Here's a really nice album - The English band Wire's album named after the number of concerts they had performed at the time of recording. This was their third album, and many pundits believe it's their best creation. Personally I haven't heard enough from their voluminous record catalog in order to express an opinion on this, but no doubt it's high quality music.

Wire was born in the punk movement and their music is often defined as post-punk or art punk. Personally I think it often sounds like a punkier version of Roxy Music, for example the opening track I Should Have Known Better, I can easily hear Bryan Ferry sing. Add some the Stranglers and the mix is complete (I say this without having heard too much of the Stranglers). And maybe a little Blondie ...? Or am I delirious now?

Wire often creates a pretty dark soundscape that can sometimes feel a bit heavy. They mix atmospheric sound collages à la Brian Eno with punk songs as well as some more radio-friendly songs. An example of the latter is one of my favorites, the fabulous The 15th, which sounds a lot like my new hometown Montreal's pride Arcade Fire. Another favorite is the B-side's opening track. A Mutual Friend, where Wire's artistic ambitions are perfectly balanced with the slightly more accessible and very beautiful.

Wire is considered one of the more influential bands in the 70s and 80s, although their record sales didn't reach the same heights. Scores of bands and artists mention Wire as one of their major sources of inspiration and influence. Especially their first three albums are mentioned in this context. Wire is still active and released their last album in 2013.

The first edition of 154 also contained an EP, but I haven't got this one in my possession. In summary, an album I can recommend, but perhaps not for everyone since parts of the album are quite inaccessible. I like the mix of punk, pop and the more artistic sound excursions. It becomes an exciting and varied experience. On the other side of the coin, I find the sometimes too neurotic and dark moods that are created.

Tracklist

Side A
1. I Should Have Knowm Better 3.52
2. Two People In A Room 2.10
3. The 15th 3.05
4. The Other Window 2.07
5. Single K.O. 2.23
6. A Touching Display 6.55
7. On Returning 2.06

Side B
1. A Mutual Friende 4.28
2. Blessed State 3.28
3. Once Is Enough 3.23
4. Map Ref. 41 N 93 W 3.40
5. Indirect Enquiries 3.36
6. 40 Versions 3.28