...and nearly a year later I'm back with an opinion!

It fucking rocks. Gentle Giant are definately the 'funnest' 70's prog group. They have a big sound without ever sounding pompous or bombastic, show their technical abilities without wanking, and write pimping tunes.
It's very hard to dislike them.

Really old thread here and it might take ages before Comus reads this, but having progressed beyond the seven essentials, I have to say I feel the idea that they have but 7 great albums is wrong.

I've yet to really get into Giant for a day and Civilian (their two last albums), but I like Interview (came after Free Hand) a lot and feel that one should at least be included in the GG greats. I'm sure Comus would like it had he included it for this thread. Playing the Fool also has some great music on it although you arguably do have some filler there.

Two Weeks in Spain just gets stuck in your head for days on end. It's just too catchy.

I have to disagree here, Interview is good, but not great and doesn't deserve a spot here alongside the rest of their true greats. I recently put on Interview and I feel even more correct in my assessment. There's something about it that just falls flat for me and it misses the beats that makes their earlier work so great. Maybe ten listens in a concentrated time might make me change my mind, but for now I feel like I've heard Interview enough to have my opinion.

It's been quite a while since I listened to it now (see my post is from 2015), but I still think it's good and Give It Back in particular seems like a stroke of genius. It's so strikingly original and in such a GG way.

Their first album is my favorite. I feel like it's a pure, distilled blast of everything that makes Gentle Giant great. Octopus is a very close second. And Interview and The Missing Piece are a definite step down from the first seven but I do like them.

I want to thank you, Comus, for making this thread, since it was the reason I got into Gentle Giant back in 2009. The way you wrote so enthusiastically about them made them feel like a band I absolutely needed to check out, and I've been a huge fan basically ever since.

My ranking of the big seven.

1. Octopus: Basic bitch pick for number one I know but this one really is unbeatable, every single track here is a certified banger, though Think of Me With Kindness took me a long time to appreciate. Shame this is their only album with both Phil Shulman and John Weathers.

2. Acquiring the Taste: Some days I may even prefer it to Octopus, it may not be quite as tight or consistent but the vibe is really what makes this one special, it has a very melancholy feel to it that none of their other albums have, perfect night time album.

3. Free Hand: The beginning of the band's shift into a slicker, poppier direction but the prog is definitely still here and damn if this isn't their most fun album, their knack for catchy melodies has reached it's zenith here, just a total blast to listen to.

4. Gentle Giant: This one will always have a special place in my heart, it was their first album I listened to in full and that opening track was what made me fell in love with this band at first listen, bold of them to kick things off with what sounds like it could be their own theme song. As a whole this is a bit rough around the edges compared to what followed, the second half does kinda drag a bit, that first side is perfect though.

5. Three Friends: Probably the most slept on of their early albums which is a damn shame, I guess being followed up with Octopus didn't help. It's their most bittersweet album, the first two tracks really capture this feeling of childhood and nostalgia, the following three tracks are about the alienation of adulthood and the last track (which was accidentally combined with the outro of the previous track on my CD version due to a time marker error) is a beautiful lament for that lost friendship.

6. In a Glass House: There was a time when this was damn near my favorite but it has fallen off for me a bit, it still has a lot of beautiful moments but it feels a little disjointed compared to their other classics, it's hard to say why, I think they were struggling to find a new direction when Phil left and it sounds a little more sparse than it should.

7. The Power and the Glory: Tbh this has always been my least favorite of the big ones and it still is but it has grown on me, John Weathers drumming is probably at it's best here, but I dunno compared to the rest it feels like it's missing something, I think there's too much lead vocals from Derek on this one and some songs (especially The Face) he's really singing outside of his range and it gets grating. The first side is great but the second side dosen't do it for me as much.

All in all they're all pretty f*cking great though.

I'd rank them similarly, only I'd lift Free Hand up top.

Who were you on the forums in 2009?

Nobody, haha. I used to read the forum a lot back then, but I never made an account until now. I elaborate a bit more in my introduction thread.

I like all Gentle Giant equally but for some reason I like the Simon Dupree material (especially the album) better.