I first came across Gentle Giant whilst at secondary school– not from another pupil but if I remember correctly via a friend whose older sister was going out with the maths tutor!
Gentle Giant were a British progressive rock band active between 1970 and 1980. The band were known for the complexity and sophistication of their music and for the varied musical skills of their members. All of the band members were multi-instrumentalists.
The band stated that their aim was to "expand the frontiers of contemporary popular music at the risk of becoming very unpopular"
Gentle Giant's music was considered complex even by progressive rock standards, and drew on folk, jazz, soul, classical music including medieval and Baroque music.
Their lyrics, came from inspiration not only from personal experiences but from philosophy and the words of Francois Rabelais and RD Laing.
In 2015 they were recognised with the lifetime achievement award at the Progressive Music Awards
There are lots of tracks that I like but this is one I come back to time and time again, being drawn to the interwoven melodies and changes of style.
