HiRez Poll Gentle Giant - THE POWER AND THE GLORY [BluRay Audio]

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Rate the BDA of Gentle Giant - THE POWER AND THE GLORY [BluRay Audio]

  • 7 -

    Votes: 0 0.0%
  • 6 -

    Votes: 0 0.0%
  • 4 -

    Votes: 0 0.0%
  • 3 -

    Votes: 0 0.0%
  • 2 -

    Votes: 0 0.0%
  • 1 - Bad Fidelity, Bad Surround Bad Content

    Votes: 0 0.0%

  • Total voters
    108
It's not atrocious, it's Gentle Giant. It's part of who they are, wouldn't be the same without it. There are so many other bands to appreciate if their package is too hard to process.


From QQ deep space

'Too hard to process'? No, the vocals are terrible. The music is sublime. That is it.
 
Should I play mine? I'm a bit scared to now.

update: Playing it. Seems like one big borefest so far. A bit jazzy isn't it. And sort of like background music in a movie.

I think the arrangements are simply brilliant; reminds me of Zappa.
 
'Too hard to process'? No, the vocals are terrible. The music is sublime. That is it.

that's your opinion and that's fair enough (fwiw I don't care for his vocals much either) but have you ever stopped to think that these bands might be cherished by others here and you could be offending people by being so crashing? :mad:@:
 
I think the arrangements are simply brilliant; reminds me of Zappa.

I agree, complex and cleverly crafted.. the guy's voice doesn't do much for me.. I have more respect for this kind of constructive criticism rather than just saying something's outright terrible or atrocious!
 
that's your opinion and that's fair enough (fwiw I don't care for his vocals much either) but have you ever stopped to think that these bands might be cherished by others here and you could be offending people by being so crashing? :mad:@:

So one should never write an honest review then? I love Zeppelin but the crunge is an abomination. Those offended need to grow up, this is music, If I feel certain elements are terrible I will say, no big deal. I speak honestly; obviously what I express is my opinion otherwise why would I articulate it? I feel the same about Primus; terrible vocals, great music.

Some on here say they can not get into KG's music, I do not interject and say 'that is silly KG are brilliant'. We should not censor ourselves to appeal to others. I still gave GG 9/10!!!!!!!! I am not going to give it a low score to spite anybody; I just wish the vocals were all like Aspirations which I love. I GENUINELY think they are terrible. That is my honest thought; should I not say that?
 
No way should you do that! You have to remain honest and speak your mind, nobody would want to censure you here, you should feel you can speak your mind but you just have a habit of making outbursts in such absolutes and extremes, it sometimes feels like it's your opinion and that's how it is, with no other opinion being valid.. you say something's terrible and that's that.. that's all I was saying :)
 
I'm a fan and don't take offense at your critique, not every group has a: fill in the blank "Caruso" for a lead vocalist, but that quirky voice is part of the Gentle Giant persona I guess. Now "jazzy borefest", I think I'd listen to clips elsewhere before bauying the unknown and coming to that conclusion, I can't wait to pick up the cheap second copy. Is that the DVD or BR that's going on sale?
 
"jazzy borefest" indeed.. :mad:@: ..he's another one who gets on my nerves at times.. people who speak before they think.. 'foot in mouth' syndrome.. blah!
 
Not ready to vote, I've only had a chance to listen to it once all the way through. Oh no! the buggers! :( where'd you order yours?

CD wow, so its my own fault! Because I've been buying so much stuff recently (obviously not of Fredblueian (if that's a word!) proportions, but a lot for me!!), I went with the cheapest option (by far) for this one. My order status still shows as "backorder" so I'm regretting this decision now. Having said that, there's not been enough (child free) hours in the day to listen to all my recent purchases sufficient times to vote on them anyhoo!
 
I have been listening to this band for 40+ years and honestly never gave a second thought to the vocals. It's who they are and what they write for. Simple as that. If I could vote higher than 10 I would.

Everybody can and should express their opinions. As most of us know there is always more than one way to state something and that determines the reactions we get.

Bjork, Randy Newman, Magma are vastly diverse and talented artists that could be considered a challenge in the vocals but that is just part of who they are! GG are no different. If they are not your cup of tea, fine. That's all that needs to be said.

As Subtle as a Flying Mallet - Dave Edmonds


From QQ deep space
 
Last edited:
Excellent surround mix as usual from SW, and an elaborate slide show on the Blu-ray that gets pretty inventive with playing cards. I was not a Gentle Giant fan back in the day (saw them in concert once in the early seventies and heard a couple of albums) so I can't do anything approaching an analytic comparison of their various recordings.

I'd guess Power & the Glory is not their best or worst album, probably a middling effort for the band. I would have preferred an MC mix of Octopus, but this one is enjoyable.

On a side-note, I loathe the tacky FBI warning screen-printed around the disc's rim, and the amazingly nasty threat at the start of the disc prohibiting the owner from doing anything with the recording short of playing it in the presence of family members.

I vote an 'eight.'
 
As for the warning, I'd lay that at the feet of Caroline the issuing label as I haven't seen any other labels doing that.


From QQ deep space
 
'Too hard to process'? No, the vocals are terrible. The music is sublime. That is it.


Hello Lads! Allow the scholar among us to chime in here(that would be me(y)).

Keenly my good man, if I may:

I believe the difficulty you've encountered is the fact that Derek Shulman chooses to write vocal melodies with many minor intervals which border on dissonance. His choice of vocal lines are definitely a challenge and personally I prefer more sweet harmonies, a la YES, but there it is:

The early GG CDs, Derek really goes to town(in that regard) and I simply can't take it. But for Octopus, Free Hand & POwer & The Glory he stays inside the line(barely;)) So I think it fits with all the other stuff the band is doing. But: his singing is by no means "easy listening"

Derek Shulman does have an excellent voice though. To demonstrate, check out Gentle Giant - "I'm Turning Around".


Class Dismissed (y)


tumblr_lxjr2qGf5g1qhjnq9o1_400.gif
 
I too have been a Gentle Giant fan for 40+ years. I'm also very aware they are a very unique sound and more shocked when someone else also likes them than the usual, "not my cup of tea". My wife of 'almost' 40 years has Gentle Giant at the top of her list of, "NEVER have them playing when I'm in the house!" Whenever I'm playing something progressive she doesn't like, she always asks if that is Gentle Giant. I understand their following is a unique group and I enjoy them immensely but, usually when I am alone. My high school friends also enjoyed them but I still only see a handful of those folks anymore. You can like them or many choose to hate them. Personally, this isn’t my favorite album of theirs (but still in heaven on this release!) and feel that the general crowd will have a much better time warming up to Octopus if it is given the same SW treatment. Octopus is a complete classic!
 
If I may add my own story.

In college (early 1980s), I was a big prog rock fan. Someone played me "Knots" from the Gentle Giant album "Octopus" and I thought it was fantastic! I went out and bought the album, played it and... meh. I put it away. Then, a couple of years later at the same college, someone was selling their record collection so I bought a few more GG albums. I listened to them and...meh. I put them away. For some reason, about 10 years later, I pulled out "Free Hand" to listen to it again and this time EVERYTHING CLICKED!! I then went through the back catalog and became a huge GG fan!

GG, in my opinion, can take time to get in to. If anyone who is a progressive rock fan buys "The Power and the Glory" and decides that it's not their thing, fine. Put it away. Come back to it every couple of years. Maybe you'll still dislike it. But I would give this one some time.

J. D.
 
Wow- I haven't been this blown away by new music in many years!

I was never able to get into GG- though admittedly I hadn't put a ton of effort into it. Being a prog fan, I expected to like them, but it never clicked. But a 5.1 SW re-mix seemed a perfect way to try again. And this time, due to the all-around excellence of this disc, I was completely engaged and taken on quite the journey! I listened to this 3X in as many days and it's rare that I listen to anything twice in a couple of weeks, even new music.

But had I sat down to listen to a stereo mix of this album, I don't know how much I'd like it; I had the auto-rips from Amazon and did a little previewing and wasn't very impressed. Had I listened to the 5.1 mix but not had the visuals, I'm not sure how much I'd have enjoyed it. Being able to read lyrics helps me immensely to get into new music; I never understood why they dropped the practice of including lyrics that most all of my dvd-a's from the "heyday" have. And TPATG not only gives the lyrics, but does so in a creative, sync'd-to-the-music way. But even better, the remarkable visuals really help to understand/get into the songs themselves and while they are very interesting, they never distract from the music, just complement it.

As much as I love the CTTE and TYA 5.1 mixes SW did of my favorite band, I have to say this disc is even better, given the creative use of video to enhance the listening experience. I actually dreamed about something similar (though less ambitious) for the CTTE blu, though I never thought it would actually happen: something that incorporated the lyrics with a look similar to the album sleeve- that distinctive RD font in black against a green background- that scrolled down in time w/ the music; during instrumental passages, we could see some of the scenes that are used as screen-savers, but with some movement incorporated that would give different perspectives; and flowing over that green fog from the album cover, w/ the 1st instance of Dean's iconic logo showing up at opportune times, again incorporating movement.

I really like the music on this; I agree w/ others that have stated there are many Zappa-esque moments- esp. in So Sincere. Yes, the music is very complicated and missing some of the sublime melodies that Yes has, but the complexities do make sense and serve the music. The singer's sound is definitely different and not "beautiful," but I got the impression that was more a stylistic choice than lack of ability. Regardless, for me it works for the music. For me, the musical content is a solid 9 at least.

The mix is typical SW, meaning great separation, great clarity and a solid, immersive soundscape. I would assume since it's SW it's also faithful to the original, but never having heard the original, I can't say. But the surround and fidelity are both top-notch in my book- solid 10's. But it's the video content that puts this over the top. I have voted a number of 10's on these polls- and while a few of them may in hindsight have been 10's due to my enthusiasm over a release, most I would still vote a 10 for. But since this disc beats them all, I wish I could give it an 11.

SW continues to show the way to do MCH releases. He always includes so many extras that really add to the package. But as much as I enjoy many of the musical extras, they pale next to what the video adds on this release. This is a complete package. I generally like to listen to music in the dark, but having something to watch that is not distracting but actually deepens the musical experience is the ultimate imo. I wish every album could be done like this. (I remember when LD's were 1st introduced, I thought they would be a vehicle for music to be released w/ video; this is the kind of thing I dreamed about way back then).

I'm ready to get into GG now, but I'll be patient and wait for SW's next re-mix. Here's hoping he does a lot of their back catalog. IF TPATG isn't even their best, I'm really looking forward to more...
 
I have to agree about the visual component taking it to a whole other level. It made this 1974 album seem contemporary and that was wholly unexpected. Perhaps not their best album but certainly not their worst. Always a favorite.


From QQ deep space
 
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