Gentle Giant - On Reflection (studio version)

[satosan007]

この世界で夢みていられたら・・・

[AsmodelSoljah]

I found this looking for examples of strict polyphony in rock and roll, expecting something like they're doing with voice but with guitar. Does anyone have something like I am looking for?

[OnReflectionCA]

@AsmodelSoljah Look up the album Discipline by King Crimson, several examples of polyphony with guitar, especially songs like "Frame by Frame" and "Discipline"

[Nggremon]

as of today : 126 likes, 1 dislike.

that 1 person must have mistakenly clicked the wrong button.

[lousteven]

this is so white....long live the white man

[doctortabby]

Never heard this song...excuse me, piece. Excellent. Why don't we hear more of this? Why is this music hidden?! Such a shame. Anyway, thanks so much for posting.

[antagonist42]

0 dislikes. Just like God intended.

[skidoofus]

Harmonies from Beach boys and Queen + bach influence + every instrument made + the sexiest drummer in the world = gentle giant

[philsmithgentlegiant]

Thank you for the link to my transcription!

[freakylittlegnome]

Long live Gentle Giant!!

[butchrbaker]

I remember my choral director everytime I hear this... Hey Charlie Wadell (RIP)

I would love to see a performance video of this number.

[1359401]

@butchrbaker you can see a live performance of it on a dvd called gg at the gg.Live in golders green.It's available on amazon or you can just watch the clip on you tube.

[Suprematisse]

This is the perfect composition of a perfect band. Gentle Giant simply were unbelievable, and on par with such all time music greats as Gesualdo, Mozart, Stravinsky, Ellington and Coltrane. I just hope that people would recognize good music when it comes and bites them in the ass, to paraphrase Zappa.

[J0000OOOO]

Queens harmonies sound like crap compared to GGs. O_O

[hatiffnatka]

@J0000OOOO Awww, don't do that, please. Its totally different kind of music, of course GG's harmonies are more complex, sure they are great, but why offend Queen?

[luismariasilva]

@J0000OOOO

Well, they're quite different. But GG songs are impossibly complicated, don't expect everybody to understand, let alone enjoy them.

[delfia406]

@J0000OOOO

I can't standQueen's music....but i love Gentle Giant These guys are puzzling me for 35 years....why, why did they strike me after hearing The Runnaway/Experience ( The first songs I heard on a party, summer of 75).

[earthless1990]

prog rock is third candidate as music for gays after deep house and emo/post-hardcore XD

[CoastForager]

Kerrys vocals are here are beautiful.

[drummedup1]

different mix than the one on free hand.

[ksjoyjespeace]

@drummedup1 yes !!!!!!!!! so glad, thought I was freakin' out !!!!!!thanks!!

[antagonist42]

I'm listening to this song seven times in a row; I was linked to a Ke$ha song and I need to get it out of my head ASAP.

[usernamecanon]

finally a proper sandswitch

[Clematisian]

……. Very few musicians are as accomplished in the halls of Prog-Rock as they are/were. TY! ~ (•8-D

[Jadefg]

Genius. And beautiful, pure voices too.

[RabidBearpig]

This is just perfect. I can't think of any better word for it. My band is going to attempt Knots...Not very easy.

[countdumas]

@RabidBearpig Great holistic bands are---Melting Euphoria, Ozric Tentacles, Gong, Mother Gong, Acid Mother's Gong, Magma, Aphrodities Child, Jade Warrior, Steve Tibbetts, Patrick Bernard, Lost at Last, Larry Coryell, Shakti, Oregon, Kazumi Watanabe, Toninho Horta, Egberto Gismonti, Eat Static, System 7, Lisa Gerrard, Dead Can Dance, Magma, Sphongle, Bill Laswell, Stomu Yamashta, Here and Now band, Steve Hillage.

[underagedpickle]

@RabidBearpig why not this i enjoy it much more than knots

[tanner9862]

I am saddened to realize that the overall accomplishments of Gentle Giant, who played supremely virtuosic and complex (and enduring) music, might never be seen again from a rock band persisting on a major label (which, amazingly, they were!). Nowadays many would consider such an outfit too unsexy, a situation that reflects poorly on the quality of the current listening culture.

[teaflax]

@tanner9862 Prog on major labels was an anomaly. The mainstream has almost always been about simple and direct music that requires very little effort from the listener. The good thing, though, is that the barrier to geting your music out there has been lowered significantly and now there's more good music being made available to people than at any previous point in human history.

[Shackamaxon]

@teaflax So true! The mainstream wants music they dont have to think about. For them, there is Brittney Spears.

The down side to lowering barrier is that today there is an overwhelming number of sources for new music. You cant possibly sample it all. Back in '72 you had radio and that was pretty much how people found new artists. Back then who would have dreamed we'd be listening to GG on YouTube?

[LikTyBlur]

@tanner9862

Never Fear, Gentle Giant in no-way was a failure, then or now! Derek Shulman went on to work as an executive in the Music Industry and again was successful. The sad part is really the brainwashing that goes into the viewpoint of the common fellow, if you will. Because of that, the Patronage for this music is missing and there lies the rub!

[jtullvelvetgreen]

I recently purchased a $2000 car audio system, and this is the first song I played. You haven't gotten the full impact from this song until you've listened to it at headache enducing volumes in a very enclosed space.

[ATiredDogsMouth]

nice

[Shackamaxon]

I think its obvious this band was influenced by Bach. This sounds like so much like a fugue. You've got independent voices singing a theme. No one voice stands alone and combined, the voices make up the theme.

Listen from 4:28 to the end. They're playing a basic 4 voice fugue.

[maisplante]

I know :) <3

[pugidsound]

@Shackamaxon it's fugue-like, for sure, but it isn't a fugue. a fugue is far more structured and specific. this is just counterpoint drawing from fugue's as an inspiration.

[ZanderPodraza]

@Shackamaxon not a fugue, more a canon. a fugue has very specific rules to follow. it's definitely a canon though, and they are one of the only bands to actually use this technique. my favourite 70s prog band.

[SevillaRed]

Actually it's really a fugue Shackamaxon. Notice as the motif is repeated for the second time an interval of fourth above the original and then again on the third time returns to G (however in a lower register) and on the fourth to D (this time a fifth above). I think it can be considered a Fugue even if I didn't notice exactly if there are parallel fifths or fourths, which theorically would go against the fugue rules, but still, I think it could be considered a fugue, however if adapted to rock

[Kaiser88Franz]

@SevillaRed it's a fugato, a fugue exposition, we have the four main entrance of the voices and a cadence. nothing more a fugue includes several other parts (controesposizione, divertimento, parte libera, variazione, stretto, coda) which are not in this song. this doesn't mean I think it's bad...IT'S GREAT, simply not a fugue!

[MrPmwatermaniac]

@Shackamaxon this band was influenced by the common practice period in general.

[chucksaden]

Brilliance Comes in Gentle Packages