Any Gentle Giant, Ozric Tentacles, or Spock's Beard fans here?

[Systematic Chaos]

Anyone even vaguely familiar with those bands?

If you aren't but you like bands like Yes or Emerson Lake & Palmer then you should check them out.

[LSatyl]

1. Never heard of Gentle Giant or Spock's Beard

But I have just about everything by the Ozrics, seen them live twice! Woohoo. Listening to some Erpland right now!!!!

I will check out the other two bands. I assume they're like the Ozrics?

And I'd like to push another psychedelic band: The Ship of Fools. Unfortunately, the old demo's and albums are unavailable. The linked compilation is all that is left of the legacy of the Fools (fortunately, I have seen them live).

You can preview listen to some of the songs at Amazon.

[txprog]

2. Of course!!!

Being and remaining a prog head I of course have heard of these bands, though of late - as I push into my mid-forties - my tastes have tended towards the prog-metal side of the genre.

I was never a huge Gentle Giant fan, a little too jazzy for my tastes. I did see them once opening up for Rick Wakeman in 1975 I think.

Don't think I've ever heard Ozric Tenatacles. Spock's Beard, of course, is one of today's great prog bands. We're certainly anxious to hear "Feel Euphoria." The clips I've heard are very good. We'll see if they can carry on without the mega-talent Neal Morse.

There are some terrific European prog and prog metal bands. If you like Spocks, you'll probably love The Flower Kings from Sweden. Others to check out include Pain of Salvation, Nightwish, Sonata Arctica, Blind Guardian, and Royal Hunt. And Dream Theater remains, perhaps, the world's most popular prog band. There are many, many more. Check out one of the prog sites on the web if you're interested.

Thanks for the post. Great to talk about this stuff.

[Ivory_Tower]

3. Two of Three

Been Gentle Giant fan since "Free Hand", just discovered Spock's Beard last year (I'd heard of them but had never bought an album).

I've heard OF Ozric Tentacles, but don't know anything about them. I'll have to check them out.

[Squeech]

4. Saw Gentle Giant six times

The Power and the Glory and Free Hand tours were amazing, the stuff they got away with. For example, a fully choreographed drum "solo" that all five of them played. (It's captured on The Official Live Playing the Foole double live album, within the song "So Sincere," but the verse of "Yankee Doodle" they arranged into the glockenspiel part has been edited out.)

I also saw them once when Giant for a Day was their latest album, and they were a pale shadow of their former selves.

I'm told their first American tour was opening up for Jethro Tull, which was perfectly appropriate, but I didn't see that one. (I think that show was the day of my sister's bat mitzvah.) Like Tull, Gentle Giant had a prominent Baroque music strain, but took it farther-- going so far as to write one actual fugue. And they were one of the most adventurous rock bands in using odd time signatures.

Ozrics I kinda like, but I don't hear enough difference between their various recordings to collect any more of them. My feeling is that they exist to recreate the instrumental bits of Gong's You, which is not a bad thing-- I'd like to play in such a band myself.

I have one Spock's Beard CD, which is okay but not earth shaking. Did you get to hear Spock's Beard drummer Nick D'Virgilio play with ex-Zappa guitarist Mike Keneally? Now *that* was amazing!

Nowadays I guess I'm more into RIO than anything else. What's in my CD player right now is Dropera by Fred Frith and Ferdinand Richard (the latter ex-Etron Fou Leloublan).

[Dr Fate]

5. How about "Stonehenge" by Spinal Tap?

Just kidding- I really dig "Yes" actually- I know they are mainstream, but they are my favorite of the genre...

[dawg]

6. One and a half out of three!

I love Gentle Giant and have four of their albums. (I actually like Civilian) Some Spock's Beard mp3's somehow "found" their way onto my computer, and I like what I've heard but it does seem a little derivative to me. But I haven't really gotten into the Ozrics, although I've heard a song or two.

[dawg]

7. Have you gotten into any Italian prog?

If you haven't, I would recommend PFM's second album "Per Un Amico". I would think most Gentle Giant fans would enjoy that album.

[Systematic Chaos]

8. Nice to see some of you like progressive music.

I will have to check out some of the bands you've named, though I am indeed familiar with a lot of the prog metal stuff and own a bit of it. I love Dream Theater and can't wait to see if their next album can match the raw ambition of "Six Degrees..."

Civilian is a great Gentle Giant album and I only wish they would have stayed together and pursued that direction more. There is nothing wrong with more simplistic, yet progressive, musical arrangements. Unlike a lot of the really snobby listeners, for example, I happen to think Trevor Rabin's work with Yes was great.

Thanks for the replies to this thread. They made my morning.

[txprog]

9. Start With the Flower Kings...

If you like the Beard, you're sure to like the Flower Kings. Roine Stolt, their leader, worked with Neal Morse, Mike Portnoy of DT, and Peter Trewalis of Marillion on the two Transatlanic records. Those two are very good as well. Flower Kings music has a real 70's feel to it - evoking Genesis, Yes, and Gentle Giant among others.

Glad to see you're into some more metal-oriented offerings. Who are some of your favorites? I'm currently really getting into Finnish band Nightwish. Their singer is quite extraordinary, a female opera singer. She's very good and does vary her register. Not for everyone but worth a listen. Their music, like most Euro prog metal bands, is melody-laden with lots of great riffs. Great keyboard work too. They are massively popular in Finland and will be headlining at ProgPower USA in Atlanta in September and playing a show in NYC too.

Of course DT is on tour now. Caught them in Dallas last week. Great show as usual. Indeed, we have high hopes for the new record.

[SPICYHOT]

10. Never heard of them

But I know Emerson and Yes and I love them! of course don't forget genesis too.