EMI Unleashes New Digital and physical remasters from the original 1/4 inch tapes of these Seminal British Progressive Rock Recordings on September 27, 2011
Hollywood, California - September 27, 2011 Roger Dean's infamous Octopus and Martin Birch's original Three Friends artwork will adorn the special digipacks which are heading to your favorite music store on September 27th 2011. You can acquire another taste of Gentle Giant with the original U.K. Artwork and remastered music on CD or via digital download.
The albums are already listed as pre-sales on Amazon at
http://www.amazon.com/Octopus-Gentle-Giant/dp/B005G0YP3M/ref=sr_1_1?s=music&ie=UTF8&qid=1312829910&sr=1-1
http://www.amazon.com/Three-Friends-Gentle-Giant/dp/B005G0YP3C/ref=sr_1_1?s=music&ie=UTF8&qid=1312828329&sr=1-1
One of the most renowned bands that came out of the British Progressive Rock
Movement, Gentle Giant spent their decade together pushing musical boundaries
and continually taking chances. Their music, while rooted in rock, had overtones of classical European composition, American jazz, British soul, medieval and even blues. They seamlessly integrated these disparate styles into the melting pot that epitomized the essence that was Gentle Giant.
Gentle Giant fans range from Ozzy Osbourne, Jethro Tull's Ian Anderson, Trey
Anastasio of Phish, Mike Portnoy and Jordan Rudess of Dream Theater,
Avenged Sevenfold, Kerry Livgren of American progressive rockers Kansas
to guitarist Peter Banks of Yes.
Jordan Rudess of Dream Theater said, “Gentle Giant was one of my biggest musical
Influences in the days when I left Juilliard and my classical path of becoming a
concert pianist. My mom wouldn't like Gentle Giant because of that fact, but
hell, I am at least making a living playing music!”
Peter Banks called them “ahead of most of those groups at the time - they were
quite exceptional.”
Livgren said, “Gentle Giant was one of my favorite groups. Their albums Three
Friends and Octopus had a remarkable originality, good musicianship, and
philosophically interesting lyrics. I also had the pleasure of seeing them in
concert, and appreciated the energy of their performance.”
Three Friends, the group's first self-produced work (after two times in the
studio with Tony Visconti) and their first-to-be-released in the US, propelled
the group into one of the hardest edged progressive bands of their day. Of
Octopus, the All Music Guide's Dave Thompson says “…it's astonishing just how
little Octopus has dated…an album that has withstood the test of time a lot
better than anyone might have expected."
As he did for Gentle Giant's earlier re-releases, Fred Kevorkian re-mastered
these two additions to the available Gentle Giant catalog.
Complete with the original Roger Dean artwork (on Octopus) and Martin Birch
cover (on Three Friends), these two epic Gentle Giant recordings also include
over 30 minutes of rare bonus music. The packaging also features special booklets
with up-to-date reminiscences of these albums by the band members, as well as rare
photos from the time.
Ray, Derek, and Phil Shulman, Kerry Minnear, Malcolm Mortimer and John Weathers
are all available for interviews in anticipation of these blockbuster re-releases.
Track line up (note: Bonus track only on digital albums)
Octopus, 1972:
1. The advent of Panurge.
2. Raconteur Troubadour.
3. A Cry for Everyone.
4. Knots.
5. The Boys in the Band.
6. Dog's Life
7. Think of me with Kindness.
8. River.
9. Bonus Track-"Excerpts from Octopus" recorded live at the Calderone Theatre,, Hempstead, NY, July 3, 1976
Three Friends, 1972:
1. Prologue
2. School Days
3. Working All Day
4. Peel The Paint
5. Mister Class and Quality.
6. Three Friends.
7. Bonus Material.
i. Prologue from Concert tour in New Orleans September 1972.
ii. Peel the Paint-recording drums and bass in studio.
iii. alternative guitar and drum solo recording Peel the Paint.
iiii. Recording vocals harmonies on "Three Friends".
Web site: http://www.gentlegiantmusic.com
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