Biography
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From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
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The Recordings with Gentle Giant(John Weathers selected)
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1973 In a Glass House
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TrackList:
01. The Runaway [7:16]
02. An Inmate's Lullaby [4:40]
03. Way of Life [8:04]
04. Experience [7:50]
05. A Reunion [2:12]
06. In a Glass House [8:09]
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This was the first album after the departure of elder brother Phil
and he'd always taken the lead in decision making, writing and recording. Now that
he'd gone the rest of us had to prove that we could survive without him. So this
album I thought was just a little tentative, it was almost like starting from scratch
again, but I think that it turned out okay.
My favourite track is “Experience,” mainly because of all the light and
shade within the one song. It was also great to play live because you could “rock
out” at the end.
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1974 The Power and the Glory |
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TrackList:
01. Proclamation [6:48]
02. So Sincere [3:52]
03. Aspirations [4:41]
04. Playing the Game [6:46]
05. Cogs in Cogs [3:08]
06. No God's a [4:28]
07. The Face [4:12]
08. Valedictory [3:21]
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By the time we went in to record this we had been touring constantly for a year
and were a lot more comfortable with being a 5 piece. It's obviously a concept album
about absolute power being corrupting, and it just happened to coincide with Watergate
which generated a great deal of interest in it particularly in America.
I think as an album though it works very well, lots of different ideas going on,
something to accommodate most tastes. There was a great atmosphere in the studio throughout the recording.
My favourite track has to be “Aspirations,” beautifully
written and sung by Kerry. There is a little story attached to
it. We were trying to record it in the late afternoon and after about 4 or 5 attempts
at the backing track just couldn't get the right kind of feel. So we took a break
and unusually went out for a couple of drinks. We got back at around 9pm and
Ray suggested that we turn down all the lights and record it as live,
and what you hear on the album is the first take, the atmosphere on it just leaps
out, the only overdubs are the vocals which Kerry did immediately
after the take.
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1975 Free Hand |
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TrackList:
01. Just The Same [5:34]
02. On Reflection [5:41]
03. Free Hand [6:14]
04. Time To Kill [5:08]
05. His Last Voyage [6:27]
06. Talybont [2:43]
07. Mobile [5:05]
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We'd had an almighty bust up with our management WWA and had had
to pay them $100,000 to get out of the contract, but at last we were able to be
in control of what we did. There was also a new label and management, Chrysalis,
who were much more adept at promoting our kind of music. So there was a feeling
of rebirth surrounding the recording, a breathing of relief as it were, we were
all very happy.
There's a lot of good stuff on the album but the one that really
stands out for me personally is “His Last Voyage.” Again it's all about
mixing up different genres, it kicks off with cleverly written counterpoint, and
then when you least expect it, launches into an almost swampy groove underneath
a howling guitar solo, magic stuff, and most enjoyable to play.
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1976 Interview |
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TrackList:
01. Interview [6:54]
02. Give It Back [5:08]
03. Desig [4:59]
04. Another Show [3:29]
05. Empty City [4:24]
06. Timing [4:50]
07. I Lost My Head [6:58]
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A tongue-in-cheek comment on the endless round of interviews that we were doing
on the seemingly endless tours, the questions would always be exactly the same.
But because of the touring this album ended up being done in a bit of a rush.
There is some good stuff on there though, most notable are “Design” in
which Kerry plays all the percussion parts, and “Empty City,”
which is simply a lovely song. |
1977 Live - Playing the Fool |
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TrackList:
01. Just the Same/Proclamation [11:13]
02. On Reflection [6:20]
03. (Octopus) Boys In The Band [15:35]
04. Funny Ways [8:35]
05. In A Glass House [9:31]
06. So Sincere [10:22]
07. Freehand [7:40]
08. Sweet Georgia Brown [1:15]
09. Peel the Paint/I Lost My Head [7:35]
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There were 2 main reasons for releasing the live album. The first was that our touring
schedule had been hectic and to take a couple of months off to write and record
a new album was a no-no. The second reason was that a great deal of re-arrangement
went into the live shows so there were a lot of new parts added and we were a lot
more familiar with the songs having played them night after night, they were far
more polished than the original recordings.
My favourite? It has to be “So Sincere/Drum and Percussion Bash.”
I'd never enjoyed playing drum solos and always got bored listening to other drummers
playing them no matter how good a player they were, so with having Gary, who was
a pretty good drummer, and Kerry, who was a trained percussionist
in the band, we decided to have a drum/percussion feature instead. It worked really
well, better than any drum solo and the audience loved it, and so did we.
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1977 The Missing piece |
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TrackList:
01. Two Weeks In Spain [3:00]
02. I'm Turning Around [3:54]
03. Betcha Thought We Couldn't Do It [2:20]
04. Who Do You Think You Are? [3:33]
05. Mountain Time [3:19]
06. As Old As You're Young [4:19]
07. Memories Of Old Days [7:45]
08. Winning [4:12]
09. For Nobody [4:00]
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There was quite a bit of pressure coming from the record label, they wanted a hit
album and it was suggested by them that we come up with an album that was more “accessible,”
and this was the result. This time though most of the tracks were written well before
the sessions and we'd even put some of them into the live shows to knock them into
shape. In the studio in Holland we set up as if for a live gig
and even put the drums on a riser. The sessions were great, for once we all knew
the songs backwards, which made life a lot easier, but it was a bit of a different
direction for us I must admit.
I like pretty much all of it but there are 3 tracks that stand out for me. “Who
Do You Think You Are?” Which I like because it really swings, “As Old as You're
Young,” which has a good tune and arrangement, and “Memories of Old Days,”
which is a great piece by Ray that we used to play live. I got
to play guitar in the live version, which I really enjoyed doing.
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1978 Giant for a Day |
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TrackList:
01. Words From The Wise [4:11]
02. Thank You [4:45]
03. Giant For A Day [3:48]
04. Spooky Boogie [2:52]
05. Take Me [3:34]
06. Little Brown Bag [3:24]
07. Friends [1:58]
08. No Stranger [2:28]
09. It's Only Goodbye [4:15]
10. Rock Climber [3:52]
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Oh dear!! I have to be truthful here. This album is reviled by most Giant fans
because it was a complete departure from everything we'd done before, though we
had sort of slipped a little in that general direction with “Missing Piece,”
it wasn't as blatant as this album, this is straight forward Rock/Pop and
the whole idea backfired. What you must remember though is the state of the record
industry at the time, what was known as “Progressive Music” was on its
knees and even the most popular exponents, Yes, Genesis, Tull
etc were forced by the labels to make albums that would appeal to a wider audience.
I rest my case, blame it on the boogie.
As an old time rocker I like “Little Brown Bag” and “Rock Climber”
they're both no nonsense unashamed Rock-n-Roll with the latter featuring
a blistering guitar solo from Gary.
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Any anecdotes/special memories from the recording sessions?
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In general Gentle Giant recording sessions were very workmanlike,
usually 12 hours, and there was always a deadline to be kept so there wasn't a lot
of time for messing around, but having said that there was always a light-hearted
feel to the proceedings. Like the time that Ray was putting the
violin solo onto “The Face.” He miscounted the length of the solo and ended
up 2 bars short, realising his mistake he shouted “Oh no!!” and played a little
flourish. It was so hilarious that we all insisted that it be kept in. Then there
was the time that Kerry was doing multiple percussion parts on
different instruments placed all around the studio, I think it was on “Design.”
To save time he was rushing from one instrument to the other trying to play all
the parts in one take. Somebody came up with the idea of having a bit of fun at
Kerry's expense by making it more and more difficult to get to
the next instrument. This was achieved by sending out the tape operator to place
sound screens, one or two at a time, in his path. This went on for about 20 minutes
until finally three of the instruments were totally blocked off and he was forced
to start climbing over the screens. It was then that he looked up, and seeing us
all through the control room window falling about laughing, realised that he'd been
had and the parts had been in the can all along. He took it all in good fun bless
him.
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Interview: Gentle Giant(John Weathers) March 2010
by Claes Hassel
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General Questions:
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How did
you get into the music business?
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My parents were avid music fans and very often played the records of Billy Eckstine,
Brook Benton, Nat Cole and the like. When I was about 13 I started buying my own records starting with Jerry Lee's
Great Balls of Fire and quickly became hooked on Rock-n-Roll.
When I first heard All Shook up I wondered how the drummer was able to do all those different things at the same time and taught myself, with the aid of a pair of knitting needles and a wooden chair, how to do it. Then I bought myself a cheap drum kit and practised until I was good enough to join a band.
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What was your first music instrument?
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Drums.
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Who/What are your main influences?
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Musically, Rock-n-Roll, Blues and Soul. As far as Drummers are concerned it would be Al Jackson Jr for his simplicity,
Ginger Baker for his technique, but most of all at the time, John Bonham
for the sheer power and drum fills that used a lot of bass drum, he was the loudest Drummer I ever heard. I was also fortunate enough to work with Quincy Jones
for a couple of weeks on a Movie soundtrack which gave me a great insight into arrangements, the mathematical side of it, which I also loved.
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List five
albums of the bands/artists that you like the most and why!
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1. Overnight Sensation: Frank Zappa. I've always been a big fan of Zappa's music and on this album I believe he really hit the spot. The musicianship was brilliant, and for Zappa the songs were quite “poppy” with great hook lines interspersed with excellent solos and harmonies, flawless production as always with Zappa. I must tell you that Gentle Giant once opened for Zappa,
I was looking forward to it for weeks, but it was in a Rodeo arena and the sound was so bad that I refused to listen to their show.
2: Beatles for Sale: The Beatles. It was just before Christmas and a singer friend had managed to get hold of a copy very soon after its release. A bunch of us musicians went round to his house to listen to it for the first time and we were all absolutely floored by it. I think that album was the first that actually showed what great songwriters Lennon and McCartney
were. Whenever I hear it I relive the excitement of hearing it for the first time.
3: Déjà vu: Crosby, Stills & Nash. When these boys got together you knew it had to be good, and it was. The harmonies are just outstanding and the mix of songs reflects the very different musical backgrounds they had come from, its wonderful inventive stuff that typifies the Hippy period. In my humble opinion Steven Stills is a much underrated guitar player.
4: Let there be Rock: AC/DC. Angus Young
writes simple heavy rock riffs that for some reason really appeal to me. That coupled with the simplicity of the bass and drum patterns and magnificent Bon Scott
vocals gets me nodding my head and playing air guitar. I like to play that album at full volume when my wife is out. I went to see them twice live at the time and they were great.
5: Thick as a Brick: Jethro Tull. With this album I guess it's the memories that it brings back. In 1972 Giant went on tour for a month opening for Tull and it proved to be a huge learning curve for us. Their Thick as a Brick show was absolutely faultless; they were consummate professionals and all round nice people. I watched the show every night and even after 28 shows still loved it, and still do.
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What time was/is the most interesting for the rock music, in your opinion and why - 60s, 70s, 80s, 90s or 00s?
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This is a little difficult, as having been there at the time I think that the most interesting period for me straddles two decades, the 60s and 70s. At the beginning of the 60s popular music was still of the boy meets girl type of sing-along stuff, but by the mid 60s the kids of the post war baby boom were in their late teens and looking for something a little more interesting to listen to. This of course led to bands becoming a lot more experimental in what they wrote and played, and the diversity that this spawned was prevalent for the next ten years. Over that period people were very open-minded about what they were listening to and you'd find all sorts of music in their collections from Weather Report to
The Moody Blues, most of the classic albums were recorded at that time. All was going well until Punk reared it's ugly head and generally, the basic requirement of musicianship to be in a band went right out of the window, and the record companies, in their flawed wisdom, decreed that we were all Dinosaurs and that Punk was the way ahead. By 1980 the creativity had been pretty much stifled.
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Of the songs that you have composed, which of them are your favourites?
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I've only written a few tunes and my favourite would be “Friends” off the
Giant for a Day album.
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What kind of equipment/gear are you using on the road and in the studio?
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Due to a neurological condition I've been unable to play drums for the last 10 years so I haven't been out on the road as such. For the few live gigs and any recording that I have done I've either used congas and percussion, or a Roland Handsonic HPD-15.
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What are you doing in your spare time outside of music?
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I spend quite a lot of time on the computer. I have an elderly Mother who needs quite a lot of attention and during the spring and Summer I spend quite a lot of time in my garden, there's always something to be done.
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What are you currently up to?
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As its winter and we live in the Welsh Mountains, not a lot, except for trying to keep warm and hoping not to get snowed in.
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In the recent years prog-rock has gained in popularity. Any comments on that?
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I was surprised initially at the resurgence of interest, but when I started to think about it I realised that the whole thing has gone full circle. Not only have the teenagers from the 70s become middle aged with the time and money to indulge themselves buying the reissued CDs and DVDs, but a lot of young people, possibly bored with the substantial amount of dross that is currently popular, have been harking back to what their Fathers and even Grandfathers were listening to looking for something more interesting, and finding it. Recently on Youtube
I saw a clip of an American college percussion band playing “Knots” as a competition piece, they performed it brilliantly and were obviously enjoying it.
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The current re-release campaign is interesting. Do you have any more info on the vinyl editions? When will they arrive? 180g versions? Etc.
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They are 180g vinyl 'high end' releases and IAGH, TP&TG & FH will be released in North America on 18th May by EMI.
IAGH & TP&TG will be released by Alucard in the UK on 1st April (provisional date - could be a bit sooner if all goes well.)
In the UK only, TP&TG will have a bonus 7” of the title track with a live version of Proclamation on the B side. (1st 1000 only). There will also be T-shirts, see www.gentlegiantmusic.com in a couple of weeks.
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The Beginning
Your first band, name and when did it began??
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The first proper band I was in was called Peter Shane and the Vikings;
they had formed in 1960 and played dance halls in the area. I joined them in early
1962.
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The Music, the sort of music?..Influences?
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Primarily they were a Rock-n-Roll covers band their influences being
Eddie Cochran, Gene Vincent, Jerry Lee Lewis
and Little Richard. By the time I joined they'd just started doing
Beatles and other “Mersey Sound” covers, that's how I
got the job, I'd spent a year living in Liverpool and was able
to play what they called the “Mersey Beat” which was the simple rhythm
pattern that those bands used most. The guy I replaced had been unable to get the
hang of it.
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What was the intention with the band?
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We all had jobs so it was just a way of making a little extra money and having some
fun at the weekends, though the truth of the matter was that I'd have played for
nothing, I was enjoying myself so much. You must remember that I was only 16 at
the time and with the other guys being a couple of years older I was able to have
a few beers on the quiet and enjoy the adulation of the young country girls in the
audience………Heaven.
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Gentle Giant Links
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Many
Thanks to John Weathers, Gentle Giant for
this interview!
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