Gentle Giant - Giant on the Box

Starring:Gentle Giant
Studio: Alucard UK
Product Type: DVD

Description

Having sold in excess of 3 million units in North America throughout their career, Gentle Giant were without question one of the premier bands to emerge from the progressive rock era. With a unique sound that melded hard rock and classical music, Gentle Giant was one of the few bands of the era to experience both critical acclaim and major commercial success.

To commemorate the 35th Anniversary of Gentle Giantâ€™s debut release, DRT Entertainment is releasing special editions of select Gentle Giant albums. These 35th Anniversary Editions are digitally remastered with new packaging elements and previously unreleased BONUS live tracks. Acquiring the series will undoubtedly be a necessity for the massive Gentle Giant community that has remained active over three decades!

Customer Reviews:

Ohh, this is a goddamn good DVD.......2007-06-13

You saw the title. It's a great compilation of concerts!!

5 stars if you have never seen the mid-70s GG gig.......2006-02-25

...and if you don't mind seconds... even thirds... But then Kerry Minnear's vibes solo is never the same, is it!? And what a treat at that!
And how about when they stop everything dead cold in mid-air to tune up the cello, for a huge 30 seconds or something?!... yes, live on stage: how cool can you get!!
For me - I have to say I was already highly familiar with the much bootleged ZDF show of this collection - the most interesting section is the '76 Italian TV documentary. Although I do struggle to make minimal sense out of the Italian-dubbed group interview, I find the mono recorded, B&W concert excerpts (quite long ones) of late '73 to be the best gig, with the best damn live "Advent of Panurge" one could dream of (Derek's lead vocals, sharper, powerful but less forced, and more refined, and the general groove, much closer to the original studio version than any other official live version, if like me you are fonder of that). Mono and low-fi as it might be, the mix happens to be superior to the other sections' (eg. Kerry Minnear's vocals).
My second favorite section, as strange as it might sound, is the 36-photo gallery from Gary Green's private collection. Coming basically from the Advision studio recording sessions of "Octopus" (1972), it gives a unique and priceless window to one historical musical moment in the making, and tells tales on the collective writing, perfoming and recording collaboration of the then-six piece Gentle Giant. Thanks for this, Gary, from the bottom of my heart!
So all in all, definitely a great buy for the buck!

el gigante gentil.......2006-01-02

magnífica recopilación de un grupo de culto, innovador y poderoso. buena imágen y sonido. recomendado a los fans del progresivo años '70.

The Boys In The Band.......2005-11-23

This dvd/cd release is for avid Gentle Giant fans only. Others should start with the new 35th Anniversary cd re-issues such as Free Hand, In A Glass House, or the fine live release Playing The Fool. The bulk of the dvd footage is from two television performances filmed during the mid - seventies. The German footage is showing some wear although fans will be delighted with the excellent performance. The U.S. TV performance is also very fine and the video quality is very good for it's advanced age. Long time fans will also enjoy a 2005 interview with lead vocalist Derek Schulman produced by VH-1. There is also a full band interview produced by an Italian TV station dating from the mid 70s. Unfortunately, the band's commentary is dubbed in Italian. This release also includes a companion live cd which is of poor sound quality. Like I said, it's for fans and completists only.

Average customer rating:

Forgive Me
Great performances w/good audio, so-so visuals
Boxed Giant
At last...A face to the music...But at what cost!
Vintage Art Rock

Gentle Giant - Giant on the Box
Starring: Gentle Giant
Manufacturer: Alucard UK
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

General | Rock | Styles | Music

Progressive Rock | Progressive | Rock | Styles | Music

General | Music Video & Concerts | Genres | DVD | Video

( G ) | Titles | Features | DVD | Video

Gg at the Gg: BBC Sight & Sound in Concert
King Crimson - Neal and Jack and Me (Live 1982-84)
Yes - Songs from Tsongas - 35th Anniversary Concert
Once Above a Time
Beyond the Beginning

ASIN: B0002Q9V3Y
Release Date: 2004-08-24

Description

In 1974 Christopher Nupen invited the band to record this concert in a Brussels film studio to be broadcast as a Sunday Concert on German television station ZDF. Track list: Cogs in cogs, Proclamation, Funny ways, The runaway, Experience, Features from Octopus, Advent of Panurge, So sincere. Whilst touring the US in 1975, Giant recorded this TV special at the Terrace Theatre, Long Beach, California. Track List: Experience, Features from Octopus, Advent of Panurge, Funny ways. Szene 74, a topical news show from German television station BRW, filmed this rare footage during Giants European tour of that year. Guitar & drums: from In a Glass House Baroque & Roll.

Customer Reviews:

Forgive Me.......2006-02-10

I'm sure amazon would tell you this but the domestic copy of this dvd is Much cheaper and has some interesting exrtas.Other than that enough folks have done a great job of telling you how utterly cooooooooooooooooooool the dvd is so I dont have to.

Great performances w/good audio, so-so visuals.......2005-12-06

This is Gentle Giant at their peak.

The german filmed concert is what appears to be a full set with good sound, but rather fuzzy visuals that has way too many closeups for my taste. They spend way too much time on John Weathers twisted facial expressions - (maybe Jim Carey had a boot of this concert and used this for early inspiration:).
The playing is fantastic - it's a crime that these guys never really moved beyond a cult band. For some reason the audience is DEAD SILENT after the first tune (Cogs in Cogs), and only seems to get mildly enthusiastic after that. I'm not sure if they were being polite, or were just plain stunned!

The US TV footage is photographed much better, also with good sound and tight playing. There's a lot of overlap between the 2 concerts however (not surprising, since they were done about 1 year apart.), and the arrangements on the duplicated pieces pretty much the same.

Well worth getting if you are a GG fan - this isn't scraping the barrel :) by any means!

Boxed Giant.......2005-09-27

The only section worth watching more than once was the concert at the Terrace Theater in Long Beach. But that alone was worth the price.

The German TV show was a good performance, but poorly shot. Don't know why the cameramen could only shoot faces. I love Giant, but they are not a bunch of Rob Lowes.

At last...A face to the music...But at what cost!.......2005-09-13

I have been a fan of Gentle Giant for over 30 years! I first heard their albums sometime in the early 1970's and was amazed at the intricate musicianship and inventive songwriting. I never got the chance to see them live on their few tours of the US.

I finally get a chance to see the band perform live in the 'Giant On The Box' DVD.
Watching these video clips gives me (at last) a face to the music.
On these shows, one can see the human element of the band. Giving a deeper insight from the almost mythical image cast from listening to this music for many many years!

If you are a fan of Gentle Giant or a fan of great progressive rock you should see this DVD! Even the grainy '70s film quality and mixed for TV sound is not really that bad, considering the age of these clips.

I would have given this package 5 stars if not for the grandiose price! Even with the small percentage sale discount and free shipping this DVD is just too expensive for most music fans!

But, get it while you still can! This is probably as good as it gets for Gentle Giant on DVD.

Vintage Art Rock.......2005-08-16

I couldn't have been happier to finally see an official release by this very under rated group of musicians. Steve Walsh of Kansas called them one of the most talented groups he ever toured with. Giant on the Box is a must not only because it is the only official release available but because it captures the band "quite possibly" (and I say this loosely) at the peak of their creativity.

I was always a huge fan of the album "Free Hand" of which material on this compilation is completely devoid, thus my not giving it 5 stars. They could have packaged one of many 1975 to 1977 era live concerts that would have completed this box set. But instead they chose to repeat basically the same album tour "Power and the Glory" on both sides of the Atlantic.

Criticisms aside this is a must purchase for any fan. Let's just hope they release some more material that completes the story of this very creative band that was at the cutting edge of the Art Rock commercial successes like Yes, ELP, Genesis, etc.

And if we are really lucky, maybe we will also see a long-awaited official release by the group "Renaissance" whose name must be mentioned here as an influence on Gentle Giant.

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