Product Details

• Actors: Gentle Giant
• Format: Closed-captioned, Color, Dolby, DVD, NTSC
• Language: English
• Region: Region 1 (U.S. and Canada only. Read more about DVD formats.)
  
• Aspect Ratio: 1.33:1
• Number of discs: 2
• Rating: NR (Not Rated)
• Studio: Gentle Giant / Rte
• DVD Release Date: November 15, 2005
• Run Time: 84 minutes
• Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars See all reviews (6 customer reviews)
• ASIN: B000B5KSJW
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #81,113 in Movies & TV (See Bestsellers in Movies & TV)

Editorial Reviews

Product 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 Giant’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

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

14 of 14 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars 5 stars if you have never seen the mid-70s GG gig, February 24, 2006

By	critic-ailleurs (Montreal, Qc) - See all my reviews

...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!

15 of 19 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars The Boys In The Band, November 22, 2005

By	jazzjunkie - See all my reviews

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.

5.0 out of 5 stars Imaginative Noodling from a Bygone Era, March 29, 2009

By	jimmy_rants@yahoo (USA) - See all my reviews

I saw Yes as a kid at RFK Stadium in Washington,D.C and it planted a seed of curiousity about the progressive rock genre. While I sought out a few of the bands and their sounds from time to time, Gentle Giant was a name I knew for decades, but never got around to hearing. I'm glad I finally did.

There are two discs in this collection, one DVD, one audio and for the sake of time, I will review them together. While it is interesting to see the DVD and watching the "multi-instrumentalism" of the group live, in honesty there is nothing exceptional to witness besides that oddity visually. The film stock from Gentle Giant's mid-70's show in Belgium ( which comprises most of the DVD) is of older quality, as is another part of the disc that was filmed in California. NO stage pyrotechnics or any visual flash here- just a group of Englishmen who are serious about their music, though they do seem to enjoy themselves.

The music is what the fans are here for and it is spectacular and in many ways indescribable. Gentle Giant's song structures are complex, with intricate riffing on guitar and keyboards, quick tempo changes with top rate drumming (and sometimes odd syncopation) and transitions from styles as diverse as baroque, jazz rock and even some acoustic dueling on guitars that echoes of bluegrass and folk. The lyrics are strange, I still have zero idea what many of the songs are really about, but they are sung decently by a lead man whose voice really fits the music.

There are some great numbers here- my favorites are "Proclamation" a cool little keyboard riff that's slightly jazzy and leads into a unique and ornately timed saga.Watch/listen to the drum patterns here and how the percussion is timed to the riffs, I do not know how this is pulled off live! "Funny Ways" is a great standout and showcases the viruosity of the players. To see/hear this band move from acoustic guitars to cellos and violins, horns and yes even xylophones in the same song, without being excessive- is amazing. A haunting, melancholy melody that leads to some brilliant and texturous imrov, "Funny Ways" is a masterpiece.

There's really nothing to compare these guys to and what they did at the time was and is truly a lost art in it's experimentalism and ambition to step beyond the 12 bar blues and other hard rock(which incidentally I still love also). If you like Yes' album cuts, King Crimson, pre-pop Genesis, ealry Supertramp and yes even the mid 90's prog-rock parody by Ween (Mollusk), this is definitely something you woll find interesting.