"Octopus" is my first acquaintance with works of this excellent progressive rock band. I want to say that I've liked their extraordinary music just after listening to the title composition. So, "Octopus" is third Gentle Giant's studio work. Gentle Giant's music is influenced by symphonic classical music, jazz, medieval chants, and baroque chamber music, and as a whole it is possible to say that their music is similar to Yes, King Crimson, and Jethro Tull. Besides fairly standard rock instruments such as vocal, guitar, bass, keyboard, and drums, Gentle Giant added non-traditional for rock music cello, violin, vibraphone, trumpet, and sax. "Octopus" impressed me with fresh sound, rich composer imagination and, of course, singularity of the performance. I'm sure, this album will make a good impression on every connoisseur of progressive rock. |