Published on Aug 24, 2004
Of the first three albums by progressive rock masterminds Gentle
Giant (in chronological order;
Gentle Giant,
Acquiring the Taste, and
Three Friends)
Three Friends was and still is my favorite. That’s possibly
true because of the harder edge they created on that release,
probably more so because they came together as a more solid group,
tighter and more polished than the previous two albums. These songs
showcase the combination of esoteric styles and complexity that
makes GG unique, yet they remain very accessible to the casual
listener as individual songs. Somewhat less dense than the
extravagant, complex work that would become their trademark,
Three Friends is probably the most mainstream set of songs
they ever wrote — not that anything GG ever did can be considered
mainstream, but this comes close.
The core for most of GG’s tenure was Gary Green (guitar), Kerry
Minnear (keys, vibes, percussion), and the multi-talented Shulman
brothers; Ray (bass, violin), Phil (sax) and Derek (lead vocals).
The revolving door of drummers found Malcolm Mortimore on skins at
the time
Three Friends was recorded. In addition to their formidable
instrumental talents, every member is given a vocal credit, and it
shows in the complex harmonies and vocal acrobatics that appear
liberally on any GG recording.
Three Friends is a concept album. Some people shy away from
concept albums, for various reasons. Many to this day still sit
scratching their heads over the likes of Genesis’
Lamb Lies Down On Broadway, or Jethro Tull’s
A Passion Play, trying to fathom the murky metaphorical
depths of those cryptic writings. Fear not gentle reader, in
Three Friends the concept is very simple; three friends grow
up, and then grow apart, following different paths and
philosophies. Loosely following the philosophies of Marx, the three
friends represent the three factions of society in its simplest
form. The first becomes the Marxist proletariat — a common
laborer; the second, the aesthete — an artist; the third, a
bourgeois intellectual — the white-collar capitalist. Storyline
aside, the music is what carries this album, from soft pastoral
pieces featuring gentle strings and choral arrangements, to
blistering hard rock.
Three Friends begins with a “Prologue,” built upon Gary
Green’s bold guitar work and an insistent bass line laid down
masterfully by Ray Schulman as we are introduced to our three
friends, and to some of the musical themes that appear in latter
tracks on the disk. The inclusion of thematic elements
cross-pollinated across many tracks is one of the attractions of
their excellent compositions. “Prologue” gives way to “Schooldays,”
dominated by a quirky, syncopated electric piano and vibraphone,
and vocal harmonies that would make Brian Wilson smile and nod.
In the next three tracks, we catch up with our three friends,
the first of which becomes a blue-collar laborer, and is introduced
in “Working All Day.” The track starts off with an acoustic guitar
couplet, which quickly dissolves into a muscular bass and sax
fueled foot-stomper, perfectly matching the lyrical theme of the
jaded, life-hardened highway worker with the instrumental theme.
The laborer shows his disdain for unrealistic ideals “When I was
young I used to have illusions / Dreams ain’t enough,” and
satisfies himself with his lot in life:
“Working all day, I’m digging up the roads, just working all day
Dig for my pay and spend it where I like. I’ve nothing to say Drown
in my sweat but money buys escape. I’ve got no regrets.”
The second friend becomes an artist, introduced in “Peel The
Paint.” To the world at large, he is respected and held in esteem
as ostensively being purer of character and demeanor due to his
artistic sensibilities. The song paints its own musical image of
the artist, with a cool coffeehouse groove and gentle strings.
“Peel The Paint” portrays the artist as genteel and cultured, but
under the pastoral exterior is a “savage beast” capable of the most
base and venal acts. As this is revealed lyrically, the music
becomes harsher, and builds to a ferocious denouement as the truth
is revealed in Derek’s vocals, building in intensity and rage:
“Peel the paint / Look underneath / you’ll see the same, the
same old savage beast Strip the coats / the coats of time / and
find mad eyes and see those sharpened teeth.”
In reality, he is no more or less pure than any of us, the
beauty of his work not being a reflection of his own psyche, as
many believe.
The last of our three subjects, the capitalist social climber,
is told in “Mister Class And Quality.” Our last friend reveals the
real crux of this whole concept/story, alienation of people based
on class, ability and opportunity. Our capitalist presents these
social gaps most succinctly:
“Never understood the artist or the lazy workers The world needs
steady men like me to give and take the orders.”
In summary,
Three Friends is probably the most accessible GG album to
the casual listener with its rock-based arrangements, and I find
myself wondering why GG never found a similar degree of success as
their contemporaries like Yes, Tull, Genesis or ELP. With equal
talent as both musicians and composers, it’s a shame they never
broke out the same way their prog-rock brethren did.
Three Friends is sure to please the ears of prog-rock fans,
and would be a perfect introduction to Gentle Giant.