Three Friends by Gentle Giant, 1972.
This album marks a turning point for the British band, being their first concept album and the first work entirely self-produced, after the first two records made with Tony Visconti.
It also marks the only appearance of drummer Malcolm Mortimore in the lineup. Martin Smith had left the group after “Acquiring the Taste” (1971) due to disagreements with the Shulman brothers. Mortimore replaces him, but will play only on this album because of a bad motorcycle accident. He will then be replaced on “Octopus” (1972) by John Weathers, the band’s definitive and most famous drummer.
The album’s concept focuses on the effects of time, chance and class differences on people’s lives. The story follows three childhood friends who, after sharing their school years, are separated by fate and embark on completely different lives and careers:
The first friend, from the working class, becomes a road worker. His existence is marked by hard physical labor, crushing monotony and a frustrating social stagnation, as described in “Working All Day”.
The second friend, an artist, chooses the path of creativity by becoming a painter. He seeks freedom and redemption through art, but must face isolation and his inner demons, as emerges in “Peel the Paint”.
The third friend, a capitalist, becomes a successful captain of industry. He attains economic power and social status, but finds himself trapped in conformity and the coldness of the business world, as shown in “Mister Class and Quality?”.
If “Acquiring the Taste” had aimed to tear down every commercial limit in the name of absolute complexity, “Three Friends” marked a partial return to more immediate rock structures (like the hard-rock solo in “Peel the Paint”), while keeping the concept’s common thread. Compared to the extreme complexity of the previous record, this album takes a more rock, straightforward approach, while retaining the band’s trademark intricate vocal interweavings and frequent time changes.
The next album, “Octopus”, thanks to the arrival of drummer John Weathers, endowed with a powerful and precise technique, perfected this formula.
The album includes “Peel the Paint”, one of the most famous tracks both on the album and by the band. This piece begins with a delicate, almost classical tone, inspired by a Renaissance theme, then suddenly bursts into one of the fiercest hard-rock sections ever recorded by Gentle Giant. Gary Green’s distorted guitar solo, enhanced by the Echoplex effect, is legendary and perfectly conveys the protagonist’s frustration and repressed anger.
“Schooldays” and “Prologue” are also splendid tracks. The opening track, “Prologue”, is essential to understand the album’s sound. “Mister Class and Quality?” and “Three Friends” form one big finale that moves from gripping funk-prog to the majestic sound of “Three Friends”, one of the most imposing and epic walls of Mellotron and organ in the history of British prog.
A masterpiece, a pillar of English progressive rock that, while not reaching the levels of absolute polyphonic madness of the later “Octopus”, or the dark extremism of “Acquiring the Taste”, finds its strength in making technically complex music human and warm.
My Version
Label: Alucard – ALUGGV60
Format: Vinyl, LP, Album, Reissue, Stereo, Gatefold 180 gr.
Country: Europe
Released: 3 Apr 2020
Tracklist
A1 Prologue
A2 Schooldays
A3 Working All Day
B1 Peel The Paint
B2 Mister Class And Quality?
B3 Three Friends
Lineup
Bass [Basses], Violin, Twelve-String Guitar [12 String Guitar], Vocals – Ray Shulman
Drums – Malcolm Mortimore
Guitar [Guitars], Percussion – Gary Green
Keyboards, Vibraphone, Percussion, Synthesizer [Moog], Vocals – Kerry Minnear
Saxophone [Saxes], Vocals – Philip Shulman
Vocals – Derek Shulman
Voice [Boy's Voice] – Calvin Shulman (tracks: A2)
Note: All links to the musicians’ works are in the TAGS under the article title or on the page "Artists"
