Author: Peter Podbrežnik
Artist: Gentle Giant
Label: Vertigo Records
Release: 1972
Rating: 4.5/5
“Three Friends” is the third album from these masters of experimental symphonic prog rock, and their first concept album. The concept itself is incredibly simple at heart: it tells the story of three friends who start out inseparable, but once their carefree childhood days are over and they grow up, they drift apart and each ends up with a completely different fate in life. The first becomes a manual laborer, the second a painter and decorator, and the third a teacher. None of them is very happy with the job, so one after another they nostalgically look back on the happy days of their childhood. Where the brilliant predecessor “Acquring The Taste (1971)” sounded rather dark and wildly experimental, “Three Friends” is a lot more relaxed and sounds heavier, since Green’s guitar and his hard-rock solos get a bit more room again here. The keyboards are a little less front and center this time, but no less thrilling, and “Three Friends” certainly doesn’t skimp on the symphonic elements. Most of the individual solos are even better than on the previous album, so the record also shows the band’s constant musical growth. Above all, though, “Three Friends” is steeped in a wonderfully witty atmosphere, with cynical lyrics that bring a distinct sense of mockery toward a social system that steers and uniforms human destinies, while also lamenting the loss of childhood innocence to the daily grind of slaving away for money. The band members proved time and again that they weren’t just superb musicians but first-rate satirists too. Original drummer Martin Smith was replaced on “Three Friends” by Malcolm Mortimore, who lasted behind the kit for this album only. Like his predecessor, Mortimore is a jazz-schooled drummer, only he hits the drums even harder. The vocal harmonies that are so typical of the band are once again one of this album’s greatest strengths. With “Three Friends”, Gentle Giant kept pushing the boundaries of rock music and created yet another unforgettable masterpiece, one that ranks among their best work.
The opening “Prologue” has a brilliant jazz fusion rhythm that sucks us into the concept and mood of the album in an instant. Green’s solos are excellent, flowing from jazzy to hard-rock lines. The piece is best captured by its witty, almost “kiddie” transitions, where Phil’s vocals radiate childlike carefree joy. The percussion and vibraphone deepen this, creating an atmosphere as if the very figure the band was named after were swaying along as he walks. Which, alongside the vocal multi-harmonies, is another one of the band’s trademarks. A wonderful jazzy outro adds even more to the track’s brilliance. “Schooldays” has outstanding vocal multi-harmonies, which by this point had already become one of the band’s trademarks. They also deliberately create a playful, mischievous boyhood mood. These unique vocal harmonies and the cheeky instrumental passages truly paint a picture of three naughty rascals pestering the other kids in the middle of class, while the teacher gave up on them ages ago. Then a darker second part kicks in on the keyboards, bringing in gorgeous symphonic touches and a sudden sobering feeling, the end of childish shenanigans. It’s joined by an exceptionally beautiful symphonic melody where Minnear sings with an operetta-style voice. Then, all of a sudden, a completely different melody follows, built on percussion and vibraphone, once again evoking happy, carefree school days and the pranks of this seemingly mismatched trio. But of course, carefree childhood days come to an end eventually, when the era of daily routine and the struggle to survive begins. On “Working All Day”, where the album briefly takes a somewhat harder-rocking turn again, this is plain to see. The track vividly portrays the fate of the first of the friends, who became a manual laborer and has to slog away like a beast of burden every day for a crust of bread. His suffering is perfectly captured by the thick bass line and Derek’s almost martyr-like vocals (listen to the lyrics, where he complains about his aimless fate and the parents who neglected him as a child). Phil’s woodwinds and Minnear’s Moog synthesizer solos, which will make your jaw drop, plus Green’s hard-rock solos in the closing section, season the track into one hell of a fusion. Next comes the excellent “Peel The Paint”, which probably marks the album’s peak, and where Green pours everything he’s got into his guitar and coaxes out outstanding psychedelic solos. The same goes for Phil on sax and Minnear on organ, who proves over and over that he was one of the greatest of his time. With the mood of this piece, it’s not hard to picture the painter struggling with his paints every day, with drops dripping into his eyes, already completely apathetic from the daily routine. The final section is great, where hard-rock guitar solos overlap with Derek’s wonderfully pompous vocals, creating an incredibly raw and dark melody. The atmosphere of this track is pretty dark overall, and in its transitions and most of the instrumental solos the composition itself is a bit reminiscent of some work by their contemporaries Van Der Graaf Generator. “Mister Class And Quality”, whose cynical title already says it all, depicts a strict but deeply insecure teacher with no authority whatsoever. It’s markedly dissonant throughout, built on a mid-tempo rhythm, and has a hilarious, almost tragicomic ending. Here the band’s recognizable folk rock elements come through again, best represented by Ray’s violin. The closing piece, “Three Friends”, is a real sea of keyboards slowly crashing against the “rocks” of the other instruments. Green’s solos are once again razor sharp, yet they constantly leave room for an incredibly clever jazzy rhythm line. Sometimes I really wonder what would have happened if Green had ever played in some hard rock or metal band. Maybe he’d be one of the best-known and most beloved guitarists today, instead of one of the most overlooked and forgotten. Derek’s vocals here are extremely dramatic and in places even slightly recall Peter Gabriel (Genesis). The vocal harmonies in the second part create an incredible “cathedral-like” epic symphonic atmosphere, a real treat for all fans of symphonic rock. Minnear’s Moog and the organ-guitar interplay build an atmosphere of mounting, extreme intensity. All the band’s best elements come together in their best light here, which makes this one of the group’s finest creations ever, and a brilliant ending to the album.
With “Three Friends”, Gentle Giant (once again) created an incredibly unique album, somewhat lesser known than their other masterpieces, but no less thrilling in the originality of its superbly crafted, complex compositions. The structures of the individual songs are a bit more closely linked than they were on “Acquring the Taste”, so it’s a little easier to get into for a wider audience, though no less complex for it. Without a doubt it’s one of their best albums, worth the attention of all the music connoisseurs whose demanding taste is hard to satisfy with simple musical structures. Sadly, “Three Friends” is today one of the many forgotten masterpieces of the golden age of symphonic prog rock, and it’s seriously hard to find in record shops. So I really hope this masterpiece gets a reissue soon, and it absolutely has to have the original European cover (the American one actually uses the cover from the first album), so that it becomes easier to get hold of for everyone who hasn’t had the chance to hear the album yet.
Line-up
Derek Shulman – vocals
Gary Green – guitar, percussion
Ray Shulman – bass guitar, violin, 12-string guitar, backing vocals
Phil Schulman – saxophone, backing vocals
Kerry Minnear – keyboards, vibraphone, percussion, Moog, backing vocals
Malcolm Mortimore – drums
GUEST MUSICIAN:
Calvin Shulman, Ray’s son (boy’s voice on Schooldays)
Production
Gentle Giant
Track list
1. Prologue (6:12)
2. Schooldays (7:33)
3. Working All Day (5:07)
4. Peel The Paint (7:25)
5. Mister Class And Quality? (5:51)
6. Three Friends (3:00)
Album length: 35:08
