Octopus (album)

Octopus
Studio album by Gentle Giant
Released	Dec 1, 1972 (UK), Feb 1973 (US)
Recorded	Jul 24 - Aug 5, 1972, Advision Studios, London
Genre	Progressive rock
Length	34:24
Label	Vertigo Columbia (US/Canada)
Producer	Gentle Giant
Professional reviews
All Music Guide link
Gentle Giant chronology
Three Friends (1972) Octopus (1972) In a Glass House (1973)
Alternate cover
US release.

Octopus is an album by British progressive rock band Gentle Giant, released in 1972. It marked a change in drummers from Malcolm Mortimore to John Weathers.

Track listing

1. "The Advent Of Panurge" – 4:40
2. "Raconteur Troubadour" – 3:59
3. "A Cry For Everyone" – 4:02
4. "Knots" – 4:09
5. "The Boys In The Band" – 4:32
6. "Dog's Life" – 3:10
7. "Think Of Me With Kindness" – 3:33
8. "River" – 5:54

All songs composed by Shulman, Shulman, Shulman and Minnear.

Personnel

• Gary Green - Guitars, percussion
• Kerry Minnear - All keyboards, vibraphone, percussion, cello, Moog, lead and backing vocals
• Derek Shulman - Lead vocals, alto saxophone
• Phil Shulman - Saxophones, trumpet, mellophone, lead and backing vocals
• Ray Shulman - Bass, violin, guitar, percussion, vocals
• John Weathers - Drums, percussion, xylophone

Miscellanea

• The UK release of the album featured art by Roger Dean, but the US release featured a different cover by Charles White.
• The song "The Advent of Panurge" is inspired by the books of Gargantua and Pantagruel by François Rabelais.
• The song "A Cry For Everyone" on the album is inspired by the work and beliefs of the Algerian-French writer Albert Camus.
• The song "Knots" is inspired by the book "Knots" by Scottish psychiatrist R.D. Laing.