Gentle Giant to reissue first four albums on vinyl

Gentle Giant are to rerelease their first four albums – Gentle Giant, Acquiring Taste, Three Friends and Octopus – on vinyl in April. These will be pressed on 180 gram vinyl and feature their original gatefold sleeves and artwork.

In a statement, the band say, "Gentle Giant are happy to announce the release of the first four albums on vinyl on April 3. After the positive response to the box set Unburied Treasure many fans asked whether the vinyl albums would ever be available. The band has responded and decided to make these albums officially available for the first time in decades."

Gentle Giant's self-tiled debut was produced by Tony Visconti and released in October 1970. Visconti also produced the follow-up, Acquiring The Taste, the following year.

Three Friends – produced by the band – was released in 1972, and was followed the same year by the classic Octopus.

Unburied Treasure came out in December. Spread across 30-discs, it featured all 11 of the band’s studio albums, along with 15 live concerts – seven of which had never previously been released.

Limited to just 2000 copies, the set also featured a 136-page coffee table hardback book, a 96-page tour history book, and signed photographs of band members Derek Shulman, Ray Shulman, Gary Green, Kerry Minnear and John Weathers.

Last year, Gentle Giant vocalist and multi-instrumentalist Derek Shulman hinted that there might be further releases to come, telling Prog, “I’ve found things that I’d completely forgotten about, including a couple of live tapes that are not part of this box. They sound very well recorded, so we’re going to put them out next year.

"One is going to be called The Missing Tape. Owning something that you can handle and see is a good thing, rather than something that is just peripheral. I think fans want to hold something that’s not just ones and zeros."

Need a new record player to go with your new vinyl? Check out our guide to the best turntables, including the best budget turntables.

Gentle Giant abums — (Image credit: Alucard)

Online Editor at Louder/Classic Rock magazine since 2014. 40 years in music industry, online for 27. Also bylines for: Metal Hammer, Prog Magazine, The Word Magazine, The Guardian, The New Statesman, Saga, Music365. Former Head of Music at Xfm Radio, A&R at Fiction Records, early blogger, ex-roadie, published author. Once appeared in a Cure video dressed as a cowboy, and thinks any situation can be improved by the introduction of cats. Favourite Serbian trumpeter: Dejan Petrović.