Three Friends

Infobox Album | Name = Three Friends
Type = Album
Artist = Gentle Giant


Released = 1972
Recorded = December 1971, Advision Studios & Command Studios, London
Genre = Progressive rock
Length = 35:19
Label = Vertigo
Columbia (US/Canada)
Producer = Gentle Giant
Reviews =
*Allmusic Rating|4.5|5 [http://www.allmusic.com/cg/amg.dll?p=amg&sql=10:w69hs38ba3vg link]
*Sea of Tranquility rating|4.5|5 [http://www.seaoftranquility.org/reviews.php?op=showcontent&id=6039 link]
*The Daily Vault (A) [http://www.dailyvault.com/toc.php5?review=2574 link]
Last album = "Acquiring the Taste"
(1971)
This album = "Three Friends"
(1972)
Next album = "Octopus"
(1972)

"Three Friends" (1972) is a concept album by the British progressive rock band Gentle Giant. The group's third album was also their first American release to chart, peaking at #197 on the Billboard 200. It marked a change in drummers from Martin Smith to Malcolm Mortimore.

It is Gentle Giant's first concept album, dealing with three childhood friends whose lives take them very different places. It was also their first self-produced album. The two former albums were produced by David Bowie and T.Rex producer Tony Visconti.

Gary Green's guitar solo on "Peel the Paint" uses an echoplex belonging to Mike Ratledge that Green's brother Jeff, a roadie with Ratledge's band Soft Machine, had borrowed.

Track listing

#"Prologue" – 6:13
#"Schooldays" – 7:37
#"Working All Day" – 5:12
#"Peel the Paint" – 7:31
#"Mister Class and Quality?" – 3:23
#"Three Friends" – 5:26

All songs written by Gentle Giant (Shulman, Shulman, Shulman, Minnear)

Line-up

*Kerry Minnear - Keyboards, Vibraphone, Percussion, Moog, Vocals
*Ray Shulman - Basses, Violin, 12 String Guitar, Vocals
*Gary Green - Guitars, Percussion
*Derek Shulman - Vocals
*Malcolm Mortimore - Drums
*Philip Shulman - Saxophones and Vocals
* Boy's voice on "Schooldays" - Calvin Shulman

*Engineer - Martin Rushkent
*Produced by 'Gentle Giant'
*Sleeve Design - Rick Breach
*Publisher - Excellency Music

Miscellanea

For the US release of the album, the cover was the same as that of the band's début album "Gentle Giant".