Octopus

The eight tentacles that comprise Gentle Giant’s masterwork each stick out as a prime example of prog glory. Everything came together on this — the folkier sections, their penchant for counterpoints, the baroque complexity of the compositions. They were decidedly musicians’ musicians; no “Runaround” or “Money” here. Just some of the most dazzling displays of messing around with the potential offered by a rock band formation, including the madrigal singing of side one closer “Knots.” You could call it pretentious, sure, but it’s hard to hang that label on the band when they sound like they’re having this much fun.