"Octopus" is the fourth album by British progressive rock band Gentle Giant, released in 1972 through Vertigo in Europe and Columbia in North America. It was the final album to feature all three Shulman brothers, as Phil Shulman left the band after its release, and the first album to feature drummer John Weathers, who remained with the group until their dissolution in 1980. "Octopus" is regarded as a significant example of the progressive rock genre. The album’s title is a pun on "octo opus", referring to the eight tracks featured on the release. On 30 October 2015, a remix by Steven Wilson was issued on CD and Blu-ray via the band’s Alucard label. Three tracks (1, 2, and 5) could not be fully remixed due to a missing multi-track reel and were instead upmixed to 5.1 surround using Penteo surround software, while the remaining five tracks were remixed to 5.1 by Wilson. Musically, "Octopus" continued Gentle Giant’s integration of broad and complex styles. The album has been described as "stylistically and sonically all over the place but always in control." Among its highlights is "Knots", an intricate madrigal-styled vocal composition. The album’s lyrics draw inspiration from literature and philosophy: "The Advent of Panurge" is based on François Rabelais’s "Gargantua and Pantagruel"; "A Cry for Everyone" is influenced by the writings and beliefs of Albert Camus; and "Knots" is inspired by the book "Knots" by Scottish psychiatrist R. D. Laing. User-contributed text is avail