Gentle Giant is a band that needs no introduction, so I won’t give them one. Instead, I’ll commend them for slowly getting me interested in their latter-day releases, as the series of remasters has caused me to venture beyond my initial stopping point. Playing the Fool is the live album that came out in 1977 alongside The Missing Piece, and it quenched the insatiable thirst that fans had for a definitive live recording of the group, something that had only been achievable before with bootlegs.
This new edition is billed as “remixed, remastered and reimagined”, and the last of these adjectives makes me groan; what do they even mean? It would be better to simply say ‘expanded’, because all they’ve essentially done is restore the tape that’s missing from the original live performance and clean it up. What was once a 2LP, 78-minute experience is now a 2CD or 3LP, 103-minute experience, with absolutely no cuts or edits, allowing you to experience the night as it happened, with all the in-between song banter left in. I honestly don’t understand why this isn’t the norm for live releases, especially reissues of live albums. Perhaps there are some awkward moments from other live releases that you wouldn’t want to hold onto for posterity, but this show isn’t one of them. It’s mostly thriller, with precious little filler.
The set begins with a fantastic rendition of Just the Same that segues into Proclamation, the first of many instances where the group show just how inventive they are in ‘reimagining’ their songs for a live setting. When I went to see Dream Theater last year, I lamented that the band had largely done away from the surprises and nuggets that they used to throw into their live sets (although the lucky punters in Pompeii got to see them perform Pink Floyd’s Echoes). Gentle Giant goes the opposite way; while each song is recognisable, there are very few that are played just as they are on the studio album, making this raucous live performance a treat for even a casual fan.
Next up, we admire the band’s vocal choreography in On Reflection, where the band sing a cappella without getting a note wrong. I can’t imagine how much rehearsal this must have taken, but the end result is jaw-dropping. After a solid Interview, the band returned to one of my favourite albums to deliver a song that I find completely underrated: The Runaway. It had been so long since I heard it that it came as a complete surprise. I hoped they would have stuck with it a bit longer, but instead, after four minutes, the band switched to Experience, also from In a Glass House.
Later on, the band deliver a quarter-hour medley of tracks from Octopus, where they don’t skimp on either Knots or The Advent of Panurge, the two best tracks from the album. Funny Ways sees the band revisit their debut, once again reimagining it with a much longer, gloomier instrumental. Timing from Interview is concluded with Ray Shulman’s seven-minute violin solo. It’s a bit too much for me personally; these things tend to be better when experienced live.
As their final act, the group combine the dramatic Peel the Paint from their second album with I Lost My Head from their then-latest release, Interview. It seems like a rather dull way to end the show after some of the bangers they had earlier, but the crowd seem to love it.
It’s a fantastic set, and a live show like this deserves to be captured in full. We even get to hear the point where Derek Shulman announces that the recording studio is changing the tapes, followed by the sound of the tapes being changed, for real authenticity. This band, which symbolised the very beating heart of the creativity and inventiveness of progressive rock, were only around for a short decade, so it is significant that this live document (their only official live album) has been given new life in this marvellous reissue.
TRACK LISTING
Disc 1
01. Intro (1:24)
02. Just The Same / Proclamation (11:32)
03. On Reflection (6:32)
04. Interview (7:18)
05. The Runaway / Experience (9:39)
06. Sweet Georgia Brown (Breakdown in Brussels) (1:54)
07. So Sincere (10:51)
Time – 49:10
Disc 2
01. Excerpts From Octopus (15:44)
02. Band Introduction (1:32)
03. Funny Ways (8:50)
04. Timing / Violin Solo (11:39)
05. Free Hand (8:12)
06. Peel The Paint / I Lost My Head (8:00)
Time – 53:56
Total Time – 103:06
MUSICIANS
Gary Green – Electric & Acoustic 6 & 12-String Guitars, Backing Vocals, Alto & Soprano Recorders, Percussion
Kerry Minnear – Electric Piano, Backing Vocals, Clavinet, Hammond Organ, Moog Synthesiser, Cello, Vibes, Tenor Recorder, Percussion
Derek Shulman – Lead Vocals, Alto Saxophone, Soprano Recorder, Bass, Percussion
Ray Shulman – Bass, Backing Vocals, Violin, Acoustic Guitar, Soprano Recorder, Trumpet, Percussion
John Weathers – drums, Backing Vocals, Vibes, Tambourine, Percussion
ADDITIONAL INFO
Record Label: Alucard
Catalogue #: CHRC1133 (2CD) | CHRV1133 (3LP) | CHRB1133 (2CD+Blu-ray)
Country of Origin: UK
Date of Release: 2nd May 2025
LINKS
Gentle Giant – Website | Facebook | YouTube | X | Instagram
