Gentle Giant
Playing The Fool (Live)

THE REVIEW

Finally, after long waits and exhausting searches among unofficial recordings (often of poor audio quality), Gentle Giant decided to release an audio document capable of confirming that their proverbial mastery and inimitable instrumental capability is not just the result of studio artifices, but is directly reproducible, and even more evident, in live performances.

With "Playing The Fool," released by Chrysalis, the English band closes the circle of record production, which so far has not known any decisive missteps and has been a slow but increasingly convincing crescendo. Those who had attended the group's concerts over the years spoke of performances of great depth, and indeed this double live album fully confirms it. Resulting from the 1976 intercontinental tour, which also touched Italy, this live document is a stunning restatement of the classics of the great "Gentle Giant." The albums could have been three or four, and the final product would have only benefited from it, given the phenomenal live ability of the group and the gigantic repertoire from which to draw memorable pages of progressive rock. The album presents the same material, in the same order as it was proposed at the concerts of the period, except for the pieces derived from "Interview" (only "I Lost My Head" is performed together with "Peel The Paint" in a medley) which were not included in the tracklist because of the last album released before the aforementioned live album. The track that opens the show is "Just The Same," introduced by a special recorded base that makes it indistinguishable from the original. It follows with "Proclamation," slightly revised and devoid of the delicate midsection present on "The Power And The Glory." Through some notes of "Valedictory," not mentioned in the tracklist, it moves from "Proclamation" to the wonderful "On Reflection." In this track, the variations are more pronounced, starting with the introduction of an instrumental quartet composed of violin, harpsichord, vibraphone, and synthesizer, with a delightful arrangement taken from the second part of the original studio version, the one preceding the astounding four-part choir. Wonderful is the extract, always included in "On Reflection," where the two Schulmans, Green, and Minnear all play the flute together, in one of the many moments of superlative class performance. Truly applause-worthy.
In "Excerpts From Octopus," we are faced with a suite, over fifteen minutes long, which excellently reprises some passages from the "Octopus" album but also from "Acquiring The Taste." This collage of impactful tracks is a distinct example of the versatility of Gentle Giant that includes in a single medley many tracks initially unrelated to each other. It starts with a thrilling version of "The Boys In The Band" and then moves to an instrumental version based on Green's acoustic guitar of "Raconteur Troubadour." "Acquiring The Taste" is also rearranged for acoustic guitar, while the fantastic "Knots" is performed absolutely extraordinarily live, even in the very difficult madrigal vocal interweaving. This long suite then closes with two truly engaging and impeccable parts of "The Advent Of Panurge." The first album closes with the oldest track among all those proposed in this live double: "Funny Ways" from the distant "Gentle Giant" from eight years prior. The result is frame-worthy; its delicacy is intact, and the piece is extended to almost nine minutes by a celestial vibraphone solo by Minnear.

The second LP opens with a medley faithfully and without particular revisions, from "In A Glass House," including "The Runaway" and "Experience" excellently fused and performed. "So Sincere" from the album "The Power And The Glory" presents a different scenario. The beginning mostly follows the studio version, but soon one is enveloped in a fantastic percussion orgy, the famous "Five Men Bash Drum," where the five musicians are engaged simultaneously and for several minutes on percussion ranging from the drum, to the vibraphone, to the xylophone, to the cowbells. One of the most important and famous moments of the entire album, confirmed by the general ovation at the end of the performance. With "Free Hand," the vigorous and powerful rock performances return, even more engaging live.
"Breakdown in Brussels" is actually the classic rock and roll "Sweet Georgia Brown," strangely included in the setlist. Indeed, this track is a true improvisation that the group produced in an attempt to allow the roadies to desperately restore an electrical fault in the equipment during the Brussels concert. In practice, it is a real document highlighting the technical caliber of Ray Schulman and his violin and Gary Green with his acoustic guitar.

The final medley "Peel The Paint / I Lost My Head" features two memorable tracks, the first extracted and briefly performed from "Three Friends" and the second from "Interview." The performance of "I Lost My Head" is one of the most important parts of the live show. Conducted in a notably more solid and superb manner than studio, it closes this irrefutable manifesto of the great skill of Gentle Giant.

Some curious notes on the album packaging: the cover features an improbable poster showing a date on the Gentle Giant tour for September 31st, in Summerland, when it is well-known that September only has 30 days! Additionally, the cover features a photo of the Palace Theatre in Manchester (UK) where, however, Gentle Giant never had the honor of playing. A great live album from one of the most technical and virtuous progressive bands of all time.