Gentle Giant - Playing the Fool Official Live Gentle Giant (11 tracks) +Album Reviews

Jaw-droppingly rich and intense

David J. Loftus | Portland, OR USA | 05/11/2000

(5 out of 5 stars)

"Buy this album. I don't care who you are, I cannot imagine anyone not being blown away by at least SOMETHING on this incredible album, if not every bit of it.Gentle Giant was a British progressive rock band that handled a multiplicity of musical styles (from rock and blues to Renaissance madrigals and jazz) and instruments (roughly 30 of them in concert) with ease. The songs were rhythmically complex, the lyrics rich and intelligent, and vocal harmonies could break into four and five parts. That they toured with Yes, Jethro Tull, and Renaissance only begins to give a sense of what they did.This album came near the end of their peak period, and provides a nearly flawless survey of everything Gentle Giant was at its best. Do you like classical? Cue "On Reflection" and listen to the recorder and cello duet that leads into the proliferant Renaissance-style vocal interplay. Prefer cool jazz improvisation? Put on the gorgeous ballad "Funny Ways" and let Kerry Minnear's steadily building vibes solo make your skin prickle.Like blistering acoustic guitar duets? Listen for one in the middle of the astonishing musical stew of "Excerpts from Octopus" (which also has the bewildering vocal melange of "Knots" and a recorder quintet!). Or if you want just all-out rocking, put on "So Sincere," which starts with a violin and cello duet in a disconcerting, syncopated rhythm, and jerky, "unmusical" vocal melody (right there you'll have heard something you won't ever have heard before); builds to a breakneck roar on guitar and keyboards; and culminates in a percussion quintet with all five band members pounding drums, leaping to a gorgeous tinkling bells break from which they peel off one by one to return to their drums for a thundering finish. It will leave you stunned and breathless.I could say so much more about these and other cuts -- the SLIGHTLY more conventional but no less complex rockers "Free Hand," "Proclamation," and "Just the Same"; the lovely ballad "I Lost My Head" sandwiched between the rocking "Peel the Paint" and its own hard climax; bassist Ray Shulman's playful fiddle rendition of "Sweet Georgia Brown" in Brussels; the fabulous INDIVIDUAL movements of "Excerpts From Octopus" -- but that's more than enough.Just buy the darned album!"

The Best Album To Intice The Uninitiated

David J. Loftus | 07/15/1999

(5 out of 5 stars)

"This is IT -- the single album with which to indoctrinate the unfortune multitude who have never heard the genius of Gentle Giant. The other reviews have said it all -- intricate arrangements on par with the best classical music; eclectic styles from medieval to damn near punk; cerebral lyrical themes brimming with accessible tongue-in-cheek humor; and superb musicianship far beyond the average rock musician. And, on this CD, it's all performed breathtakingly "live". I was privileged to see GG in concert on this tour and they were so "tight" on the older numbers like SO SINCERE and the stunning OCTOPUS medley that, for a brief moment, it seemed rock music might have a future. (Sadly, only the cogniscenti heard the new musical standard being set by the band. GG's finesse and imagination equaled weak sales and they were buried in the great new wave/punk earthquake of the early 80s.) Savor here, if you will, 80 myth-making minutes of rock music unrepentent of virtuosity, and bedazzling in its sonic sweep."

Profound Musicianship

Frank C. | Huntington, NY United States | 11/04/2000

(5 out of 5 stars)

"All of the reviewers have hit the nail on the head when they described how amazing this band WAS. I listen to a lot of complex music ( i.e. Zappa, Stravinsky, Ravel, Copland, Varese, R. Strauss, Wagner, National Health, King Crimson, Webern, and a whole lot more), and let me tell you, the complexity that lies within this music is astounding. I'll put these guys up against any musicians that ever toured with Zappa or play jazz or orchestral music in the greatest halls in the world. This band was simply from another time and space. I would literally give anything (besides valuable body parts) to have been able to witness this band live, but sadly I was four when they did this tour in 1976. The fugues these guys performed with voices and recorders are TOTALLY OUTRAGEOUS!! Warning: This music is not for consumers with a low intelligence or a love for really boring pop music that is 98% of the crap that is released these days."

The other "best" live progressive album

x_bruce | Oak Park, ILLINOIS United States | 04/21/2002

(5 out of 5 stars)

"There has been a ton of praise towards Yessongs as the best album of the progressive rock heyday. It captured Yes' live show well and although it's sound quality was mediocre it made a statement about just how good the band could play.At the time of that album I had heard some Gentle Giant but wasn't blown away by them. In part it was the complexity of their music, I could appreciate what was happening, in fact it was jaw droppingly amazing but it didn't do much for me.I had a chance to see them 5th row center in a fairly small venue around the time of this tour and was completely blown away by their performance. After that concert I was a die hard fan.When Playing The Fool came out I bought the record hoping it would be half as good as the concert. Well, it wasn't, it was better. The playing is inspired, the choice of material across the band's catalog was excellent and makes for a great introduction. It replaced Yessongs as my favorite live album.Yes was able to take commercial, hook-laden elements and fuse them to ornate arrangements. Gentle Giant worked in different ways. Their song structures were more complex and syncopated to a degree that put off listeners used to commercial rock. Yes pulled in an audience while remaining true to themselves (at least for most of the 70's) while faux progressive like Uriah Heep pulled in platinum sales for a few albums. Few of my friends, most of them progressive rock fans, could get into Gentle Giant nor could they put a finger on why.Sadly the late 70's also created a ton of garbage which lead to the punk backlash. I liked punk music, I played in a punk band after the progressive band I was in collapsed. For all the rhetoric passed about punk's straight forward philosophy about music and sometimes politics I can honestly say punk was more conformist than ANY other music/musicians I've worked with. I mention this because bands like Gentle Giant, who were at best a modest earning act by industry standards had to try to reconsile their music in order to keep a recording contract.Playing The Fool is the ending statement of Gentle Giant and the first generation of progressive music. A few good albums came out of the progressive bands post punk but for King Crimson none adapted well to the 80's.The 90's saw an influx of bands that were influenced by 70's progressive and lives on in bands like The Flower Kings, Spock's Beard and the neo progressive movement. Bands like Gentle Giant are clearly heard as influences in their music. Any fan of current prog rock needs to hear Playing The Fool.Perhaps this is not the best play by play review here but there are some fine ones below to read. Hopefully this review gives you some perspective and reason to try this album if you haven't heard it yet.First time listeners, this is a good place to start, there is a broad variety of Gentle Giant's catalog present on this CD performed at their prime. This is complex music and may take some people several listens to appreciate. Consider it a small price for the rewards you will get. It is also a vital and necessary CD for anyone that appreciates quality songwriting and creativity."

Live music at its best, from masters of the craft

x_bruce | 02/27/1999

(5 out of 5 stars)

"Gentle Giant was an incredibly talented band that delivered such a musical tour de force onstage that they often had trouble finding bands that would share a bill with them. "Playing the Fool" shows their talents well. Numbers such as "Free Hand," "Funny Ways," "The Runaway" and "On Reflection" demonstrate the wide range of styles and moods the band could master. The 'professional' reviewer who criticized them for having shaky vocals obviously didn't listen to "On Reflection" before writing that comment. If you like your music to have three chords and extreme volume this is not your kind of music, but people who expect musical ability from their musicians will not be disappointed with "Playing the Fool". I would, however, urge you to get the import version on Terrapin Trucking Records, which has much better sound than the domestic version on One Way Records."

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