Playing the Fool
1977 live album by Gentle Giant
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Playing the Fool – The Official Live is a live album by the British progressive rock band Gentle Giant which was released in 1977. Its release and title were prompted in part by the circulation of live bootlegs in the preceding year, most notably Playing the Foole – A Stake in the Heart. The original UK LP was issued with a 12-page booklet. The track "Sweet Georgia Brown" was an on-the-spot performance, played while Kerry Minnear's keyboards were being repaired during a concert.
| Playing the Fool – The Official Live | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
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| Live album by | ||||
| Released | 18 January 1977 | |||
| Recorded | 23 September – 7 October 1976 | |||
| Venue | Düsseldorf, Paris, Brussels and Munich | |||
| Genre | Progressive rock | |||
| Length | 78:09 | |||
| Label | Chrysalis (UK) Capitol (US) | |||
| Producer | Gentle Giant | |||
| Gentle Giant chronology | ||||
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In 2025, the band issued an expanded and remixed edition as a double CD, triple LP and Dolby Atmos Blu-ray mix (including song visuals). This version restored the songs to their original running order and included additional material from the band's most recent studio album at the time, Interview.
Track listing
All tracks are written by Kerry Minnear, Derek Shulman, and Ray Shulman except where noted. The songwriting credits are taken from the studio albums the songs originally appeared on, which are noted for each track; this live album release excised all songwriting credits for Phil Shulman, who had left Gentle Giant on bad terms in 1973.
| No. | Title | Notes | Length |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Just the Same/Proclamation" (from Free Hand / The Power and the Glory) | Düsseldorf, 1976-09-23 | 11:13 |
| 2. | "On Reflection" (from Free Hand) | Düsseldorf, 1976-09-23 | 6:20 |
| No. | Title | Writer(s) | Notes | Length |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 3. | "Excerpts from Octopus (The Boys in the Band/Raconteur Troubadour/Acquiring the Taste/Knots/Organ Bridge/The Advent of Panurge)" (from Octopus / Acquiring the Taste) | Minnear, Shulman, Shulman, Phil Shulman | Paris, 1976-10-05 | 15:35 |
| 4. | "Funny Ways" (from Gentle Giant) | Minnear, Shulman, Shulman, Shulman | Munich, 1976-09-25 | 8:35 |
| No. | Title | Notes | Length |
|---|---|---|---|
| 5. | "The Runaway/Experience" (from In a Glass House) | Paris, 1976-10-05 | 9:31 |
| 6. | "So Sincere" (from The Power and the Glory) | Paris, 1976-10-05 | 10:22 |
| No. | Title | Writer(s) | Notes | Length |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 7. | "Free Hand" (from Free Hand) | Brussels, 1976-10-07 | 7:40 | |
| 8. | "Sweet Georgia Brown" | Ben Bernie, Maceo Pinkard | Brussels, 1976-10-07 | 1:15 |
| 9. | "Peel the Paint/I Lost My Head" (from Three Friends / Interview) | Minnear, Shulman, Shulman, Shulman ("Peel the Paint") | Paris, 1976-10-05 | 7:35 |
35th Anniversary Edition
| No. | Title | Length |
|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Just the Same" | 5:57 |
| 2. | "Proclamation/Valedictory" | 5:18 |
| 3. | "On Reflection" | 6:20 |
| 4. | "Excerpts from Octopus" | 15:39 |
| 5. | "Funny Ways" | 8:30 |
| Total length: | 41:44 | |
| No. | Title | Length |
|---|---|---|
| 6. | "The Runaway" | 3:56 |
| 7. | "Experience" | 5:36 |
| 8. | "So Sincere" | 10:20 |
| 9. | "Free Hand" | 7:40 |
| 10. | "Sweet Georgia Brown (Breakdown in Brussels)" | 1:21 |
| 11. | "Peel the Paint/I Lost My Head" | 7:32 |
| Total length: | 36:25 | |
The track listing and times differ depending on the specific release.
The Complete Live Experience (2025 LP)
| No. | Title | Notes | Length |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Intro" | 1:24 | |
| 2. | "Just the Same / Proclamation" | (°) | 11:32 |
| 3. | "On Reflection" | 6:32 | |
| 4. | "Interview" | (§) | 7:19 |
| Total length: | 26:47 | ||
| No. | Title | Length |
|---|---|---|
| 5. | "The Runaway / Experience" | 9:40 |
| 6. | "Sweet Georgia Brown (Breakdown in Brussels)" | 1:54 |
| 7. | "So Sincere" | 10:42 |
| 8. | "Excerpts from Octopus" | 16:00 |
| 9. | "Band Introduction" | 1:32 |
| Total length: | 39:48 | |
| No. | Title | Notes | Length |
|---|---|---|---|
| 10. | "Funny Ways" | (°) | 8:51 |
| 11. | "Timing / Violin Solo" | (§) | 11:40 |
| 12. | "Free Hand" | 8:13 | |
| 13. | "Peel the Paint / I Lost My Head" | 8:01 | |
| Total length: | 36:45 | ||
(§) track not included in the original release
(°) different live performances than the original release
Personnel
- Gentle Giant
- Derek Shulman – vocals, alto saxophone, descant recorder, bass and percussion
- Ray Shulman – bass, violin, acoustic guitar, descant recorder, trumpet, vocals and percussion
- Kerry Minnear – all keyboards, cello, vibes, tenor recorder, vocals and percussion
- Gary Green – electric, acoustic and 12-string guitars, alto and descant recorders, vocals and percussion
- John Weathers – drums, vibes, tambourine, vocals and percussion
Charts
| Year | Chart | Position |
|---|---|---|
| 1977 | US Billboard 200 | 89 |
References
- The Rough Guide to Rock (2nd ed.). Rough Guides Ltd. 1999. p. 424.
- https://www.allmusic.com/album/playing-the-fool-the-official-live-mw0000201185