PLAYING THE FOOL - THE OFFICIAL LIVE

This album ranks high up there with the best of the seventies progressive rock live albums, on a par with "Yessongs" and "Welcome Back My Friends To The Show That Never Ends...". It is the only official Gentle Giant live album released while the band was still together. And it captures them at their peak.

Recorded on the "Free Hand" tour, the band is able to draw from it's best material for this live set, although I'm sure we all have favorites that we wish were included. With selections from six of the seven albums released before the show (although my favorite, "Three Friends" is barely touched upon), the band shows it's versatility.

Unlike many some prog band, who would barely change their songs in a live show, Gentle Giant would add quite a bit, and rearrange many sections of their complex pieces (I'm sure some of this was to make it possible for the muti-instrumantalists to get through the songs), making this a treat to those of us who know and love these songs so well.

I see from the listing here that there is an expanded CD version of this album. I must find it!