Playing the Fool - The Official Live is a live album by British progressive rock band Gentle Giant which was released in 1977. The album contains versions of songs from all of the band's studio albums to that point except for Acquiring the Taste (although a section from the title track of that album is featured in "Excerpts from Octopus"). The original UK LP came with a 12-page booklet that has not been reproduced in any of the CD editions.
| Playing the Fool - The Official Live | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | ||||
| Live album by | ||||
| Released | 18 January 1977 | |||
| Recorded | 23 September – 7 October 1976 in Düsseldorf, Paris, Brussels and Munich | |||
| Genre | ||||
| Length | 78:09 | |||
| Label | Chrysalis (UK) Capitol (U.S.) | |||
| Producer | Gentle Giant | |||
| Gentle Giant chronology | ||||
| ||||
| Review scores | |
|---|---|
| Source | Rating |
| Allmusic |   link |
| Babyblaue Seiten | 14.33/15 link |
| Sea of Tranquility | link |
Track listing edit
All tracks are written by Kerry Minnear, Derek Shulman, and Ray Shulman except where noted
| 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | "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 |
| 2. | "Funny Ways" (from Gentle Giant) | Minnear, Shulman, Shulman, Shulman | Munich, 1976-09-25 | 8:35 |
| No. | Title | Notes | Length |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | "The Runaway/Experience" (from In a Glass House) | Paris, 1976-10-05 | 9:31 |
| 2. | "So Sincere" (from The Power and the Glory) | Paris, 1976-10-05 | 10:22 |
| No. | Title | Writer(s) | Notes | Length |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Free Hand" (from Free Hand) | Brussels, 1976-10-07 | 7:40 | |
| 2. | "Sweet Georgia Brown" | Ben Bernie, Maceo Pinkard | Brussels, 1976-10-07 | 1:15 |
| 3. | "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 re-release edition edit
| 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.
Personnel edit
- Gentle Giant
- Gary Green – electric and acoustic 6- and 12-string guitars, backing vocals, alto and soprano recorders, percussion
- Kerry Minnear – electric piano, backing vocals, clavinet, Hammond organ, Moog synthesizer, 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
Charts edit
| Year | Chart | Position |
|---|---|---|
| 1977 | US Billboard 200 | 89 |
References edit
- 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