PLAYING THE FOOL - THE OFFICIAL LIVE

Gentle Giant are easily one of the best live prog bands to ever have graced the stage. They tackle their endlessly complex material with ease and they replicate the album sound so well. The extended solo sections and the songs that segue into each other are also very good, never really getting boring at all. My only real complaint is that the sound quality isn't the best, but regardless, this is an incredible accomplishment for the group.

The set that is displayed on this album is varied and features some of their best material. My favorite tracks are Excerpts from Octopus, which features sections from each song on the album, a truly tough feat on paper, but performed incredibly well. Gary Green plays a great acoustic guitar during one of the sections. The Runaway/Experience is also a very good combination track, they go seamlessly together and are fluid in transitions, and it also features great vocals from Shulman, and an awesome drum performance from Weathers. And my favorite GG song, Freehand is played incredibly well, with an awesome wah solo from Green. Kerry Minear is the glue of the album, holding all of the musicians together throughout the intricate material. His performances are a highlight of the album because they are note for note perfect. Ray Shulman also gives great bass performances throughout, really going outside the box in his bass playing.

Overall, this is a great album that no Gentle Giant fan should miss. The material is awesome, the performances are awesome, the entire record is awesome. 4.5/5.