PLAYING THE FOOL - THE OFFICIAL LIVE

The sound quality of this album is great and there's nothing more to be desired as far as the sound quality and mixing etc. Playing the fool is the best live album I own and some of the songs are even better than they are on their studios (Funny Ways especially) It's also a great opportunity to hear Gentle Giant jamming which is comparable to the quality of the mighty Zepp's jams, especially since GG doesn't do much jamming on their studios so it's great to hear their jam chops. The guitar solo with the clavicord jamming along beside in 'So Sincere' is particularly great and it's followed by a great percussion jam which was performed by all members followed by a xylophone, vibes and percussion jam that is absolutely fantastic. If you played this album for anyone including prog fans it would be hard to convince them that it's a live performance because the performance is spot on. All virtuosos in their own right. Usually I tend to not rate live albums as essential strictly using the guidelines because they aren't essential but usually are more essential for fans while not being as essential as the studios to the average prog listener. Playing the Fool fully deserves five stars though because it IS a masterpiece and is more essential than some of their albums IMO. The performance is essential because it is mandatory that every prog listener hear this example of a perfect live performance. If anyone needs an introduction to GG, this would be the album I would reccomend because it's guaranteed to spark an interest in the band and is a great cross-section of their material.