The album cover for Gentle Giant - Playing The Fool: The Complete Live Experience is divided into four quadrants, each depicting a different scene related to the band's live concert imagery. The top-left quadrant shows a brightly lit concert venue with blurred figures, suggesting a bustling crowd. The top-right features a stage performance with the band's logo and the word "Live" in bold red script. The bottom-left displays a torn concert poster layered over various advertisements, highlighting the title Playing The Fool. The bottom-right shows a figure at a ticket booth marked "Sold Out."

Giant Steps: Gentle Giant Revives Playing the Fool With Expanded Live Set

Iconic British progressive rock band Gentle Giant is set to release a newly remixed and expanded edition of their 1977 live album Playing the Fool on May 2, 2025. Titled Playing the Fool: The Complete Live Experience, the set will be available in multiple formats, including 2-CD, 3-LP vinyl, 2-CD + Blu-ray, and high-resolution digital audio (96/24 stereo, 5.1 surround, and Dolby Atmos).

The album has been remixed and remastered from the original source tapes by producer Dan Bornemark, known for his previous work on the band’s archival projects. This edition features restored and enhanced audio, preserving the sound and spirit of Gentle Giant’s original performances.

The release also includes newly written sleeve notes, a collection of rare photographs, and a complete reconstruction of the original tour set list. Notably, it adds three previously unreleased tracks and between-song banter from frontman Derek Shulman, offering the most comprehensive document of Gentle Giant’s live prowess to date.

Derek Shulman said: “Effectively what you’re hearing on this album is the whole show with all the bells and whistles included with me speaking to the audience and to the band just like it was on the night.”

‘Playing The Fool: The Complete Live Experience’

  • Intro [1:24]
  • Just the Same / Proclamation [10:40]
  • On Reflection [7:31]
  • Interview [7:06]
  • The Runaway / Experience [9:54]
  • Sweet Georgia Brown (Breakdown in Brussels) [1:54]
  • So Sincere [10:42]
  • Excerpts from Octopus [15:58]
  • Band Introduction [1:23]
  • Funny Ways [8:58]
  • Timing / Violin Solo [11:40]
  • Free Hand [8:20]
  • Peel The Paint / I Lost My Head [8:01]

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