Few bands in progressive rock earned a live reputation quite like Gentle Giant. Their studio albums were wildly intricate, yet on stage the band delivered them with remarkable precision, imagination and a whole lot of multi-instrumental juggling. Now there is a way to hear exactly how good they were.
On November 27, Madfish releases Front Row Center (US Dates 1975-1980), an eight-CD collection of rare American concert recordings from the band’s classic years. It runs about eight hours and comes with a 60-page hardback book.
The shows
The set includes the complete Live at the Bicentennial concert, plus the Capitol Studios sessions and four previously uncollected performances. Here is where the eight discs take you:
- Discs 1 and 2: Live at the Bicentennial, Calderone Concert Hall, Hempstead, NY, July 3, 1976
- Discs 3 and 4: Calderone Concert Hall, Hempstead, NY, November 16, 1977
- Disc 5: Widener College, Chester, PA, November 18, 1977
- Disc 6: The Agora Ballroom, Atlanta, GA, May 29, 1980
- Disc 7: The Capitol Tapes, Los Angeles, CA, February 1975
- Disc 8: New York State University, New Paltz, NY, November 6, 1977
The 1977 dates come from the Playing the Fool touring period, and the 1980 Atlanta show is a powerful look at the band near the end of its run. Across all of it, you get the interplay, the multi-instrumental virtuosity and the fearless arrangements that made Gentle Giant so hard to copy.
The set lists read like a tour of the catalog. Free Hand, Proclamation, On Reflection, The Advent of Panurge, Just the Same, Playing the Game, The Face, Funny Ways, Knots and Memories of Old Days all turn up, along with extensive Octopus excerpts and plenty more.
The book and the sound
The hardback book features a substantial new essay by Alan Kinsman. He drew on extensive interviews with the band to explore their approach to live performance, touring, musicianship and stagecraft. Rare photographs and memorabilia fill out the pages.
Peter J. Reynolds mastered the recordings from the best available sources, which matters when you are digging into vintage concert tapes.
Simply put, this is the most comprehensive collection yet of Gentle Giant’s US live recordings. For anyone who ever wished they had been in the room, it is the next best thing. Front Row Center is out November 27 on Madfish. Pre-order it here, and find more at madfishmusic.com.
