Devil's Gate Music
Related Articles
Few bands in progressive rock history earned a live reputation quite like Gentle Giant. Renowned for translating their astonishingly intricate studio recordings to the stage with remarkable precision, imagination and musicianship, they delivered performances that remain among the most celebrated of the era.
Front Row Center (US Dates 1975 – 1980) presents an extensive document of that legacy, bringing together eight CDs of rare American performances spanning the band’s classic years, with material ranging from recordings never previously released in any form to sought-after performances that have long been unavailable.
At the heart of the collection are the complete Live At The Bicentennial concert, recorded at New York’s Calderone Concert Hall in July 1976, and the Capitol Studios sessions from February 1975. The latter is a particularly significant inclusion: originally circulated only as the very first Gentle Giant bootleg, Playing The Fool, the recordings presented here are taken from the session’s original master recording and include two tracks that have never previously been released.
Madfish website HERE
The collection also unveils a wealth of previously unavailable and hard-to-find live material. The New Paltz, NY performance from November 1977 has never been released before, and was never even bootlegged, making its appearance here a genuine archival discovery. The complete Hempstead, NY concert from November 1977 is presented on CD for the first time, having previously been available only on vinyl and never circulated as a bootleg. The 1980 Atlanta performance also makes its first-ever appearance on CD, while the Chester, PA concert, previously available only as part of the now sold-out Unburied Treasure box set, makes its return in this new collection.
Together, these recordings trace Gentle Giant through some of their most celebrated live periods, from the Free Hand and Interview eras of the mid-to-late 1970s through to the band’s powerful 1980 performance in Atlanta. Across eight hours of music, the group’s extraordinary interplay, multi-instrumental virtuosity and fearless arrangements are showcased in full, featuring definitive performances of classics including Free Hand, Proclamation, On Reflection, The Advent Of Panurge, Just The Same, Playing The Game, The Face, Funny Ways, Knots, Memories Of Old Days, extensive Octopus excerpts and many more.
Front Row Center also includes a 60-page hardback book featuring a substantial new essay by Alan Kinsman, drawing on extensive interviews with the band to explore Gentle Giant’s unique approach to live performance, touring, musicianship and stagecraft, alongside rare photographs and memorabilia.
Expertly mastered by Peter J. Reynolds from the best available sources, Front Row Center is a major archival collection of Gentle Giant’s remarkable US live recordings, bringing together previously unreleased performances, the original masters of the legendary Capitol Tapes, first-time CD releases and sought-after material unavailable for years. It is an essential celebration of one of progressive rock’s most original, adventurous and accomplished live bands.
DISC 1
Hempstead, NY Calderone Concert Hall
Live At The Bicentennial 3 July 1976
Intro/Just The Same 07:40
Proclamation/Valedictory 05:16
On Reflection 06:53
Interview 06:51
The Runaway/Experience 10:37
So Sincere 10:49
DISC 2
Hempstead, NY Calderone Concert Hall
Live At The Bicentennial 3 July 1976
Excerpts From Octopus 17:11
Give It Back 05:26
Timing 13:14
Free Hand 07:55
DISC 3
Hempstead, NY Calderone Concert Hall
16 November 1977
Two Weeks In Spain 02:58
Free Hand 06:46
On Reflection 07:12
I’m Turning Around 04:10
Just The Same/Playing The Game 10:11
Memories Of Old Days 07:27
DISC 4
Hempstead, NY Calderone Concert Hall
16 November 1977
Betcha Thought We Couldn’t Do It 06:27
Funny Ways 07:59
The Face 16:13
For Nobody 04:31
Excerpts From Octopus 16:02
DISC 5
Chester, PA Widener College
18 November 1977
Two Weeks In Spain 03:00
Free Hand 07:49
On Reflection 06:09
I’m Turning Around 04:08
Just The Same/Playing The Game 09:51
Memories Of Old Days 07:29
Betcha Thought We Couldn’t Do It 04:20
The Face 13:31
For Nobody 05:25
Excerpts From Octopus Part 1 06:05
Excerpts From Octopus Part 2 09:45
DISC 6
Atlanta, GA The Agora Ballroom
29 May 1980
Convenience (Clean And Easy) 04:13
All Through The Night 04:13
Free Hand 08:22
Knots 03:54
Playing The Game 04:57
Memories Of Old Days 08:12
Giant For A Day 05:11
Inside Out 06:35
It’s Not Imagination 05:05
Underground 11:22
For Nobody 04:58
The Advent Of Panurge 06:34
Number One 07:35
DISC 7
Los Angeles, CA The Capitol Tapes
February 1975
Cogs In Cogs 02:59
Proclamation/Funny Ways 12:54
Experience 05:27
So Sincere 09:52
The Advent Of Panurge 05:46
Mister Class And Quality?/Peel The Paint/Valedictory 08:45
DISC 8
New Paltz, NY NY State University
6 November 1977
Two Weeks In Spain 03:15
Free Hand 07:39
On Reflection 06:15
I’m Turning Around 04:11
Just The Same 05:07
Playing The Game 04:51
Memories Of Old Days 05:19
Betcha Thought We Couldn’t Do It 02:38
Plain Truth (Part) 06:32
For Nobody 04:27
Excerpts From Octopus 14:52
