UK prog legends Gentle Giant have shared a brand new video for the new Dan Bornemark mix of Free Hand.
The new version is taken from. Playing The Fool: The Complete Live Experience, a reimagined, remastered and remixed version of their 1977 live album Playing The Fool, which will be through Chrysalis Records on May 2. The album has been newly mixed and mastered from the original source tapes by producer Dan Bornemark, who has worked extensively with the band on their recent archival projects.
Speaking exclusively to Prog, Derek Shelman said, " "To bring Playing The Fool to life visually, we set out to capture the feeling of actually being at a Gentle Giant show in the mid-’70s. Rather than create traditional music video-style visuals as we have in the past, we focused on evoking the ambience, lighting, and stage design that made their concerts so unique. The band had early iterations of using projections and visuals on stage to enhance the storytelling aspect of their performances...ahead of their time in many ways, even if the technology then was still catching up to their ambition. With this Blu-ray, we wanted to carry that spirit forward, helping to realize and expand upon those original ideas. You'll see that approach throughout, with visuals woven in to complement and deepen the live experience.
The Blu-ray features recreated stage environments, each inspired by a distinct era of the band’s touring history. In the “Free Hand” video, you’ll see the iconic Giant face neon sign glowing in the background — a fixture of their later live performances. Other videos showcase an earlier stage setup, featuring the now-famous mirrored “GIANT” sign, which carries a bit of band lore: it was originally supposed to read “GENTLE GIANT,” but the “GENTLE” portion broke in transit. The band embraced the glitch and the sign remained."
The new edition will be released across several formats including double CD, triple vinyl, Blu-ray and digital download in 96/24 stereo, 5.1 surround sound and Dolby Atmos mixes and features brand new sleeve notes and photographs along with a tracklisting that reflects the original running order of the setlist played on the tour, including three previously unreleased tracks, including Interview and Timing, and the between-song banter from frontman Derek Shulman.
Pre-order Playing The Fool: The Complete Live Experience.
