In'terview in Concert

Interview in Concert is part of a series of Gentle Giant official bootleg releases undertaken by the label Glass House. This third installment presents a concert from the American leg of the 1976 Interview tour. Therefore, the set list is very similar to the one found on the official live album Playing the Fool, recorded a few months later in Europe. The major difference is the presence of three songs from the 1976 Interview LP: "Give It Back," "Timing," and the title track. The first minute or so of "Proclamation" is missing but, this detail aside, Interview in Concert is a very good bootleg recording. The wide stereo separation and the type of hiss would indicate that this was taken from an FM broadcast. The sound quality is consistent throughout and, if one doesn't mind the hiss level, the CD will be much appreciated by the serious fan. Casual listeners should start with Playing the Fool, of course, but others will find impressive versions of "On Reflection" and "Interview," plus some slightly different renditions of other classic tracks, including the Octopus medley. Interview in Concert is redundant considering what was already available (even "Interview" and "Timing" had live versions included on the limited edition box set Under Construction), but the musicians were in very good shape. And for the die-hard fan, hearing the way the band went from the violin solo in "Timing" to "Free Hand" is alone worth finding this CD. ~ François Couture, Rovi