Live at the Bicentennial

"On the eve of the Bicentennial celebrations in the USA in 1976, Gentle Giant played at the Calderone Theater in Hempstead, Long Island, NY. The concert played that evening was recorded live for a radio station nearby, Gentle Giant was touring North America and Europe promoting its new album In'terview. When Gentle Giant heard this recording for the first time only recently, it was decided to release the music for the fans who remembered this era, and for newer fans who have recently discovered the band. The recording was not supposed to be a 'live album', so the levels and sound quality are occasionally dubious. However, the band was quite intrigued to hear songs like "Give It Back" and "Timing" played live, as they were rarely featured in its repertoire.

There are no overdubs or other recording enhancements on this very live recording. It features Gentle Giant unedited, uninhibited and unrepentant.

This 2-CD set finishes up with "Free Hand", which is unfortunately where the recording of the performance stopped. There were three encores that evening which included "Peel the Paint", "I Lost My Head" and a rendition of Wilson Pickett's "In the Midnight Hour". The third and final encore, played after midnight, featured the band singing and playing "Happy Birthday" to the USA."

This concert has been previously released as a bootleg, but incomplete and with lower quality, as In'terview in Concert.[1]

All tracks are written by Kerry Minnear, Derek Shulman, and Ray Shulman.

• Gary Green – electric guitar, acoustic guitar, recorder, xylophone, drums, vocals
• Kerry Minnear – keyboards, cello, xylophone, vibraphone, recorder, drums, vocals
• Derek Shulman – lead vocals, alto sax, bass guitar, recorder, drums
• Ray Shulman – bass guitar, acoustic guitar, violin, recorder, drums, vocals
• John Weathers – drums, vibraphone, xylophone, vocals

• 2014 Alucard Music ALUGG046, 17 November 2014