Derek Shulman: ‘We Didn’t Want to Be a Parody’ – The Gentle Giant Legacy

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Jason Barnard interviews Derek Shulman about the expanded reissue of Gentle Giant’s Playing the Fool live album.

Shulman credits archivist Dan Bornemark with the idea to present an expanded live album, including unreleased material and between-song moments. He reflects on the band’s diverse influences—classical, jazz, R&B—and their roots as Simon Dupree and the Big Sound. Derek also explains the group's writing process, live ethic, and evolution in the late ’70s, concluding with their choice to end the band on their own terms and never reunite.

*Chapters*

*The Re-release of Playing the Fool* 00:00:18

Derek Shulman explains how archivist Dan Bornemarck initiated the project to expand the original album, incorporating complete live concert recordings from Munich, Dusseldorf, Paris, and Brussels.

*Musical Background and Influences* 00:04:59

Derek describes his family's musical heritage, with his father being a virtuoso musician, and his brothers Ray (violinist) and Phil (trumpet and sax) all contributing to their musical development. The band was influenced by various genres including Frank Zappa, classical music, jazz, and R&B.

*Recording Process and Live Performances* 00:14:44

Derek details how the band composed and arranged their complex music, with Ray and Kerry writing the initial pieces, which were then developed collectively. The band maintained a rigorous touring and recording schedule.

*Evolution and Final Years* 00:20:27

Derek discusses the band's later albums and their attempt to adapt to changing musical trends, ultimately deciding to end the band rather than compromise their artistic integrity.

*Further information*