Phish
A Live One


4.5
superb

Review

by random USER (34 Reviews)
December 14th, 2019 | 35 replies


Release Date: 1995 | Tracklist

Review Summary: What a long strange trip this is. A fantastic voyage, for sure.

Phish is a bit of an enigma in today’s pop culture. They are a jam band formed in 1983 in Burlington, Vermont and are spearheaded by frontman, singer, and guitarist Trey Anastasio. They play very psychedelic stoner rock and their live shows are ones to certainly be witnessed. The band members are known for using vacuum cleaners and jumping on trampolines during these performances. Nowadays, Phish are a cult band known for having two flavours of Ben & Jerry’s ice cream, which coincidentally, is also from Vermont. This live album was recorded in 1994 at Clifford Ball.

The album begins with the raucous “Bouncing Around The Room” and Trey makes it clear that Phish are here to groove and jam. His guitar playing is very reminiscent of Jerry Garcia of the Grateful Dead, and his effects are textured and intricately woven.

“Stash” is a piece of funk with borderline nonsensical lyrics, and it must be the only song in which I’ve heard the word “Smegma” used in. The “Phans” screamed out for “You Enjoy Myself” and they did indeed play that one with such vigor that the listener would wonder if THC has been spiked into their coffee. Time turns elastic for the 30+ minute version of “Freezer” in which the concept of time itself gets altered into heightened perceptions of reality. Every member is great, and from what I’ve heard, a bad Phish gig is about as rare as seeing The Loch Ness Monster transform into Bigfoot. Every band member is exceptionally virtuosic at their respective instruments. This album is as good as the time Coltrane played Birdland, and the “Phans” dub this live set as their essential live album, the “Woodstock” if you will, of “Phish”.



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user ratings (80)
4.3
superb


Comments:Add a Comment 
sonictheplumber
December 14th 2019


17584 Comments

Album Rating: 4.0

Fuckin hilarious review

sonictheplumber
December 14th 2019


17584 Comments

Album Rating: 4.0

Time turns elastic lol

random
December 14th 2019


3180 Comments

Album Rating: 4.5

Ah, you see what I did there!

MotokoKusanagi
December 14th 2019


4290 Comments


nice review. more of a grateful dead guy but love me some phish too. seen them a few times

random
December 15th 2019


3180 Comments

Album Rating: 4.5

“PLEASE HER WITH A TWEEZER!”

sonictheplumber
December 15th 2019


17584 Comments

Album Rating: 4.0

Yeah my 1st show was Charlotte this year, quite a tweezerfest

wham49
December 15th 2019


6352 Comments


bizarre review to be sure, not sure how to take it, I have not heard this but love mid nineties Phish, the halloween show in 95 at the Rosemont Horizon about 40 minutes fro me is one of the best


sonictheplumber
December 16th 2019


17584 Comments

Album Rating: 4.0

Tbh I don't really think trey sounds like garcia at all, maybe more in recent years

sonictheplumber
December 16th 2019


17584 Comments

Album Rating: 4.0

This era is more like zappa/santana/metheny

wham49
December 16th 2019


6352 Comments


he only sounds like Jerry when he has too, like when they play Terrapin, or when he plays with the Dead

MotokoKusanagi
December 17th 2019


4290 Comments


not to continue with the Dead stuff, but Trey was fantastic for the 50th anniversary Fare Thee Well run

wham49
December 17th 2019


6352 Comments


He was, along with the Original stand in Warren Haynes

MotokoKusanagi
December 17th 2019


4290 Comments


i'm not the biggest Gov't Mule fan but i do love me some Warren, especially live in person

wham49
December 17th 2019


6352 Comments


Mule has its place, great live cover band, their versions of Cortez the Killer and Afro Blue are crazy

random
January 10th 2020


3180 Comments

Album Rating: 4.5

Smegma dogmatagram fish market stew.

sonictheplumber
February 12th 2020


17584 Comments

Album Rating: 4.0

hate to admit it but i got tix to a few shows this summer

sonictheplumber
February 12th 2020


17584 Comments

Album Rating: 4.0

chasing reba, split open and melt, bowie, fluffhead, yem, divided sky...those are all semi-realistic since we get like 3 each a year. total dreamworld picks would be lizards, the sloth, guyute, tela, mcgrupp, foam... the biggest "get fuckin real" of course would be col forbins ascent. actually among that group lizards is like goddamn hood lol which id be satisfied getting my first harry hood as well

sonictheplumber
February 12th 2020


17584 Comments

Album Rating: 4.0

ah and harpua is another one ill never see, i mean its not like theyre bust that out in front of all the spun out custies and undercover cops in birmingham or nashville

sonictheplumber
February 12th 2020


17584 Comments

Album Rating: 4.0

with the amount of shows im seeing im pretty much guaranteed a lot of lame shit like blaze on and fuego and soul planet, dunno why sober trey is so obsessed with that shit but he's a dad pushing 60 so whatever. i wish he'd embrace his prog roots again though but he cant even be bothered to practice guitar anymore



that being said im also probably gonna get a lot of "commons" that often rule, hoping for a long ass ghost, gin, halleys comet, maybe a freakier tweezer, type 2 chalkdust :D

sonictheplumber
February 12th 2020


17584 Comments

Album Rating: 4.0

and they play slave to the traffic light and antelope so much ill probably get those, hope they arent boring/poorly played like so many new versions. then again ill be on drugs at at least 1 or 2 of these



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