Phish?

[Nador]

Since the remaining Dead chose Trey Anastasio to stand in for Jerry at their final shows, I've been re-evaluating Phish, finally noticing how proggy they can be. Since they're one of the most beloved American bands (at least live) of the past 30 years, that kind of changes the narrative about how prog rock is unpopular, no?

Some interesting discussion elsewhere on this site for sure ~

http://www.progressiveears.org/forum...ighlight=phish

http://www.progressiveears.org/forum...ighlight=phish

http://www.progressiveears.org/forum...ighlight=phish

http://www.progressiveears.org/forum...ighlight=phish

http://www.progressiveears.org/forum...ighlight=phish

http://www.progressiveears.org/forum...ighlight=phish

http://www.progressiveears.org/forum...ighlight=phish

http://www.progressiveears.org/forum...ighlight=phish

http://www.progressiveears.org/forum...ighlight=phish

but I'm wondering more specifically if anyone else has had a Phish epiphany, going from "No way, not those guys" to "wait a second, they sound A LOT like Genesis / Yes / etc!"

[PotatoSolution]

Their latest album, Fuego, is probably the best studio album of their career. It was my favorite all-around album of 2014.

They made their reputation as a phenomenal live jam band that made half-assed albums. As they matured, though, it seemed like they started to take the studio stuff more seriously and put more craft into their songwriting.

I have most of their albums, and they definitely dip their toes into the prog world. For prog fans, I would say the essential Phish albums would be:

1. Fuego
2. The Story of the Ghost (featuring "Guyute", the proggiest track Phish has ever recorded)
3. Rift
4. Undermind

[tallliman]

Most of their earlier "longer" songs were pretty proggy. You Enjoy Myself was the one which hooked me so much so that once I got to the vocal section, I had to hit rewind.

Still, for me anything up to Hoist is wonderful. Agree about Guyute but he rest of the album sounds better to me live. I must admit to not having heard the later albums.

[miamiscot]

Fuego is the only Phish album I can listen to all the way through. It's actually pretty great.

[Jay.Dee]

but I'm wondering more specifically if anyone else has had a Phish epiphany, going from "No way, not those guys" to "wait a second, they sound A LOT like Genesis / Yes / etc!"

"The Curtain" - Fukuoka, June 14, 2000


http://www.livephish.com/browse/musi...Fukuoka--Japan

[N_Singh]

I remember listening to them in the 90s mid 90s actually-some studio album-- thinking, this is a poor man's Gentle Giant. Never really paid attention after that . Love the GD love the ABB hate Dave Mathews , String Cheese et al

I thought the guy did a credible job playing Jerry at Fare Thee Well. I may have to check out this Furgo album

[Adrian]

I got hooked with A Live One. Fantastic from start to finish. I'd heard some of their studio albums, but they didn't click with me till then.

"Bouncing Around the Room," "Stash," "You Enjoy Myself" -- worth the price of the CD alone.

[Phlakaton]

No. No Phish for me.

[chalkpie]

I used to love Junta, Lawn Boy, and A Live One in college. Saw them a few times - one of them (Finger Lakes, NY) got REALLY REALLY ugly since we were drinking vodka on the way to the show. I technically didn't see that show although I was present

ps - Trey was always a fantastic player

[notallwhowander]

I still spin Rift and Picture of Nectar, and I think they are both great. I never really warmed to Junta, and I have a handful of Live Phish sets, (a generous gift) but never seem to really turn to them. Because I never thoroughly explored what I have, I never moved forward in their discography. As much as I like them, there always seems to be something shinier vying for my attention.

Still, I think the two I mentioned above are great rock albums and are worth giving a chance.

[SteveSly]

I have tried to get into this band on numerous occasions over the years, but although they are great musicians, they still do not do it for me. For jam bands I would still argue that Umphrey’s McGee are the proggiest of the bunch. I love UM, but have always had a hard time with Phish.

[Facelift]

I don't really think of Phish as an "albums" band That said, I think that Picture of Nectar and Billy Breathes work very well.

I'm surprised to see such positive things about Fuego. I was psyched that I won the ticket lottery to see Phish do Halloween 2013 in Atlantic City and was pretty disappointed when they didn't cover an album, but played the new album Fuego instead. If it was good it probably could have changed my mood, but I only liked about half at most. I've since heard the actual studio recording and this didn't improve matters for me.

[Haruspex Carnage]

The odd song here and there i like in the sense of liking pop songs (Ghost, Farmhouse, Mound, etc.) and some of Junta is cool...but in general ugh...i don't think you could PAY me to see one of their live shows.

[Obscured]

Phish is a live band that releases studio recordings every now and then. Huge fan here. Seen them dozens of times. To me, they are more akin to the Dixie Dregs then the Dead. That's if the Dregs had jammed out their tunes in concert. Trey is a monster on guitar, but not enough is said about the rest of the band. Page on keys is not an Emerson or Wakeman, but can be compared to a T Lavitz (RIP) per se. Mike Gordon lays a solid bass line down and drives some fierce rhythms along with Jon Fishman on drums. Solid competent playing, different sets every night. I have been leaving live stream links to their current tour on the NP thread. Typically http://mixlr.com/phishfiend/ or http://mixlr.com/the-kush-bush/ or via hoodstream.com (yas-arakawa). Many people are more discouraged by their fan base or "lot" scene than they are in the band themselves I've found over the years. Whatever. So much life in the crowd. This is a talented lot whose lyrics bear a resemblance to early Yes or Genesis or Steely Dan. Quirky fun. They inducted Genesis into the RRHoF for what it's worth.

Audio of most recent set-

[noisynoise]

I dig Lawn Boy, Nectar and Rift as their proggiest output (Zappa and GG references abound), but Billy Breathes just has a great atmosphere that runs from beginning to end, I'd vote it their most solid studio album. None of their other studio output does it for me, i completely lost the plot at Farmhouse and never returned.

Incidentally, I saw them live in 1998 and had the WORST time because of the crowd, I had floor seats, but the whole area filled in with doped-up college kids (at least twice the capacity of the section). It detracted from the music and I couldn't wait to get out of there.

[Jeremy Bender]

Huge fan. I made the mistake of buying in to the "Meh, they're just Grateful Dead clones" thing, which since I'm not a Dead fan at all was a problem. As a result, I missed their 1992-1997 glory days (1994 being my favorite), it wasn't until I stumbled across the Bittersweet Motel documentary in 2003 during the first hiatus while channel surfing one night that I got in to them. Oddly enough, it was hearing this that hooked me, I just loved the guitar part and the lyrics:



I steadily got in to them, bought all the studio albums, got a ton of live stuff, seen them live 21 times. They absolutely have prog songs, stuff like The Divided Sky, David Bowie, Fluffhead, You Enjoy Myself and Esther (all from Junta) and stuff like The Curtain (With), Reba, Maze, It's Ice, Walls of the Cave and Time Turns Elastic. I really like their straight forward pop stuff, the ballads and the more metal-oriented stuff like Carini and Axilla. I love the songwriting, they're virtuoso players in a wide range of styles and the live shows can be transcendent.

Their studio albums can be spotty, especially compared to the live versions of some of the songs, but favorites are Junta, A Picture of Nectar, Billy Breathes and Joy.

I saw them on Saturday at the Fabulous Forum in Inglewood (soon to be adjacent to the Rams new stadium). It was a good show, my 21st, they played well, but the setlist kind of sagged in the middle of the first set and in the second set, just when Tweezer seemed like it was going to go someplace interesting, they cut it off to move on. The YEM encore was really nice.

[Scrotum Scissor]

I quite like Junta, Lawn, Nectar and Rift. Have to admit that I rarely listen to them anymore, though - and I usually took in just a few tunes at a time.

[spacefreak]

I've only kept "Junta"...

[flowerking]

95% of Phish fans probably won't recognize that they play prog material so no, I wouldn't count Phish as helping prog be more popular. And while Phish has a very loyal hardcore following, they aren't popular in the way that bands who are on the radio are popular. Phish' only radio-play song was Down with Disease. They just couldn't get a break to get on mainstream radio.

I've been a Phish fan since a friend of mine turned me on to them in 1993 or 94 (around the time of Rift). Junta is their most prog-oriented album and since then, many of their albums have some prog songs (Reba, Guyute, My Friend My Friend) or prog influenced songs, but not like Junta. But really, their non-record songs include a lot of prog - Punch You In The Eye, about half of Gamehenge (Lizards, Tela, Col Forbin>Mockingbird), Brother, Curtain, Harry Hood. Those are the real gems of the Phish catalog.

Favorite albums?
1. Junta
2. Lawn Boy
3. Rift
4. Billy Breathes

I haven't heard Fuego. I was disappointed by Joy in spite of the wonderful and long Time Turns Elastic. But I'll check out Fuego if someone is insisting its their best ever.

[chalkpie]

These olde bastages can still play apparently (although Trey fucks this one up like usual from the early days ). I love the instrumental interlewd in this one. 6:44 (and on) solo is taken directly from the FZ guitar solo vamp songbook, no?

[Facelift]

Huge fan.

I steadily got in to them, bought all the studio albums, got a ton of live stuff, seen them live 21 times. They absolutely have prog songs, stuff like The Divided Sky, David Bowie, Fluffhead, You Enjoy Myself and Esther (all from Junta) and stuff like The Curtain (With), Reba, Maze, It's Ice, Walls of the Cave and Time Turns Elastic. I really like their straight forward pop stuff, the ballads and the more metal-oriented stuff like Carini and Axilla. I love the songwriting, they're virtuoso players in a wide range of styles and the live shows can be transcendent.

Their studio albums can be spotty, especially compared to the live versions of some of the songs, but favorites are Junta, A Picture of Nectar, Billy Breathes and Joy.

They're good musicians... but "virtuoso players?" You heard their Genesis covers at the R&RHOF induction, right?

Although they used to play Peaches en Regalia in their early years, they mostly stopped when their popularity grew because they realized they couldn't do a very good job of it. Virtuosos can play anything. That said, I think Phish does a fine job within their own strengths.

[Plasmatopia]

I quite like Junta, Lawn, Nectar and Rift.

Those are the same four I'd list as my favorites, but then I haven't bothered seeking out their most recent albums. Saw them live a couple times. And I listened to those four albums (along with Hoist) quite a bit back in the '90s. I've moved on to other things. I respect their work and abilities, but it's just not where my tastes are at these days.

[Plasmatopia]

Phish' only radio-play song was Down with Disease. They just couldn't get a break to get on mainstream radio.

Before that was Chalk Dust Torture, no?

[Obscured]

Before that was Chalk Dust Torture, no?

"Free" had some airplay when "Billy Breathes" was released.

[Nador]

Thanks for all the tips, everyone. This discussion rules. So far I've checked out "Guyute" and "The Curtain" (both slay) and I'm reminded more than a little of Stephen Malkmus's epic solo stuff ~

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TajUFppxiVY

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O8UypOF6nSs

Never heard "Sleep" either (nice!) or that awesome cover of "Watcher of the Skies". Looking forward to checking out the rest of this when I have a second. Thanks again!