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Compiling Phish History on CDR

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Charles Dirksen

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May 7, 2000, 3:00:00 AM5/7/00
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Adam (ASZ...@aol.com) recently emailed me and asked about the "500
Minutes of Phishtory" post that I made four or so years ago. The idea
at that time was to compile -- as ludicrous as it sounds -- five 100
minute tapes that summarized Phishtory up through 12/31/95 (the idea
was Kim Hannula's, and though she mocked the whole notion of it, I ran
with it).

The five tapelists that I came up with appear below. I didn't spend a
lot of time compiling them and they could use improvement (to say the
least). Not only that, I could not compile these tapes at this time
even if I wanted to, because I do not have all of this stuff anymore
(having liquidated around 600 tapes in the last four years).

I'm sure most of you could and will come up with better ideas (please
post them to RMP, which you can do by simply emailing
r...@archive.phish.net). Maybe we can get something going that will
eventually wind up on disk, since that seems to be the medium of
choice these days for many serious traders (not me.. I still don't
have a burner!). Who knows, maybe the band might do something like
this one day and include our input.

If you only had say, 10 disks (74 mins each), how would you summarize
all of Phishtory on those discs? How would you summarize the period
or year of Phish that you are most knowledgeable about in only 74
minutes? Unless you have a better idea, maybe look at this in
these terms (all discs 74 mins):

Disc 1 = 1983-1988
Disc 2 = 1989-1990
Disc 3 = 1991-1992
Disc 4 = 1993
Disc 5 = 1994
Disc 6 = 1995
Disc 7 = 1996
Disc 8 = 1997
Disc 9 = 1998
Disc 10 = 1999

I'm going to keep track of any posts on this subject that get
Digestified. Then (assuming there's enough interest) eventually I'm
going to post a bunch of the suggested lists of material that really
would likely fit on a 74 min disk (IMO), and ask people to vote on
which one looks to them like the "best" historical representation for
the period or year of Phish represented. I give an example below of a
list for Disc 4 (1993). The winner of the contest will get a copy of
Tom Marshall's new "Amfibian Tales" CD, or, if they would prefer, some
other arrangement that won't cost me too much if any money. ;-)

You'll notice in the repost of the five 100 min tape lists (below)
that I used a lot of ellipses ("...") to represent fade-ins/outs, since I
wasn't really sure what would fit on a 100 minute tape. I also cut out
a lot of stuff I recall not wanting to cut, of course, like the
5/17/92 Possum, the 5/6/93 Tweezer, and multitudes of other really
excellently jammed versions of tunes.

But the point was (and still is) to try to make a tape that best
represented PHISH at that particular era of time -- their jamming
style or styles, special events, whatever. To THINK HISTORICALLY in
other words. This isn't simply a "compile a CD of what you think are
the best jams from a given year" game, although it is partly this
because, historically speaking, it is often the "best" jams of a given
year that get remembered.

It's really more of a "compile a CD of what you think best represents
Phish in 19XX for the sake of Phish history" -- which is a very
difficult task, since we all know that Phish is amazing and every year
there's a lot more than 74 minutes of amazing shit that goes on (for
example, any list for 1998 that doesn't include Terrapin from VA Beach
may not be reflecting 1998's arguably most important Phishtorical
event.. but this is of course ARGUABLE because many other historically
meaningful events occurred that year, e.g., Phish played the Fillmore
in SF and the Bridge Benefit, Phish played both LOADED *and* DARK SIDE
OF THE MOON within three days, the Hampton shows which wound up
becoming a *live* release, covering Prince's 1999 on NYE, etc.).

RIDICULOUS? Clearly. But amuse yourself. WHY is XX/XX/XX [Name of
Song] historically important?

***
***
(REPOST OF FIVE HUNDRED MINUTE TAPES OF PHISHTORY)
Tape One (1984-1989)

12/01/84 ... Scarlet Begonnias -> Fire (Hendrix) -> FOTM ...
10/30/85 Harry Hood (first version)
04/15/86 Prep School Hippie
12/06/86 Mike's Song > Little Drummer Boy > Whipping Post
08/21/87 Curtain > Slow "Rift" Jam
03/12/88 Tela
05/25/88 Harpua
08/06/88 You Enjoy Myself > Cities > Dave's Energy Guide > Cities
05/28/89 Sanity
10/20/89 Split Open and Melt
10/26/89 Fish's Gull Poem, No Dogs Allowed ...


Tape Two (1990-1991)

04/05/90 Tweezer
04/18/90 Jaegermeister
10/31/90 Reba
11/04/90 Manteca > Caravan > Manteca
12/28/90 Possum
04/11/91 Landlady > Destiny Unbound
04/27/91 Fluffhead
05/12/91 Antelope (E) (last song @ the Front)
07/21/91 Contact
07/26/91 ... You Enjoy Myself ...
10/28/91 Whipping Post (first Fish on fretless guitar! ;-)
11/21/91 Mike's Song > I Am Hydrogen > Weekapaug Groove
12/31/91 ... Auld Lang Syne > Runaway ...


Tape Three (1992-1993)

03/06/92 Signals
03/13/92 Antelope > BBFCFM > Antelope
04/18/92 Harry Hood
07/25/92 Funky Bitch (w/Carlos)
12/31/92 Mike's Song > Auld Lang Syne > Weekapaug Groove
02/03/93 Loving Cup
03/22/93 AC/DC Bag
05/08/93 ... Amazing Grace w/jam
08/13/93 ... Bathtub Gin ...
08/20/93 Slave
12/30/93 Mike's Song > Horse..
12/31/93 ... Auld Lang DWD Jam ...


Tape Four (1994)

04/04/94 Landlady
05/07/94 ... Sparks > Jam > Makisupa > Sweet Emotion ...
05/27/94 Possum
06/17/94 OJ Poor Heart
06/26/94 Kung, DWD (sweet version, btw)
07/08/94 McGrupp
10/08/94 Guyute
10/31/94 WMGGW
11/18/94 Sweet Baby's Arms
11/22/94 Funky Bitch > JAM ...
12/29/94 ... Bowie ...


Tape Five (1995-6)

05/16/95 Theme from the Bottom
06/26/95 ... DWD Jam > Free...
07/02/95 Camel Walk
10/31/95 5:15
11/14/95 ... Stash ...
11/25/95 ... Switching Instr. Jam ... (BRIEF!) (*@$)
12/09/95 ... YEM ...
12/29/95 ...Gin > Real Me > Gin
12/31/95 JBGoode (E)
06/06/96 AC/DC Bag
07/12/96 "Ska Groove"
08/17/96 Brother
10/31/96 ... Houses -> Seen And Not Seen ... (just the segue)
11/02/96 ... Crosseyed & Painless ... (Permagroove section)
11/29/96 ... Taste ... (just the jam)
12/06/96 ... Harpua ... (just the opening)
12/31/96 Harry Hood

Oh well. Kinda butchering those last tapes, eh? I can't do this..
I've spent almost two hours procrastinating.. blah.
You can do better, so DO IT!
***
***


Ok, the above lists were posted four years ago when it was still easy
to get 100 minute analog tapes and when most people traded analogs and
not CDRs. Now think of 74 minute discs. Here's an example of one for
1993 (if you decide to make up a disc or more, please give your
reasoning):

Disc 4 (1993)
02/03/93 Loving Cup (start of tour; Page on grand piano!)
02/03/93 ...YEM... (just the 'Water Your Team..' lyrics in the WUDMTF
segment, which is the only time to date that
Phish has sung something dramatically different
other than Wash Uffizi DMTF in YEM)
05/05/93 ...YEM... (10 or so minutes of the jam segment with ARU!)
05/08/93 Amazing Grace w/jam (end of tour; unusual, cool 'Grace jam)
08/13/93 Bathtub Gin (still legendary)
08/14/93 Antelope -> Have Mercy -> Antelope (representative of
Phish's 1993 jamming style)
12/30/93 ...Mike's Song (jam segment; still one of the finest)
12/31/93 Auld Lang Syne -> Down with Disease jam (first DWD jam; brings
in '94)

This is a lot more difficult than it looks.. Leaving out significant
jams and other historically important Phish events is tough.

two cents
charlie


Golgi1234

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May 7, 2000, 3:00:00 AM5/7/00
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charlie,

so great to see you back here!
i hope this goes somewhere :)

keep on groovin,
jamie

check out my cdr and tape list at:
http://www.geocities.com/SunsetStrip/Disco/4508/index.html

Dr Cobb

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May 8, 2000, 3:00:00 AM5/8/00
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I love this subject, thanks for posting. I'm afraid my listening hasn't been
nearly extensive enough to make a judgment worth anything about any years
except for 1995 (though I will say that there's lots of 1994 stuff that I've
heard that could easily make this list if it were played in these years, and
that the 10/8/99 Fee is, despite a vocal flub, a great little jam that anyone
thinking about a 1999 CD should seriously consider including). I also have
come to believe that 1995 is worth two discs: one which focuses on summer, and
another for the fall. It was just THAT GOOD a year, in my opinion. And the
improvisations were also especially long this year, which makes the second disc
almost a necessity.

I'd also like to state that I don't want to work from strictly historical
value, but will instead try to pick out moments of particularly inspired
playing that would make for excellent listening, and specifically, with
inspiring group improvisation. Thus, for instance, you'll see there's no
instrument switch jam from 11/21?/95 West Palm on my list. Clearly, it's
important, but to my ears, it's not interesting enough to put on a CD. I'm
also not fond of using TOO many out-takes from longer improvisations, but that
might not prove an option... we'll see.

Anyway, my discs:

1995 Discs

Disc I: Summer Tour (mostly)

1. 5/16/95: Reba

Clocks in around 18 minutes, I guess. This is just a great, great version of
this song, and definitely worht having. I think this could be one of those
things where I just include the jam segment, though, so we'll give it only 10
minutes or so.

2. 6/16/95 Walnut Creek: Runaway Jim -> Free

Right. First big jam of my set. The thing clocks in at 30+ minute, which
leaves me about another half hour worth of space. But both Jim and Free are
worth hearing, especially the mind-bending JAM out of Jim. I guess I could be
persuaded to leave off at the segue into Free, if I had to be, to cut it to 20+
minutes... Anyway, this heavily exploratory Jim is the first JAM that ever
emerged from Jim, and is good enough for anyone to hear.

3. 6/29/95 jones beach: David Bowie

An incredible, spacey Bowie with the greatest closing segment I've ever
heard. Fiddler-on-the-Roof-type quotations in the space, and incredible build
of tension. Certainly worth hearing, no question.

4. 6/22/95 Finger Lakes: ...Tweezer Jam -> Tweezer Reprise

The end of this is just SO GOOD; sounds like composed music, to my ears.
totally worth inclusion on any CD like this.

5. 7/1/95: Harry Hood

Best Hood of Summer 95, one of the best ever, featuring a wonderful,
creative jam and a HOT build. However, I'd probably be persuaded by anyone who
told me I should put the 10/7/95 Hood on here instead...

6. 10/31/95: Suzy Greenberg

Rocks better than any other Suzy, with an AWESOME performance by the horns and
a very funny lyrical flub. Sounds good to me.

Disc II: Fall Tour

1. 10/27/95: Julius

I know, everyone will want the Antelope from this show, and obviously it
belongs, but I'm so fond of the jam with an Antelope in it that I've included
later on this disc that I just can't do it. plus, this Julius absolutely ROCKS
(still my favorite version); it may be the first time they really tore this
song up. Great, spontaneous jam, hot Trey-driven group improv, in a very small
container. Good stuff.

2. 11/14/95: ...Stash -> Manetca...

The early part of this jam, where it's still very melodic, is my favorite.
Yes, there's a great argument for including the whole thing, but there's also a
great counter-argument: it's 45 minutes long. Take the jamming aorund the
Manteca and you've got something special.

3. 11/30/95: Tweezer -> Makisupa -> antelope

Prototypical gorgeous jam from this period. How hot is the Antelope? and the
remarkably climactic Tweezer jam, which, for my money, I prefer to 12/2/95?
And the tropical Makisupa, and sweet transitions... a lot of lost time, but
it's worth it.

4. 12/14/95: Halley's

Beautiful early Halley's jam, with fiery interaction all around. Must hear,
must be on this disc (around 10 minutes, so it leaves me some time, I hope)

5. 12/9/95: ...YEM...

Just the jam segment, starting up as Page's (splendid) piano solo starts fading
out. Just the best thing i've ever heard out of YEM, with one of Trey's
all-tme solos in a totally inspiring jam.

6. 12/31/95: ...Mike's Song

The end of this Mike's is the greatest playing I've ever heard from Phish,
period. Should adequately sum up evrything that's great about 1995, if
anything will.

so there's no Real Gin, which is a Real Shame, but I ran out of time... hope
you all enjoyed reading this list. There's jst TOO MUCH great stuff from this
era, and selections must be made. Were this released as a two disc set, I'd
buy it in a heartbeat. Feedback will be much appreciated...

Erik

5.


Kevin McCormack

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May 9, 2000, 3:00:00 AM5/9/00
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Wow - quite the challenge. I was a lurker back when Charlie made that
original post. Then again, I'm pretty much a lurker (or a digester) now, so
I guess much hasn't changed. Threads like these could go on forever with
people arguing back and forth over what should go on one disc that has to
represent an entire year, but that's half the fun. I'm really not qualified
to even guess at the majority of years in Phishistory, so I will limit my
recommendations to the years that I feel semi-qualified to answer. Please
keep in mind that I have no idea as to the exact times of the selections I
am going to choose, so each 74 minute disk is just a rough guess - all the
selections may not fit.

>Disc 6 = 1995

All of 12/31/95, disc 3 (just kidding, i have no idea for '95)

>Disc 7 = 1996

04/26/96 - Cars Trucks Buses
08/02/96 - Somewhere Over the Rainbow
08/06/96 - Harry Hood...
08/16/96 - Down With Disease
10/31/96 - Crosseyed and Painless
12/06/96 - ...Mike's > Simple > Hood > Weekapaug
12/31/96 - Also Sprach Zarathustra
12/31/96 - Bohemian Rhapsody

I tried in vain to include something from the first real Europe tour, but
couldn't really think of anything offhand - maybe the Amsterdam Gin? (NO!)
The 4/26/96 CTB is in there to commemorate the JazzFest appearance, as well
as Page's first(?) contribution of an original tune. The Somewhere Over the
Rainbow was a tossup, but the Theremin was too original and short-lived to
forget about. Due to time restrictions, I would only include the beginning
of the Hood, with the first appearance of the "Hood!" chant during the
verse. Love it or hate it, it's a pretty big moment in Phishistory. There
has to be something from Clifford Ball - the first huge festival - and the
DWD is one of my favorites. The 10/31/96 C&P is a no-brainer. The
influence that this album had on Phish's musical evolution throughout '97
and '98 is obvious, so something had to be included from this set. C&P has
stuck in the setlists since this show, so it gets the nod. (a quick side
note - listen to this version of C&P and then listen to the Big Cypress
version - I wish Fishman still did that manaical assult on the cowbell like
he does in this 'ween version) The 12/6/96 Mike's Groove is great, but
again, due to time restrictions, I would only include the last few minutes
of the Mike's jam. The 12/31/96 2001 is still one of my favorites, and it
set the tone for the funk that was to come in '97. Bohemian Rhapsody is
just a classic cover - I wish I had been there. This disc is waaay over
length. This is f'n hard. :-)

>Disc 8 = 1997

03/01/97 - Wolfman's Brother
07/21/97 - Bathtub Gin
08/17/97 - "Art Jam"
11/17/97 - Ghost
11/22/97 - Halley's Comet > ... Black Eyed Katy


Wow - and I thought '96 was hard! So much is missing from this disc, and
it's still WAAAY over 74 minutes. I left out the Went Gin, the Went Hood,
the 11/22/97 Mike's Groove, the 12/06/97 Tweezer -> Izabella, and numerous
fall Tubes. I left out an insane amount of stuff from the Summer Europe and
Summer US tours. If any year needs two cds, it's 1997. The 3/1/97
Wolfman's can't be ignored. The premiere of Mike's Modulus is just to
important to forget, and the jam is just the perfect catalyst for the
funk-filled year of 1997. Leaving it out would be a crime. The 7/21/97
Gin, while not as musically astounding as the Went Gin for sure, has the
great "wormtown" jam towards the end, and gives the disc a little bit of the
Europe flavor with the "back of the worm" talk. It also has a feeling of
triumphant return to the states, as if the band knows what a tear they are
on and their excitement shines through. The "Art Jam" is the nod to the
Great Went - a really cool part of the show that shows the interaction
between the band and its audience. What can be said about the 11/17/97
Ghost? If you haven't heard it, drop whatever you are doing and head to
your nearest modem and set up a trade for this show. This Ghost is so
perfect, so astounding, that it is one of the only jams that makes my eyes
water on a regular basis. The epitome of fall 1997. I think the Halley's
and Black Eyed Katy speak for themselves. I left out the Tweezer (although
it's great) for time considerations, but I think Halley's has to be included
if the 1997 disc is to have any validity.

>Disc 9 = 1998

04/03/98 - Piper > Loving Cup
06/30/98 - Moma Dance (debut)
08/01/98 - Ramble On
08/09/98 - Terrapin Station
08/15/98 - ... Ambient Jam ...
10/03/98 - Down By the River ...
10/18/98 - Guyute
10/31/98 - Rock and Roll
11/02/98 - The Great Gig in the Sky
11/20/98 - Quinn the Eskimo

1998 probably has more real "Phishistory" moments than any year in recent
memory, with the first US "Spring Tour" in a while, the Fillmore show, the
acoustic Bridge Street Benefit shows, FarmAid and cover song craziness
throughout the entire year. I tried to pick selections that represent all
of these, hence the great Piper > Locing Cup for the Island Tour. The Moma
Dance debut is hilarious, with Trey teaching the crowd how to do the dance
on the tapes. I choose to include it not only to mark the Summer '98 Europe
tour, but also as a nod to the Story of the Ghost album that came out in '98
(wow, was that already two years ago?). The Ramble On is meant to
commemerate the various covers throughout the summer. I was going to choose
Sexual Healing or Sabotage, but, well, I was there for the Ramble On, so
it's a selfish choice. Ther Terrapin Station is really to important and
memorable to ignore, and I put it on this disc in place of anything from the
Fillmore show, although that show is arguably as important and memorable as
this one encore. Take any part of the Ambient Jam from the Lemonwheel and
use it to fill up any remaining time on this disc after the other selections
- the whole thing is good. Farm Aid has to be on there for the
collaboration with Neil Young, so put part of the Down By The River jam on
there, but fade it out after a bit to save time. The acoustic Guyute from
the Bridge Street shows is pretty funny but also executed really well.

>Disc 10 = 1999

7/24/99 - The Mango Song
7/25/99 - Birds of a Feather > Walk Away
7/31/99 - Get Back on the Train
9/18/99 - Boogie On
1/1/00 - Heavy Things
1/1/00 - Sand > Quadrophonic Topplings

Let's face it - any CD that purports to contain the best of 1999 is going to
be dominated by stuff from Big Cypress. You could fill a disc with "best
of" caliber stuff by randomly pointing to the setlist from New Year's Eve.
To be fair to the rest of the year, I'm going to limit my Big Cypress
selections to one: the Sand > Quadrophonic Topplings. If you don't know
why, listen to it. I'm sure I'll get a thousand e-mails after I post this
telling me how bad the Mango Song
from '99 Alpine was - I know this ... it was even worse in person. That's
exactly my point. In my opinion, '99 was the year of sloppy playing
interspersed with many points of brilliance. Any CD that is trying to be
representative of this year and doesn't include something like this is
lacking a crucial representative element. At the same time, although the
composed part is sloppy as hell, Trey makes a nice recovery at the end and
turns it into a great jam, which makes it even more suitable for inclusion.
The Deer Creek BOAF > Walk Away is another must hear jam, jaw droppingly
good in my opinion. At one time it sounds like they are about to take it
into I Know You Rider, before Trey starts shredding the Walk Away chords.
The Japan shows have to be in here, and GBOTT also serves as recognition of
the new batch of Trey tour songs that were all over the '99 setlists. If
you haven't heard the Chula Vista Boogie On, it's another must-hear jam.
And, of course, how could one sum up 1999 without including Heavy Things?
The representation of all that is evil in the Phish scene for some, a great
songs to to others, it should be included.

Ok, I realize I cheated on most of these discs and went over 74 minutes, but
it's nearly impossibly to hold it to that short amount of time. Ask me net
week and most of these discs will have changed significantly, but this
should be a decent start. By all means, please argue the hell out of this
and tell me why I am completely wrong - that's what it's here for.

Regards,
Kevin
________________________________________________________________________
Get Your Private, Free E-mail from MSN Hotmail at http://www.hotmail.com


Jason Back

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May 9, 2000, 3:00:00 AM5/9/00
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Okay, well, here goes:

~1997~
3.1.97 Down With Disease
7.6.97 MMMBop
7.23.97 Ghost
7.30.97 David Bowie-> Cities-> David Bowie
8.13.97 Gumbo
8.17.97 Bathtub Gin
11.17.97 Johnny B. Goode-> Space Jam-> Jesus Just Left Chicago
11.19.97 Also Sprach Zarathustra
11.26.97 CAVERN
12.6.97 Tweezer-> Izabella-> Twist Around <40 mins>
12.7.97 Tube>Jam
12.29.97 Possum-> I Can't Turn You Loose-> Possum
12.30.97 AC/DC Bag
12.30.97 Carini-> Black-Eyed Katy-> Sneakin'Sally Through the Alley-> Frankenstein

1997 was a landmark year and, as a result, there's no way that it can all be summarized on one disc. Too much is too good. 12/6 is definitely among my favourite shows that I've seen. The 11/26 Cavern is amazing and any fans of cavern who haven't heard this really should.

~1998~
4.3.98 Roses are Free
4.5.98 Possum -> Cavern
6.30.98 Mike Banter
7.6.98 AC/DC Bag -> Ghost -> Cities
8.1.98 Also Sprach Zarathustra -> Magilla -> Also Sprach Zarathustra
8.9.98 Terrapin Station
8.12.98 Ramble On
8.16.98 Wilson
10.30.98 Stash -> Manteca
11.2.98 Money
11.11.98 Halley's Comet
11.27.98 Chalk Dust Torture -> Mirror in the Bathroom -> Chalk Dust Torture ->
Dog Log -> Chalk Dust Torture
12.29.98 Rock & Roll
12.31.98 1999
12.31.98 Antelope

Well, that's my list for '98. Narrow it down as you will. '98 wasn't such a strong year, but the 11/11 Halley's, which is about 25 mins as I recall, is phenomenal. I also LOVE the Lemonwheel Wilson with that ambient section in the middle and the 4.5.98 Possum>Funk Jam>Cavern is also must-hear.

~1999~
6.30.99 Maze
7.1.99 Back on the Train
7.12.99 Foreplay/Long Time
7.13.99 Roses are Free -> NO2
7.18.99 Wilson -> Catapult -> Icculus
7.24.99 Alumni Blues
7.25.99 Birds of a Feather > Walk Away
9.9.99 Free Thought
9.17.99 You Enjoy Myself
9.18.99 Boogie on Reggae Woman
10.2.99 PIPER
10.9.99 2001 <epic>
12.11.99 Possum
12.30.99 Light up or leave me alone
12.30.99 Mike's Song
12.31.99 SOAM -> Catapult
12.31.99 After Midnight
12.31.99 Rock and Roll
12.31.99 Crosseyed & Painless
12.31.99 Sand>QT
12.31.99 Drowned> After Midnight Reprise


THOUGHTS?? E-mail me! Peace, love & see you all on tour
( Holmdel>Polaris :D )


~Jason~

------------------------------------------------------------
Free Email @ YourMom.com!
http://www.yourmom.com/

Leminkinen

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May 9, 2000, 3:00:00 AM5/9/00
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12-15-99 suzy....
I though this song was boring and dead till they shook down mci with it...

-Neale

cdel...@mindspring.com

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May 9, 2000, 3:00:00 AM5/9/00
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I always love these threads!

Some comments, and then my opinions:

> 1. 10/27/95: Julius

Agreed that this Julius rips...my second favorite ever behind Winston-Salem from Fall, 1997. Although "the most recent Julius you've heard is your favorite ever" does still apply ;^) I've NEVER heard a bad Julius. Ever.

Now, I know it's hard because we're limited on space but...

> 04/26/96 - Cars Trucks Buses

Why doesn't anyone but me find the YEM -> Wolfman's Brother from this show amazing? I think it's a great moment in Phishtory. I mean, here the boys are, running through a YEM vocal jam at Jazzfest when they break into an a capella Wolfman's, and then segue into the actual song! I know Wolfman's didn't open up to jams until the '96 NYE Run but this one is the first really INTERESTING version, and it is further proof that these guys can, from a musical standpoint, do just about anything.

> 08/06/96 - Harry Hood...
> 08/16/96 - Down With Disease

I've got to through a mention of my favorite Reba out there, 8/14/96 Hershey Set I. I've told this story a ton of times while arguing the greatness of this show, but here goes again...

There was a small child on his parents' shoulders right in front of the stage. Trey *seemed* (I say seemed because I'll never know for sure but it sure as hell looked that way) to catch this child's eye and play the Reba jam for him. And this jam built so slowly and delicately. I can't say enough about the Reba musically, but it was an awesome sight to see as well.

> 10/31/96 - Crosseyed and Painless

Thank you for going with the Halloween '96 Crosseyed instead of West Palm!! Yes, West Palm (11/2/96) stretched out there for a loooong time but, after a few listens, I lost interest in it.

> I tried in vain to include something from the first real
> Europe tour, but couldn't really think of anything offhand
> - maybe the Amsterdam Gin? (NO!)

Maybe a Train Song. It's short enough to not cause any time constraints.

> (a quick side note - listen to this version of C&P and then
> listen to the Big Cypress version - I wish Fishman still did
> that manaical assult on the cowbell like he does in this 'ween
> version)

I think that was Karl Perazzo on the auxilliary percussion and not Fishman on cowbell, which may be why.

Now, most people have left off 1992 and 1993, so here goes (dedicated to all those fans who still listen to tapes of shows that took place before 1997 ;^)

1992:

3/6/92 Rift, Language Instructions
First ever Rift, as Phish reworked a song that sat on the shelf for quite a while. Pretty important historically, as it shows that even shelved songs aren't dead. And the first Language Instructions...

5/17/92 Possum
Fast forward to one hell of a Possum, with a bunch of language signals and a ton of teases. Thanks to Kevin Shapiro for making this available via an Archives radio broadcast!

3/13/92 Antelope > BBFCFM > Antelope
Needs no explanation...

3/26/92 Harpua
Gotta have a Harpua somewhere, and this one is good. Tons of silliness in the Brazilian rain forest, and the entire band gets involved. Also, Trey foreshadows (unintentionally) the Clifford Ball, over four years before it actually happened...

5/2/92 Bowie
Great overall show, but this Bowie (w/ signals and the rare Crew Football Theme Song) stands out.

6/19/92 Landlady
First ever song the band played on European soil.

7/11/92 Cavern -> Vac Solo -> Cavern
From the first HORDE tour, which is pretty historical. Gotta give Fishman his moment, too!

7/25/92 YEM
Believe it.

12/30/92 TMWSIY > Avenu > TMWSIY
Stage banter, as the venues are still small.

12/31/92 Mike’s > Auld Lang Syne > Weekapaug
First ever Mike's > Nonhydrogen > Weekapaug.


For 1993:

2/3/93 Loving Cup
First with Page's baby grand.

2/20/93 Tweezer
I hate this show (sorry!) but it deserves a spot in Phishtory.

2/21/93 GTBT
The band shows us that they can completely fuck with songs they never fuck with, as they give us a bluegrass version with Jeff Mosier.

3/22/93 ...Ice -> Lizards (Gamehendge!)
What fans had been waiting for...

4/14/93 YEM -> Spooky Jam -> YEM
Serious jamming.

5/5/93 My Friend -> Manteca > My Friend
Once again, screwing with a song that is usually constant.

8/6/93 Slave
The Breakout to end all Breakouts.

8/11/93 MSO
Wow! One of the funniest things I've ever heard Phish do.

8/13/93 Gin
The granddaddy of the monster jams.

8/28/93 Oye Como Va Jam
Just the thirty second snippet from this YEM to show folks what Oye Como Va really sounds like.

12/30/93 2001 -> Mike’s Song
Sheer jamming glory in the Mike's, while this 2001 (which winds into nicely) represents the song's debut from earlier in the year.

If you've read this far and you're looking for analogs of shows, I'm still liquidating a good portion of my collection. Email me for details.

Craig


WSPanic TG

unread,
May 9, 2000, 3:00:00 AM5/9/00
to
11/26/97 remains, to this day, one of my favorite shows of all time, and I feel
it is extremely underrated. However, I dont feel this cavern is that great.
You want a mindblowing cavern, witht he alternate lyrics, go for 4/5/98...MUCH
better.

As for 11/26/97, im surprised you wouldnt include the MINDBLOWING char
zero>2001>cities>yamar that opened the second set...best 2001 ever in my
opinion..check out the groove they get going.


TG
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
"Bring me Jesus!! My wrath will continue until I speak to Jesus! --South Park

Save Me Jebus!

unread,
May 9, 2000, 3:00:00 AM5/9/00
to
Well, I've been thinking about this thread today and I wanted to put
forth some suggestions, not just of songs from each year, but of stuff
that really emphasizes the character of that year or period. Certain
years I couldn't possibly comment on because I don't have that many
shows of them...

93: August, SOAMelts, don't know too much about 93...

94: Summer = High energy shows, lots of craziness. I'd include the
Antelope from 7-16, the Scent from 6-11, maybe the Mikes>Simple>
Catapault from 6-22
Fall = Tweezer! Bowie! You have to have a Bowie from this period,
and maybe take a section of the Bozeman Tweezer as well. Have to include
something from 10-31, maybe Revolution #9...

95: Summer = Not too sure, I don't have many, Jeremy???I know you love
summer 95...
Fall = Hose jams, group improv. 12-9 YEM, 12-2 Tweezer, 10-27
Bowie, 11-14 Stash> Manteca, 12-31 Drowned...this is tough to pick from

96: Don't have much, but C&P from 10-31 enters my mind, as well as the
wolfmans from Jazzfest

97: Europe is too damn tough to pick from, but the funk was the key
point of emphasis all year long. It would be wrong to just include the
"best" jams without including what made this year special.
Summer(US): 7-23 Ghost, 7-29 Gumbo, 8-17 Gin, 8-3 Twist> JJLC
Fall: 12-29 Tube, 12-7 Psycho Killer, 11-17 JBG >Jam, 12-12 Funky
Bitch

98: Spacey jams and great covers are the themes I always got from 98.
Summer: 4-3 Carini>Halleys, 6-30 Moma, 7-2 Ghost, 8-1 Ramble On,
8-7 Forbin> Mockingbird, 8-8 Sweet Jane, 8-9 Terrapin station, 8-12
Burnin Down The house
Fall: 10-30 Long Cool Woman, 11-2 Brain Damage> Eclipse, 11-8 Paul
& Silas, 11-20 Quinn, 11-21 Mike's> Simple, 12-31 While My Guitar Gently
Weeps

I'll stop there and leave 99 up to others...This is so hard to do, I'm
sure my picks and sugegstions came up more than a little bit short, but
I tried...

Peace,
Jeff
--
"You told me once that you always liked cleaning my kitchen
wearing nothing but a tool belt and a 9 iron, toothpick, and a paper
clip" - Alan Yang


Sent via Deja.com http://www.deja.com/
Before you buy.

Tom Rugg

unread,
May 9, 2000, 3:00:00 AM5/9/00
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Nice list, Eric, but how could you consider dropping out the main lyric
segment of Reba? Now I have alyways been into Phish for the jams, don't get
me wrong here...but to cut the lyrics from such an iteresting lyrical piece
as Reba is totally inane. Now space on a CD is a concern, but maybe we
could stretch it to 3 discs here, and add a little something like this:

1. 12/4/95 II opening 3 tunes whish will bring balance to the jam songs.
Timber (Jerry), Sparkle, Ya Mar (@25 min total) all HOT versions, I have yet
to see this disc in circulation (GROVEL, GROVEL). 95 needs a Timber Ho!
and Sp, Ya Mar express the FUN TIME at PH shows.

2. I know you mentioned it, because it needs to be there. 12/29/95 II's
Bathtub Gin-> The Real Me-> Bathtub Gin (24 min). Quite simply one of my
favorite PH jams EVER.

3. More 12/29/95 here, DWD (8 min) is brief compared to the spaciness of
late but so FULL OF LIFE, a notch below 12/31/99 but so aren't many versions
of PH songs.

4. 12/12/95 Divided Sky (@12min). Well Ya Mar merely warmed me up to the
sound at my first show, but from the onset of this version of % Sky, I was
hooked. Nice.

5. There's no room left for a 5! Maybe someone can come up with a disc 4
of any hot versions of songs (No Fluff, No Week) not covered...


----- Original Message -----

Date: Mon, 8 May 2000 16:24:40 GMT
From: Dr Cobb <drc...@aol.comantony>
Subject: Re: Compiling Phish History on CDR

1. 5/16/95: Reba

5. 7/1/95: Harry Hood

6. 10/31/95: Suzy Greenberg

Disc II: Fall Tour

1. 10/27/95: Julius

4. 12/14/95: Halley's

5. 12/9/95: ...YEM...


>
****************************************************************************
********


Justin Garcia

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May 9, 2000, 3:00:00 AM5/9/00
to
>Although "the most recent Julius you've heard is your favorite ever" does
still apply ;^) I've NEVER heard a bad Julius. Ever.

I had to chime in here..... Deer Creek '99..... (in comic-guy voice),"Worst
Julius Ever"

AJW and MDG

unread,
May 9, 2000, 3:00:00 AM5/9/00
to
As a relatively new phan, I won't presume to suggest individual selections
for the compilation, but I do have a comment on organizing the project.

You can't do it!!

Not in one set of CD's anyway.

It seems to me that you need a minimum of two coherent sets of CD's to do
justice to Phishtory.

Set up the first set along the lines suggested by Charlie:

>But the point was (and still is) to try to make a tape that best
>represented PHISH at that particular era of time -- their jamming
>style or styles, special events, whatever. To THINK HISTORICALLY in
>other words. This isn't simply a "compile a CD of what you think are
>the best jams from a given year" game, although it is partly this
>because, historically speaking, it is often the "best" jams of a given
>year that get remembered.

For me though, this Historical set should be more focused on "special
events" (unique venues, special guests, moments of unique band-audience
interaction etc), rather than even, *gasp* THE MUSIC.

The problem with this approach though, obviously, is that you would have to
make too many sacrifices, particularly by cutting out seminal versions of
individual songs/jams that aren't necessarily "historical" otherwise.

This is where the second set comes in. The second set might be called "The
Songs", or something to that effect (but not necessarily so cheesy!!).
Anyway, the idea here would be to pick out "THE" most phantastical version
of the 20 (30,40??) most important Phish songs, without regard to the year
in which they were played. That's it, one song, one track.

With these two sets, "Moments in Phishtory", and "The Songs", I think you
would have a pretty good idea of what Phish were/are about.

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