HOW WOULD YOU SUMMARIZE ONE YEAR OF PHISH IN ONLY A 74 OR 100 MINUTE PLAYLIST?
IT will be the fortieth anniversary of Phish's first gig in about forty-some-odd days. Over the course of Phish history, fans have often considered what Phish jams they would put on a 100-minute cassette “mixed tape” (aka mixtape) or a 74-minute CD (the Regular volume CD) or, more recently, on a playlist.
But what if that playlist were limited to only 74 minutes? Or 100 minutes? And what if instead of being a playlist of your favorite Phish jams, it was a playlist of what you believed to be tracks that best represented Phish's music and history in a given year over Phish's FORTY YEAR HISTORY OF PLAYING SHOWS?
On Rec.Music.Phish in January 1997, a friend mocked the idea of trying to summarize Phish history up until that time on only a handful of tapes. And so, as a person who sucked at the Phish, I decided to create five 100-minute mixed tapes containing 500 minutes of Phishtory (of Phish's music), and you can see their contents listed below.
The January 1997 RMP discussion thread about these five tapes may interest you (for context, recall that Phish.com didn't even launch until late 1996), but the key take-away for me in skimming it nearly 27 years later is that I didn’t actually do what my friend had suggested. As indicated in that thread, she (Kim H.) was thinking the tapes would summarize the history of Phish’s musical evolution, and not simply identify significant versions of specific songs or events in Phish history. (Imagine me, a man, not listening to a woman? Preposterous, I know!)
In any event, the impetus of the thread in January 1997 was to try to inspire people to indicate what they’d put on five 100 minute tapes summarizing Phish history through 1996. And then, in May 2000, a time when RMP was arguably dying as PhantasyTour grew exponentially (iirc), I posted the text of my original message from that January 1997 thread to RMP (again) in an effort to inspire fans to state what live Phish tracks they would put on a single CD (74 minutes) in order to capture the spirit of a particular year of Phish. You can still see that pathetic failure of a thread here on GoogleGroups. (Hopefully this post will generate a lot more Comments than that one did, lolz sigh.)
Links have been added below to make it more convenient for you to listen to items that may interest you. Also, where you see the use of ellipses before and/or after song titles, it means I cut the version in some way (usually preserving only the jam segment) to save minutes. Fwiw, I took some shit in the original 1997 thread for not including the must-hear Mrs. Pizza Shit 11/16/91 YEM in the tape with 1991 music on it. In hindsight, I think the criticism was justified, even though I explain in that thread that I didn’t include it because while I preferred 11/16/91’s YEM musically to the YEM I did put on the tape (below) i.e. 7/26/91, I put that 7/26/91 YEM on the tape because it was phistorically important: the Giant Country Horns played on it! That tour was obviously important in Phish history. And I didn’t have room to also put the 11/16/91 YEM on the 1991 tape, god damn it.
In addition to five 100-minute tapes of Phish that summarize particular years in Phish history, I also list below a 74-minute CD worth of material I compiled to summarize 1993. But note, please, that I purportedly didn’t take too much time to create the below mixes/lists (the five 100 minute tapes were created in early 1997, and the 1993 CD tracklist was created in May 2000), so don’t think for a second that they’re thorough or reasonable (never forget: I suck at Phish).
But the point was and still is (if you wish to engage in this exercise in the Comments) to try to make a tape or CD that best represents PHISH at a particular year in time (or years, or era)—their jamming style or styles, special events, whatever. To THINK HISTORICALLY in other words. This was not then and is not now 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 by fans. This project is really more of a "compile a CD of what you think best represents Phish in YEAR for the sake of Phish history" game, which is a 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.
So, that said, if you wanted to summarize a particular year of Phish in 74 (CD) or 100 minutes (TAPE), how would you do it?
For example, to summarize 2009, I’d start it with the Hampton Fluffhead naturally. I also might include the Star Spangled Banner from Fenway Park. Maybe the Jones Beach first-set-closing If I Could (a bust out at the time). The Camden Tweezer. Glory Days with Springsteen at Bonnaroo. The Red Rocks Undermind with Bill Kreutzmann. The Torn and Frayed or Loving Cup at Indio. And the Albany Seven Below Ghost. And something from the NYE run in Miami, like I guess the Back On The Train. Is that more than 100 minutes? Probably...
And, for another example, any list for 1998 that fails to include Terrapin Station from VA Beach arguably wouldn't reflect 1998's 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 of each other (!), Phish played the Hampton shows, which wound up becoming a *live* release, Phish covered Prince's 1999 on NYE, etc. You get it.
Tape One (1984-1989) (100 Minutes)
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 [SIC, 5/24/88; see notes, I had the mislabeled tape]
08/06/88 You Enjoy Myself > Cities > Dave's Energy Guide > Cities [SIC, 8/5/88, again I had the mislabeled tape]
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) (100 Minutes)
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! ;-) [THIS IS STILL ONE OF THE FUNNIEST THINGS I HAVE EVER HEARD.]
11/21/91 Mike's Song > I Am Hydrogen > Weekapaug Groove
12/31/91 ... Auld Lang Syne > Runaway ...
Tape Three (1992-1993) (100 Minutes)
03/06/92 Signals [aka "Secret Language Instructions"]
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) (100 Minutes)
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) (100 Minutes)
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
And here’s an example of a tracklist of a CD for 1993 that I created in May 2000:
CD (1993) (74 minutes)
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)
two cents,
charlie
p.s. In case it's not clear, when the 1984-1989 tape was created in January 1997, no recordings of Phish performances before 12/1/84 circulated. This is why 12/1/84 is the first show (a bit of) whose music is on that uh historical 1984-1989 summary tape.
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Phish.net
The Mockingbird Foundation
8/9 Tweezer
8/21 Bathtub Gin
8/22 Prince Caspian
12/31 No Men's In No Man's Land
A Tweezer has to be on here because of how great the song was in 2015. Gin and Caspian both embody the 2015 sound. NMINML is part of the new batch of songs we got in '15 and the 12/31 jam is a celebration of the entire year.
You Enjoy My Ghost?
Anyway, just to play along, here are a couple of passes:
1997
Song: 2/17/97 Carini
Why: Tiny European venue, deep exploratory jamming with a funk flavor that set the tone for the year, and
Length: About 10 minutes
Song: 3/1/97 Wolfman's
Why: identified by the band as a key moment by the SSP release; opens up the funk sound in a new way that would be audible in many jams throughout 97 and 98 especially and afterwards
Length: about 5 minutes
Song: 7/1/97 Ghost, from the "Back of the Worm" part
Why: This run and the Worm jamming are both legendary; Ghost was the song Phish used to conquer the world
Length: about 5 minutes
Song: 7/22/97 Taste
Why: legendary version; every version after affected by this
Length: oh, probably the whole 9 minutes, though I'm going to run out of time soon, won't I
Song: 7/29/97 Gumbo
Why: another jam that the band identified (in some interview? in the Phish Book?) as important for developing the free, open, arena style rock they played a lot that year. Paradigmatic funk jam.
Length: maybe 4-5 minutes
Song: 8/17/97 Gin
Why: Explosive jam from one of the best sets of the year at the event where Phish really established what a Phish Festival means; could easily replace with the glowstick Hood
Length: 4-5 minutes
Song: 11/13/97 Black Eyed Katy
Why: Shows how the funk influenced Phish's songwriting, and it's kind of the anthem for the fall
Length: 7 minutes
Song: 11/13/97 Weekapaug
Why: the ending is the first of the upping-the-ante tempo games Trey and Fish would play all tour; also an amazing beginning to a huge tour; could replace with something from 11/17 Wolfman's or 12/11 JBG or elsewhere
Length: 3 minutes
Song: 11/17/97 Ghost
Why: the band apparently listened to this on the tour bus for the rest of the Fall. It was the paradigmatic space funk jam, influenced everything else they played all fall, and is one of the truly legendary jams in Phishtory.
Length: 8 minutes maybe
Song: 11/22/97 Halley's
Why: The extended jam at the end is some of the most beautiful, meditative improv Phish has ever produced. It's subtle and profound and simple perfection to my ears. Not really funky, but shows a brand new space to which the funk could carry the band. From maybe the best 3 show weekend run the band ever played (counting 11/23 even though it's a a different venue). Could replace w/some of 11/21 Bag or 11/23 Gin.
Length: 6 minutes or so
Song: 11/29/97 Jim
Why: longest jam in Phish history! Also I'm tickled by the idea of the shortest track in this selection being taken from the longest jam
Length: 2 minutes (just the slide into the Paug jam)
Song: 12/6/97 Tweezabella; the last couple of minutes -> Izabella, some of the Izabella funk
Why: Arguably the culmination of the funk jams;
Length: 10 minutes
Song: 12/30/97 Carini -> BEK
Why: from the epic encore to the classic 12/30 show. Carinis bookending the whole selection seemed appropriate. The slowed-down BEK as a complement to the faster versions from the fall anticipates some directions the band would take in 98.
Length: 9 minutes
OK that's kind of close to 100 minutes.
1995
10/27 Runaway Jim
7/2 Divided Sky
12/31 Reba
10/14 Stash
6/26 DWD
10/31 YEM
Impossible tasks and I would be tempted go the route of fifty, two minute high level snippets (i.e. All In The Family tease during the Divided Sky quiet part 11/19/92.)
Quick hits.
Didn’t Trey say the Squirming Coil played during Halloween ‘90 was a band turning point? Read that in a Phish book ages ago.
No Amy’s Pharm 8/3/91?
5/17/92 Possum - Trey said it was the best they had done it up until that point.
Viva Phish
Song: 12/31/02 Piper
Why: Return from the hiatus; excellent, fiery jam with some elements that are typical of this era; it very obviously marks a new beginning for the band
Length: 15 minutes
Song: 1/2/03 46 Days
Why: The up tempo, rollicking funk jam is common in several other 2.0 improvisations--see 6/20/04 Drowned is the only one that springs to mind--with a strong acceleration jam
Time: 5 minutes
Song: 2/14/03 Bathtub Gin, blissy jam
Why: The first really magnificent improvisation post-hiatus, at least to my ears (though I am sort of a defender of the MSG / Hampton run); the climatic bliss jam is both wonderful in itself and anticipates a lot of the jamming of this year
Length: Let's say 8 minutes
Song: 2/16/03 Viper, jam near the end
Why: The calypso-style funk jamming is a fine representation of a style--Trey playing chords, funky rhythm behind him--that the band would revisit several times in the next couple of years; the 2.0 permutation of the funk, if you like; see 2/22/03 Tube, several YEMs, 2/26 Stash in part, several Pipers from the summer, the 7/18 DWD, and many other jams I'm sure; sort of similar in feel to the 1/2 46 Days but funkier and without as much of an acceleration jam
Length: 8 minutes
Song: 2/22/03 WOTC
Why: There are a lot of very fiery jams from this eras that are not very melodic but just rip into this hazy, wild space, especially coming from some of the Round Room songs; see, e.g., other versions of WotC, 2/20 Pebbles, and others I think; maybe even the 7/29/03 C&P has this feel?
Length: 8 minutes
Song: 2/28/03 Tweezer, bliss jam starting aroudn 14
Why: Similar in kind to the 2/14 Gin but probably better; one of the legendary jams in Phishtory, and the definitive 2.0 Tweezer
Length: 8 minutes
Song: 7/15/03 Mr Completely
Why: Idunno, it's really good, people really like it, I really like it, it's HOSE, it's the first time Phish played Mr C, but I don't really know
Length: 10 minutes maybe? I don't really know.
Song: 7/22/03 Gumbo
Why: The somewhat down-tempo bliss jam--I think people call it an "Oxy" jam--has something in common with the 2/14 Gin but opens up some new space; the 8/10/04 Birds will sound a lot like this in a more up-tempo way; definitely representative of a certain style
Length: Say 7 minutes around the end
Song: 7/25/03 Hood
Why: It's helpful to hear how they wove in an out of a melodic song like Hood in an era when they were playing a lot of shreddy hazy stuff; this is a VERY diverse jam, and i guess I mostly recommend the end for that reason. But the whole thing should be heard.
Length: 10 minutes
Song: 8/2/03 Waves, jam at the end
Why: That terrifying jam at the end captures something unique that you'd see here and there in jams, when they really went all-in for something SCARY; also good to have something representing IT. There was some other scary stuff that weekend too (DWD, 46 Days, e.g.; this is typical)
Length: 8 minutes
Song: 12/28/03 Suzy
Why: Shreddy heavy metal jam is another place the band would go sometimes those days
Length: 10 minutes
There's plenty more to include, but there's another stab at a year in 100 minutes. Not a list of the best jams, nor even something that represents the best tours, but I've tried to pick stuff that shows where the band was going that year.
So are you only using portions of songs? Just curious about your process and I like a lot of your selections. That 7/25 Hood is probably my all-time favorite (especially with that Bowie that followed), but it’s 29:34 and I see you have it listed at 10 minutes…are you choosing a certain portion? If so…how are you doing so?
@RappinForte said: