(Published on the legacy Phish.net site many years ago...)

I've been listening to this show for a LONG time, and it has emerged as one of my favorites. I'm a BIG fan of the July 91 tour with the Giant Country Horns. Many complained of repetitive setlists, but the horns REALLY brought out a serious aspect in Phish's music, not to mention the amazing abilities of Carl Gerhard, Dave Grippo, and Russell Remington...those guys tear some serious solos. Anyway, IMO, this show is amazing, and should be heard by EVERYONE. It contains some VERY strong playing, and showcases Phish way ahead of thier time. It's also one of the cleanest performances by the horn section. VERY tight, and very inspired. I'd REALLY like to spread this tape. My copy is an Audience recording, and I'm DYING to find a Soundboard. Matt King gave me this show a LONG time ago...thanks...now who's got my upgrade? Read on...

Phish: 7-19-91 Somerville Theater NH

I: Golgi, Landlady, Bouncin', David Bowie, Fee Cavern, You Enjoy Myself, Gumbo, Touch Me

II: Suzie Greenberg, Divided Sky, I Didn't Know, My Sweet One, Magilla, Tweezer, Mango Song, BBFCFM, Lawn Boy, Runaway Jim

E: Frankenstien

Golgi: Back in the day, when Phish didn't have as many tunes, this song was cool. It's still cool now. The horns add a little to this tune, but it basically serves as a warm up for both the band and the horns. It's nicely played on my tape. I wouldn't go crazy about it though.

Landlady: This tune serves up some of the best playing in the band. This composition is fiery, and with the horns, it BURNS. In this particular version, Gerhard tears the roof off the joint. Grippo absolutely rips also. It's nice to hear these guys blow over the changes. Page lays it down, and all is well. You hafta hear this. I think this is great music. Many shall agree.

Bouncin' : Surprisingly not a throw away. The boys must enjoy playing this tune immensely. This version has some energy that I think others lack. Perhaps that's why I dislike the song. The band could play it in their sleep, and perhaps that's why it's been really blah. This version has some intensity in the vocals, and the tempo isn't lethargic. It's nice, and it flows well into...

Bowie: How many have heard Bowie with the horns? Put your hands down...it wasn't featured much on the tour. This version is awesome with the horns supporting the band heavily on the composed section. The jam is straight Phish, sans horns, and is jammed nicely, although there is a bit of a hiccup right before the push to the end. The trills and whatnot are clean as piss, and the horns cap the song as well. Great version...if not for the jamming then at least for the addition of the horns.

Fee: This may have been the low point of the set. This tune WAS lethargic, and there was very little intensity. You can tell it was popular at the time, because the crowd is singing at THE TOP OF THEIR LUNGS. What's this??? Dave Matthews Concert?? Forget it.

Cavern: Is funky and Gerhard has some fun ripping that lick at the end. C'mon admit it..it's cool. I enjoy this tune with the horns, and recently it has been a bit more laid back. This version while strong is comparable to the rest of the Caverns on the tour.

YEM: Is where things get interesting. The opening composed section is tight, although Trey has some problems hitting "The Note". Oh well, he managed to jam around it pretty nicely. When the Gmin7 to C9 jam starts, the horns add this PHAAAT lick. It adds a nice bit of flare. Charlie should try and review this YEM, I'd be interested as to what he has to say about it. (hint) Anyway, about halfway through after Page rips his solo, Trey starts his bit, and sinks into a Frankenstien tease. It's a bit more than a tease, but not the whole tune ala 7-8-94. Phish ahead of it's time. Before the 7-8-94 there was 7-19-91. The jam ends with the horns helping Mike take it home, and some Maceo Parker teases (sorry..don't know the name of the tune). The vocal jam is like summer 97 (phish ahead of it's time) with the Wash Uffizi's placed between solos and fills from Fish. Nice vocal jam. Nice YEM. Thank you Cleveland.

Gumbo: Tears pretty fierce. The tempo is up in this version, so it lends itself nicely to jamming and hornspeak. This chart is made by the horns. While it can jam without it...it's akin to Suzie...once you hear it with the horns, you never hear it the same way again. Check this version out.

Touch Me: Fish at his best. What more can I say. The set closes in style with Trey telling everyone to stick around because they are showing the Esther video during setbreak. Cool first set, with a YEM not to be missed. Dirk...you got anything to say about that?

Set II:

Suzie: Well, there are no crazy antics in this one, but some bad ass plying from the horns and the Page. Gerhard nails every high "E". That's cool. Carl you are a great player...and a very cool guy taboot. Thanks for everything

Divided Sky: IMO, this is THE Divided Sky of all time. My favorite of all time. The horns...I'll say it again...bring out a flair so that the music just explodes!! The 15/8 section where the chords rise and Page rises is amazing, for the lone fact that the horns rise right with him, and it feels sooo good when Trey hits that melody, which is a fine example of the compostional ability of these guys. Simply amazing. I've used this version of DS as Philler, and it has been received very favorable. Get this.

I Didn't Know: Well, if nothing else, it gives the horns a rest, and showcases the *very* strong singing ability of the band.

MSO: Things getting a bit dull...I love this tune for the "And if your dog or cat ever dies I'll buy you a Ewe" line.

Magilla: Holy Shit...this is some serious fun. From Carl's Up On the Housetop tease to the trading solos between Fish and the Horns. This version is my all time favorite. It's just fun. And there is some great playing. God I love this show.

Tweezer: Is still evolving, but played nicely with the horns. The ending is kinda cool with the descending chromatic licks. I like it...although I've never been a serious Tweezer Freak...this version is very pleasing to my ears.

Mango Song: Huh? Wierd placement if you ask me, but it still is a great tune. Nicely played.

BBFCFM: With horn intros is funny. Each horn player gets to go on a little tirade when he is announced. I like all of them, not to mention the chaos that a BBFCFM brings...add horns and you have some sensory overload. One-Two-Three-Four.

Lawn Boy: Mmmm....Page sings loungy style. He cracks me up. For musical content, again check out Carl Gerhard's solo. You go Miles.

Runaway Jim: Is a nice set closer, but the Frankencore reeks of power. Such a fun show. And well, my favorite horn show ever. It's a great show. Now who has the DAT so I can get a Phatty copy and tree it? I could listen to the show forever.

Anyway Folks...If y'all are interested in obtaining this tape, drop me a line. If you have a nice copy of the show..please let me know. I have plenty to trade. Either way, I'm going to do a big horn show offer soon, especially trying to get the 7-18-91 show out a bit. It's pretty rare, but has some nice moments. Thanks for reading, and I'd appreciate some feedback on this. Again, if you are interested in obtaining a copy of the show...drop me a line...let me know why. Charlie...get cracking on that YEM.

Bye Ryan

Keeping in the birthday show dedication (see 11/16/90), propellor man was at it again by getting the boys to pay homage to our friend Jim on his birthday. I did notice that my unfriendly Tom slipped a note to Andy...i thinAsia was Andy...while we were waiting in line to enter the show. We settled into the front row of the balcony, our usual spot for shows at Somerville, and we're treated to a great show.

For context, Jim's father had always slurred his words a bit and whenever he called for Jim it always sounded like "Yimmy". Yim and Yimmy just stck with us and Jim was forever Yim.

Listen close. They boys change the lyrics from Runaway Jim to Runaway Yim.

Thanks guys

(Published in the second edition of The Phish Companion...)

I've been listening to this show for a long time, and it has emerged as one of my favorites. I'm a huge fan of the July `91 tour with the Giant Country Horns. Many complained of repetitive setlists, but the horns really brought out a serious aspect in Phish's music, not to mention the amazing abilities of Carl Gerhard, Dave Grippo, and Russell Remington"...those guys tear some serious solos. In my opinion, this show is amazing and should be heard by everyone. It contains some very strong playing and showcases Phish way ahead of their time. It's also one of the cleanest performances by the horn section -  very tight, and very inspired.
Highlights of this show include a fiery "Landlady" with some gorgeous solos by all participants, and a "David Bowie" that sears with the often-unheard horn parts. The "YEM" from this show is also very well played. The second set, however, was one of the best of the Summer `91 tour. It opens with a searing "Suzie", which drops into one of the best versions of "Divided Sky" ever played, then a jazzy "Magilla" with some interesting holiday teases, and a very humorous "BBFCFM". The "Lawn Boy" and "Frankenstein" encore finish the show in style. It's arguably the best show of the GCH tour. I'd say it's required listening.

dSBD official LivePhish Release.

Golgi opens the show and features the GCH for the first time! Well played Bowie with a cool Jeopardy tease. The GCH sit out for the first Fee of the tour. Nice Page solo in Coil. Smooth transition into YEM. Decent jam section. The VJ features a little trumpet solo. Trey introduces the members of the GCH at the end of Gumbo. He includes Henrietta as the forth member of the GCH on trombone. Henrietta takes a little solo before the band segues into Touch Me. Afterwards Page mentions that they’ll be screening the Esther video in between sets.

Set 2 kicks off with Suzy. Trey introduces the GCH as “GCH”. Well played Sky. Mimi Fishman joins Fish on stage for a little vac solo during I Didn’t Know. Great Tweezer! Grippo takes a nice extended solo before the Uncle Ebeneezer verse. The first Mango of the tour is up next and features the newly reworked mid-section. Grippo adds his talents to the closing section. They pair this up with a fun BBFCFM set closer. Lawn Boy sounds great with the trumpet. Runaway Yim? I wonder what the backstory is on that?

I admittedly haven't listened to a ton of summer '91--just the official LivePhish releases and whatever gems Shapiro has included in Live Bait releases. As far as full shows goes, I think the criticism of setlist repetition is certainly fair and dissuades me from diving much deeper into the rest of the tour. With that said, I do really love the GCH arrangements of these regular rotation songs. Having the horns present really takes a few of these songs to a new place that can make one forget they're even listening to Phish (Landlady, Gumbo, Magilla, and Lawn Boy especially glow up with the horn solos).

Outside of the more straightforward tunes on this show, there are a few notable highlights. For me, the most obvious is YEM. Frankly I'm surprised this isn't in the jam charts; while the tune doesn't ever really stray from the typical groove, all members of the band and horn ensemble bring their A-game. Plenty of excellent dynamic variance, fun Frankenstein and Chameleon elements, and a VJ that leans on the trumpet and percussion for a uniquely afrobeat energy all mark this performance as exceptional in my book. Tweezer comes with some nice dissonance and a steadily ascending energy driven in part by Fishman's vocal ramblings. The presence of the horns on this one definitely helps contribute to the feeling of chaos brewing throughout the jam. Really excellent playing on David Bowie as well (as always ), and I LOVE the sax solo on the outro of Mango Song--wish that was a more common element of the song because it just feels so, so right.