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Phish - A Live One Audio CD

A fair review of the Phish "A Live One" Audio CD. Please note that the below review is the views of the authors, and authors only. You can get a complete list of all Phish reviews here, or go back to the Phish tabs.

Phish Band: Phish
Title: A Live One
Rating:
Release Date: 1995-06-27
Media: Audio CD

Tracks: 1: Bouncing Around the Room 2: Stash 3: Gumbo 4: Montana 5: You Enjoy Myself - Phish, Phish 6: Chalkdust Torture 7: Slave to the Traffic Light 8: Wilson - Phish, Phish 9: Tweezer 10: Simple 11: Harry Hood 12: Squirming Coil

A great live album, though it could've been trimmed down a bit.
I think we all know who Phish are. This was my introduction to the weird, wild world of Phish. If you don't, I'll sum it up briefly. Phish are a psychedelic rock/jam band from Burlington, VT that have exploded in the 90's with exciting long jams and weird songwriting. They have about 14 albums, though really, if you want to experience this band, go see them live. I was not a huge fan until I saw them at this year's Bonnaroo. They played for 3 hours straight the first night, and had Bruce Springsteen play with them the second night. It was grand stuff. The combination of guitar wizardry, strange sounds, and lights made for a unforgettable experience that really can't be captured.

I guess this is the closest to being there without actually being there. A Live One captures Phish at their commercial peak. Down With Disease was getting heavy rotation on MTV, and the band was selling out shows almost every night. This 2CD set captures the band from 12 different shows, each song from a different night, rolled into one enjoyable listening experience.

Here is a track by track rundown:

Bouncing Around The Room-Gets things going on a great start. This is a real playful number with an exciting climax at the end. Good opener.

Stash-One of Phish's jazzier numbers, this gets a while to get going, but it scorches. Trey uses a lot of strange, almost dissonant notes to make the jam sound at once disorientating, and at other times joyous. Reallly creative stuff here.

Gumbo-As funky as white boys can be. Really dig the drunken brass at the end.

Montana-This is total filler. I can't even tell what's really going on minus a few drum fills. But it segues nicely to. . .

You Enjoy Myself-Oh boy. This is one of the reasons to get this album. A prog-rock odyssey at first, it morphs into a bouncy funk and blazes in the middle with some amazing guitarwork by Trey. I also really dig the piano tinkerings in the middle. After a while, it boils down to a vocal jam. Weird weird stuff, but it works.

Chalkdust Torture-ROCK! That's really all that needs to be said.

Slave To The Traffic Light-Another prog-rock odyssey. Starts out real strong, then gets very mellow, which is fine compared to the rock fury of Chalkdust. It then builds to a beautiful climax at the end. Great way to end the first cd.

Wilson-More ROCK!

Tweezer-Ok, a lot of people have complained about the length of this one. I have to agree. While I do like the main song of Tweezer, the jam is just pure noise with a dash of circus madness. I don't know what drugs they were on this night, but after 10 minutes, I usually just press the skip button. While this is cool to hear the first time, it gets old after repeated listens. Listen to it only if you want to hear Trey make plane noises with his guitar.

Simple-More ROCK! This song is, well, simple. It's really catchy, really bouncy, and really fun. They need to play this one more often.

Harry Hood-This one is a crowd pleaser. Another morphing song that starts out with reggae before turning into progressive jazz, and then exploding much in the same way Traffic Light did. Fantastic stuff.

The Squirming Coil-Good song, but an album closer? Nah, they should've put Down With Disease instead of this. While I do like the piano solo at the end, it's just a bit of a letdown. They should've ended strong on this album.

Well, it's still a classic album, albeit some minor flaws. However, for the first timer, it's a great introduction to one of the most unique bands of the past 20 years. Reccomended for anybody.


Jam band squared
4 1/2

An obvious choice for the first live excursion of this quintessential live rock- and there are plenty of fuller experiences to be had onward, though rarely has their youthful and intellectual vigor been captured as clearly.


The Phish Are Biting Well Today
There is not much I can say about this excellent concert The sound quality is wonderful. This is an excellent concert by an excellent band. The jams are breathtaking, I cant listen to them enough. This album is a triumph of music and every one should take part in enjoying it. Great for Phish fans, or people who just love music herself. You will not regret buying this great CD. .


Slave To The Traffic Light and Gumbo sold the CD
Also, this album was ranked in a list compiled by Rolling Stone; they called it one of the 25 Greatest live albums of all time. At the moment, of all available Phish, I think this is the most solid release to date - live or otherwise. This is not to be missed.

The music is fresh and inspiring to this day and it was released 13 YEARS AGO! This album showcases the reason Phish was around for so long, they have created something that is satisfying to anyone.

Simply put, if you buy only one Phish album, it MUST be this one.


GREAT Phishing !
Has all to emotions of a great Phish concert. I purchased this one years ago, loved it, but had it "borrowed" by my son, never to be returned. Yeah, it can be a little drawn out at times, but if you're a true "Phishead" you know that interp can change every time you listen to it.

Best version of "Bouncing Around The Room" I've come upon. (Can you feel it?!).


You can see a complete list of all Phish discography, or go back to the Phish tabs. There is also a good guide on how to read guitar tabs here.

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