Al's
Phish
Page
Original
gif animation|
Al's
Phish
Page
|
Original
gif animation |
While
on holiday in Massachusetts in 1988 I met a friend of a friend who
seemed to be as into Phish as I was into the Dead. She showed me bootleg
tapes, with excitingly psychedelic hand drawn covers, and she was clearly
onto something that a lot of people were putting their heart & soul
into. After that I remained distantly curious about Phish until 1995, at
which point I first came into contact with Phish's music through
trading tapes. I kept seeing large numbers of Phish tapes on people's tape
lists, and was curious to see what all the fuss was about. I got
my first Phish tapes and was grossly under impressed. The sound quality
was poor, and the music was not at all what I'd expected. I accused them
of being 'forced', 'silly', and 'emotionless'. These are charges Phish
come under with alarming regularity. However I heard some tiny hint in
those first tapes of what 'might be' if only I could 'get it'. I delved
deeper, and although with hindsight it seems like it was a bit of a struggle
to get here, now that I'm hooked I can't understand why it took me so long
to realize what I was missing! In wanting Phish to be the Dead, and looking
for sagely lyrics I had thoroughly missed the point. Simple lyrics, are
more than made up for with funky grooves, deep space jamming, astounding
musicianship and the incredible variety of their set lists & musical
influences are enough to get any tape trader interested. Every time I listen
to a new Phish tape I hear something fresh- and I want to hear more! Their
Jazz & Rock informed experimentation combined with an inherent sense
of wit & humor has proven a habit I'm glad I formed.
In the USA Phish are a stadium sell-out phenomenon. Here in Europe we have had the pleasure of getting as close to the band as is possible, in small intimate venues. I've been able to attend three such shows in 1997- the Shepherd's Bush empire on Feb. 13th and The Paradiso in Amsterdam on July 1st & 2nd . As long as Phish keep coming back to Europe I'll be ready for more! If you want to hear some Phish, see my tape trading page, or check out the links & Real Audio samples below. There are also some pictures from the Paradiso shows, and a few links.
[Back to Index] or scroll on...
You need to download the Real Audio Player to listen to these clips. Just
click the Graphic on the left. Although it's not perfect, and the sound
is a bit ropey Real Audio is well worth downloading- there are many sites
with Real Audio content, and it's a great way of checking out bands your
interested in without coughing up the dough for a pricey imported CD. Some
sites offer a live stream so you can listen at the same time as you download,
but I don't have a server, so you'll have to download my clips first. I
intend to put new clips up regularly, but only a few at a time, due to
space restrictions.
Sites with Phish Real Audio Content |
Sample from my Tape Collection |
| SUGAR MEGS: On-line tapes! Phish, Jorma, Ratdog, & GD Bettyboards | 'Funky Bitch' from Set II
of Cumberland County Civic Center, Portland, ME. December 11th 1995 w/
guest guitarist Warren Hayes (of the Allman Brothers Band) sent to
my by Nigel Atkinson.
(Full song- 753 k, 6 minutes 26 seconds play time) |
| THE VIBE: presents - interviews with Trey Anastasio & Jon Fishman of Phish |
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| STASH RADIO- Phish Real Audio stream 24 hrs a day | |
| BRIAN PRICE has kindly put a load of the NEW summer tour songs online. Recommended! |
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[Back to Index] or scroll on...
Some members of the 'European
Phish Pool' have decided to form an informal, low volume email
mailing list which we are currently calling 'The Vacuum', in honor of Fishman's
inspiring vacuum solos, and in recognition of the empty nature of cyberspace.
The only requirement for membership is that you be resident in Europe.
We don't know what the hell we are trying to build here, but if
you want to take part your quite welcome!
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