If you’re a Phish fan, you probably dreamed about Phish playing your backyard. Shows like The Ranch in 1987 and this one here are why people have that dream. Phish played probably in more backyards than we’ll ever know about because less ability for tapers to show up and the loss of the Del Martin tapes. At least with this show, we have a street address so we know exactly where it took place. 320 Spear Street is located on the small strip of Spear Street between UVM’s Redstone Campus and their Paul Miller research center, which is a working dairy farm and equine facility. It’s proximity to campus made it an ideal spot to have a party and also lead to some interesting show banter as Phish knew many of the people at this party.
320 Spear Street as it appears today. Notice how narrow the roadway is, causing all the cards to be towed. Gig was in backyard facing Interstate 89.
We join the show in progress with a very solid “Harry Hood”. This “Hood” is fairly typical of 1989 but reaches its usual enjoyable peak with solid fills from Page and wonderful trills from Trey. Some banter about changing monitor levels or positions ensues with Trey asking about too much piano. Still forming the sound in these early days. Trey joking introduces the band as “Phish, from Burlington, Vermont” with a chuckle after hearing it from Mike before launching into “Foam”. The “Foam” is rough around the edges, especially Trey who messes up his part enough to deliver an “Aw Fuck” (not the secret language signal but actual words) midway through the intro. The band recovers fairly solidly but still working out the kinks. The song finishes and Trey informs them it’s about Mike McKnight’s like apparently. Mike then announces that all the cars on the road are going to be towed and they there’s a parking lot down the street. The parking lot is most likely that at Gutterson Field House, the UVM hockey rink. Spear Street is very narrow but often travelled road connecting Burlington to South Burlington and Shelburne and used as a substitute for the congested Shelburne Road. So clearly the city would want the road clear at all times. Fish says that it reminds him of a song and Mike and Trey concur, leading to a sublime performance of “Contact”. The “Contact” has “jump on it, son!” quotes from Mike but I have no idea what brought that…maybe a Jerry Reed reference? Trey tries to get the kids to sing the ending part. “Now that we’ve scared the 4 little kids away,” the band introduces the next song as being one they wrote that afternoon about Molly’s life. Trey asks to wear the hat and she declines. Trey then introduces “She No Are No Nice Gal” and someone brings the band a wallet that was found. Trey mentions “This is the kind of wallet I like, no identification, just cash.” Trey asks the crowd to bound joyously as they reach the trampoline section. After this long banter, they finally go into the song which is just “Mike’s Song”. The “Mike’s” gets super crunchy especially the 2:50 mark where Trey unleashes the first real true showing of his ability to sustain. He holds the note for almost a full minute while the rest of the band takes the opportunity. Fishman hits crazy fills and Page throws around organ riffs like it’s Dollar Draft Night at What Ales You. Tight little jam that I recommend. The Molly theme continues in the groove as Trey says “I Am Hydrogen” was written about Molly’s lighter side. It’s very nicely played except Trey botches the last note. The “Weekapaug” features a lot of fireworks from Trey but not a lot of movement; a lot of notes but no real development. “Split Open and Melt” is dedicated to the pig coming up at Ian McLean’s party on May 28th. We’ll have a lot more about that show soon. The “Melt” is still in its infancy and is nowhere near the heights the tune will reach. Trey attempts a “Mission: Impssible” tease but it doesn’t develop. Mike gets pretty loose with the bass line but seems to get out of step with Fishman at times. Page is barely audible. It’s very sloppy still. Trey notes he broke a B string during the jam. He meant to call someone to bring another one but forgot. Trey’s tone changes as I think he borrows a guitar from Alex. Trey uses this new overdriven tone to pound out the only known version of Led Zeppelin’s “Dazed and Confused” by Phish. It’s half serious/half joking but still worth a listen. They definitely captured the feel of the original. Page makes the announcement that cars are now actually being towed and it’s worth the walk to see if your car is being towed and that’s longer to walk to the Getty station on North Avenue that the car’s will be towed to. No doubt since North Ave. is the other side of town. A fan asks Trey about Tom Waits and Trey responds that he loves Rain Dogs, saying Fish has the bell for “Gun Street Girl” allegedly Trey’s favorite song from the album. They don’t play it though, busting into “You Enjoy Myself”. The “YEM” is a solid effort with odd tone from Trey’s borrowed guitar. The short bass and drums section is fun with solid work by Mike. The vocal jam becomes Zenzile, referencing the poet Phish played with back in 1986 and then evolves into Blue Oyster Cult’s “Godzilla”. Trey’s tone seems to return to normal for the rest of the set, indicating that someone did run home and get Trey’s B string in time for “Ya Mar”. The rest of the set is pretty standard. Apparently we also miss guest vocals by Chris Kuroda on “Alumni Blues” and “Possum”. That would have been very fun to hear. All in all, a fun afternoon on Spear Street with Phish.
Set 1: AC/DC Bag > Alumni Blues > Letter to Jimmy Page > Alumni Blues, You Enjoy Myself, The Lizards, Wilson, Divided Sky, I Didn’t Know, Possum
Set 2: Bold As Love, Mike’s Song > I Am Hydrogen > Weekapaug Groove, Foam, Contact, Take the ‘A’ Train, David Bowie, Golgi Apparatus
Encore: Good Times Bad Times
One great thing about being a New England band is the wealth of opportunity for shows. The ability to play in 7 different states within a few hours of driving is helpful. Also helpful is the amount of colleges within the area. Having a base in Amherst, MA only helps with 5 colleges just in that area alone. Of course, there’s a 2nd tier to the Connecticut River valley, the large amount of private schools also concentrated in that area. If you make it big enough on the college circuit, hopefully some of those students have little brothers or sisters who will rave enough about the band that they’ll get booked to play at their school. This is probably the case of how Phish played some private school gigs during these important years, gaining fans that would help propel the rise to success without radio play or hit singles. A college-level band playing your school is a big deal. I went to the Westminster School just outside of Hartford and when Dispatch came to play there, not only was it big for us, the students, it turned out to be one of their most downloaded live shows.
Meany Gym on the Northfield Campus of NMH. One possible location for today’s show but the rolling hills make it seem unlikely.
That brings us to today’s show at Northfield Mount Hermon. The reason I’m conflicted about the location of this show is because both Phish.com and Phish.net say it was in the gymnasium. Firstly the school had two gymnasiums on two different campuses at the time this show occurred, as referenced when they announce the buss before “Contact”. The name Northfield Mount Hermon comes from the fact that the Northfield Seminary for Girls merged with the Mount Hermon school for boys in the 70s. Secondly, Trey keeps referencing the field they were playing on, most notably before Divided Sky. So I don’t even think they were in either gymnasium. At the end of it all, they were at least at NMH.
The Forslund and James Gym at the Mount Hermon campus. The large flat ground and proximity to facilities, lead me to believe this is more likely where the show as held.
The show itself isn’t particular outstanding to other shows at the time. Highlights here are mostly the banter. This event was billed as “One Last Thing”, obviously the last social event before graduation the following weekend. Trey dedicates “Alumni>Letter>Alumni” to the graduating seniors once again. Trey introduces “You Enjoy Myself” as the “trampoline segment of the show” and that the audience joins in on the imaginary trampoline. Trey says that the band will build an all-trampoline venue with speakers in the floor. I think we’re all still waiting on that one. Trey introduces themselves as traveling minstrels from Gamehendge again and they’ll do a couple songs from their homeland. A fan yells “Wilson Sucks!” and the crowd goes along with it. It’s interesting to hear Trey count off when the band joins in “The Lizards” intro. Trey introduces who Wilson is during the intro to “Wilson”. It’s kind funny because he calls Wilson an asshole and then realizes he’s playing to a high school crowd. It’s also part of the rebel in him reminded of his own days at Taft. “Wilson” also finally gets its own ending back instead of segueing into “Peaches en Regalia”. Trey closes the Gamehendge trio with “Divided Sky” explaining the ritual of praying at the Rhombus but at the same time, some hecklers go on about a towel, bantering back and forth with Trey about this. It’s funny to hear him try to maintain the upper hand. The “Divided Sky” is a sure highlight of this set with blazing playing by Trey and soaring organ work by Page at the end. “I Didn’t Know” is interesting in that the crowd gets surprisingly quiet during Fish’s vacuum solo, like he entranced the audience with his ability. Set 1 ends with a very strong “Possum”.
We meet Set 2 already in progress in “Bold as Love”. Trey continues the trend of mention Rhode Island at the start of the “Mike’s Groove”, the “Groove” itself is solid. Trey mentions that headlights are not the bus going back to the other campus but they are the 2nd-to-last bus back to the other campus, prompting the crowd to yell “Hell no! We won’t go!”. Trey then says they wrote the next song about that bus and also asks them to sign the mailing list, noting that they’ll learn such facts as how much cable it took up to set up the band at that time. That’s an answer I’d like to know right now, actually. The band changes the lyrics to “The tires are the things on your bus that make contact with the road.” “David Bowie” features more hi-hat hi jinx as Trey weaves “A-Train” and the Woody Woodpecker theme into the intro. The band comes back for the encore and someone asks for “Fee for Tim Rogers. I would think that would be the same Tim Rogers that was their former lighting designer as Trey seems to also know Tim Rogers, joking that “We wouldn’t play a song for that guy….”. Did Tim go to teach at NMH after leaving Phish? Hmm, another mystery of Phishtory to crack! They don’t play “Fee” but Trey does dedicate “Good Times Bad Times” to Tim. The show reminds me of 8/27/88 at Mont Alto, with that same “rock show” attitude but with an actual audience. A fun show to listen to but nothing groundbreaking here.
Just want to take a moment to apologize. I’ve been working on other projects and the radio show, but I’m getting back in the saddle here and ready to continue riding along. Helpfully you’re enjoying This Week in Phish on JEMP Radio as well! Thanks for sticking with me!
Set 1: AC/DC Bag, Alumni Blues > Letter to Jimmy Page > Alumni Blues, You Enjoy Myself, Golgi Apparatus, La Grange, Fluffhead, Possum > Foam, Walk Away, Take the ‘A’ Train, Split Open and Melt > David Bowie
Set 2: Suzy Greenberg > Bold As Love, The Lizards, Harry Hood, If I Only Had a Brain, Contact, Fire
Encore: Whipping Post
Photo Credit: Phish.net
I have something to reveal to you all. The members of Phish are not native Vermonters. This is shocking and upsetting I know, since they definitely reflect many of the state’s values but it’s true. So when you’re in a band, eventually you might play a gig your hometown if your band didn’t start there. Jon Fishman had the honor of being the 2nd band member to experience that moment as Mike Gordon had grown up in the greater Boston area. Jon Fishman was proudly raised by his adoptive parents Leonard and Mimi in the the Syracuse suburb of Dewitt and graduated from Jamesville-Dewitt High School in 1983. With Syracuse being a big college town, a return trip with the band was inevitable.
The former site of the Orange Grove. (Photo credit: LoopNet)
The area just north of Syracuse University’s campus is known as Marshall Street, even as is spread down University and South Crouse Ave. Surprisingly for an alumni of Syracuse University, I can’t tell you a whole lot about the bars. Unsuprisingly, I was more of a hang out with friends off-campus and do bong rips/house parties at the Ultimate Frisbee house kind of guy. I do know where the Orange Grove was. It was located on the first floor at the corner of S Crouse Ave. and E. Adams St. above the basement space. More recent alumni would know the space as Darwin’s. As of right now, I believe the space is vacant. The area in its heyday had at least 10 bars in the area and now only has about 4; a testament to the raising of the drinking age to 21 and the crackdown by law enforcement. I went in there once, I don’t remember it being a very large space, let alone where bands would play but several SU alums confirmed this was the place. (Current students would probably think you’re referring to the awful alumni donor space on campus next to the quad nowadays.) One Phish.net member does say this show happened at Hungry Charlie’s, which would make more sense in terms of space. This is also how it is listed in the Phish Companion. Hungry Charlie’s was located downstairs at 727 S. Crouse Ave. under the new bar known as Chuck’s in a space occupied by Funk ‘N Waffles, curiously owned and operaed by Phish fan and Sophistafunk keyboardist Adam Gold. Funk ‘N Waffles continues to serve live music to the SU community in the space.
727 S. Crouse Ave. with the successor to Hungry Charlie’s, Chuck’s upstairs and the original Hungry Charlie’s entrance downstairs, now Funk ‘N Waffles.
The show itself was probably exciting for those who had not seen the band but not much here historically besides the above. Trey opened by dedicating “Alumni Blues” to all the recent graduates of Syracuse University as they were playing on Commencement Weekend. A really nice early “Melt” is offered here as well. The “David Bowie” is a must listen as we have kind of the first recorded “hi-hat hjinx” here with Trey weaving “Melt”, “A Train”, and “Fluffhead” into the intro. The “Hood” is pretty fantastic here. Fishman gets a huge yell from the crowd as he comes to the front of the stage. Commenting on how he now gets to embarrass himself in front of his entire high school, one audience member yells “TOO LATE!” which is pretty funny. He busts out “If I Only Had A Brain” to their delight with a vacuum solo. Fishman had arrived. The standout jam through is the “Whipping Post”. Starting around the 8-minute mark, it starts to get off the typical wailing “Post” riff and stays just shy of Type II but they do push it and get ambient around the 10-minute mark, almost foreshadowing future jamming in an interesting way. A rare glimpse of where Phish is going.
The SkiRack (formerly The Front) looking up Main St. towards The Woodbury Armory (formerly Hunt’s).
Set 1: Wilson, Peaches en Regalia, Ya Mar, Mike’s Song > I Am Hydrogen > Weekapaug Groove, The Sloth, Possum, Divided Sky
Set 2: You Enjoy Myself, La Grange, If I Don’t Be There By Morning[1], Slave to the Traffic Light > Esther > Run Like an Antelope, I Didn’t Know[2] > Nowhere Fast[3] -> I’ve Turned Bad[3] > I Didn’t Know, The Lizards, Bold As Love, Harpua, Whipping Post
[1] First known Phish performance.
[2] Fish on trombone.
[3] First known performance; Sofi Dillof and “Joe” on vocals.
If you’ve ever been in a rock band, the record release show is usually a big deal. You pester all your friends and acquaintances to show up so that it feels like a big deal and also in hopes that they buy a copy of your album. You also flyer the whole town, putting out the word that your band was focused enough to record the music you’ve been playing. This doesn’t feel like that. Sure Chris Kuroda and friend of the band Kiki Colgan spent the afternoon stuffing j-cards into cassette boxes to make sure they had enough copies on hand but, announcements aside, it doesn’t seem too different from any other night at The Front. Probably because Phish knows they have the fanbase who’ll pick up the new cassette handily.
The show kicks off with the “Wilson>Peaches” combo. Helpfully Trey shakes it soon because it’s starting to become stale. Trey takes the audience to the Bahamas, eliciting a single woo from the crowd, and Phish launches into “Ya Mar”. It’s a solid version. Trey then borrows a bit from 5/6/89 saying now “let’s take it away from the Bahamas and take it to Rhode Island!” launching into the “Mike’s>Groove”. The “Mike’s” is short but builds to a nice frenzy structured by Page’s organ layering. They like it so much that they play the ending chords twice with a real nice sustain by Trey in the middle. The “Weekapaug Groove” is excellent though with great bass work by Mike and very fluid playing from Trey ending with solid machine gunning. After the “Weekpaug”, Trey finally plugs the tape that you can now buy at the soundboard and Mike adds that “Junta has no meaning in Nicaraguan.” The “Sloth”/”Possum” combo is fun if not outstanding. The set closes with “The Divided Sky”, which is another solid whole band effort.
“Self!,” Trey calls out to start set two, calling for “You Enjoy Myself”. “This song’s from our first album! This next’s one’s from our first album, available at the soundboard,” says the band. “FOR FREE!,” replies an audience member jokingly. Trey also comments it’s Mike’s birthday, an audience member not Mike Gordon and then Page says later we’ll play something for Chris’ birthday. Trey counts it off and “YEM” begins. It’s solid but highlights are when Trey gets shred at 12:30 before the bass and drums section and a sucking a bone (?) vocal jam and ends with a Fishman bass drum solo brought on by fan and Trey’s encouragement. Mike also teases “Moby Dick” in a nod to Fishman’s drum solo, starting a trend that will last a career. A ripping “La Grange” follows. We get an odd cut and dump right into “Slave to the Traffic Light” in progress and with some quality issues, missing the Bob Dylan cover “If I Don’t Be There By Morning”. “Slave” isn’t very good and doesn’t peak. The non-reaction of the crowd is fitting. “Esther” comes next and has some interesting woodblock coloring from Fishman, keeping time with Page’s organ riff. This “Esther” also is played at a faster tempo than usual and hilarious ends with the rest of the band ending the song early on Trey who’s still soloing. A solid yet average “Antelope” comes next. Antics come to the front in “I Didn’t Know”. Out of Fishman’s trombone solo, he calls “Sing with me Sofi!” Brining Sofi Dillof, Page’s future first wife, and “Joe” who is believed to be a member of Ninja Custodian up to play two Ninja Custodian songs “Nowhere Fast” and “I’ve Turned Bad”. A little punk rock break in the middle? Why not. Phish brings the tempo back down with a nice slow closing reprise of “I Didn’t Know” I didn’t know that I was that far gone takes on new meaning. Chris finally gets his birthday song in the form of “The Lizards” and it’s a solid version, again played at a faster tempo than usual, especially in the “If I Were a Dog” section. That section is also preceded by a tape cut and leads off with just Trey and Fish, which adds to the beauty. “Bold as Love” has Trey shredding but not over the top. It’s a very tasteful version with some hot licks. The well-loved story of “Harpua” follows. Trey begins the story and when introducing Harpua, Mike goes “Tell ’em about the ass.” recalling 4/20/89 when the band jammed on “non-shot ass”, and the band plays the defending riff that used for that version during Trey’s story. This time Harpua has the “twice shot ass”. The fight is underplayed by a jam on the Spencer Davis Group’s “Gimmie Some Lovin'” ironically. It’s a good version but nowhere near as amazing as 4/20/89. The show closes with a meandering “Whipping Post”. For a show with some history, there’s not much here that’s historical but a solid effort.
1989 cassette version
Written by trey anastasio unless noted
Side one
“Fee”
“You Enjoy Myself”
“Esther”
“Golgi Apparatus” (Anastasio, Tom Marshall, Bob Szuter, Aaron Woolf)
“Foam”
“Dinner and a Movie” (Anastasio, Steve Pollak)
Side two
“The Divided Sky”
“David Bowie”
“Fluffhead” (Anastasio, Pollak)
“Fluff’s Travels” (Anastasio, Pollak)
Part 1: “Fluff’s Travels”
Part 2: “The Chase”
Part 3: “Who do? We do!”
Part 4: “Clod”
Part 5: “Bundle of Joy”
Part 6: “Arrival”
“Contact” (Mike Gordon)
The original Junta cassette cover with Fishman’s face as released in May 1989.
There’s no doubt Phish will go down in history for their live shows. That’s where the magic happens and most of the noteworthy things the band has done. The picture is not complete, however, without including the studio albums. There are some great moments found there as well and are pretty clear snapshots of the musical progress of the band. Not counting “The White Tape” as that feels mostly like demos and song snippets, the studio journey begins at Junta.
Recorded throughout late 1988, it’s amazing that the studio takes are almost more complete and detailed than their live counterparts at the time. For a good comparison, listen to 12/10/88 and then play Junta and the difference is almost night and day but they were working on the album about the same time they played that show. The other thing that’s startling about Junta is that the band produced the album by themselves. Yes, they had a lot of help from studio engineer Gordon Hookailo to get the feeling right. It’s amazing that this polished a work is not only the band’s first studio album but self-produced. That takes a lot of hutzpah. No doubt a lot of the recording was live to tape but there are some overdubs and studio tricks. I wish there was more documentation about the recording of Junta but neither Phish: The Biography, The Phishing Manual, Phish.com or Phish.net cover it in much detail.
The album leads off with “Fee”. The thumping kick drum of Fishman was probably many people’s introduction to Phish after being advised to start with this album in the days before A Live One. A fun note about the recording process is the effect on Trey’s voice was accomplished by running Trey’s vocals through a pair of headphones into another microphone. Trey, of course, would attempt to recreate this effect on tour by singing his vocals into a megaphone. The layers on the studio version are insane. You have the triangle and the guiro on top of Fish’s regular drumbeat. You have the repeating “Fee” harmony line. You have all the added sound effects. The unique instrumentation should grab any listener but add-in that this is the first true studio track from the band and it’s mind-blowing.
Then, the band doesn’t pull any punches and takes it one step higher with “You Enjoy Myself”, considered by the band themselves as THE SONG. The studio version though leaves a little to be desired though. It’s well-layed and mixed but when compared to live versions, feels like they held a little bit back. But a huge difference from the same era’s live versions is everything feels so even, no rushing the tempo for pushing volume. It really hits the 4-man unit feeling throughout even as Trey solos over the top. The “Wash Uffizi” section hits a real groove that also hasn’t translated live yet. It’s just much smoother. I also like that it has a truncated section that keeps the vocal jam feeling instead of some fabricated finish that other bands might have done in the studio.
“Esther” is probably best heard here than an actual live version. With how rough early versions were in late ’88, it’s quite amazing that the studio version came together so nicely. The backing harmonies are just right. Trey and Page weave delicately around each other in the middle “adrift” section. Trey said that just about the time that Phish was starting up the Junta sessions, the band kind of abandoned Gamehendge but it would have been nice to see this bookended with “McGrupp and the Watchful Hosemasters” on this album since the two are very similar. Trey hits an amazing tone on the gorgeous outro solo to close the recording. No live version has really touched this one since, which is amazing because it doesn’t sound like it has many overdubs.
“Golgi Apparatus”, of course, was probably the first “Phish” song ever written with its lyrics coming from Trey and Tom Marshall’s junior high biology class. The bridge solo would most likely come later though. Not much difference here between live versions and the studio version. Just as energetic and tight.
“Foam” is a beast of a song. The fact the band was able to polish it enough for recording and then able to harness all of it on tape is amazing. Mike’s bass hits hard and sharp, setting the tone and helps remain a driving force through the song. Page’s keys and Trey’s guitar trade off leads as it depends towards the verse. The fact that each of the 4 lines is so clearly heard,e even on lower fidelity recordings is astonishing and hats of to engineer Hookailo on that one. You can almost pick a line and listen to it for the entire 7-minute track, even more so on the 192 kHz digital release. Mike also backs off nicely when Page and Trey take their respective solos in the last 2 minutes. The ending descent and buildup is also masterfully recorded as the madness isn’t lost.
“Dinner and a Movie” is a curious inclusion as it’s very short but it’s odd rhythm structure does showcase the band’s ability to get quirky and play fast. The main thing I’d love to know is what the recording is that’s played under the band. It sounds like random sound effects, much a little Beatles recording but knowing Phish it might be themselves played backwards. Nothing has been noted of what was going on during this session either. Inquiring minds want to know. But it’s a fun song to end side one of the original cassette order.
The later more well-known cover of Junta as designed by Jim Pollock. This cover would be finished in December 1989, 7 months after the initial release.
Side two kicks off with Junta’s indubitable centerpiece “Divided Sky”. Captured here in all of its perfectly written glory, this is a masterwork of both Trey Anastasio’s composition and Gordon Hookailo’s engineering. The song, of course, is perfect in its tension and interlocking parts. The 4 move effortlessly through the complicated piece. Adding to that is how perfectly all 4 parts are captured. One doesn’t overpower the other. Even when Trey clearly has the lead, the other 3 parts aren’t merely pushed to the side or turned down to be filler. Each part takes as much equally. Such as the “Christmas Star” middle section, Page’s organ fill rises and falls along with Trey’s lead guitar part and then when Page’s swirling organ drops out, Mike’s complimentary bass line takes its place and moves the piece along just as much, all the while Fishman’s drum part keeps things humming along. It almost feels like Hookailo rotated the other parts’ levels behind Trey to keep you interested on everything at once. Then, it switches to the “Gus” outro” and the 3 parts become almost one, driving everything while Trey plays his fugue lead. It never gets muddy though. While the 3 parts sound together, you can clearly hear them separately and discern who’s doing what. At the end, the 3 rise to Trey’s part and they almost become a whole unit again with each one countering the other, even though Trey’s part remains the lead. The fact that the recording captures this dynamic without making things muddy, again, is a real engineering feat. It’s enough to wish there were isolated tracks, so you could go in and out of each part by itself and it’d be very dramatic. Fish’s drum part alone would be a wonderful story to hear. Clearly a lot of effort went into this song and rightfully so.
For the complete opposite, one only needs to skip ahead one track to “David Bowie”. Even though it’s highly composed, it’s very cacophonous. The band almost doesn’t sound linked up and like the rest of the band’s just trying to remain with Trey as he swoops and dives through parts. It’s nowhere near as polished as “Divided Sky”. You can almost hear the collective sigh as it drops into the jam segment. Also, all the parts sound real muddy hear especially the rhythm section. The lone real jam on the album, Trey and Page almost take it easy with light riffs between each other. There’s also again, very weird sound effects throughout the jam as well, adding to the madness. It’s almost too much. The jam would have been enough without the weird sounds. Again, there’s no record as to why they exist or who thought of this. They also seem like an afterthought and aren’t set at the right levels. The sound effects are usually too loud for what’s going on. I know the band had played with sound effects on “The White Tape” but there’s really no benefit here and I’d love to hear the explanation for this one. The Bowie jam is also pretty typical of the jams at the time, maybe a little slower than the live ones.
“Fluffhead” and it’s counterpart “Fluff’s Travels” are another long suite played to perfection. I think one of the most interesting things about the studio version of “Fluffhead” is Trey is on acoustic guitar for most of the song and then right as it goes from “The Chase” to “Who Do? We Do!” there’s a switch to electric that you don’t even notice until the tone changes. The acoustic also matches Page’s piano really well during their paired parts. Not much room for variation here but it’s certainly tighter than comparable live versions from the same era. Also, there’s less of a release when they build in “Bundle of Joy” and release in “Arrival” on the Fluffhead refrain than live versions. Would have been nice to have some dynamics there to emphasize how big it is when the band arrives in unison to the Fluffhead refrain. It’s a nice switchback that the song ends with Trey on acoustic again, bringing it full circle.
“Contact” ends the album perfectly. I’ve always been a fan of this song since my first show, so I’m definitely biased to it but it really does send out a nice message. Mike’s bass intro is so warm and fuzzy, it’s really inviting. Each member kind of has their own intro into the song, which almost feels like a coda of introductions, reminding you once again of the 4 parts that make up Phish. I also like that Phish really gives the song that “lounge singer” treatment that it deserves on record. I also like that since it’s Mike’s song, the bass is at the forefront of the song and leads the way, not forced to take a backseat in the car. Also, during live shows, Phish would try to get everyone to sing along and the use of the children’s chorus for that effect is a nice touch. Video of them recording the kids can be seen at the 4:21 mark in the 20th anniversary montage video below.
The CD re-release in 1991 by Elektra Records would add two live tracks from 7/25/88, “Sanity” and “Icculus”, and a home recording of an Oh Kee Pa ceremony entitled “Union Federal”. Since those were not on the original album and the 2012 re-release, they are not included here.
Junta remains the gold standard of Phish studio records so far. Their subsequent efforts came close. It’s odd that Phish would never self-produce an album again nor work with Gordon Hookailo either. Maybe that’s a good thing as well since it’s hard to capture lightning in a bottle once let alone twice. Trey moved on from long, composed pieces, besides for a handful, as well but he did the right thing in getting them all down on tape early on, rather than waiting for the next go round or a major record deal. This is Phish at their most refined and raw. An odd paradox that makes for a classic album.
Note: This review used the HDTracks 24/192 FLAC as reference.
Set 1: You Enjoy Myself > I Didn’t Know, Mike’s Song > I Am Hydrogen > Weekapaug Groove, Esther, The Sloth, Possum, Bold As Love, AC/DC Bag, Colonel Forbin’s Ascent > Fly Famous Mockingbird, David Bowie
Set 2: Donna Lee, Suzy Greenberg, Contact, Fire, Harry Hood, Golgi Apparatus > Slave to the Traffic Light, Divided Sky
The exterior of the Collis Center at Dartmouth.
This is the band’s second show at Dartmouth, having made their debut at a co-ed house on Fraternity Row on 1/28/89, on their way home from the triumphant Paradise gig. It’s interesting that Dartmouth only pops up at this point. I would think that such a major school so close to the Vermont border would have been easier to book, especially maybe with some crossover with Amherst. Maybe the word of mouth just hadn’t travelled that yet. Dartmouth would remain a stop on Phish tours until 1991. Phish played this show at the Collis Center, the student center on the corner of Massachusetts Row and Route 10A, the main drag through town. The building dates from 1901 but don’t go looking for it exactly how Phish played there, it has since been renovated in 1993. There’s no longer even a cafeteria in the building. The photo posted is believed to be the space they performed in, which with its woodwork, would have made an epic setting for Phish.
The space that would make sense to be the old cafeteria at the Collis Center.
The show is pretty solid and much easier to listen to than the previous night at Hamilton. It kicks off with a solid “You Enjoy Myself”, nothing outstanding but worth hearing for the copy uploaded was at some point erroneously dubbed over with Blind Faith. It’s always fun to hear audibles and clearly Trey throws one be going into “I Didn’t Know”, as Page seemed ready to play Esther. “IDK” with a complete vacuum solo follows and Fish is really starting to find his stride on the unique instrument. A swinging “Mike’s Groove” follows. “Mike’s” builds to a blistering peak with great organ work from Page and a hot lead from Trey with him starting to show off his signature sustain. Be sure to put emphasis on the “Groove” because it’s really starting to cook like it should. Trey does a narration taking the crowd from Weekapaug, RI to Gamehendge. This leads to a trio of Gamehendge songs, “Esther”, “The Sloth”, and “Possum”. “Esther” is strong with a great outro from Trey. “Bold as Love” splits the Gamehendge sets with a solid version that drops a lot of Trey’s attempted effects. Trey gets a request for “The Tire Song”, which Trey pushes aside. “WE’RE NOT GONNA DO THE TIRE SONG!,” he exclaims. Fish teases “Time Loves a Hero” while Trey banters. “Bag” is pretty short and to the point. “Forbin’s>Mockingbird” is fantastic and includes a brief narration, which was unusual at this point. Set 1 ends with a rocking “David Bowie” that unfortunately cuts off before the peak. This feels like an unusually long first set, potentially due to its pacing as it is actually only 94 minutes.
Set 2 kicks off strongly with the best “Donna Lee” so far. Those nights as the Johnny B. Fishman Jazz Ensemble were really paying off as the whole band is really showing the 4-headed monster mode they would perfect, nailing the tight head section of this bebop classic. It is a must-listen. “Suzy” is nothing but “Suzy”. Phish finally plays “The Tire Song” aka “Contact”. More mid-set Hendrix with “Fire” almost acting like a mid-set energy boost. Phish nails a glorious “Harry Hood” with a nice slow build. After “Hood”, Trey mentions that Phish will be playing an all-ages show at the Paradise on June 9th, a show that is not on Phish.com or Phish.net. He also says that Phish has a guestbook/mailing list in the back. A solid “Golgi” goes into “Slave”. The “Slave” here is interesting because the outro is effectively Mike-centric with him throwing little bass fills over Page while Trey just lays down some sustain and feedback and to end the song they just let everything dissipate to send the set. There’s a cut in the tape but it’s clear “Divided Sky” is the encore. Page says how Phish has to take off, not really giving a reason but they come back for more music after a pause. They also find Kristen Tierney’s wallet and get it back to her, which is nice. The recording cuts off midway through the peak of the song but we do get some fine displays of Trey learning to use that sustain again. All in all, a solid showing for the Ivy Leaguers on this one. I’d give it a spin.
Set 1: Golgi Apparatus, You Enjoy Myself, Ya Mar, Fluffhead > Alumni Blues > Letter to Jimmy Page > Alumni Blues, Donna Lee, Fee > Run Like an Antelope
Set 2: I Didn’t Know, Take the ‘A’ Train, Good Times Bad Times, McGrupp and the Watchful Hosemasters
The Sigma Phi house at Hamilton College as seen today.
Man, I can’t believe with is show review #100. That really means 1500 to go still but it’s a nice milestone to reach. I also wish we had a better show for #100 but this is a real stinker. There are cuts all over the place right in the middle of songs. We only get half of set 2. And the playing isn’t inspired at all. We also don’t know where this show took place. Some say it was back at Sigma Phi, where another poster says it was at McEwan Coffee House due to rain. Phish.com says Sigma Phi might not even be the right venue. We know about the rain due to Trey’s awesome intro to “Ya Mar”, the first time I’d heard him make the Phish underwater pun due to everyone being in the “swimming pool down in front of the stage.” The other highlight is hearing Phish ad-lib as his vacuum is once again not plugged in. He finally gets it going for a nice solo. I’d say you can definitely skip this tape.
Set 1: Dinner and a Movie, You Enjoy Myself, Esther, AC/DC Bag, Alumni Blues > Letter to Jimmy Page > Alumni Blues, Take the ‘A’ Train, Split Open and Melt, The Lizards, Golgi Apparatus, Good Times Bad Times
Set 2: Mike’s Song > I Am Hydrogen > Weekapaug Groove, On Your Way Down, Possum, Icculus, Colonel Forbin’s Ascent > Fly Famous Mockingbird, David Bowie
Encore: Contact
Pearl Street Ballroom at 10 Pearl Street in Northampton, MA. Right near the train station.
In reviewing the history of Phish, one cannot understate how important the city of Northampton and Pioneer Valley was to the band’s success. The center hub of the Five Colleges Consortium, consisting of Smith, Mount Holyoke, Hampshire, Amherst, and UMass Amherst, this cluster of students provided the first great Phish fan base outside of Burlington and nowhere is this confirmed than this night at Pearl Street.
Back on 4/15/1989, Page mentioned his show, saying that if they got enough ticket sales, the show would be moved from the basement (aka 10 Below) to the main hall. Phish had just played 10 Below exactly 1 month earlier on 4/1/1989 and clearly the venue saw the potential that night. Of course, Northampton was also no stranger to Phish. The band had already played Sheehan’s on Pleasant Street, one of the hottest spots in town, 3 times in the past year. Northampton was that place for Phish right now. Phish was able to sell enough tickets to play the main hall and they would stay there for 7 shows over the course of the next year. So we’ll get to know this space well by the end of it.
We only have the recording of set one and it’s labeled as an audience recording and if so, the crowd was very quiet unlike the previous night at NightStage. Even during Fishman’s solo on “A Train”, you can hear a pin drop when it gets quiet. The song selection is certainly better than the night before, possibly because the band knows that the fans are there. It’s not simply a gig in Boston, on the nightclub circuit. The show gets off to a bumpy start with a rough “Dinner and a Movie”. Page’s organ doesn’t sound mic’d up. The rhythm just sounds off. Page and Trey do hook up to save the song at about the 2:30 mark and now we’re on for the show. “You Enjoy Myself” is solid, especially from the 10-minute mark on with a nice lead from Trey. “Esther” is top-shelf and nailed from to top-to-bottom. The song has come a long way in a short amount of time. “A Train” again has a great solo from Fishman. “Split Open and Melt” has also come a long way in a short time. Mike and Fish hit that groove strong and it’s slowly showing the signs of the behemoth it will become. Also, the weird Fish solo in the middle has been dropped. “The Lizards” is played a little faster than previous versions and this is a beauty. Again, you can tell the crowd is on board with how quiet it is for the “If I Were a Dog” outro. Gorgeous. A solid 1-2 combo of “Golgi” and “Good Times Bad Times” ends the set in high spirits. Mike really drops bass bombs during “Good Times”. This is a really solid set and a welcome rebound from NightStage. I recommend checking it out.
Set 1: I Didn’t Know, You Enjoy Myself, McGrupp and the Watchful Hosemasters, The Lizards, Divided Sky, Wilson, Peaches en Regalia, Run Like an Antelope, Terrapin[1]
Encore: Possum
[1] Fish on trombone.
NightStage in Cambridge during its heyday.
While Phish certainly was climbing the rungs of the music industry, there had to be a few stumbles along the way. This show really highlights a night that for a lot of bands might have killed their momentum. NightStage was a very successful blues and jazz club just north of MIT at 823 Main Street . Buddy Guy, Junior Wells, and Screamin’ Jay Hawkins all had major gigs there in 1980s, some even released on video. Pat Metheney, Tracy Chapman, and Rick Danko also made stops there. This would seem like a very important gig. It starts off awkwardly with an introduction from the band’s manager Ben Hunter. He stumbles through the jokes, none are hitting the crowd. “‘POOOOJJJ’ McConnell,” owner of the “biggest organ in Boston”, Trey “the mad scientist”, are just two of the cringeworthy ones. Bill Graham, he was not that evening. Then, do you open with “Funky Bitch”, maybe “Peaches en Regalia?” No, the band opens with “I Didn’t Know”, which is fun and maybe loosens them up but it kills the show. Apparently, the band ten played “You Enjoy Myself” but it is not on any available recording. After “YEM,” Trey starts giving a Gamehendge narration. He says that Phish are traveling minstrels from Gamehendge and so they’re going to play some songs from there. He lays out a long description of each on and by the time he gets to asking if people know what a Rhombus is, it’s clear he’s lost the crowd. They just want the music, Trey. Even the people that yell for each song title, which feels like a small part of the crowd are done with the narration at this point. Especially only one song in to the set. At least, wait 3 or 4 songs. The Gamehendge mini-set is quite enjoyable though. “McGrupp” is a little tighter here which is a welcome addition. “The Lizards” is little boring but well-played. “Divided Sky” smokes and you can tell that one got some interest back. “Wilson>Peaches” remains. I also like that this recording is an audience recording because it sounds older than it is. It really sounds like a recording from Nectar’s in 1986, where the majority of the crowd is just there to drink and be social. They’re almost louder than the band. Perhaps, the disinterested crowd was part of the equation. Clearly, there’s still a good chunk of fans there but it’s obviously less than the total crowd. Trey speaks again, trying to thank NightStage and advising people to tip Jim at the bar. Trey asks for a vodka and tonic for Phish. You can hear a little defeat in Trey’s voice. He knows no one’s listening so he backs off and fires up “Antelope”. The jam of the show is “Antelope” as the foursome bring the swirling jam to a boil. They really work the tension here and on the recording, you almost feel in the middle of a twister as your ears rotate through the instruments for flourishes before it all just breaks into the “Rye Rye Rocco” part. It’s a solid early version and the crowd clearly agrees. What next? More Fishman, doing Syd Barrett’s “Terrapin” complete with trombone solo. Again, the crowd talking gets louder than the band. The show loses with a “not that exciting” “Possum.” This show, however, feels important because it probably was a wake-up call for the young Dionysian Productions team. Ben and John had to have seen that the nightclub circuit might not be right for the band and alternate plans would have to come for future success.
NightStage right before it was torn down and replaced with condos.
Set 1: Golgi Apparatus, Jam[1], The Sloth > Divided Sky, Sanity[2], I Didn’t Know, Alumni Blues > Letter to Jimmy Page > Alumni Blues > The Lizards, Whipping Post
Encore: Contact, David Bowie
[1] Often referred to as “String Changing Nature.”
[2] Fast version.
The outside of the M.U.B. as it appears today. Probably has had modifications since 1989.
Back on 11/11/88, when Phish played the Stone Church in Newmarket for the first time, Trey plugged someone’s show at the “MUB”. Trey asked what that was, not knowing. Here, about 5 months late, Trey gets the full answer as Phish plays the pub at the M.U.B, or Memorial Union Building at the University of New Hampshire. UNH would prove an important place in the band’s career until the school no longer had a venue large enough for the band after 1994. With total enrollment of about 15,000 students, this bastion of young people, combined with its proximity to both Boston and Portland, ME made it an ideal location for the band. This show was booked by the UNH Outing Club and played in the pub within the union building. The pub has since been removed as colleges would move away from alcohol on campus sometime during the 1990s. I checked out the floor plan of the MUB but did not find a space which seemed to suggest a pub location. I may check with some UNH alumni and see if they remember the location. I will update this post if it can be determined. As for the show itself, there’s not much that stands out. A fun jazz jam by Mike, Page, and Fish while Trey replaces a string is cool. Mike throws some banter over the top. “Sanity” is the fast version again. “Lizards” has Page experimenting with counter-melodies along side Trey during the “If I Were A Dog” outro. “Whipping Post” has a cool jam that takes it easy instead of pushing it over the top. Lastly, “David Bowie” has a fun intro with the band saying thank you to the crowd. The ensuing jam is also well-played. A solid gig but again nothing too noteworthy other than establishing a fan base at UNH.
The Phishsonian Institute - Researching Phish's impact in the world-at-large 