The best Phish song

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I never heard Phish-- always though "Eh, stupid hippie band" but recently someone who I respect -- and isn't a hippie-- said he was planning on buying a bunch of live Phish CDs. So I wanted to check them out, see how they are. Then I realized they've recorded a whole crap load of songs. Which songs of there's are considered classic? Where do I start?

― David Allen, Saturday, 3 May 2003 17:46 (twenty-three years ago)

Are *any* of their songs considered classic? Isn't the appeal their skill at jamming? Unfortuantely, unlike some other bands who aren't big around here but may be admired by some of the same people that like Phish, their jams say one thing: "Look, I can really play!". The songwriting and singing really lack appeal. To compensate, they often go for 'wacky'.

Full disclosure: I saw Phish live and even owned one of their albums, but this was ten years ago. Maybe they're a lot better now! One thing's for sure: they haven't gotten any better looking.

― Sean (Sean), Saturday, 3 May 2003 17:59 (twenty-three years ago)

Not true, Sean. David, check out "Story of the Ghost" for funk-soul songs with a true 70s sound, "Billy Breathes" and "Farmhouse" for regular rocky songs, also with sort of an "era past" feel, "Hoist" for quicky rock songs, "Picture of Nectar" for fast and complicated zappa-ish jam rock (that one was sort of impressive at the time), "Junta" for weird and mostly instrumental tunes. Junta was the first Phish album I ever heard and it was the LAST to grow on me. Definitely for older people, I think. Almost Spyro Gyra-ish.

I'm not sure what the BEST Phish song would be, but only people who are fairly ignorant of their output are happy to classify/dismiss it all as the same. I'm really liking Story of The Ghost and Farmhouse the most lately, but the live discs are all great from what I've heard.

You can download Gamehenge online, which people would call "classic", since they've never been properly recorded in a studio and it's this cute little story Phish was sort of founded upon.

― Scaredy Cat, Saturday, 3 May 2003 18:33 (twenty-three years ago)

Better answer to your question:

REBA from "Lawnboy" is definitely a crowd favorite and always has been.

― Scaredy Cat, Saturday, 3 May 2003 18:38 (twenty-three years ago)

BTW, I can't think of a single stupid hippie band I didn't like. "Look I can really play" to some people is simply "that sounds good" to others. Stupid hippie music is generally stuff to really get lost in and soak up. Tends to be mellow and silly, yet mature and well-crafted.

It's funny how so many music snobs will glorify no-talent bands and put down bands with heaps of talent, I guess out of immaturity? Grateful Dead is often put in the same category as Phish and the 2 are really nothing alike. The Dead have some great lyrics and great music, but completely different. Phish sing mostly about things most people would have a hard time imagining other than Dr. Seuss and play mostly "fun" songs.

― Scaredy Cat, Saturday, 3 May 2003 18:55 (twenty-three years ago)

It's funny how so many music snobs will glorify no-talent bands and put down bands with heaps of talent, I guess out of immaturity?

That was annoying.

― My name is Kenny (My name is Kenny), Saturday, 3 May 2003 20:53 (twenty-three years ago)

Of course it was.

― Scaredy Cat, Saturday, 3 May 2003 20:58 (twenty-three years ago)

well its true. the bands the music press masturbate all over in 2003 are bands that really have nothing going for them except a look. its more about who your friends are and what you look like in the indie scene.

― chaki (chaki), Saturday, 3 May 2003 21:01 (twenty-three years ago)

Phish have some good (older) stuff. I booked 'em a cpl of times, '80 & '90 and they put on very strong shows both times. I think their best work is still on their earliest stuff "Junta" and on on "LawnBoy"

As said above "Reba" is good, "Bouncing Around the Room" (also from 'Lawn Boy') is also good. Enjoy that album but their initial tape "Junta" is still the best. Personally, have not found their development over the past 14/15 years since I first heard them that interesting.

― H (Heruy), Saturday, 3 May 2003 21:39 (twenty-three years ago)

On a related note, if you like Phish's jamming and don't
mind silliness, investigate 1970s swiss proggers
Samla Mammas Manna.

― Squirrel_Police (Squirrel_Police), Saturday, 3 May 2003 22:19 (twenty-three years ago)

And if you DON'T like silliness or mindblowing jams,
you should try Phish's 1996 album they did with Steve Lillywhite.
Straight solid songs with tastefully short instrumentals and
no wackiness in sight. I've called it the _Abbey Road_ of
the 90s, and that's high praise indeed from this craven thrall
of the Beatles.

― Squirrel_Police (Squirrel_Police), Saturday, 3 May 2003 22:21 (twenty-three years ago)

They never properly followed it up. _Story Of The Ghost_
and _Farmhouse_ have their charms, though. _Round Room_ was
a major dissapointment. It was supposed to sound relaxed
and "Band" like; instead it just sounded ragged and
unrehearsed.

― Squirrel_Police (Squirrel_Police), Saturday, 3 May 2003 22:26 (twenty-three years ago)

And if you DON'T like silliness or mindblowing jams,
you should try Phish's 1996 album they did with Steve Lillywhite.

Yesh, that's "Billy Breathes", right? Great rock n' roll. I think of that and Farmhouse as sort of 2 sides of one coin, with Hoist being the 3rd (I guess the edge of the coin?)... All fairly non-jammin' but still interesting takes on rock music.

― Scaredy Cat, Saturday, 3 May 2003 22:40 (twenty-three years ago)

The song, Divided Sky, off of Junta is amazing. billy breathes is a good album too. i'm not really into anything else the've done, except a song or two off of some recent albums, story of the ghost and farmhouse. but definately divided sky, incredible

― Bill Martini, Monday, 5 May 2003 19:13 (twenty-three years ago)

Some of their songs really are amazing. "Divided Sky", "Guyute", "Rift", "Theme From the Bottom", "My Friend, My Friend"...if you listen to any ONE of their studio albums, I would recommend either Rift or Billy Breathes, as they're the least plagued by the goofy-nonsense lyrical content that has blighted some coulda-been-really-great-songs-but-instead-are-jams-with-retarded-ass-lyrics. But even some of those songs still manage to hit with lots of impact and power..."You Enjoy Myself", fr'instance, although wack in terms of word-play, is totally a sonic adventure of fucking enormous proportions.

― nickalicious (nickalicious), Monday, 5 May 2003 19:27 (twenty-three years ago)

"It's funny how so many music snobs will glorify no-talent bands and put down bands with heaps of talent, I guess out of immaturity?"

i've never heard phish but remarks like this make me *want* to hate them. i guess out of immaturity.

― weasel diesel (K1l14n), Monday, 5 May 2003 19:40 (twenty-three years ago)

...Almost Spyro Gyra-ish....

EGADS!

― christoff (christoff), Monday, 5 May 2003 19:49 (twenty-three years ago)

There is usually at least one song per Phish album that I feel has ruined an otherwise great album anyone could easily enjoy. But, then I see that other people really like these songs and I have to give Phish credit for doing all sorts of shit and satisfying all different sorts of people.

For instance, "Rift" was the first Phish album that disappointed the hell out of me (I had bought them at the time of their release in succession up to this point), but I see nickalicious really likes it. I also recently started listening to it again and it's a great album, but songs like "Weigh", "Mound", "Lengthwise" and "My Friend, My Friend" are long and stupid sounding to me. The rest of the album is amazing, however, but nearly half of it is ruined for me.

The next album was "Hoist" which featured a really bad MTV video and so I stopped buying Phish albums for about 4 years until the day I decided to check out "Story of The Ghost". I then, bought all the albums I'd missed and now own everything except the Live albums. I only have one of those.

Anyone like Gamehenge? I really pretty much enjoy all the albums, including the new Round Room. I've sort of become less disturbed by the Rift songs I really used to hate.

― Scaredy Cat, Monday, 5 May 2003 20:45 (twenty-three years ago)

two months pass...

Definitely, my favorite album is Farmhouse. On the occasions we've had over company, drank beer and especially the 2 or 3 times we've drank and smoked dope, Farmhouse is one album that is very subtle and every time people get into it and ask what it is (and the volume is always low). AND they are always shocked and disgusted with themselves when I say it's Phish. Man, it is a good hanging out disc.

― Scaredy Cat, Wednesday, 16 July 2003 02:29 (twenty-two years ago)

'lengthwise' is kind of sweet.

― Josh (Josh), Wednesday, 16 July 2003 03:01 (twenty-two years ago)

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