I've always known about Phish but for some reason never gave them a serious listen. It wasn't until your Rift reaction that I realized what I've been missing out on and since then they have became one of my favorite bands of all time faster than any other band I've ever discovered. Feels like discovering Gizz all over again. Thanks for introducing me to this beautiful band :)
I joined solely for your Phish reaction content. I'm glad I did because your pain listening to If I Could hit me right in the feels. I've been happily married for many years, but there were many more years of one heartbreak after another. Hang in there, my friend. It sounds like you're doing the work. Your person is out there, making their way toward you, just as you make your way toward them. I look forward to taking that journey with you in your chat and in your comments. Thank you for discovering Phish so I can watch you fall in love with a band that changed my life forever. I'm reliving all those epic feelings I felt when I first discovered them. I love hearing your perspective. Your analysis is spot on. Thanks again, Walt. See you in the next one!
Another great reaction!!! I've gotta say, I have watched a lot of these Phish reactions and they are all great for one reason or another. Obviously, for those of us that have spent much of our lives dedicated to this band to one degree or another, it is amazing and nostalgic to watch others feel the feelings we felt whenever it was we got into this band. But your reactions...I don't know what it is, but its something special to watch that goes beyond nostalgia. Perhaps its just how genuine and vulnerable (thank you) you are, how comprehensive your approach is, or maybe its because this band is seemingly really grabbing and pulling you in (the way it pulled so many of us in). It's probably a sum of all of the above, methinks. Anyway, I just want to thank you for taking the time to listen and really digesting this music. Welcome to the club!!! Cant wait for the next one! I suggest you keep peppering in live performances as you go...perhaps from shows from the time frame of the given album you just listened to. Just a suggestion...either way, I'm here for it.
Fun fact, “The Horse” was the only song from Rift that wasn’t featured in the album art, so they made a point to feature it (prominently) on their next album.
The amount of tears I've seen at shows, and the hugs from strangers that come with them, makes me feel like you'll find a great home with us. This music is both a pure celebration o existence and a spotlight on all of emotions that come with that existence. It's group therapy, and we're here for whatever you need on your journey. We love you, Walt. And you deserve it.
Reviewing Junta, you articulated in a way no other human has, the skill level of Phish compositions & delivery. Your videos make me so happy, keep it up.
I love watching your reviews. I've listened to this band for over 30 years and somehow you bring me back to the days I discovered this music and you make me listen to it with a fresh perspective I could have never expected. Thank you and merry Christmas!
Agreed. This was kind of the beginning of the end for me. Felt things shifting late '94 and basically drifted away, then Billy Breathes came out and sealed it for me. I do love Story of the Ghost though, but it took a long time to come around to it. Looking forward to that reaction.
Enjoy watching these reviews! My first Phish shows in 1994 was in the Hoist time period. Hearing Lifeboy at that show in a small theater in Columbia SC on 04/22/94 changed the trajectory of my life. The entire show really, but that Lifeboy . Wow.
I was at that show - Township Auditorium (remember Page's dad came out for barbershop quartet encore). The Marquee for the show of that building was on the cover of A Live One
Love seeing you fall in love with this band that has been the soundtrack to a few decades of my life. We've got lots of creators reacting to Phish, but not all of them genuinely FEEL it like I can tell you do. It's a very long ride and a very deep hole to dive in, but incredibly rewarding. After decades of this band a lot of phans tend to get a bit jaded, but watching you hear it for the first time makes us feel the feelings we forgot!
Hearing lifeboy at 14 years old live, and crying with my best friend, is something I'll always remember. Watching you go through this and understand the message and feelings that you're having from the music reminds me of being a teenager as these albums released and having those feelings when I really really needed them.
Hoist was originally called " Hung Like a Horse" But decided against it, but already had the photo lifting a horse with a tractor (Album Cover). HOIST.
Fishman wrote the lyrics to My Sweet One and Dog Faced Boy, and they're about the same women he ended up cheating on in Dog Faced Boy. Trey wrote the music for both.
What I love about this album art is “the horse” was the only song from rift not pictured on the album art, so of course they use a horse for the album after rift. Love the musical journey you are on. I would love for you to check out Umphreys McGee next.
Might be time to do A Live One next and then do Billy Breathes which I am sure you will like since you liked Hoist and Rift so much. Depending on my mood, it is my favorite Phish album I go back and forth between Rift and Billy Breathes. The guitar solo on the album's title track might be the most sublime sounding thing that Trey ever did in the studio.
"This is the best Allison Kraus song ever!" 😂😂😂 I loved that you recognized that Trey sings and plays the lead at the same time in DWD, as opposed to overdubbing. He plays it like that every time. That very skill always stunned me. The other part to Axilla is the same song with different verses. They'll switch it up every 30 years or so 😂 This is awesome, thanks!
Thank you for this Walter - it’s been so long since I heard this one and I was surprised by how emotional I got too during the ballads. Your soul shines so brightly through these videos, it’s a beautiful thing man
@walterooski A very hairy wolf-like Fishman knocked on Trey's dorm room door at UVM when he heard him playing guitar thru the hallways...the rest is history. Hence the opening line "Well many years ago now, I really can't be sure, that's when it all began then I heard that knock upon my door"
12/1/95 Down with Disease is on TH-cam with video, it’s probably my favorite Trey solo ever and it’s a compact jam. 7 minutes in total. Would love to see a one-off before the ALO stream
This has been so fun to watch you discover each album. Reminds me of my journey back in 2003ish. Haven't listened to the albums in a good while either so it's a great refresh. You should check out Slave To The Traffic Light from 10/31/94 Glens Falls, NY. There isn't a studio version other than white tape (not great) and you'd love the outro jam.
Not sure if this got mentioned too, but that actually is Frakes/Riker on Riker’s mailbox. He lived across the street and had a weird mailbox and they invited him over to play on the album. He didn’t have the chops tho, but they gave him his own song instead with his outtakes, hence Riker’s Mailbox
not to add more to your plate Walter, but if you dig Phish with that big band sound with horns like on Julius, you may want to check out the Trey Anastasio Band.
Approaching my 30th anniversary of my first show 12/30/94 you have brought me back to the moments when Phish first touched my soul. I am so loving going back to these albums with you. Thank you for sharing your knowledge and your wonder AND your vulnerability with us. We appreciate you. My phriends and I have shared so many of your quotes as you listen. Tweezer…”Immediately, yes” “Man, it’s good to be in the freezer” and my latest favorite. Demand…We, got into an accident????” I’ll be at the Garden again next week and I will be raging extra hard for you and cannot wait for you to get to a show. Til then…Birds of a feather
JERUSALEM OF GOLD The mountain air is clear as wine And the scent of pines Is carried on the breeze of twilight With the sound of bells. And in the slumber of tree and stone Captured in her dream The city that sits solitary And in its midst is a wall. Chorus: Jerusalem of gold And of copper, and of light Behold I am a violin for all your songs. x2 How the cisterns have dried The market-place is empty And no one frequents the Temple Mount In the Old City. And in the caves in the mountain Winds are howling And no one descends to the Dead Sea By way of Jericho. Chorus: But as I come to sing to you today, And to adorn crowns to you (i.e. to tell your praise) I am the smallest of the youngest of your children (i.e. the least worthy of doing so) And of the last poet (i.e. of all the poets born). For your name scorches the lips Like the kiss of a seraph If I forget thee, Jerusalem, Which is all gold... Chorus: We have returned to the cisterns To the market and to the market-place A ram's horn calls out on the Temple Mount In the Old City. And in the caves in the mountain Thousands of suns shine - We will once again descend to the Dead Sea By way of Jericho!
will say, the emotions you felt during if i could, imagine years and years going by witnessing the most beautiful crowds, concerts, experiences with this band, and a song like this comes on and the feeling of such unity and love just hits so hard as all the years flash before you and all the love you experienced during those times hits you ten fold
Watching / hearing Phish with your Pham is truly magical. Think of the energy you get watching this @home with digital friends. Times that by 100 in the live setting. Check for some local Phish cover bands. Get your dancin shoes & stamina ready for when the real deal rolls for spring or summer tour. Meet some fun people & dance your ass off. It is so therapeutic!!! 😊
As for 1/4 I'll be out gigging, so I'll have to catch up with you on A Live One per usual. What year is your D-28? I switch between my Eastman E10D and Yamaha LL16D ARE Jumbo playing with my bluegrass bands. God bless ✌️ FYI a lot of your questions can be answered if you watch the documentary of Phish recording this album. LA in 1994 during the crazy wildfires. I have a playlist I made public that includes a lot of full pro shot gigs, documentaries, interviews, etc I'd recommend checking out 🤘
Love that your doing all the studio stuff before going into all the amazing live performances. I would definitely work your way through all the album's right through Undermind. Then I would go back and listen to individual songs. If your looking for great sound quality the band has released a complete set of Live Phish album's but I wouldn't confine yourself to just those album's for live performances. I would also recommend the Island Tour or a number of Phish festival sets (Great went, lemonwheel, Clifford ball, big cypress, oswego) . There also Japan tours and Europe tours that are special , I'd recommend Amsterdam. Every phish Phan has their own rankings and favorite shows and versions of songs so don't get too caught up in "this version is the best" kinda talk and just see where the music takes you. Your favorite version of tweezer may be way different than my top 10 tweezers. 1.0 phish is 1983 - 2000. The band formed , started slow playing small bars and clubs. Expanded their sound found their groove and creativity exploded. They were way different sounding between 1983-1988, 1989-1991 was a different sound then 1992-1994, 1995 -1996 sounds different than 1997-1999 , then they went on hiatus in October of 2000. This ends the 1.0 era . 2.0 phish is NYE 2002-2004. This era of Phish is considered bad (I love 2003) because of Treys drug usage. The sound is more distorted and scratchy and dark versus smooth light and engaged sound of 1.0 . Almost like the band played with reckless abandonment. There is a lot of emotion in 2.0 but certainly dark vibes and sonic thunder audio. The band breaks up 2 years into their comeback as their personal lives fall apart and the magic of Phish is gone. 3.0 2009- (this is debated if it is still 3.0 or if 3.0 ended during pandemic shutdown) Phish is sober, clean and BACK !!!! This era is happiness and comfort. Yeah they are 50 year olds that aren't going to drop in and out of blissfully mind blowing jams each show (1.0) but they are healthy and renewed with energy , wisdom, and veteran mindset. Some jaded phans dislike this era not for the jams or overall sound as phish is still able to take you there spiritually but because of the written songs themselves. In Treys recovery he got very spiritual and the songs became kinda dad Rock ballads and stuff versus organically weird music like 1.0. There is sooooooo much phish content you will never be able to react to even 1/2 of it so find what you like and what style of Phish you like (jazzy, bliss, rock, bluegrass, metal, drug induced, sober ballads, etc) Good luck sir, I can't tell you how much joy you have brought me doing these videos. P.s. if you want a video of PEAK trey and perhaps the best guitar playing ever recorded on video check out the Ghost from Prauge 1998 and your mind will melt
I've always interpreted DWD as a song about becoming a popular band. A thousand barefoot children dancing on my lawn is about playing in amphitheaters that have a lawn section. Stealing all my lines is about phans selling shirts or bumper stickers with your lyrics on the shirts or bumper stickers. This has all been wonderful but now I am on my way is about being fed up with being the next big thing, but I could be completely wrong, just my personal interpretation.
One of the big things about this album is that it was fully tracked out, rather than lots of live performances. Almost all of the tracks were done in isolation, not together as a band, which was new for them. This album was done entirely piece by piece, not live. They also added in a ton of weird extra noises, like people stomping on pebbles during Lifeboy. They went for a big studio production style, which was the first time they tried to do that. Down with Disease is not about addiction. Tom Marshall (their lyricist) had mono when he wrote these lyrics. Trey didn't become an addict until about 99-2000, and didn't start writing about it until he got sober in 2007-08. That string line on If I Could is a guitar part live. It hits HARD.
Wolfman's brother is actually fishman. It's about when he met him in college hearing him play drums down the hallway of the dorm room and thinking I need to meet this guy. When fish broke up their last festival was called Coventry and Trey gave some tidbits of knowledge and it turns out wolfman's brother is fishman. Other than that the lyrics are typical Phish, maybe more about the melody than the lyric. But then you have those Tom martial lyrics that hit you in the heart.
Songs like Julius are all out Trey shred fests live. Also Wolfmans Brother has become one of the best jam vehicles. Slip Stitch and Pass is the next live release after ALO and the Wolfmans on there really shows how Phish evolved into a very funky, full band improv that could go anywhere. Loved the reactions to Lifeboy and If I could. Phish ballads are severely underrated and should be played more live imo. When you see a song like Lifeboy live it's wonderful. It builds up into an amazing white light finale with "To what I say... God never listens" belted out like we are at church. Billy Breathes has some great ones. Down with Disease is a huge jammer for Phish too. The recent Mondegreen festival had a great one. Disease always shreds and Trey is known for guitar shred face. I used to have a great shirt with Trey shredding making a crazy face
Good ear on them being all in the same room there is a documentary about the recording of hoist that Mike recorded with a VHS. This is a must for you brother!
I love If I Could, Lifeboy and Dog Faced Boy and haven’t seen any of them live yet, would be so happy if I did. As others have mentioned, I can’t wait for you to get to Billy Breathes… it’s definitely my favorite studio album. A complete work of art from start to finish.
When I first started seeing them in 94, they played If I Could and Lifeboy alot. I haven't seen either live since then. When it happens, I will cry. Guaranteed.
You can hear more of the Tower of Power horn's on Mike's favorite live album, _Waiting for Columbus_ a double live album by a band called Little Feat. Great great album.
I listened to Lifebouy dozens of times while battling addiction and during recovery. Ive cried rivers of tears to that song and credit it greatly for helping me get thru a very difficult time in my life.
Love your open emotions during If I Could, my wife and I were having a rough patch with me working and being gone and distant for a time and I played this for here and said it was how I truly felt. It got the conversation started and we have now been together for 35 Years.
You feel the same way about lifeboy I have for 20 years... amazing song and a tearjerker... last version I saw live was in Vegas in 2018. I was on my way from Colorado to California to see my dad who was fighting pancreatic cancer. Tucked into a Mike's groove was the highlight of the show for me. I was at the show alone and cried with some strangers I met next to me who were from colorado as well. Beautiful memory for me to this day... appreciate you brother
Thank you for the emotionally honest reacts. And speaking as someone who is also in recovery, I think some of the later stuff, the dad-rock-post-Trey-recovery stuff, is really going to speak to you when you get to it. And on a Trek note, yes Sisko is the best, and DS9 is the best.
Great reaction. I didn't notice the addiction theme when this first came out, probably because I was up to no good myself around that time, but listening again I hear it all over the album. Kind of makes sense based on what we know now.
Please do blind melon next! Either their first self titled album or the much darker follow up called Soup. Love your phish + ween reactions, keep it going bud!
There is a video that was made by Mike Gordon during these sessions. It was recorded at American Recording Company in Calabassas CA. It might actually be in Woodland Hills, I’m not 100% sure. Great studio, I recorded there on a couple of sessions. The studio was owned by Richie Podolor who produced 3 Dog Night and Steppenwolf. One thing I remember is that they had a really cool reverb chamber. Not sure if Phish used it or not. This was Richie’s second studio. He previously owned a studio in Hollywood where The Grateful Dead recorded Aoxomoxoa.
Hoist was as much a Breakthrough album as Phish could get. Certainly their popularity on college campuses catapulted soon after. Down with Disease is the BIG song from the album and it was an exciting time to be young and going to shows
Trey and Tom Marshall wrote most of the songs on Hoist. Few exceptions. Same for Rift. Psychedelic sci-fi bluegrass was quite the description. Especially after you listen to sci-fi soldier and KV.
Hey listen, I joined ur channel for the phish reactions cause I’m a huge phish fan (music in general), but going through your videos I just wanna say there’s a deeply personal feel to the way you comment on mental health. It’s something I think a great amount of people go through and some need a guidance and I wanna say thank you for being one of those people, there’s nothing better than seeing someone else like yourself make someone feel like it’s ok to be themselves, even if you’re not saying it directly, just watching your videos makes me feel great to be a lanky, ugly dork. Keep the videos rolling man, thought I’d say something
If I Could and Lifeboy have been favorites since I first heard them in 94. Dammit if i havrnt been chasing those songs for decades now 😂 Walter, there are a lot of us sob er people in the community. I've been sober over 3 years now and absolutely love seeing Phish sober. It's become a more spiritual experience than ever. I'm truly connected. I never understood the people (many deadheads I've known) who would say Phish is not spiritual or deep or emotive. I strongly disagree.
AIUI the Ivy League university Yale is named after a man named Elihu Yale, and that the use of the name Elihu in this song is meant to denote 'some fancy-pants dude at this party who goes to Yale' and not an actual physical person named Elihu.
It wouldn’t surprise me at all , when you meet your person, that’s its a phish chic. She’ll understand you. Many of our(phans) lives are defined by before Phish and after Phish. This band changes your life.
Been a phan for 22 years, and it turns out I never knew 90% of the lyrics to Scent Of A Mule. I thought it was "Heeeeeere we shot ourself a mighty ass" haaahahaha
Billy Breathes is next! My favorite studio album. I don’t listen to the albums much (99% live for me), but Billy Breathes is a legit amazing album. I’d put Rift as my second
@Walterooski To answer your question that I didn't see answered in the live Twitch chat- Trey was born in 1964, and this Hoist album was recorded in 1994. So 30 years old at that time. He's 60 now in 2024.
Maybe someone already commented this in the live chat but there's a 25 min documentary of them recording this album in the studio. It's great! th-cam.com/video/zgOEoW7gqUk/w-d-xo.htmlsi=0hsu3j6xfBJQpqYt
I've always known about Phish but for some reason never gave them a serious listen. It wasn't until your Rift reaction that I realized what I've been missing out on and since then they have became one of my favorite bands of all time faster than any other band I've ever discovered. Feels like discovering Gizz all over again. Thanks for introducing me to this beautiful band :)
Bro, you introduced me to the Gizz. I owed you one!
I joined solely for your Phish reaction content. I'm glad I did because your pain listening to If I Could hit me right in the feels. I've been happily married for many years, but there were many more years of one heartbreak after another. Hang in there, my friend. It sounds like you're doing the work. Your person is out there, making their way toward you, just as you make your way toward them. I look forward to taking that journey with you in your chat and in your comments. Thank you for discovering Phish so I can watch you fall in love with a band that changed my life forever. I'm reliving all those epic feelings I felt when I first discovered them. I love hearing your perspective. Your analysis is spot on. Thanks again, Walt. See you in the next one!
I can’t wait until he gets to Billy Breathes.
“I feel the feeling I forgot...”
He’s gonna love that.
Another great reaction!!! I've gotta say, I have watched a lot of these Phish reactions and they are all great for one reason or another. Obviously, for those of us that have spent much of our lives dedicated to this band to one degree or another, it is amazing and nostalgic to watch others feel the feelings we felt whenever it was we got into this band. But your reactions...I don't know what it is, but its something special to watch that goes beyond nostalgia. Perhaps its just how genuine and vulnerable (thank you) you are, how comprehensive your approach is, or maybe its because this band is seemingly really grabbing and pulling you in (the way it pulled so many of us in). It's probably a sum of all of the above, methinks. Anyway, I just want to thank you for taking the time to listen and really digesting this music. Welcome to the club!!! Cant wait for the next one!
I suggest you keep peppering in live performances as you go...perhaps from shows from the time frame of the given album you just listened to. Just a suggestion...either way, I'm here for it.
Fun fact, “The Horse” was the only song from Rift that wasn’t featured in the album art, so they made a point to feature it (prominently) on their next album.
Rift has “slowly” become a favorite album 😂 bro never heard a Phish song 2 months ago, that’s a pretty fast rise to power for Rift!
Walter, you sir are the man. Making me fall in love with phish again. Keep it up.
The amount of tears I've seen at shows, and the hugs from strangers that come with them, makes me feel like you'll find a great home with us. This music is both a pure celebration o existence and a spotlight on all of emotions that come with that existence. It's group therapy, and we're here for whatever you need on your journey. We love you, Walt. And you deserve it.
Reviewing Junta, you articulated in a way no other human has, the skill level of Phish compositions & delivery.
Your videos make me so happy, keep it up.
I love watching your reviews. I've listened to this band for over 30 years and somehow you bring me back to the days I discovered this music and you make me listen to it with a fresh perspective I could have never expected. Thank you and merry Christmas!
I still think of Hoist as one of their new albums
Agreed. This was kind of the beginning of the end for me. Felt things shifting late '94 and basically drifted away, then Billy Breathes came out and sealed it for me. I do love Story of the Ghost though, but it took a long time to come around to it. Looking forward to that reaction.
Billy Breathes is my favorite start to finish album ever. It’s quite a journey.
Enjoy watching these reviews! My first Phish shows in 1994 was in the Hoist time period. Hearing Lifeboy at that show in a small theater in Columbia SC on 04/22/94 changed the trajectory of my life. The entire show really, but that Lifeboy . Wow.
I was at that show - Township Auditorium (remember Page's dad came out for barbershop quartet encore). The Marquee for the show of that building was on the cover of A Live One
Thank you for providing this community, going through it and wanted to say your videos have brought a comforting outlet. Thanks for what you do man!
Love seeing you fall in love with this band that has been the soundtrack to a few decades of my life. We've got lots of creators reacting to Phish, but not all of them genuinely FEEL it like I can tell you do. It's a very long ride and a very deep hole to dive in, but incredibly rewarding. After decades of this band a lot of phans tend to get a bit jaded, but watching you hear it for the first time makes us feel the feelings we forgot!
Hearing lifeboy at 14 years old live, and crying with my best friend, is something I'll always remember. Watching you go through this and understand the message and feelings that you're having from the music reminds me of being a teenager as these albums released and having those feelings when I really really needed them.
Hoist was originally called " Hung Like a Horse" But decided against it, but already had the photo lifting a horse with a tractor (Album Cover). HOIST.
Can't wait until he hear's the mule duel
Fishman wrote the lyrics to My Sweet One and Dog Faced Boy, and they're about the same women he ended up cheating on in Dog Faced Boy. Trey wrote the music for both.
Scent of a Mule, of all the songs on this album, is missing the most in the studio version. Definitely one to hear live as soon as possible.
Never heard the studio version and was waiting for the whole second half of the song, felt like musical blue blls
Agreed. Also a good opportunity to check out the banjo player. He's kinda good.
😉
Thanks for the reaction walter. This one was special! You're loved!
What I love about this album art is “the horse” was the only song from rift not pictured on the album art, so of course they use a horse for the album after rift. Love the musical journey you are on. I would love for you to check out Umphreys McGee next.
We're here with you Walter.
great stream, great rewatch, enjoy the holiday season and sharing Gizz with your pop, much love to all the community
Alison Krause - Vocals, Tower of Power - Horns, Bela Fleck - Banjo.
Might be time to do A Live One next and then do Billy Breathes which I am sure you will like since you liked Hoist and Rift so much. Depending on my mood, it is my favorite Phish album I go back and forth between Rift and Billy Breathes. The guitar solo on the album's title track might be the most sublime sounding thing that Trey ever did in the studio.
"This is the best Allison Kraus song ever!" 😂😂😂
I loved that you recognized that Trey sings and plays the lead at the same time in DWD, as opposed to overdubbing. He plays it like that every time. That very skill always stunned me.
The other part to Axilla is the same song with different verses. They'll switch it up every 30 years or so 😂
This is awesome, thanks!
Thank you for this Walter - it’s been so long since I heard this one and I was surprised by how emotional I got too during the ballads. Your soul shines so brightly through these videos, it’s a beautiful thing man
@walterooski A very hairy wolf-like Fishman knocked on Trey's dorm room door at UVM when he heard him playing guitar thru the hallways...the rest is history. Hence the opening line "Well many years ago now, I really can't be sure, that's when it all began then I heard that knock upon my door"
12/1/95 Down with Disease is on TH-cam with video, it’s probably my favorite Trey solo ever and it’s a compact jam. 7 minutes in total. Would love to see a one-off before the ALO stream
There is a doc you can watch called Tracking which is the making of the album
Rikers Mailbox actually has Jonathon Frakes on Trombone
PHISH - The "Hoist" Tracking Sessions I short doc on the making of
I'm stoked to watch you fall in love with "Billy Breathes" in less than 3 songs. It's their best studio work.
This has been so fun to watch you discover each album. Reminds me of my journey back in 2003ish. Haven't listened to the albums in a good while either so it's a great refresh.
You should check out Slave To The Traffic Light from 10/31/94 Glens Falls, NY. There isn't a studio version other than white tape (not great) and you'd love the outro jam.
❤❤ great time listening along with you as always. Looking forward to A live one!
Thank you so much for always being so kind and uplifting ❤️
28:33- Anastasio and Gordon at Tanagra…
Your videos have gotten me back into listening to Phish again. Thank you !
Story Of The Ghost
Not sure if this got mentioned too, but that actually is Frakes/Riker on Riker’s mailbox. He lived across the street and had a weird mailbox and they invited him over to play on the album. He didn’t have the chops tho, but they gave him his own song instead with his outtakes, hence Riker’s Mailbox
Stranded on this slender string
The minutes seem to last a lifetime
Dangling here between the light above
And blue below that drags me down
I’m good enough. I’m smart enough, and gosh darn it, people like me.
Well, damn. "I created these big problems and then made myself the victim." Well spoken, sir
Very good chance that Phish is planning a spring tour out west. They played Phoenix in 2021 so your chances are good!
not to add more to your plate Walter, but if you dig Phish with that big band sound with horns like on Julius, you may want to check out the Trey Anastasio Band.
You're raw, real emotion to If I could is beautiful. Exactly how it hits me in the feels too.
This is so funny. Been seeing phish live since the 80s but have never heard the recorded version of wolfman's before. 😆
Approaching my 30th anniversary of my first show 12/30/94 you have brought me back to the moments when Phish first touched my soul. I am so loving going back to these albums with you. Thank you for sharing your knowledge and your wonder AND your vulnerability with us. We appreciate you. My phriends and I have shared so many of your quotes as you listen. Tweezer…”Immediately, yes” “Man, it’s good to be in the freezer” and my latest favorite. Demand…We, got into an accident????”
I’ll be at the Garden again next week and I will be raging extra hard for you and cannot wait for you to get to a show.
Til then…Birds of a feather
JERUSALEM OF GOLD
The mountain air is clear as wine
And the scent of pines
Is carried on the breeze of twilight
With the sound of bells.
And in the slumber of tree and stone
Captured in her dream
The city that sits solitary
And in its midst is a wall.
Chorus:
Jerusalem of gold
And of copper, and of light
Behold I am a violin for all your songs.
x2
How the cisterns have dried
The market-place is empty
And no one frequents the Temple Mount
In the Old City.
And in the caves in the mountain
Winds are howling
And no one descends to the Dead Sea
By way of Jericho.
Chorus:
But as I come to sing to you today,
And to adorn crowns to you (i.e. to tell your praise)
I am the smallest of the youngest of your children (i.e. the least worthy of doing so)
And of the last poet (i.e. of all the poets born).
For your name scorches the lips
Like the kiss of a seraph
If I forget thee, Jerusalem,
Which is all gold...
Chorus:
We have returned to the cisterns
To the market and to the market-place
A ram's horn calls out on the Temple Mount
In the Old City.
And in the caves in the mountain
Thousands of suns shine -
We will once again descend to the Dead Sea
By way of Jericho!
will say, the emotions you felt during if i could, imagine years and years going by witnessing the most beautiful crowds, concerts, experiences with this band, and a song like this comes on and the feeling of such unity and love just hits so hard as all the years flash before you and all the love you experienced during those times hits you ten fold
Page was born in 1963. Trey in '64, and Mike and Jon '65.
I believe those sounds are page plucking the piano strings I could be wrong
Watching / hearing Phish with your Pham is truly magical. Think of the energy you get watching this @home with digital friends. Times that by 100 in the live setting. Check for some local Phish cover bands. Get your dancin shoes & stamina ready for when the real deal rolls for spring or summer tour. Meet some fun people & dance your ass off. It is so therapeutic!!! 😊
A Live One, something funny is going to happen
As for 1/4 I'll be out gigging, so I'll have to catch up with you on A Live One per usual. What year is your D-28? I switch between my Eastman E10D and Yamaha LL16D ARE Jumbo playing with my bluegrass bands. God bless ✌️
FYI a lot of your questions can be answered if you watch the documentary of Phish recording this album. LA in 1994 during the crazy wildfires. I have a playlist I made public that includes a lot of full pro shot gigs, documentaries, interviews, etc I'd recommend checking out 🤘
Love that your doing all the studio stuff before going into all the amazing live performances. I would definitely work your way through all the album's right through Undermind. Then I would go back and listen to individual songs. If your looking for great sound quality the band has released a complete set of Live Phish album's but I wouldn't confine yourself to just those album's for live performances. I would also recommend the Island Tour or a number of Phish festival sets (Great went, lemonwheel, Clifford ball, big cypress, oswego) . There also Japan tours and Europe tours that are special , I'd recommend Amsterdam. Every phish Phan has their own rankings and favorite shows and versions of songs so don't get too caught up in "this version is the best" kinda talk and just see where the music takes you. Your favorite version of tweezer may be way different than my top 10 tweezers.
1.0 phish is 1983 - 2000. The band formed , started slow playing small bars and clubs. Expanded their sound found their groove and creativity exploded. They were way different sounding between 1983-1988, 1989-1991 was a different sound then 1992-1994, 1995 -1996 sounds different than 1997-1999 , then they went on hiatus in October of 2000. This ends the 1.0 era .
2.0 phish is NYE 2002-2004. This era of Phish is considered bad (I love 2003) because of Treys drug usage. The sound is more distorted and scratchy and dark versus smooth light and engaged sound of 1.0 . Almost like the band played with reckless abandonment. There is a lot of emotion in 2.0 but certainly dark vibes and sonic thunder audio. The band breaks up 2 years into their comeback as their personal lives fall apart and the magic of Phish is gone.
3.0 2009- (this is debated if it is still 3.0 or if 3.0 ended during pandemic shutdown) Phish is sober, clean and BACK !!!! This era is happiness and comfort. Yeah they are 50 year olds that aren't going to drop in and out of blissfully mind blowing jams each show (1.0) but they are healthy and renewed with energy , wisdom, and veteran mindset. Some jaded phans dislike this era not for the jams or overall sound as phish is still able to take you there spiritually but because of the written songs themselves. In Treys recovery he got very spiritual and the songs became kinda dad Rock ballads and stuff versus organically weird music like 1.0.
There is sooooooo much phish content you will never be able to react to even 1/2 of it so find what you like and what style of Phish you like (jazzy, bliss, rock, bluegrass, metal, drug induced, sober ballads, etc)
Good luck sir, I can't tell you how much joy you have brought me doing these videos.
P.s. if you want a video of PEAK trey and perhaps the best guitar playing ever recorded on video check out the Ghost from Prauge 1998 and your mind will melt
Prague ‘98 Ghost is a cocaine jam. One dimensional but a hell of a guitar display.
Phish did indeed pioneer psychedelic bluegrass. Influenced a bunch of great bands. See Billy Strings and Greensky Bluegrass, for starters.
I've always interpreted DWD as a song about becoming a popular band. A thousand barefoot children dancing on my lawn is about playing in amphitheaters that have a lawn section. Stealing all my lines is about phans selling shirts or bumper stickers with your lyrics on the shirts or bumper stickers. This has all been wonderful but now I am on my way is about being fed up with being the next big thing, but I could be completely wrong, just my personal interpretation.
One of the big things about this album is that it was fully tracked out, rather than lots of live performances. Almost all of the tracks were done in isolation, not together as a band, which was new for them. This album was done entirely piece by piece, not live. They also added in a ton of weird extra noises, like people stomping on pebbles during Lifeboy. They went for a big studio production style, which was the first time they tried to do that.
Down with Disease is not about addiction. Tom Marshall (their lyricist) had mono when he wrote these lyrics. Trey didn't become an addict until about 99-2000, and didn't start writing about it until he got sober in 2007-08.
That string line on If I Could is a guitar part live. It hits HARD.
In a way, watching your Phish discovery videos is both therapy and nostalgia.
Wolfman's brother is actually fishman. It's about when he met him in college hearing him play drums down the hallway of the dorm room and thinking I need to meet this guy. When fish broke up their last festival was called Coventry and Trey gave some tidbits of knowledge and it turns out wolfman's brother is fishman.
Other than that the lyrics are typical Phish, maybe more about the melody than the lyric. But then you have those Tom martial lyrics that hit you in the heart.
Songs like Julius are all out Trey shred fests live. Also Wolfmans Brother has become one of the best jam vehicles. Slip Stitch and Pass is the next live release after ALO and the Wolfmans on there really shows how Phish evolved into a very funky, full band improv that could go anywhere.
Loved the reactions to Lifeboy and If I could. Phish ballads are severely underrated and should be played more live imo. When you see a song like Lifeboy live it's wonderful. It builds up into an amazing white light finale with "To what I say... God never listens" belted out like we are at church. Billy Breathes has some great ones.
Down with Disease is a huge jammer for Phish too. The recent Mondegreen festival had a great one. Disease always shreds and Trey is known for guitar shred face. I used to have a great shirt with Trey shredding making a crazy face
Good ear on them being all in the same room there is a documentary about the recording of hoist that Mike recorded with a VHS. This is a must for you brother!
This is my second favorite album after Picture of Nectar. I listened to Down With Disease at least once a week. Loving the journey!
Early 90s Phish will make you feel EVERYTHING there is to feel. And when you get to Billy Breathes, you’ll feel the feeling you forgot ;)
Rebirth 🐦🔥
I love If I Could, Lifeboy and Dog Faced Boy and haven’t seen any of them live yet, would be so happy if I did. As others have mentioned, I can’t wait for you to get to Billy Breathes… it’s definitely my favorite studio album. A complete work of art from start to finish.
When I first started seeing them in 94, they played If I Could and Lifeboy alot. I haven't seen either live since then. When it happens, I will cry. Guaranteed.
You can hear more of the Tower of Power horn's on Mike's favorite live album, _Waiting for Columbus_ a double live album by a band called Little Feat.
Great great album.
Im looking forward to the Billy Breaths reaction.
Julius- as in "Caesar." Featuring the Tower of Power horn section.
Elements of car drive in Demand is a live version of Split Open and Melt.
I listened to Lifebouy dozens of times while battling addiction and during recovery. Ive cried rivers of tears to that song and credit it greatly for helping me get thru a very difficult time in my life.
Love your open emotions during If I Could, my wife and I were having a rough patch with me working and being gone and distant for a time and I played this for here and said it was how I truly felt. It got the conversation started and we have now been together for 35 Years.
Hey man when a band releases a song it's not there's anymore it's up for you to interpret. Very much enjoying this
You feel the same way about lifeboy I have for 20 years... amazing song and a tearjerker... last version I saw live was in Vegas in 2018. I was on my way from Colorado to California to see my dad who was fighting pancreatic cancer. Tucked into a Mike's groove was the highlight of the show for me. I was at the show alone and cried with some strangers I met next to me who were from colorado as well. Beautiful memory for me to this day... appreciate you brother
He does leads and sings man. It’s what he does
Thank you for the emotionally honest reacts. And speaking as someone who is also in recovery, I think some of the later stuff, the dad-rock-post-Trey-recovery stuff, is really going to speak to you when you get to it.
And on a Trek note, yes Sisko is the best, and DS9 is the best.
I was at the show where they used footage for Down with Disease!
Can't wait for you to catch a live show. Words don't do it justice.
Great reaction. I didn't notice the addiction theme when this first came out, probably because I was up to no good myself around that time, but listening again I hear it all over the album. Kind of makes sense based on what we know now.
Please do blind melon next! Either their first self titled album or the much darker follow up called Soup. Love your phish + ween reactions, keep it going bud!
There is a video that was made by Mike Gordon during these sessions. It was recorded at American Recording Company in Calabassas CA. It might actually be in Woodland Hills, I’m not 100% sure. Great studio, I recorded there on a couple of sessions. The studio was owned by Richie Podolor who produced 3 Dog Night and Steppenwolf. One thing I remember is that they had a really cool reverb chamber. Not sure if Phish used it or not. This was Richie’s second studio. He previously owned a studio in Hollywood where The Grateful Dead recorded Aoxomoxoa.
Hoist was as much a Breakthrough album as Phish could get. Certainly their popularity on college campuses catapulted soon after.
Down with Disease is the BIG song from the album and it was an exciting time to be young and going to shows
Trey and Tom Marshall wrote most of the songs on Hoist. Few exceptions. Same for Rift.
Psychedelic sci-fi bluegrass was quite the description. Especially after you listen to sci-fi soldier and KV.
Hey listen, I joined ur channel for the phish reactions cause I’m a huge phish fan (music in general), but going through your videos I just wanna say there’s a deeply personal feel to the way you comment on mental health. It’s something I think a great amount of people go through and some need a guidance and I wanna say thank you for being one of those people, there’s nothing better than seeing someone else like yourself make someone feel like it’s ok to be themselves, even if you’re not saying it directly, just watching your videos makes me feel great to be a lanky, ugly dork. Keep the videos rolling man, thought I’d say something
If I Could and Lifeboy have been favorites since I first heard them in 94. Dammit if i havrnt been chasing those songs for decades now 😂
Walter, there are a lot of us sob er people in the community. I've been sober over 3 years now and absolutely love seeing Phish sober. It's become a more spiritual experience than ever. I'm truly connected. I never understood the people (many deadheads I've known) who would say Phish is not spiritual or deep or emotive. I strongly disagree.
Cheesecake!... Fun fact, the alternate title for this album was "Hung Like a Horse" hence the album artwork.
AIUI the Ivy League university Yale is named after a man named Elihu Yale, and that the use of the name Elihu in this song is meant to denote 'some fancy-pants dude at this party who goes to Yale' and not an actual physical person named Elihu.
It wouldn’t surprise me at all , when you meet your person, that’s its a phish chic.
She’ll understand you.
Many of our(phans) lives are defined by before Phish and after Phish.
This band changes your life.
Down with disease is the only song played to the masses, radio
Ah, what a great way to start my day!
Been a phan for 22 years, and it turns out I never knew 90% of the lyrics to Scent Of A Mule. I thought it was "Heeeeeere we shot ourself a mighty ass" haaahahaha
Fun Fact: Jonathan Frakes (Riker) played the Trombone on "Riker's Mailbox".
Really enjoying your videos
Dog Faced Boy always gets me. It's one of my favorite Phish songs. Just hits me hard.
Billy Breathes is next! My favorite studio album. I don’t listen to the albums much (99% live for me), but Billy Breathes is a legit amazing album. I’d put Rift as my second
Amsterdam 97 Billy Breathes is the ultimate
The horse featured on the cover of Hoist belonged to Amy Skelton who has the unique distinction of being the bands official first fan!
@Walterooski To answer your question that I didn't see answered in the live Twitch chat- Trey was born in 1964, and this Hoist album was recorded in 1994. So 30 years old at that time. He's 60 now in 2024.
Your face during the breakdown in "Mule" is awesome. Yeah - mindblowing.
Maybe someone already commented this in the live chat but there's a 25 min documentary of them recording this album in the studio. It's great!
th-cam.com/video/zgOEoW7gqUk/w-d-xo.htmlsi=0hsu3j6xfBJQpqYt
would love to know how many of your pre-phish followers have caught the bug with you. It has been fun to watch