#16738  by jck_strw
 
I don't like Phish. Your thoughts?

 #16739  by amyjared
 
I'm in. Liked the covers, mainly Zappa and full album halloween stuff, but not much else. Reminds me of a bumper sticker I saw in SF a couple of years back:

Jerry's dead, Phish suck, get a job!

Cracked me up! :lol:

 #16740  by mutant_dan
 
Lord knows I have tried. I went to check them out in the early 90's at a small venue (about 900 people). From what I heard they played an incredible set. Full blown Gamehenge (whatever that means).

I ended up dozing off about 2/3 of the way through. My take from that day on was that it was musically like listening to the Dead meets Zappa. Lyrically, it reminded me of watching a game of Dungeons and Dragons in the basement of the science building.
Last edited by mutant_dan on Wed May 23, 2007 9:37 am, edited 1 time in total.

 #16742  by bodiddley
 
I don't care for Phish. I tried a couple times to get into them...who knows, maybe if I was able to catch them live,,,but I never really tried too hard either. They just seem like they don't have that emotional connection for me like the Dead do. Plus, most of their lyrics are just too goofy for me...that's what always kept me away from Zappa as well.

 #16743  by Stellar Blues
 
I agree. I find that phish's complicated, phugue-like (ouch!) songs don't often 'work' as attractive and compelling listening.

But when they used a more standard form, such as in Possum, which is a bouncy 12-bar blues and extended jam, it was fab. Catchy tune, great dynamics.

So with phish I think you need to pick and choose.

 #16750  by lostsailor8782
 
I tried for years as well and never quite got it ... however for some straight up Phish and roll find a way to get a copy of their Austin City Limits appearance .... they were absolutely great and VERY danceable .... I downloaded the video of the whole show on Lime Wire

 #16751  by Banjomike0319
 
I really dont mind them, I had the chance to see them but couldn't I had to save the rest of my cash for when The Dead came around.

But I do like Phish, the song You Enjoy Myself the guitar runs and bass is just ammazing.

I really think that every member has amazing tallent.

However I dont think I would enjoy trey by himself.

But all in all I dont mind Phish, yes some of there stuff is just weird but hey I'm sure someone said that about the Grateful Dead also.

P.S. - Gamehenge is Treys thesis for college, its pretty interesting. Verry weird story that goes along with some great music.

 #16752  by squire758
 
Banjomike0319 wrote:I really dont mind them, I had the chance to see them but couldn't I had to save the rest of my cash for when The Dead came around.

But I do like Phish, the song You Enjoy Myself the guitar runs and bass is just ammazing.

I really think that every member has amazing tallent.

However I dont think I would enjoy trey by himself.

But all in all I dont mind Phish, yes some of there stuff is just weird but hey I'm sure someone said that about the Grateful Dead also.

P.S. - Gamehenge is Treys thesis for college, its pretty interesting. Verry weird story that goes along with some great music.

i agree, i think everyone in the band is very talented and you've gotta take your hat off to that i mean they can jam, but i also agree with what was said before about the emotional connection wih the dead which is unparalelled. and i seen trey with his new band and it really wasn't bad. the concerts are alot more high energy rock than phish which i enjoyed, but with the pretnses of what i was used to hearing from him it all just seemed a little out of context. Frankly, Im kinda glad they broke up when they did because they were already getting alot of criticism for things and it would have just snowballed into people bitching about them selling out and stuff like any band nowadays that actually has longevity. i was very satisfied with the phish experience but there are better bands out there. GD

 #16753  by mutant_dan
 
Yeah, I've read the GameHenge story, (Wilson, Wilson, Wilson) and listened to it a number of times..

Just didn't get my mental juices flowing..

 #16757  by Rev_Roach
 
I kind of like them, definitely have enjoyed their music plenty of times, but i cant understand how some people (many of those I go to college with) get deep into them like the dead. Definitely agree with bodiddley about the emotional connection. I think Phish made some great music, and some real good jams (if sometimes a little too long), but they just don't do it for me emotionally.

It's like they have a lot of "cool" or "fun" songs, but nothing deep or beautiful. Lyrics are totally goofy. "Harry where do you go when the lights go out", "Carini had a bumpy head" just doesn't compare anything close to lyrics of Brokedown Palace, Stella, UJB, Ripple, etc. You'd think you get could a little more depth out of a philosophy major like Trey.

As a plus side, I like how they were so willing to try new covers. Halloween shows, Sneaking Sally, Loving Cup, Also Zach Spraustra 2001 whatever its called, list goes on...

 #16765  by hobbsy
 
Definitely excellent musicians. I can get into some of their standard form songs, but the jams lose me. I also found the crowd at the ONE show I went to a little off-putting, quite different from all the typically happy deadheads. Just didn't seem too friendly or even accepting for that matter. However, it could've just been the vibe I got personally for that day.

 #16767  by ker1227
 
i dont like them either, but some one on this site showed my them playing bluegrass that wasnt that bad, it wasnt that good either :o

 #16769  by tigerstrat
 
WOW! Almost everyone seems to have just dropped in to say that either Phish suck or they just aren't their cup of tea. You won't find me in say, the Railroad Earth or SCI discussions talking about how I don't like them or listen to them. There is so much music out there why not talk about what you do like?

I happen to love Phish. I fell madly for them when I first heard a bootleg in 1991 (twas 10/31/90 Colorado Springs) and saw them a couple of months later when they played Chicago. I thne started seeing them and even making more of an effort to travel to see them than the Dead (this was the post-Brent/deteriorating Jerry era after all)... I have absolutely no regrets: In terms of musical bliss and crazy dancing fun, the 40-50 Phish shows I saw from 91-95 were the equal of or superior to most of my 91-95 GD & Jerry experiences.

HOWEVER: in the Fall 1995 tour, my Phish-loving "bubble" grew to its maximum intensity- peaking at one totally insane Knoxville show, where it seems to have burst! I have never since been able to summon the tremendous reserves of energy that was once available to me upon just hearing the warm-up notes at the start of a show. I don't know if it was all the new songs or the fact that the Dead were gone, or the long boring "funk" jams, but I tried seeing them several more times in 96, 97, 98 and then decided at that point that the ride was over for me. I actually cheered when they took their 2000 hiatus as I thought it might revive their old glory. I did enjoy the Coney Island movie theater simulcast... but the Coventry shitshow was just horrifying!! That's just musically- never mind the radio-cancellation nonsense that the bandmembers themselves participated in. It was so bad onstage that I'm one who would have counted myself lucky to have been turned away...

That said, I really dig Oysterhead, Trey Band- not so much (or at all, and yes I'm being hypocritical relative to the way I began this post)... but 90-94 Phish is as good as anything gets.

 #16772  by Rev_Roach
 
hope i didnt give the wrong idea there, i wouldve loved to have seen Phish and really wish I had

 #16774  by Crazy 9.5 Fingers
 
Yeah Tiger, as usual you nailed it.

I caught my first PHISH show at Suny Stoneybrook in 1992 at the school gymnasium. Small venue. I knew a few of the tunes before I went but had no idea what I was in store for. Got dosed, and had an unbelievable time. I am too young to have caught the Dead in their prime, my first show was a great one though, Giants '91, first and only Eyes Opener.

However, PHISH between 1991-1994 were doing things that just had far more intensity than I had ever witnessed. I mean Maze in those days, I had never seen someone construct a solo and bring it up from nothing like Trey would back then. And then peak like I had never seen Jerry do in teh 90's when I was seeing them.

I think a lot of people get caught up in the comparisons to the Dead and ending up saying, "PHUCK PHISH!". Totally different things to me. The Dead had better songs, much better vocals, and a totally different vibe. But I had many a life changing musical experience at the 30 or so PHISH shows I made it to.

SO in defense of PHISH, I hope they come back and get old school on us. I will be first in line for tix.