Ten Tunes For Friday
12.31.09 (W.Rogell)
Here we are at the end of another week, and right into February we go. Enjoy these ten tracks throughout your Friday. As usual, use the orange song title links to download each track.
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“Split Open and Melt” 12.7.95 II Niagara Falls, NY
One of the indisputable best “Splits” ever played, this version gets right to the core of what Fall ’95 was all about – locked-in, break-neck psychedelia. This set opening version possesses some of the most vicious improvisation you’ll ever hear, delving into the essence of “Split,” then moving right beyond any conventions. Like an oncoming locomotive, Phish absolutely crushes this piece; an archetype for all “Splits” to admire.
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“Tweezer” 11.23.94 II St. Louis, MO
12.30.09 (W.Rogell)
When Phish scheduled The Fox Theatre last summer, memories immediately shot to this ’94 highlight that took place within the same ornate building. Boasting intricate grooves, the band takes this piece on a unique path from note one. Moving into a darker medium, the band gets medieval on this version before delivering it to the gates of heaven only minutes later with a delicate, soul-tugging passage. A true classic of the era, one would be hard-pressed to find more emotive playing by Trey, and the entire band as a whole, as they coalesce into a ball of sound and light. Allowing themselves plenty of time to return from this surreal peak, the jam moves from beauty into full-on, abstract exploration before returning to the song’s theme.
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“Twist” 7.29.97 II Phoenix, AZ
This early version of “Twist” goes largely unreferenced in the Phish community, a mystery I’ve yet to figure out. The engaging piece slowly progresses out of “Twist” into more twisted places, fusing groove and ambient sound-sculpting. Overshadowed by everything that followed in this peak year for Phish, this “Twist” in the first week of their US summer tour should not be forgotten.
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12.29.09 (W.Rogell)
“Ghost > Free” 7.23.99 II Columbus, OH
This bombastic sequence stoked a millennial fire in the Midwest right before the sky opened at the end of the set. Potentially a harbinger of the oncoming storm, this menacing improv blew the roof off Polaris Amphitheatre moments before Trey publicly announced Big Cypress.
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“Gumbo” 8.3.98 II Deer Creek, IN
An essential piece to Summer ’98′s funked out journey, this extended “Gumbo” reminds us of a time gone by. In 2o09, the band reunited this song with its original ragtime ending, obliterating any likelihood of such thick excursions. But during the band’s groove era of the late ’90s, they unveiled more than enough stretched out, rhythmic renditions to keep us going back to the videotape. Here is one of the defining versions of 1998.
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” 2001 > Suzy Greenberg” 11.13.96 II Minneapolis, MN
6.16.09 (B.Kisida)
A scorching piece of ’96 history that flies way under the radar, this Target Center adventure features a jam out of “Suzy” that goes to places uncharted. Trey gets on his mini-percussion kit while Page leads the jam, and then hops back on guitar with some nasty licks that brings the music into a whole new territory. As the band inched closer to the funk textures of ’97, one can hear ideas beginning to form within the slowed down, collaborative section of this jam. (The inclusion of a mini-”2001″ gives us eleven songs for this Friday.)
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“Mike’s” 12.4.96 II San Diego, CA
At the tail end of Fall ’96, Phish found themselves naturally moving towards groove-based playing, something that comes out in droves in the early part of this “Mike’s” jam. Trey offers a series of rhythmic offerings before launching the song’s first menacing build. This was still the time of two “Mike’s” jams, and as usual, the second is where the truest improv takes place. Shifting back to sparser patterns, Phish gets into polyrhythmic textures with heavy effects as Trey switches between his guitar and mini-kit. This version provides a healthy reminder of the type of vehicle “Mike’s” once was, and one day could be again.
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“Antelope” 8.20.93 I Red Rocks, CO SBD
7.31.09 (G.Lucas)
The band first visited Morrison’s natural amphitheatre amidst one of the tightest months of their career, August ’93. And among the many highlights of the show, this “Antelope” may have shone the brightest. Featuring impeccable communication from its intricate intro through its super-charged outro, this piece provides a poignant snapshot of Phish at their first peak of their creativity and dexterity, an unbelievably dizzying combination. This version will make most any “Antelope” from ’97 on look incredibly tame. Check it; improvisation at its best.
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“YEM” 11.18.95 II Charleston, SC
This half-hour centerpiece of the second set passes through an all-out jam on The Commodores’ “Brickhouse,” on the way to a slammin’ section of “YEM” grooves. Jams like this illustrate the fact that Phish played dance grooves long before 1997 rolled around. Combining a laid-back funk appeal with a driving rhythm section, this jam brought the house down in the intimate North Charleston Coliseum.
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DOWNLOAD OF THE DAY:
10.13.94 University of Mississippi, Oxford, MS < Torrent
10.13.94 University of Mississippi, Oxford, MS < Megaupload
This reader request reppin’ Ole’ Miss goes out to Houston, (the person, not the city), and concludes a mini-run of ’94 shows the past few days.
I: Llama, Gumbo, All Things Reconsidered, Down with Disease, I Didn’t Know, Foam, Fast Enough for You, Sparkle, Stash
II: The Old Home Place, Run Like an Antelope, If I Could, It’s Ice, Amazing Grace, Mike’s Song > Simple, Mike’s Song > Yerushalayim Shel Zahav > Weekapaug Groove, Foreplay/Long Time, Cavern
E: Fire
Notes: This show took place in a parking lot adjacent to The Grove on the University of Mississippi campus.
Source: AKG 460b
Tags: Jams
Eleven tunes for Friday! You spoil us Miner!
My first show was 11/18/95 Charleston, SC…and this YEM was fantastic…love the brickhouse tease. I didn’t know alot about Phish at that point, and I left the show not even quite sure what I had just witnessed…only that it had been other-worldly! Definitely was glad that I finally made it to see this band that my friend had been telling me about for a couple of years…wish that I would have checked ‘em out sooner. The Free from this show might have been the song that had the most impact on me at the time. Funny side story…my buddy (who had never seen Phish either) and I had floor seats (maybe 7th to 12th row??), and we each took some of the Timothy Leary paper that had been going around, which was I think maybe from one of the last Dead tours. Anyway, we were so floored by the whole experience that we ended up in the top row of the upper level by the shows end…which actually was a great perspective to take in the YEM…I’ll never forget the long sustain notes by Trey and the vocal jam…hooked.
Thanks for these Miner
Ah, nice – a DOTD from Lycan’s neck of the woods. Yee-haw!
When I download “Ghost>Free”, “Ghost” is labeled 2009.09.12, and “Free” comes up as “Mike’s” from 1998.07.17. The stream seems to be fine. I think I also noticed something like this from last week.
But hey, it’s still great music. Thank you Mr. Miner!
Miner,
Quick request….. When you post photos to the page, can you set it up so that it opens in original size when you click on them? Or possibly set up a link to a page where all of the photos that you have used can be found in one place? There are so many that I would love to use as a background on my computer, but without being in original format, the pic gets distorted when it stretches to fit the screen. Not sure if you can do this, but it would be appreciated if you can. Thanks!
Miner can you add Ten Tunes For Friday to the rss feed? I never have tme int he morning to DL
12/7/95 Split Open and Melt. 20 minutes of some of the most beautifully designed improvised cacophony phish ever layed down.
I can’t express enough how much i LOVE this version.
7.29.97- my only west coast phish show, besides Vegas. This show also has top flight versions of Gumbo and a raging 20 min Antelope.
Im in the middle of 12/7/95 Melt. Insanely good so far.
Heres how retarded I am with computers – For many a month I was not able to refresh the comment page whilst streaming the jams that Miner posts.
Well, the sleeping genius just awoke and told me to open another browser so that I could do both at the same time. Only took a year or so to figure that one out.
What a genius. What a Driver!
Morning All.
@ Foul
I’m with you bro. No need to feel like a Ra-tard.
Miner is right
downloaded the 7/29/97 for the Gumgo and Antelope and soon realized the Twist was just as sick
quickly becoming one of my fav summer 97 shows
this Twist is amazing
One of the strongest versions and favorite shows I ever saw
12/4/96 Mike’s
one of my fav versions from late 96
Like Miner said the 2nd jam of these 96 Mike’s is where it gets crazy and this is another amazing version
making me again wonder how Mike’s has fallen from its former glory
as a kid this was the song you wanted to open the 2nd set and they rarely dissapointed
great selections for Friday jams
Retard is not the prefered nomenclature, we prefer to call ourselves computer challenged.
Thanks for the downloads, this new Friday tradition is a fantastic way familiarize myself with jams I have not heard.
‘Retard is not the prefered nomenclature’
haha..is that a Big Lebowski reference I detect?
Jdub,
Agreed, I was going to go for the politically correct nomenclature until I realized that I could make a Hangover movie reference…….
“I felt like a complete ratard” “Uh, you mean re-tard?” “Yea, ratard”
11.23.94 Tweezer is scaring me
I was making a poor attempt at referencing the big lebowski and mocking political correctness.
Thanks for the Friday treats, Miner!
That damn 99 Polaris Amphitheater (Columbus) show is still the only Phish show I ever got shut out of.
I started the 97 summer tour on 7/31 and it sounds like I missed a gem on 7/29. D’oh!
Jesus that Antelope is readgoddamnicculus.
Hi all! I trust things on the BB have been as effervescent as ever.
If by effervescent you mean refreshing and that we burp alot, then yes, that’s exactly how things have been.
morning, all.
I forgot about the in-a-gadda-da-vida teases at the start of that SOAM jam. Great Ten Pack, Miner. Crazy that the “newest” of these happened more than ten years ago.
At that 12.7.05 Niagara show I was dating Lucy. Too much of her actually. I so vividly remember the evil Split and Mike’s. I was just a kid and I tell you, if the Strange Design didn’t come after the Split I might have lost it. That night I swore that they saw me losing it during Split and played the Strange Design just for me (which of course is not what happened), but the sense of relief I felt when the Strange Design hit is something I will never forget. My brain was fighting with itself during the Split. Man – those were the days for sure!
When I think of effervescence, I think of a commercial for hand soap, or maybe shower products, and the commercial is mostly in slow motion.
So, if you are asking if the board is like a slow motion commercial for soap, then the answer is, yes. It is.
Happy Friday All!
To those in the mid-Atlantic region have fun with Snowmageddon!
But more importantly lets start the countdown: 7 days till Trey at HOB!