Number 9…Number 9…
Today’s December time travel brings us back to the ninth of the month in Albany during Fall ’95, and in Arizona during Fall ’94. The highlighted pieces — Albany’s classic “You Enjoy Myself” and Mesa’s lesser-known “Antelope — showcase two outlandish mid-’90s jams that will leave your jaw on the floor.
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“You Enjoy Myself” 12.9.95 – Albany, New York II
"YEM" - Fall 98 Unknown
Albany and “You Enjoy Myself” have always enjoyed each other. Phish has performed their seminal piece in all but two visits to New York’s capitol during their entire career. Though many of these versions brought highlights and exclamation points to shows at The Knick and beyond, none stand out like the version that went down fifteen years ago today. This breakout “YEM” — with no parallels through the years — brought wide open improvisation to a largely structured jam. Though stellar versions allowed for plenty of freedom within the groove, “The Albany “YEM” broke down walls and transformed into a triumphant masterpiece that is generally considered the “best version” ever played.
This all-timer got moving in full when Trey scripted a now-iconic, melodic theme early in the jam. This chord progression ran through the entirety of this monstrosity, setting the musical framework for the band to blast off. Amidst a slamming rhythmic template and in a moment of full-speed revelation, this free-form piece left any semblance of “YEM” in a wake of original dance music. The band toyed with the jam’s signature theme throughout sparser grooves, as Page and Mike each emerged for periods of prominence. When Trey assumed the lead again, he tore into a solo that kicked the band into another gear and Phish chugged forward as a four-headed machine fueled by IT. Fishman and Gordon took center stage as Trey tickled a series of repetitive “disco” licks. Fully immersed in a bass-led groove, the band slowly peeled out of the mix, leaving the stage quiet as Phish entered a “silent jam.” Continuing to play their instruments in animated fashion without making a sound, Phish infused this mind-bender with a brief dose of antics. But almost two minutes later, Trey led the troops in a cliff dive back into the conventional “YEM” jam, taking the adventure to one last peak. One for the record books — take a moment to celebrate the 15th anniversary of a “You Enjoy Myself” like none other.
[audio:http://phishthoughts.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/12/ph12-9-95d2t05.mp3]***
“Run Like an Antelope” 12.9.94 – Mesa, Arizona I
NYC '94 (C.McGann)
Frenetic. Diabolical. Psychotic. These are words that come to mind when describing “Antelope” from Mesa, Arizona on the penultimate night of Fall ’94. Taking a step into the desert during early December, the band hit the ground running in this skull-fucking set-closer. Phish demolished the opening of the jam, wasting zero seconds getting into the middle of a ferocious music. Moving directly into tightly-laced chaotic improv, the entire band crushed the type of “Antelope” that no longer grazes the Western plains. Aggressive and hardcore machine-gun patterns underlined this twisted blast from the netherworld, as Phish explored music that could only have come at the end of 1994. The band communicated so closely that their offerings fused into a sonic bolt of lightening in which one could hardly decipher a single instrument from the explosive whole. This is full-on, ballistic Phish, a style unseen since its mid-’90s hey-dey. Fasten your seat belt for this fifteen-minute trip — things could get hairy.
[audio:http://phishthoughts.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/12/08-Run-Like-An-Antelope.mp3]=====
Jam of the Day:
“Simple > Timber Ho!” 12.9.97 II
This unconventional take on “Simple” turned into the centerpiece of Penn State ’97; another jam that proves Fall ’97 wasn’t only about funk.
[audio:http://phishthoughts.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/12/ph1997-12-09d2t02.mp3,http://phishthoughts.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/12/ph1997-12-09d2t03.mp3]=====
DOWNLOAD OF THE DAY:
11.28.98 The Centrum, Worcester, Massachusetts
FLAC Torrent (etree), Mp3 Torrent, Megaupload < Links
Worcester '98
With Worcester fast approaching, here is a small dip into the venue’s history. The middle show of Fall ’98 three-night finale featured some hot moments, but didn’t carry the weight of its two surrounding dates. “Wolfman’s > Timber” and a late-set “Tweezer” held down the second frame, while “Gumbo” and “Split” book-ended a solid first.
I: Gumbo, Tube, Down with Disease, Guyute, Albuquerque, Foam, The Moma Dance, Split Open and Melt
II: Julius, Wolfman’s Brother > Timber Ho, Loving Cup, Scent of a Mule, Prince Caspian, Crossroads, Tweezer, Cavern
E: Sample in a Jar, Tweezer Reprise
Source: FLAC – Nakamichi CM300’s/CP4s :: MP3 – Schoeps cmc6/mk41
5 this year hopin for 3 next year
ha that being said I missed all the southern swing shows on leg 1 this year
Wish you could have made those, Lycan, like I wish I could have made Charelston
picking up from p10
chubby freeze represent! …except unfortunately I got a gut-bomb Philly cheese there and not a shake, and then heard about the shakes later. Kind of a sore subject. That was a couple months after NYE, in February.
1989 was my only NYE unfortunately. had planned on going in 87 but hit money troubles. however the 89 shows were great and I agree, @voopa, that’s one of the few good 12-31s, they were usually pretty wasted for those shows. 12-31-77 has its moments for sure but isn’t a good show for the era overall.
12-31-87 is a good show if you like the 87 sound, actually. I always forget it b/c I’m trying to repress the memory of not being there. Super-raging Terrapin, like so many ’87 versions of that song, and then the fun Nevilles set.
chubby freeze is right off the 880, yeah? on that road to the coliseum lot?
@Mr. C
What exactly is the “’87 sound”? Or approximately works too…
I would say the 87 sound is:
– tight, practiced, professional (for them)
– very high energy on the good nights
– small number of songs in rotation (limited setlists, lots of repeats)
– little to no open jamming
…some sloppy shows early in the year excepted, this sound really started on east coast spring tour. Energy at those shows was absolutely through the roof, esp. Hampton and Hartford – both band and crowd. It was never quite like that again, though they got into more interesting musical spaces in 89-91.
Monstrously powerful Terrapins, short explosive Bird Songs, sharply out-of-the-box-and-back-in Cassidys, some nasty Shakedowns and Strangers…Maggies > Cumberland…some incredible Berthas, IMO some of the best ever, with the intricate “test me, test me” arrangement…but all of the Playin’s and Other Ones were basically the same.
I saw more shows that year than I needed to given the constant repeats, but I also saw a few of my very favorite shows then too. Not the best year, but underrated.
given the repe
On tap for tomorrow: 12/9/97
Hoping Miner drops a TTFF to complete my workday listening.
12/10/94 looks like it may be interesting (and is in the spirit of the season) as well. Anyone want to vouch for this show?
unfortunately most of the best shows of the year don’t circulate in even decent quality SBD
dan healy fucked up his on-the-fly matrix mixes, they’re out of sync, some have too much aud, etc
really sucks
hey all, hope everyone is well. greetings from beijing.
Albany Dec 95 was my first Phish show. Decent seats by the sound board, waited outside the Knick early to get tics when they went on sale. I lived about a 10 minute walk away on Madison Ave. I took this grad student from Moscow who I barely knew to the show. She had never been in the US let alone a Phish show. I was a Deadhead and knew what it would be like. I recall this big lineup to get in and it’s freezing and the crowd starts mooing like cattle. It freaked her out, “do they always do this in America”. I think she liked Chalkdust but the rest she didn’t quite get. Had a beer at the Palais Royale on Jefferson street before the show. . . a very hidden bar in Albany, hats off to anyone who’s been there. Cheers!
My guesses for 12.10 Miner Picks
(There aren’t many options)
12.10.92 State Theatre, Kalamazoo, MI’s Tweezer>Tela
or
12.10.99 Philly Spectrum’s (R.I.P.) Bowie->Have Mercy->HYHU
My numbers for the sample:
’09 -7
’10 -15
’11 -1 (At least)
Hey, aj…hope all’s well!
Ha Ren!
The classic ‘mooing’ crowd…
Always put a smile on my face, the first facial configuration to be re-learned after Phish melted it off.
12/10/94 looks like it may be interesting (and is in the spirit of the season) as well. Anyone want to vouch for this show?
duuude, Dave Mathews Band was the opener, how can you go wrong?
live dangerously and let ‘er rip, er…spin 8)
mass crowds of freaks all mooing kinda freaks me out too
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@neemor: worcester? you? me? 12,000 of our closest friends?
almost here…………….!
Can’t wait sumo…should be a great throwdown before the World’s Most Famous Arena.
We really are spoiling ourselves.
My NYE PTBM ticket arrived in the mail back home today, just got my first look at it via picture, and it looks awesome.
Words cannot describe the excitement
you know tour is coming when you sit at a bar and listen to every song coming off the jukebox and think ‘this would make a sick cover’… ‘phish would kill this’… ‘this track is made for fish’… ‘i can hear page nailing those synth tones right now’… etc
tonight’s respin: 7-22-97 disease>mike’s
not being at nye and 1-1? killing me already
cheers folks
Yeah Garret, I got mine in the mail today too.
The fact that I’ll be in New York City to see Phish in a couple of weeks got a lot more real.
omg – space (x) > the Tiger > Playin reprise, from 73-11-21 (that C upped the other night)
abstract, mind fuck GD at its finest, crazy Miles Davis influence
the shows a real nugget, thanks again C
@Mr. C what does the x mean in : space (x) ?
word, b
@ren, great story – reminds me of taking a British exchange student to those Hampton shows. She was 2 or maybe 3 weeks in the US. Smoking hot redhead girl, I mean a real short stack, five foot even and POW BAM wow. She was staying with my girlfriend for her exchange time. We took her to these shows, she had no idea LSD still existed, or that there had ever been such a thing as the Grateful Dead…she was a partier though, hash smoker and all that.
Anyway these girls got a headful of purple windowpane gels before the show and then we got caught in a mad gaterush up the Coliseum ramps! It was apeshit. A cop car that had been parked at the top of one of the ramps was driving slowly down the ramp directly into the gaterush in order to push people back…we jumped over the little guardrail and back down to the ground…WTF…not the best start for a show!
Needless to say she was a little rattled by it (I was about to crap myself, so…yeah) but she rallied and had an epic time.
But she had that same kind of question…”Is it always like this at American concerts?” yeah honey we always try to break into the show and then play chicken with a cop car on an elevated ramp.
That’s just how we fuckin roll baby.