For the end of the week, and with the help of Chris Keiner of Phish Listening Room, I have assembled downloads of all the Miner’s Picks that were posted last week. And here’s where Chris comes in. As audience sources of each current show are posted on etree, he reviews the same four songs from each and every source, honing in on—in his opinion—the best available recording for every show played. These installments of Miner’s Picks were assembled from Chris’ selected sources, thus feature the “best” sounding source for every single track! Also, for the first time in Miner’s Picks history, I am offering the compilations in both lossless and mp3 formats.
Below, you will find any link that you will need to download these summer compilations. The torrent links are listed first and are the easiest way to pull entire compilations at once. There are two sets of torrent links—one comprised of FLACs and one comprised of 320 kbps mp3s. Additionally, if torrenting isn’t your thing, there are also direct Megaupload links for the compilations as well. I had to keep each Megaupload file under a 1 gig, so there are multiple download links for the FLAC compilations, though the mp3s files all fit into a single download for each set of picks. Enjoy the summer highlights in any format you choose!
I want to also thank Eric Masters for organizing and re-uploading all the Leg I picks, by far the heartiest compilation of them all. In addition, download links for “Miner’s Picks: Denver” will be provided as soon as they are ready. Enjoy the weekend!
For the end of the week, and with the help of Chris Keiner of Phish Listening Room, I have assembled downloads of all the Miner’s Picks that were posted last week. And here’s where Chris comes in. As audience sources of each current show are posted on etree, he reviews the same four songs from …
Though Phish jammed on a diversity of songs throughout this past summer, some provided multiple leaps into the wide open and unknown musical pastures. Below are the five most consistently profound jam vehicles of Summer 2011.
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“Down with Disease”
Phish played eleven versions of “Down with Disease” this summer, and nine of them broke free into open jams. Several renditions became highlights of the season with Clarkston’s epic excursion leading the pack. DTE’s 20-minute “Disease Supreme” took the cake for the version of summer, but other stellar outings included UIC’s exploratory jaunt that touched on so many places before winding into “Twist,” Super Ball’s powerful, groove-laced, then ambient piece that led into “No Quarter,” Camden and Alpharetta’s first-leg psychedelic standouts and Essex’ Junction’s final statement of summer. Nine for eleven—that’s one hell of a batting average. Also featured as an experimental vehicle in Bethel, Tahoe and Denver, one can make a strong case for “Disease” being the jam of the season.
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“Light”
6.3.11 (Michael Stein)
Ever since “Light” burst onto the scene in 2009, the song has consistently pushed the band outside the box. “Conventional jamming” doesn’t exist in “Light” aside from Trey’s atonal solo, and the song’s improvisational canvas is ever-morphing. In eight summer outings, all but two reached completely original galaxies, led—head and shoulders above the rest—by Tahoe’s dark, bass-led adventure. UIC’s version likened an extra-terrestrial encounter, while Denver’s final suite of summer favored delicate and melodic interplay, culminating in the sublime “Disease Reprise.” Super Ball’s “Light” turned into the first blowout version of summer, reaching soulful planes untouched by the song over June. Though Riverbend’s version is not long, the band reaches an ethereal plane that—by all accounts—should have been explored further, though Portsmouth’s version capped the most impressive “Light” of leg one.
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“Rock and Roll”
“Rock and Roll,” the lasting piece of Halloween ’98, not only provided the jam of the year, the era, and one of the best pieces of all-time in the Gorge’s 8.5’s abduction, it also left some other lasting highlights on Summer 2011 as well. Mansfield’s version provided one of the indelibly mind-numbing pieces of Leg I—a jam that holds up to anything from the summer. Charlotte’s “Rock and Roll” blossomed into a deeply soulful excursion that has been overshadowed by the top-shelf “Ghost” that followed, and in these three jams alone, the song produced three tremendous summer highlights. Throw in a very experimental, though not as cohesive, version at Merriweather, and you’ve got half the versions of summer. Others included more rocking outings in Denver (which segued into “Come Together), Essex Junction (which dropped into “Twist”), and PNC’s first-set banger.
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“Waves”
6.11.11 (Brian Ferguson)
Though “Waves” only made it to stage four times this summer, three of them were top-notch highlights. Busting the doors of summer wide open on night one in Bethel, the band deconstructed “Boogie On,” landing in “Waves,” and commencing one of the lasting highlights of the season. Getting into a delicate conversation and then abstract soundscapes, Phish announced their improvisational authority on tour’s opening night. The next version, in Super Ball’s finale, was one of several centerpiece jams in the festival’s most experimental (main stage) set. Moving far into ambient, space harmonies, Phish eventually seeped into a dripping version of “What’s the Use?” And then “Waves” came out in the Element Set as the spark to one summer’s most revered sequences: “Waves -> Undermind -> Steam.” Though the band only played four versions this summer (Merriweather being the other), three turned to absolute gold.
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“Piper”
Always reaching wide-open musical pastures, only four of nine summer versions truly grab my attention—Denver, Hollywood, Merriweather and Raleigh. Denver’s Theremin-laced excursion remains one of my favorite jams of summer, while Hollywood’s psychedelic experiment continues to fly under the radar. The Mid-Atlantic region saw two standout explorations of “Piper,” Merriweather first night spectacle and the lesser-talked about rendition from Walnut Creek. Beyond these top four, Blossom’s version, though succinct,” gets into ambient realms quickly and segues into the only “Lizards” of the summer, and Super Ball’s rendition provided high-speed action that dropped into “Tweezer.” All in all a very solid summer for a song that is synonymous with improvisational adventure.
Though Phish jammed on a diversity of songs throughout this past summer, some provided multiple leaps into the wide open and unknown musical pastures. Below are the five most consistently profound jam vehicles of Summer 2011. *** “Down with Disease” Phish played eleven versions of “Down with Disease” this summer, and nine of them broke …
Trey kicked off his solo tour on Saturday with a benefit show for Vermont Flood Relief efforts in Burlington. From all reports, Trey’s band was far more patient and focused on jamming than last tour. He ditched the acoustic sing-along for two sets of electric work, and included the horns in the jams far more than last year. And Trey even debuted two two tunes! I wasn’t able to make it to Vermont, so I asked another fan, and reader of Phish Thoughts, Jonathan Tran, to do the honors. His review is below and links you over to the “Reader Reviews” page. If anyone is interested in writing a review for one of the upcoming TAB shows, please shoot me an email at mrminer@phishthoughts.com.
I: Cayman Review, Simple Twist Up Dave, Liquid Time, Gotta Jibboo, Snake Head Thumb*, Burlap Sack and Pumps, Money, Love and Change, Magilla, The Devil Went Down to Georgia, Drifting
II: Acting the Devil, Alaska, Clint Eastwood, Push On ‘Til the Day, Sand, Let Me Lie, Valentine, Winter Queen*, Tuesday, Windora Bug, First Tube
E: Hey Ya!, Show of Life
*debut
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TAB @ Higher Ground, Burlington, VT: 10.1.11 /by Jonathan Tran
2.25.11 – Pittsburgh (Michael Stein)
Trey and his solo band opened their tour with an inspired effort Saturday night in Burlington, where the band played the 750-person Higher Ground for a show that was only announced two weeks ago. With proceeds benefiting Vermont flood recovery efforts TAB threw down a musically relevant show that only foreshadows good things to come this tour. Before you wonder any longer, yes, Trey decided to drop the acoustic first set in favor of two electric. And, yes, this was a welcome move by just about every fan in the room. Also of note was the return of improvised horn parts (instead of leaving stage) during jams, which was absent from last February’s winter tour. In short, all signs pointed towards “Go!” on the first night of Trey tour.
With the energy already at a peak before show time, the band came out firing with the up-tempo “Cayman Review” followed by the ever-requested “Simple Twist Up Dave.” It seems as though Trey’ has decided that TAB tour is where “Liquid Time” will stay, and the band crushed the tune last night. The uplifting jam fit the Irene recovery vibe of the evening and this lesser-played song went over as well as anything with the crowd.
The fireworks came out next as the band grooved into “Gotta Jibboo.” This version veered away from recent Phish versions and turned into a full-band dance showcase with Trey comping Ray’s clav and organ parts, while Russ and Tony held down the low end. The presence of the horn section throughout the jam seemed to push Trey further into the groove, all the while filling space with well placed musical accents. The debut of “Snake Head Thumb” came next, and was also well received by the attentive Burlington crowd. A “Stealing Time”-“Steam”-“Ocelot” mash-up, this gritty blues number developed into a hard-edged jam that fits Trey’s current guitar style. I could see this song making it to the Big League, and it would be a welcome first set addition…READ ON HERE!
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Trey kicked off his solo tour on Saturday with a benefit show for Vermont Flood Relief efforts in Burlington. From all reports, Trey’s band was far more patient and focused on jamming than last tour. He ditched the acoustic sing-along for two sets of electric work, and included the horns in the jams far more …
Two weeks after one of their best stands of the year at UIC, Phish traveled to Denver to put a cherry on top of an already amazing summer. But when the three nights in the Rocky Mountains were over, the band had rearranged the highlights of summer, pushing quite a few more jams onto the top shelf. The momentum started on Memorial Day at Bethel Woods in upstate New York had wound its way through two legs of tour and a mid-summer festival, taboot. And on Labor Day weekend, Phish gave us one more unforgettable experience to celebrate everything that had transpired over the season. What resulted in Denver was the strongest top-to-bottom stand of the year and some of the summer’s hottest musical talking points. Phish hadn’t played six consecutive sets this strong in ages, and they provided the perfect exclamation point to a summer or glory. Below are my favorite jams from Denver and one final sequence from the benefit show in Vermont.
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9.2.11
“Stash” I
After a slow start to the opening night in Denver, “Stash” provided the spark to the “S” show and Phish never looked back.
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“Sneakin’ Sally > Sparks” I
An awesome combination of old-school covers provided the standout sequence of the opening set. A funked out “Sally” turned dirty before winding its way into “Sparks”—the first version since The Cow Palace in Fall ’96
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“Sand” II
A perfect example of how “Sand” has evolved into a full-band jam. In this version, Mike leads much of the way as the band builds to a collective peak.
9.4.11 – Denver (Michael Stein)
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“Simple > Steam” II
An ambient “Simple” jam bled into the most powerful version of “Steam” to date.
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“Seven Below” II
The most impressive jam of the opening night, Phish moved from an sparkling conversation in groove to the depths of psychedelia.
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“Scents > Slave to the Traffic Light” II
This uplifting combination punctuated the show. Trey reached for the heavens in the peak of “Scents” and with a sublime note that he held for quite some time in “Slave.” The “Slave” is below.
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9.3.11
“Llama” I
The perfect example of Phish’s on-point playing across the board, “Llama” hasn’t sounded like this since last decade.
9.2.11 (G. Lucas / webcast)
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“Wolfman’s Brother” I
A rousing, set-closing version that moved away from center before returning to the theme.
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“Down with Disease > Tweezer” II
A hot “Disease” built towards “Tweezer” in what seemed to be an epic transition in the making, But the rug was pulled out from underneath and the band started “Tweezer” from the top. And when they did they dropped one of the defining jams of the summer. This version of “Tweezer” featured the most cathartic build in memory before Trey spiraled out of the groove and began an exercise in looping. Dropping a unforgettable melody atop two looped phrases, Trey takes this version to the bank—one of those jams in which Phish achieve musical perfection.
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“Light -> Disease Reprise” II
Deep into the second set, out of the peak of “2001,” Phish unexpectedly dropped into “Light.” Shying from the avant garde, bass led excursions that peppered the second leg, this version favored a melodic canvas in and Trey, and then the band, brought back “Disease” in, perhaps, the most artistic moment of the weekend.
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“Run Like an Antelope” II
One of few “Antelopes” of summer that brought some real fire to the table, this time including “Disease” teases within the jam.
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9.4.11
“Bathtub Gin” I
In this explosive version that bookended summer with Bethel’s standout, Trey put on an absolute guitar clinic. Moving from rhythm lick to rhythm lick, this one is as dirty and as swanky as they come.
9.3.11 (Michael Stein)
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“Tube” I
It’s great that “Tube” is a highlight again. This compact, yet fully developed, jam is an example of Phish’s modern musical marksmanship.
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“Twist -> Piper > Hood” II
Perhaps my favorite sequence from the entire weekend, the segues are fluid, “Piper” stands out as one of the jams of the weekend, and the “Hood” is the most spectacular version of the summer. Blending modern stacatto soundscapes with an old-school assault on the song’s theme, Phish crafted a hybrid version of “Hood” that oozed victory.
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“Roggae” II
And as a come down from the previous triumvirate, the band played “Roggae.” They opened up the slower piece in the wake of the Gorge’s version, channeling the musical feel of the “Hood” jam that came before.
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“Ghost -> Guy Forget -> Ghost” II
Amidst a high-speed and dancy jam, Trey hit an fierce lick bringing the band into the second-ever appearance of the soundcheck legend “Guy Forget.” A smoking sequence put a perfect cap to a weekend that produced in ways nobody could have expected.
9.14.2011
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“Carini -> Down with Disease -> Slave” – 9.14, Essex Junction, VT
The standout chunk of the benefit show in Vermont was anchored by the stellar combo of “Carini -> Disease.” “Carini” built into something far more significant than we’d seen since last fall, and “Slave” brought a light to the darkening “Disease jam.
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The Philler: Denver and Vermont Wrap (interview starts at 50:07)
Two weeks after one of their best stands of the year at UIC, Phish traveled to Denver to put a cherry on top of an already amazing summer. But when the three nights in the Rocky Mountains were over, the band had rearranged the highlights of summer, pushing quite a few more jams onto the …
“Rock and Roll” – 8.5.11 – The Gorge (Graham Lucas)
Phish was riding high from a standout June tour and phenomenal festival when the hit the road for their second leg of summer. Beginning at the West Coast musical shrine of the Gorge, things started on an incredibly high note. From night one of tour we saw Phish integrate their newest abstract style of “storage jamming” into their live shows. Throwing down a seminal piece of modern-generation Phish on the first night of tour in “Rock and Roll -> Meatstick” things were off and running in a hurry. Pushing forward in their stylistic reinvention, the band incorporated this new-style psychedelia into all of their shows, even if only in small spots. The band was moving forward again, and there was no looking back. Following the night of insanity at the Gorge came the LA “Piper,” Tahoe’s “Light” and “Ghost,” UIC’s “Elements Set” of 8.15 and the next night’s “Down With Disease.” The band was comfortable taking massive musical risks again, and more often than not they were succeeding with flying colors. On a tour that lasted only two weeks, Phish still managed to crank out quite a few highlights. Capped at UIC by the only indoor stand of the summer, Phish’s second leg like it passed in a blink…but the music remains. My favorite pieces from Leg Two are below.
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“Roggae” – 8.5 I, Quincy, WA
The laid-back, West Coast psychedelic vibe took hold right away at the Gorge, sinking in deeply with this surreal sunset version of “Roggae.”
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“Rock and Roll -> Meatstick -> Boogie On” – 8.5 II
The jam of the year and, perhaps, the defining musical sequence of the modern era. Page’s Theremin was re-introduced in the live setting after the band’s groundbreaking Storage Jam, bringing new sounds into the mix while facilitating a new style of abstract jamming.
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“Farmhouse” – 8.5 II
“Oh snap! Did Miner just drop a “Farmhouse” on his picks?!” Indeed, I did. The cosmic energy from the previous 50 minutes spilled over into a beautifully reflective version of Phish’s ballad.
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“Wolfman’s -> Maze” – 8.6 I, Quincy, WA
Passing through a “Heartbreaker” tease within the monstrous rhythms of the jam, Phish built from this groove-based outing into “Maze,” a combo that cranked up the intensity of the first set.
8.6.11 (G.Lucas)
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Tweezer > Caspian -> Sand -> Tweezer” – 8.6 II
If wide-open Phish grooves are your thing, this sequence is for you. Featuring an underrated “Tweezer” and my favorite “Sand” from the second leg, this is a can’t miss sequence of dance floor Phish. The “Sand -> Tweezer” is below.
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“Run Like an Antelope” – 8.6 II
Musically recapping most of the set within the song’s intro, Phish finished the job with a “Golden Age” jam in the “Antelope.” A supercharged version in a season that wasn’t necessarily full of them.
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“Tube” – 8.8 I, Hollywood, CA
A powerhouse few minutes from the first set of Hollywood.
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“Piper” – 8.8 II
This standout “Piper” capped a fierce (and underrated) set-opening sequence of “Carini > Crosseyed > Twist” at the Hollywood Bowl, and became the improvisational highlight of the show.
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“David Bowie” – 8.9 I
8.10.11 – Lake Tahoe (John Crouch)
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“Light” – 8.9 II, Stateline, NV
An exploratory, bass led epic that—like the Gorge’s “Rock and Roll”—reached musical places never before touched in the band’s career.
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“Chalk Dust -> Slave” – 8.9 II
Two ripping renditions of classic songs that were tactfully bridged by an delicate breakdown of “Chalk Dust.”
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“Runaway Jim > Ghost” – 8.10 II, Stateline, NV
In my mind, Phish should have rode out the magical plane they found in “Runaway Jim,” but they didn’t. Cutting a potentially stellar jaunt short with “Ghost,” the band took the second piece from rock to storage psychedelia in a version that takes the cake for the best of a weak second leg for the song.
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“Wolfman’s Brother” – 8.15 I, Chicago, IL
With a completely original jam all together, this version gets my vote for “Wolfman’s” of the year.
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“Reba” – 8.15 I
Riding the cresting momentum of the first set, this “Reba” hit the spot at UIC.
UIC Pavilion (Chad Smith)
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“Sand > Light > Dirt” – 8.15 II
The beginning combo of the “Elements Set,” a standout segment that has been overshadowed by the latter par of the frame. Phish took another dive into original, abstract, and intergalactic realms in “Light.”
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“Waves -> Undermind > Steam” – 8.15 II
One of the most compelling jam sequences of the second leg, Page broke out his Theremin again for a spiritual soiree at towards the end of “Undermind.”
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“Harry Hood” – 8.15 E
The exalting exclamation point on a remarkble night in Chicago, and the best “Hood” of the summer that wasn’t played in Colorado.
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“Chalk Dust Torture” – 8.16 I, Chicago, IL
A third-song scorcher from UIC’s second show.
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“Limb by Limb” – 8.16 I
Taken into plinkofied planes, this first set “Limb” came as a surprise and delightful highlight of its set.
8.9.10 – Lake Tahoe (John Crouch)
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“Down with Disease -> Twist” – 8.16 II
This exploratory “Disease” touches on countless places, though settles in few; a post-hiatus style jam without the opiates. A smooth transition into “Twist” capped a wild ride.
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“Bathtub Gin” – 8.17 I, Chicago , IL
A cathartic musical farewell, albeit for only a couple weeks.
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“Crosseyed > No Quarter” – 8.17 II
The only sequence really worth including from a fun, but musically anti-climactic final set of tour.
Phish was riding high from a standout June tour and phenomenal festival when the hit the road for their second leg of summer. Beginning at the West Coast musical shrine of the Gorge, things started on an incredibly high note. From night one of tour we saw Phish integrate their newest abstract style of “storage …
