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kens522

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About kens522

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  1. I know that it's been said, but I feel the need to also say that drugs aren't necessary to enjoy Phish. Tastes are tastes, and some people aren't going to like them. But to continually make it sound like you have to be all fucked up to enjoy their music is insulting to the band and it's fans. I enjoyed the episode, but I wish it focused on something more than whether or not Scott got high. He was so preoccupied with getting altered, he seemed to be paying no attention to Phish walking a musical tightrope all night. As a performer, musician and someone who enjoys improv, there's so much for him to appreciate in a live show, yet he was trying to figure out whether his Molly was bunk... Jesus Christ. I'm glad he was able to get beyond the stereotype that all Phish fans are douchebags, but unfortunately it's coupled with the stereotype that all Phish fans are burnouts. I've been to 40 shows-ish, mostly just a few beers and/or a little weed, sometimes completely sober and no matter what, those individual moments where the music peaks are like nothing you experience anywhere else. It's ashame Scott hasn't been able to focus on one yet.
  2. Truth is, there's two schools of fans out there: people who love the first era of the band that concluded with the 12/31/95 show. And people who came on board after that and love the other phases... the "every song turns into a funk jam" phase, the "every song turns into an ambient jam phase" and then everything after the hiatus. Rift would be a good choice, I think he'd like a whole heck of a lot of tunes on that studio album. Trey's singing sounds the best on that album, and it's been horrendously recorded ever since. Plus, Page sings Rift, It's Ice and SITM, Mike sings Weigh and Mound, so you don't get all Trey. I'd probably stay away from Weigh and Mound though for now. You could play Rift for him, skipping only Lengthwise, Weigh and Mound. Everything else on there he would appreciate. And if you're going to play him tunes, I think you have to start around the second verse, because he doesn't have the patience to hear the different parts of the tune, he just wants to listen to the intro and the first verse it seems... Also, I suggest no drugs other than a few beers and a little weed if he can handle it. I've heard Scott say before he doesn't like the way weed makes him feel, so I'm content to say 3 or 4 beers before the show...
  3. Flan Solo's comments about improv are right on too. I think if Scott understood that they completely abandon all previously established musical patterns and go into complete new territory on stage, that might make it more understandable. There's definitely a similarity between Comedy Bang Bang and a Phish show in this way.
  4. I think Harris should follow a different poster's instructions each week, because he just seems lost... And let Scott know Steve Lillywhite produced Billy Breathes...
  5. Harris, you're killing me. Play only studio stuff. Why you would choose to play Bouncin' and then play a live version? If you're playing it so he can hear the overlapping instrumental parts and vocal harmonies, why wouldn't you play the studio version???? You seem to have an issue with Rift and Picture of Nectar... I mean why wouldn't you play the albums where Trey's vocals sound the best: Rift and PoN...
  6. kens522

    Episode 1 — Analyze Phish

    More Analyze Phish please!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!11
  7. kens522

    Episode 1 — Analyze Phish

    Andrew - Gin n Juice is not Phish. That's a track that got mislabeled sometime in the Napster era. I believe that Gin nJuice cover is by a band called The Gourds... I am a Phish fan, and my concern is these short 15-30 second windows of tunes is not enough to accurately capture what Phish does. I think Harris made some bad choices. Phish plays 3-hour shows for its fans and tours relentlessly. They mix up setlists and have a huge catalog of tunes to pull from. In this setting, certain songs are in there to change the mood, some are there to dance to, some are there to have a laugh, some are to listen to an intricate classically-themed composition, some are there to space out to and some are there to rock out to. Cities is rather unremarkable, however, it's there as kind of a fun song, even a bonding song with fans that go city to city with the band. I would never have chosen it to play for Scott. However, their cover of Lovin' Cup is consistently perfect. They've been doing it for years and it's spot on. As to why they play covers. They play them because they're fun tunes and it helps to mix up a setlist. To say you've never enjoyed a cover at a concert is absurd. All bands do covers except the unimaginative. I once saw David Byrne cover "I Wanna Dance With Somebody" in a rather straightforward fashion. If he had put it on a studio album the way he played it at the show, it would be pointless because he didn't bring anything new to the table. However, at the show, it was an interesting choice and an entertaining surprise. How to convert Scott. Here's my thoughts: First off, Harris, I would stick to studio-recordings only, no live stuff, as Scott seems to be the kind of person who wants to hear a track in its most perfect form, a clean and tight performance. So stick with studio albums, I would say specifically Nectar, Rift and Hoist, with possibly a few tracks from Hoist or a later album. This is the period where their vocals in the studio sound the best. As Harris said, vocals are Phish's major weakness, they totally lack a lead-singer with charisma. But what they lack there, they make up for in composition, musicianship and ingenuity. Here's my suggestion: Sample, Julius and DwD from Hoist or Chalkdust Torture from Nectar as pretty straight ahead rock tunes without tongue in cheek lyrics. Then I would transition into a couple songs that show their versatility and energy: Stash, Poor Heart and The Mango Song. I believe Rift is the album where they really bring together all their various influences to create a concise sound and album. I would offer up Rift, My Friend and The Horse -> Silent in the Morning. Lastly, I would play him Split Open and Melt, because that's a sound I've never heard from any other band. Stay away from Junta, he won't like anything there except YEM, but he would have to sit quietly and listen to the whole thing to judge it, and that's not going to happen in this format. Perhaps you could start the tune, fade out in the middle, listen to the entire thing and then start recording again around the end so Scott hears the whole song. Judging it in these snippets I think is impossible. So Harris, go studio-recordings only so he can hear every note, use middle of the road lyrics - not silly, absurd or trite ones, and pick songs that are in the 4-7 minute range and are more accessible in general. Don't get into their personality just yet, let him get a hold of what they bring to the table musically. Scott - Don't judge them based on their singing or lyrics. My view is in most songs, they use the vocals as another instrument, words are chosen for their sound not their meaning in most cases... My $.02. Ken
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