Jazz Articles about Phish

Phish: Live in '93, '97 and '98

by Doug Collette
April 26, 2008

Originally conceived in 2001 to document Phish's previously-recorded live adventures while the band was in hiatus, the LivePhish series has evolved into a much more purposeful project since the band went into retirement in 2004.

Offering digital downloads as well as eco-friendly CD packaging, the series is extending the legacy of the band by emphasizing the subtleties of their live approach through the different phases of their career. The most fascinating aspect of Phish's evolution is that it's ...

Phish: Phish: Vegas '96

by Doug Collette
December 10, 2007

Recorded on the Vermont band's first visit to Sin City, Vegas '96 captures Phish at the point in their career where performance art was still a large part of the presentation (the ultimate extension of which would turn out to be their multi-day events such as “IT" and “Big Cypress"). It's not the stuff that will enlighten why Phish became the new millennium definition of rock and roll (via the jamband tag), but the performance is important to hear in ...

Phish: Colorado '88

by Doug Collette
December 2, 2006

Phish Colorado '88 Jemp Records 2006

Colorado '88 is the latest archive release from Phish, available as a three-disc set or as downloads from the band's website (the latter include five extra tracks). It's a set of recordings taken from Phish's first expedition outside of New England, a “tour" of the Rocky Mountain State that didn't work out exactly as planned: the venues that had originally booked the band had ...

Phish Live in Brooklyn

by Doug Collette
August 20, 2006

Phish Live in Brooklyn Rhino 2006

If the individual band members' need for escape from the confines of Phish has any bearing on the playing contained in Live in Brooklyn, it's purely positive. Whether from the release of pent-up emotion with the announcement of their disbandment the month before, anticipation of the closure to come with Coventry, or the combination of the two, this recording of the first of two ...

Phish: New Year's Eve 1995--Live at Madison Square Garden

by Doug Collette
January 21, 2006

Phish Live at Madison Square Garden: New Year's Eve 1995 Rhino 2005

Here's some perspective: Phish were together roughly three times as long as the Beatles!?

The plundering (if you want to call it that) of the Phish archives actually began during the group's self-imposed hiatus from 2000 to 2002, but the shows released during that time were chosen largely by bandmembers for their distinction. Less than a year after the final (sic) show ...

Live Phish: Island Tour

by Doug Collette
October 8, 2005

Phish Live Phish: Island Tour Phish Dry Goods 2005

Its generic bootleg style front graphics camouflaging gorgeous stage shots on the inner sleeve (is that a man jumping on a trampoline?), the packaging of the latest release in the “Live Phish" series of archival recordings , Island Tour , may stand as an accurate metaphor for the misconceptions and preconceptions about the Vermont quartet. Diehards' revere these recordings, available on-line at Phish Dry Goods ...

Phish: Undermind

by Doug Collette
June 20, 2004

A decidedly conventional work from a decidedly unconventional group, Phish’s Undermind is a perfect marriage of purpose and production. Initial packing includes a DVD with studio footage and interviews with the band, but watching that disc isn't nearly so enlightening as hearing the CD in its entirety from start to finish. The artistic and personal unrest that may have led to the recent announcement of the band’s disbandment has clearly provided fuel for their collective creative fire.

If it weren’t ...