Is Phish the greatest band ever?? I certainly think so. (1 Viewer)

[Colin Jacobson]

Sidebar: I saw Foo Fighters tonight and was amused to hear Dave Grohl connect to this thread. He clearly indicated his feelings about "jam bands", and let's just say I don't think he'll agree with the title of this thread...

 

[Van Patton]

What did Dave say?? I am interested in what a famous fellow musician (who is also popular with the kids) has to say.

 

[Colin Jacobson]

What did Dave say?? I am interested in what a famous fellow musician (who is also popular with the kids) has to say.

Not so much what he said as HOW he said it. After a long version of "Stacked Actors", he made a comment that it's no fun to hear bands play songs just like they are on the records. He then indicated that was pretty much the only thing he liked about those "hippie jam bands". He listed a few names in a mocking way and then pretended to cry as he discussed the break-up of Phish. (Guess no one told him they came back - unless they've split AGAIN and I didn't hear about it.)

Anyway, he never said "jam bands suck", but his attitude made it pretty damned clear how he felt. IIRC, he's made more direct comments on the subject in the past...

 

[Tom Ryan]

Not so much what he said as HOW he said it. After a long version of "Stacked Actors", he made a comment that it's no fun to hear bands play songs just like they are on the records. He then indicated that was pretty much the only thing he liked about those "hippie jam bands". He listed a few names in a mocking way and then pretended to cry as he discussed the break-up of Phish. (Guess no one told him they came back - unless they've split AGAIN and I didn't hear about it.)

Hmm, it seems to me like he was really giving Phish a kind of left-handed compliment. After all, expanding and altering songs in a live context is exactly what Phish does...their studio records are merely templates from which to draw material for the live shows, those same live shows which are some of the highest grossing and praised shows around.

 

[Mike Broadman]

Grohl comes from a musical culture that tends to be dismissive towards the kind of music Phish does. The post-punk / grunge scene doesn't generally take a shine to solos, as they consider it self-indulgent.

 

[Colin Jacobson]

Grohl comes from a musical culture that tends to be dismissive towards the kind of music Phish does. The post-punk / grunge scene doesn't generally take a shine to solos, as they consider it self-indulgent.

That's clearly not accurate overall, as Grohl took plenty of solos himself last night. As I mentioned, they extended "Stacked Actors" to a vast length, though a lot of that happened because he did a walk through the crowd that spanned the whole arena. Anyway, Grohl's obvious disdain of the jam bands isn't just because he disavows solos, since he doesn't...

 

[Kevin H]

For anyone who wants to give Phish a chance, check out this page I compliled with three great versions of three great songs (The first two are fairly standard versions, but with good jams, the last one is one that came out of nowhere and surprised everyone).

Click here

As you're listening to the songs read the reviews to get a better appreciation of the songs. The review for the last one is very very good.

 

[Kevin H]

It comes down to defining what's important to someone in regard to the music. I don't like musicianship for its own sake - I want the playing to serve the song, not vice versa. That's why I can't stand most "jams" or free-form music. Raw instrumental talent doesn't interest me.

I was reading this thread again and I was struck for a second by this. The point of the jams aren't to "show off" or anything like that, it's not a showcase of their abilities.

It's their abilities as musicians that allow them to jam and through the jamming they are able to achieve some very very powerful moments that I really don't think music that you've heard 100 times before played the exact same way can do when you hear it live.

That's not to say at all that you can't be moved by a moment at a show where the musicians don't jam or where the songs are played the same way as you've heard them before, because I know first hand that that is not true. However, I think that hearing the members of a group go up in front of thousands of people and do something totally on the spur of the moment and take a chance with something that they're not sure is going to work, and then have it work beautifully is something that has to be witnessed to be appreciated.

 

[Mike Broadman]

Kevin, the link you posted in the last post doesn't seem to work. It just stalls there.

When I have money again, I may check out a Phish CD or two. What is a good place to start?


Frankly, I'm surprised that some people are so against jams, solos, or music without vocals in general. All these things are only tools. To me, it's like arguing that a Philips head screwdriver is "better" than a flat-head.

 

[Kevin H]

Kevin, the link you posted in the last post doesn't seem to work. It just stalls there.

Try to click on one of the reviews and see if they load. I think it may be stalling there because your browswer is trying to download the whole file into temporary files. If that is the case, right click on the file and select "Save Target As.."

As for where to start, what are you looking for (Live, Studio) and also what type of music would you prefer? The different albums that Phish has are pretty different. For example, Junta has songs that are long, complex, and beautiful, while an album such as Billy Breathes is more melodic with shorter, "lighter" songs.

 

[Colin Jacobson]

I was reading this thread again and I was struck for a second by this. The point of the jams aren't to "show off" or anything like that, it's not a showcase of their abilities.

That's your opinion - I disagree. I think the majority of jams exist just for musicians to show off and impress us. It's like Mariah Carey and her ilk who toss in 8000 syllables per word to dazzle us with their "passion" and vocal prowess. If you like jams, cool, and I've enjoyed some. Overall, however, I don't care for them...