Search - Gone Phishin'-Bluegrass Tribute to Phish :: Gone Phishin'-Bluegrass Tribute to Phish

Straight outta KTEL

Prinado | Seattle, WA USA | 09/02/2000

(3 out of 5 stars)

"Phish has hauled some incredible names to stage center through the years, and, very soon, we'll see some of those names and other influential artists -- Los Lobos, Willie Nelson, Little Feat, Arlo Guthrie, Son Seals, to name a few -- pay tribute to the band in the Mockingbird Foundation's tribute album.Until the album (and book) hit the shelves, we have this somewhat mysterious bluegrass-tinged tribute to fill the space. Why mysterious? Well, the record label -- CMH Records -- is a small entity specializing in odd compilations and tribute albums cut by faceless studio musicians. This release -- conveniently timed with Phish's strongest public exposure to date - features covers of their compositions spanning nearly the breadth of their career. The delivery of the covers by these six slick pro studio musicians is fine...great, really. Nice pickin', some wonderful guitar work, good renditions of the album versions of the tunes. But by midway through my second listen, the novelty wore off. One thing I realized after hearing these instrumental versions was just how much power and soul the original version's lyrics pack...imagine hearing the band hum their way through 'Rift'. Sure it would be a hoot, but much of the meaning of the voice-instrument interaction would be stripped away. In the case of the songs on this CD, the already soul-less covers are even more so without words. Perhaps this CD should've stuck to bluegrass covers of instrumental Phish tunes (except for 'Sparkle'...nicely done here).Listening to these tunes, I couldn't help but think that the recording was made between takes for car commercials and TV news theme songs. Another day in the studio -- quick listen to the album version of the song, slap the sheet music on a music stand, cue the tape, cut the track, next tune, repeat 11 more times, that's a wrap, next up -Volkswagon ad theme music.... Perhaps I shouldn't have taken a look at CMH's catalog - it's filled with these sorts of "tribute albums": SWINGIN' TO MICHAEL JACKSON / PICKIN' ON THE GRATEFUL DEAD VOL. 2 / GETTING INTO THE GROOVES: A TRIBUTE TO MADONNA / STRUNG OUT ON U2: THE STRING QUARTET TRIBUTE / PICKIN' ON ZZ TOP / THE 3 TENORS OF BLUEGRASS / PICKIN' ON JIMMY BUFFETT: A BLUEGRASS TRIBUTEPass the Cheez-Whiz. This CD is campy, but, still, it's a welcome addition to my eclectic collection (it fits nicely next to my CD of the London Philharmonic covering Pink Floyd). It's like the 'Stars on 45' for the new millennium, only without the constant segues and disco beat (now THAT would be a cool Phish tribute album). The CD will make this little label some profit, for certain. But I recommend that you put your money to a good, non-profit cause...the Mockingbird Foundation's TRUE tribute will offer cover music played from the heart."

Elevator Phishin'

ROBERT W LAMBERT | chicago, il USA | 09/08/2000

(2 out of 5 stars)

"The album contains 12 songs, 4 from each of 3 different studio albums (Story of the Ghost, Picture of Nectar, and Rift). It is my guess the folks responsible for this record caught wind of the phenomenon that is Phish, bought these 3 records randomly not knowing much about the band, picked the 4 songs from each that they felt that they could pull off, and proceeded to make this album with the intent of making a few bucks.The music is good at times, but usually falls flat. I was hoping for at least a little jamming in the vein of Phish, but none is to be found (each song clocks in at around 3-4 minutes).This record is a fun novelty at times, but usually comes off sounding like Phish elevator music."

If you are already a fan...

addadichtomy | West Palm Beach, FL USA | 06/09/2001

(3 out of 5 stars)

"The bluegrass influences on Phish are made evident, but without the lyrics some songs get repetitive. The group uses the fiddle for most of the vocals (with a very nicely done mix of guitar and fiddle on Rift to represent Mike and Trey singing the alternate verses). This is a fiddle, not a violin, however, and on Tweezer it gets strident enough that I skipped it on several play throughs. There are three songs each from Picture of Nectar, Rift, and Story of the Ghost. Perhaps the cover band had a limited cd collection. This is produced by a company that does bluegrass tributes to lots of bands, but as a Phan it was phun to hear a different interpretation of songs I know by heart. If you don't know Phish it's just some pretty music with an occasionally annoying violin."