Search - Phish :: Live Phish Vol. 13: 10/31/94, Glens Falls Civic Center, Glens Falls, New York

Historic Show on CD...Finally!!

Craig Fisher | USA | 11/10/2002

(5 out of 5 stars)

"It was back in 1994 that Phish famously donned their first "musical costume" (incidentally, decided by fans who voted via the band's newsletter). Three sets of wild music on four CD's. The boys tackle some of their best tunes with gusto, especially "Sparkle" and "Divided Sky" (from Set 1), and a killer "David Bowie" (from Set 3) But make no mistake, the highlight here is clearly Set 2 (on disc 2 and 3) in which the boys roll through the entire Beatles' White Album (with the exception of "Good Night"). Check out their excellent take on Ringo's "Don't Pass Me By" and their creative rendering of "Revolution 9"; just two examples of how Phish go to great lengths to challenge themselves and expand the range of what a so-called rock band can do, even when playing cover tunes. "Dear Prudence" and "Everybody's Got Something to Hide..." also deserve special mention. Overall, the results are truly impressive, though there are several spots during the White Album set where they sound very tentative (who could blame them, they only had a few weeks to learn almost 30 songs!). In addition, there is some standard early/mid-90's Phish humor ("Harpua") that might turn off the casual fan. But these minor gripes should not tarnish a document of an amazing and unique evening.If you've a fan of the Live Phish series (or The Dead's Dick's Picks and String Cheese's On the Road series for that matter) the question is usually "which show should I buy?" The answer depends on what you're looking for. I wouldn't call these starter CD's for newbie Phish fans exploring the Live series. But for fans looking for one of the most important and historic Phish shows, this is definitely the one to go for."

IF YOU READ NOTHING ELSE, PLEASE READ THIS

John Kim | South Barrington, Illinois United States | 05/28/2004

(5 out of 5 stars)

"Hi there folks, I usually don't write a lot of reviews on this site, but I felt so strongly about this that I just had to. I've listened to literally hundreds of Phish shows, and besides the novelty of the White Album covers, if there is one thing to buy this entire set for, is the REBA. This version of the song is among the top 3 performances I've EVER heard from Phish, period. The rest of the album is great for Phish fans, but the highlight is definitely Reba, it simply is the best representation out of the entire Live Phish series of what the band is all about. The first few minutes are beautifully orchestrated compositional parts, played unusually tight for the band. But the jam is something that must be heard to be appreciated. If you ever get a chance to listen, this is the most clear cut example of four people playing as one instrument I can ever come up with. Every time I try explaining what I love about Phish to people, this song and this version is what I play for them. One of the best climactic guitar solos you'll hear on the entire series taboot. I didn't give a rating for the album because of my focus on Reba, but this is definitely worth buying for any Phish fan. A disclaimer, my musical tastes extend FAR beyond Phish, so although I am a Phish fan, please be aware that my comments on this subject are as unbiased as they can possibly be. Regardless of whether you're a fan of the band or not, listen to this song and see what you think."

Reba- finest in the nation

possum mcantelope | burlington, vt | 01/07/2005

(4 out of 5 stars)

"Overall, this show is alright...not one that i listen to straight through because i'm not a beatles fan and i think that the white album limits phish's playing tremendously. Having said that, Discs 1 and 4 are solid. Some very good phish staples played with the energy that you would expect from a '94 show (ahhh, the days when trey would actually rip it). But if someone is looking for the essence of phish, the peak of their jamming and performance ability, listen to track 1 on disc 2....that's right, reba. this is by far the most cleanly played and moving one i've ever heard, and the band manages to acheive this while still being ambitious. the start of the jam sets a super-chill vibe as page accents mike's bop with some smooth electric piano. trey is plucking and fish is just sitting back providing the head nodding beat. they take the jam pretty far out there with some crazy stoccato licks from trey, but then at around 11 min phish's best 4 min of playing ever imo begins with an amazing, sort of melancholy riff which the whole band runs with. i can't describe the rest in words b/c i won't do the song justice, but buy this live phish and crank this song. if you won't like this, you'll never like phish."