Recorded: 1984-1986; Officially released: 1998
Tracks: Alumni Blues; And So To Bed; You Enjoy Myself; AC/DC Bag; Fuck Your Face; Divided Sky; Slave to the Traffic Light; Aftermath; Ingest; NO2; Fluff’s Travels; Dog Gone Dog; He Ent to the Bog; Run Like an Antelope; Minkin; Letter to Jimmy Page
Best tracks: Divided Sky, Alumni Blues
Tracks to skip: Ingest, NO2
This is a collection of early Phish demos, both band and solo, that was released as part of the Phish Archives in 1998 (available through
Phish’s website). The demos were recorded between 1984 and 1986. Most of the stuff on here is by guitarist Trey Anastasio, a few tracks (Alumni, AC/DC, Dog Gone Dog) feature the full band and a few more are by bassist Mike Gordon. Since these are demos, the quality isn’t as great as normal albums. However, for being demos, the quality *is* pretty good.
A lot of early Phish classics make their first appearances here, some in different form. You Enjoy Myself isn’t the full-blown song it would become on Phish’s debut album, Junta; it’s only a small vocal section. Featuring Trey on multi-tracked vocals it shows a great blueprint of how complex the song is. Very short but beautiful. Also there are great short versions of Divided Sky and Slave to the Traffic Light.
Hearing all these demos you get a real sense of what this group of 4 musicians would become in just 2 years. This CD of course is aimed at the hardcore fan, someone who is more interested in the development of the band than a cohesive and well-produced album. This isn’t something I play that often, but it’s enjoyable. Some songs are quite cool, some are very silly (like Mike Gordon’s songs Fuck Your Face and Minkin). Overall it’s a nice thing to have, but not an album you’d put on at a party (even if it’s a party of Phish-heads). Not always consistent, but always interesting.
Rating: 77
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