A LIVE ONE

Most Phish heads will be able to tell you with fervor and passion when they first caught the "phever," or the "phire." To the uninitiated, that means they can pinpoint the moment or set of moments in which they became devotees of Phish, and they most likely can name the tune that did it for them as well.

For me, A Live One was that magic tome that set me on the path forever. I stole a tape from one of my fraternity brothers during my freshman year in college and stashed it for the school year with the intention to check it out sometime (no pun intended). It was a TDK Normal Bias analog cassette that simply read "Phish" on the label and nothing else. On the tape was 90% of A Live One, missing a few of the shorter tracks (the throw-aways). The tune that floored me, and I still tear up listening to it, was Harry Hood, taken from a fiery show in Florida on 10-23-94. They were all intense and mind-blowing, but Harry Hood was special. I can distinctly remember walking around in the hot August afternoons during my first newspaper internship and delivering our paper to people who weren't subscribed with this tape looping in my walkman over and over again for weeks.

I was obsessed. I melted my mind repeatedly listening to Trey set the arenas on fire with his laser-like tone and incredibly well executed and phrased solos. Mike Gordon glues the band together and elevates Trey's work to new levels of spontaneity, along with the keyboard koloration Page McConne. Jon Fishman is a drum machine. He has the touch of a peacock feather when needed, and the thunder of Mount Olympus during the next phrase. It is often times difficult to distinguish between the compositions and the jams for a beginner, since the improv is so good - getting used to the band takes a few different shows and listen-thrus.

And on this disc, I must emphasize again the Harry Hood - it is a winding, spiraling, soaring and euphoric musical rollercoaster, and contains more well-executed improv and raw energy than you've heard from any live act in a long time (except maybe Dream Theater ;-). I was listening to a lot of prog when I got into Phish, and they fit perfectly into the category. Trust me - when the end-phase of Hood's closing jam kicks in and you find yourself yelling "Hell Yeah!" as if the Eagles just scored a touchdown, you will then and only then truly appreciate and understand the majesty and off-kilter beauty that is Phish. And you will believe.

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