RIFT

There are so many classics on this CD that it is a Must Have! Great FAST ENOUGH, MAZE, HORN, MY FRIEND, and so on. These Studio Versions are very well played and sound very close to the live Performances.

For the casual listener, I reccommend the newer stuff like Farmhouse or the Story of the Ghost. For the progger, this is the finest Phish album in the catalog- even more so than their superb debut Junta. The band had been touring behind the highly eclectic A Picture of Nectar for months, and they returned to the studios in their off time from the road to focus on a quasi-concept album. The result is the most cohesive conceptual Phish studio set in the groups repitoire.

Rift is a phenomenal set of songs - full of depth, quiriky and interesting lyrics, complex song structures, a touch of musical humor, Zappa-esque compositions and passages, jazzy excursions and top notch musicianship culled from years of rehersal and touring. With fiery tracks like the classic Maze and the title track, to the gentle shores of the mind with Fast Enough for You and Silent in the Morning, this album has a little of evreything with a little to spare.

There is something very unique and wonderful about Trey Anastasio's compositions - multi-sectioned passages complete with intricate fuges, riffs, jamspace and precise execution. Its Icecan be filed under prog with any of the classic and interesting pieces of any band in the genre. Those who are wary to call Phish a "progressive rock" band should definitely hear this one before they make that call.

There should be something here for any prog fan. And no - they do not sound like the Grateful Dead, despite the conventional wisdom. Take it from me - i have dozens of show from both groups.

Get this disc, and venture onto the Ice

My personal favorite of all Phish's albums is Rift . A perfect example of what Art Rock should be . You notice I say Art Rock and not Jam Bands . This is due to the fact that while they are a Jam Band , extensively jamming at concerts . This album is a concrete,creative,complex piece of work , crossing many zany musical genres , textures, and lyrical content . An organic , virtuosoitic , eclectic, and goofy album . It's a great balance for a band to have. And this might be Phish's greatest achievement of the studio albums. A thick well balanced album with concept album elements .I'd consider the greatest track on the album to be "It's Ice" , a long complex creative song , with great hooks and melodies not to mention singing . Another great moment is the highly enjoyable crazy and intricate instrumental "All Things Reconsidered". Which basically shows how good Trey is on guitar . This album is essential Phish listening the definate art-rock statement of the 90's.

Rift was the first Phish abum I ever heard and I still love it dearly 12 years after first hearing it. This was Phish's sixth album and fourth officially released. This is probably their last truly progressive album. Although their are elements of prog on all of their albums, I wouldn't categorize any save maybe The Story of the Ghost, as prog. Again, the songs are shorter than their previous three, but overall I think it's a much more solid album than Picture of Nectar. The album is very well structured and reminiscent of Gentle Giant in some respects. Every song is great as usual. This one is probably on parr with Picture of Nectar, but in some ways I like it better, possibly that's because it was my first Phish album.

OK, I hate jam bands for the most part. That whole Dead scene does not sit well in my ears. I used to associate Phish with the Dead. NO MORE!

I was astounded by the technical prowess of these guys. This is not your average jam band. They definitely bring in Progressive Rock elements into their songs here and incorporate different musical styles, which is very difficult to accomplish by any band. Start to finish this CD is highly enjoyable. Their tongue-in-cheek lyrics bring further joy to the listening experience. They are not prudes and have great fun with what they do.

If you haven't heard this CD...WHAT ARE YOU WAITING FOR?!?!?! You won't be disappointed unless you want pretentious art rock.

Rift stands as (in my opinion) their strongest and most accessible album, even more than the "commercialized" Billy Breathes album. Some of their best work is found here, including the title track "Rift", which showcases Anastasio's brilliant guitar work. Other bright spots are "Maze", "Mound", and the outstanding "It's Ice" - which I consider to be their greatest song ever recorded from a compostional standpoint. There are very few weaknesses to this album, it is an enjoyable listen both for true fans of the group as well as those who may not be familiar to them.

Highly recommended.

"Rift" was the second Phish album recorded for Electra, coming after the exuberant, but not very prog "A Picture Of Nectar". It's less energetic than the previous album, but there is more prog on it. But I still think I prefer the other album.

The prog begins a bit in Maze, and the intro to My Friend, My Friend, but really gets going in the excellent All Things Reconsidered (an obvious reference to the famous NPR news radio program, and it's catchy theme sons), and Mound.

The main drawback to the album is a relative lack of the type of jamming that made Phish famous, and draws the large crowds to their live shows.

Not bad, but not one of their better sets.

Ah, the early 90s. What a great time for weird music that was somehow 'commercial.' This was my introduction to Phish, and it led me to become a rabid fan...until they started making really horrid albums (Farmhouse, for example). As a diehard Rush fan, this was initially a challenging listen, since it was counter to almost everything I knew about so-called 'progressive' music. However, once I learned to listen with uncorrupted ears, I uncovered the brilliance of this band. As I learned later, their previous albums had already hinted at their musical muscle (You Enjoy Myself, etc.), but on Rift, a new maturity took over and made these bizarre little nuggets more cohesive.

From the opening moments of the title track, all the way through to the end, what I heard were quirky pop tunes set on their ear, with each musician using a very unique (to me at the time) approach to their respective instruments. In particular was Jon Fishman's drumming, which was in my mind the impetus for this madness. I had never heard such a great groove performed on cowbell and woodblock! Later on, his intro to Mound completely slayed me with his messing with the traditional blues beat. Even better still is how the whole band transitions from the intro to the body of the song. Another cool moment on an album full of them.

Unlike any other Phish album, I cannot find any track that I dislike, not even Lenghwise, since it's too short to be annoying. This was Phish's perfect storm of lightning in a bottle (and any other cliches you can think up). The only problem with perfection is it is very difficult to repeat. Unfortunately for Phish, every subsequent release has slid further and further from this high (pun intended).

If you thought that Phish's first three releases were progressive, then this album is the creative peak of the band's specific progressive style. Not to say that this is any better than the album prior to this, A Picture of Nectar, which happens to be my favorite album by the band, but this is definitely more along the lines of what the usual prog-lover would enjoy. This album is more akin to something like an early 80's/late 70's band as opposed to a 90's jazz rock band. Taking that into account, let's dive into the review.

The title track starts well enough, with a very cliche-style Phish sound of racing cowbell and lighthearted a Capella. I started to quickly notice that it had a much more dark and feel, almost like Rift was trying to contain a story within it. It was such a surprise, it hooked me to the rest of the album. 'Maze' is the song every talks about, with it's 'Llama' style quick pounding rhythm with melodic quiverings in the background. 'My Friend, My Friend' and 'Weigh' are two songs that are great jazzy blues numbers, and are A+ style songs for the Phish peruser. 'All Things Reconsidered' is a spin on the National Public Radio's iconic theme-song for their show titled "All Things Considered". It's an actually quite strange mix if you think about it, but nothing really surprising seeing as we're talking about Phish. 'Mound' has probably the best a Capella the members have performed in all of their time. It speaks the story of a "broken old man in a world unkind", and is really actually quite heart-touching. Quite fantastic if I do say so myself. That's all for true highlights that got me really hard, but trust me, the entire album is fantastic.

If you're looking for a highlight of the 90's, look towards the first four album of Phish's studio discography. This album has joined the ranks of the majestic three respectively. Go give it a listen.