JUNTA

Despite not directly being progressive rock, this album is very unique, creative, and has many progressive tendencies. On top of that, it's really enjoyable. This is the real Phish, not the band that their later studio efforts elucidate.

I will not highlight each track, but I will say safely that this is a very excellent addition to any prog collection. Songs like the Fluffhead suite, You Enjoy Myself, David Bowie, the Divided Sky are all innovative, enjoyable, and feature very good musicianship and explorative song structures. They are all generally happy in nature (though the lyrics may not be) and these songs are all progressive rock songs in spirit, uncovering new ground and managing to create something special.

Other songs like Fee, Esther, Golgi Apparatus, Dinner and a Movie, and Contact are all more straight-forward but no less enjoyable and very often feature instrumentation and developments that are far beyond typical rock songs. These aren't just jams either, these are hippie-esque artistic pieces of music that transcend the conception of Phish being a plain old jam band.

This is one of the best prog-related discs you can own, but the 2nd CD is a bit more uneven than the first, especially with the last two tracks being random excerpts from live shows. Good songs nonetheless, but the uneven distribution of songs and the occasional long, disjointed feel is what keeps this album from perfection.

Nonetheless, this happy, piano-filled, catchy, and quite progressive offering is among Phish's best work and features most of their best and most progressive compositions they've ever written. If you have any doubts about why they are on this site, this album should convince you.

A fabulous mixture of jazzy, funky, progressive, and uniquely Phishian compositions that often go way too overlooked because of Phish's reputation and later works. If you own one album by Phish, make it this one (Lawn Boy being a close second).