Phish Tails: Phish Studio Retrospective September 10, 2001 - VirginMega.com by Paul Semel For many years, Phish has been considered a better stage band than a studio one. And it's a perception that won't go away when you survey their numerous live albums. But if you also do a similar assessment of their studio recordings, you'll realize that the difference is actually rather minimal. The band made their formal debut with Junta, a self-released collection later reissued as a double-disc set augmented with three live tracks. Long beloved by hardcore fans, the collection -- which has the typical loose vibe that would be the hallmark of Phish's concerts -- boasts a number of old favorites, most notably "You Enjoy Myself" and "The Divided Sky." It would be their next album, though, that showed Phish were more than just a live band trying to capture their stage show on CD. Dubbed Lawn Boy, the collection found them taking advantage of the studio, instead of using it as a surrogate stage. As a result, the album features solid versions of such still loved tunes as "The Squirming Coil" and "Split Open And Melt." The band grew even more comfortable in the studio with their next album, A Picture Of Nectar -- which, like Lawn, featured a number of old favorites that had been given a good workout on the road. As a result, the album boasts a number of future concert favorites, including "Stash," "Tweezer," and "Chalk Dust Torture." Sadly, their next album, Rift, would not be so lucky, as this concept album of sorts collapsed under its own artistic weight. Though it features some good songs -- most notably "Maze" -- it feels sluggish and labored in spots, and lacks the sparkle of the band's earlier studio outings, which is why it's regarded by many fans as their least interesting, and least enjoyable. If Rift was the sound of Phish losing steam, then Hoist is the sound of Phish re-energized. Consisting of songs largely written in the studio, the album is the band's loudest, most soulfully-rockin' collection to date. Which is not to say it sounds like AC/DC covering Metallica, though it does recall when R.E.M. got loud for Life's Rich Pageant and again with Monster. But while some fans reveled in the band's rawness, especially during such great tunes as "Sample In A Jar" and "Down With Disease," others decried its tightness, and call this the least Phishy Phish album Phish ever made. Though not three time fast. Such detractors breathed a sigh of relief upon hearing the band's next album, the decidedly mellower Billy Breathes. Having become comfortable in the studio, the guys began crafting their songs, as opposed to jamming them into existence, and as a result, such Billy tunes as "Character Zero" and "Free" sound tighter and more controlled. However, the album's overall mellowness does get a bit tiresome towards the end, making this, like Rift, an album only for hardcore Phisheads. The band continued to be mellow and careful on their next collection, The Story Of The Ghost. But the album does have a couple songs -- such as "Birds Of A Feather" -- where they managed to loosen up a bit, and inject a little of their early, jammy vibe back in the mix. As a result, it has a more engaging and energized mood than Billy, which makes it a far better album. Or, at the very least, a less sleepy one. The transition made from Ghost to Billy continued with their next collection, Farmhouse , which was still careful, but wasn't as tight and, at times, even got a little rowdy (though never to the ballsy level of Hoist). As a result, Farmhouse not only boasts a number of wonderful, and wonderfully-beautiful songs (most notably the opening title track), but is also their first album since Hoist not to get a bit slow at times. While the triad of Billy, Ghost, and Farmhouse signified that the band were decidedly more comfortable in the studio, and more into songwriting than song jamming, there were still occasional tips of the hat to the band's earlier days. Through their website, www.phish.com, the band released an eponymous collection of early, pre- Junta recordings, with some tunes actually predating the formation of Phish itself, including early versions of the now Phish classics "You Enjoy Myself" and "Run Like An Antelope." The band also used their website to release The Siket Disc, a collection of spacy, jazzy instrumentals that had been freely improvised by them during sessions for Ghost (it has since been made available in stores). But while this weird and wild collection is rather interesting, it is ultimately the kind of thing only an unflinching Phish fan would enjoy listening to more than once. Whether the band continue with the careful, studied path of Farmhouse or will ultimately swing back around the loose, improvised feel of Junta may not be known for a while, as the band are taking an indefinite break from each other, the studio, and the road. But when they do return, as they vow they will, fans can be rest assured of two things: great live shows (naturally), and great studio albums.