Phish dust off their musical costumes November 1, 2002 - The Daily Targum (Rutgers) by Josh Apelbaum Anyone who has ever loved He-Man or the Thundercats can tell you, pulling off a Halloween costume honoring your boyhood hero is a daunting task. Remember going to your area discount superstore to pick out a cheap, pre-packaged Halloween costume? They were shoddily constructed with a sharp-edged, unbreathable mask and an equally uncomfortable plastic-bag-like overall set with gaudy designs and your idol's logo. Suiting up to go school filled you with excitement and pride — that is until you actually looked in the mirror or took a long gander at some of the more authentically dressed classmates on your school bus. Phish is wholly more successful at donning their musical costumes than you or I. The albums covered on the special Halloween editions of Live Phish (Volumes 13-16) infuse uniquely spacey jams that honestly preserve the traditions of the original artists. This time around, Phish has brought their army of Dank-ness a treat to go along with the trip. Right in time for All Hallow's Eve, a quartet of four-CD sets that capture the band's memorable renditions of The Beatles' White Album (Volume 13, 10.31.94, Glen Falls Civic Center in Glen Falls, New York), The Who's Quadrophenia, (Volume 14, 10.31.95, Rosemont Horizon, Rosemont, Illinois), The Talking Heads' Remain in Light (Volume 15, 10.31.96, The Omni, Atlanta, Georgia) and most historically The Velvet Underground's Loaded (Volume 16, 10.31.98, Thomas & Mack Center, Las Vegas, Nevada). Volume 13 kicks off with a stellar "Frankenstein," and a lurching, keys-addled "Julius" while Trey Anastasio bleeds his guitar on an unsettling "While My Guitar Gently Weeps." You'd think Anastasio borrowed a bit of George Harrison's soul. In addition to the requisitely weird "Revolution 9" — a wacky dissonant collection of sounds, yells and pops unlike anything the Fab Four created — Page McConnell bangs through a heavy, creepy "Helter Skelter." With the advent of a horn section on Quadrophenia's set, the excessive swagger of The Who is fully attained. Mike Gordon's bass lines on "The Real Me" are as acrobatic ever, with Anastasio filling out Roger Daltrey's high registers with varying success. However, it is McConnell's smooth baritone that is the vocal standout of the disc, with the advisory "The Dirty Jobs." "If you let them do it to you / You've got yourself to blame / It's you who feels the pain / It's you that feels ashamed." The freshest and best of the set is Volume 15, which features a restrained, chilling "Maze" and a raucous "Character Zero," which, despite the frequency with which it is played, is still a favorite in my book. For once, Phish standards don't overwhelm the musical costume of Remain In Light, the funkiest of all Heads albums. "Crosseyed and Painless," a cover classic in its own right, is one to treasure here, with a great drum arrangement courtesy of Jon Fishman and McConnell's lead vocals are complemented by the band backing falsetto. Other standouts include "Born Under Punches (The Heat Goes On)" and "Once in a Lifetime." Those who hounded Phish to channel the Velvet Underground had their appetite satiated with 1998's incarnation of Loaded. "Sweet Jane" resonates with lilting orchestration heavy on extended guitar and drum jamming. Growing into a Phish cover staple, Lou Reed-penned "Rock and Roll" is long and winding at over 13 minutes and once again showcases McConnell's versatile vocals and solid exhibition. On top of this, the opening set is a powerhouse, with a terrific "Birds of a Feather" and a Mike's Groove featuring — gasp — "Frankie Says." The two grand-scale efforts, The White Album and Quadrophenia are sprawling magnum opuses attesting to the sheer stamina and breadth of the band's musical ability. However, the band wears these costumes out quickly and some tunes meander. The recordings are just too big and long for the band to get a firm grasp. The other two consist of more interesting, uniquely Phish covers that are more carefully arranged. Given that all four CD packages are offset by bookending sets, you can actually listen to the shows from the minute you wake up until Trick-Or-Treating or the costume-clad bar crawl tonight. In fact, there is enough classic material on these 16 discs to keep any Phishhead grooving until All Saints'. Phish, quite obviously, have the power of Greyskull.