Phish - Lawn Boy

Originally recorded in 1989, Phish's second record is a brilliant blend of whimsy and wisdom that served notice to the world: these boys are tough to peg. "The Squirming Coil" is arena-rock bluster, "Reba" is winding art rock, "My Sweet One" is quick bluegrass, "Split Open and Melt" is a funky workout, "Oh Kee Pa Ceremony" is jazzed-up country boogie, "Lawn Boy" is lounge jazz, and "Bouncing Around the Room" is irresistible pop. Add to that "Run Like an Antelope," one of their most successful twisting-and-turning instrumental jams, and you have an eclectic yet digestible smorgasbord of styles. What saves Phish from crumbling under their own weight? A palpable sense of playfulness and sarcasm and musicianship that is both loose and demanding. --Marc Greilsamer Amazon.com essential recording

Great tracks, though some of the live versions are better....

There are many great Phish songs here, but many of them are better in their live versions, specifically The Squirming Coil and Bouncing Around the Room. They are both featured on A Live One, with Coil coming it at twice the length as it does here. It has a beautiful piano solo at the end. Bouncing Around the Room sounds rather tired here, but the version on the live album really bounces (sorry about the pun) with the audience really getting into it. On the plus side, this album has one of my favorite Phish songs, Reba. Composed by Trey Anatassio, it's an epic song, running about 12 1/2 minutes. It has a great chorus (bag it, tag it, sell it to the butcher in the store), and great jamming in between the verses. The song Run like an Antelope is a classic Phish jam, and My Sweet One is Jon Fishman's contribution (which is really good). Trey dominated the songwriting in Phish. As good as he is, it's a bit of a pity as the others contributions from the rest of the band are very good. One wonders if that's what broke them up (or put them on hiatus). Oh, well, this is still one of their best studio albums. January 5, 2008

Excellent Phish album that is a must have.

This is Phish's second official album but fourth unofficially. The members of Phish were veterens by the time this album was released, but musically, they were just getting started.

It really does continue where Junta left off and contains more of their signature live staples recorded to perfection in the studio. While Junta is probably the better album, the fact that this is single disc makes this one much more accessable.

"The Squirming Coil" is a beautiful mini epic that rises to great heights and falls just as gracefully. Reba is one of their strangest and most entertaining songs and it showcases their ability to gradually drift away from the main theme of a song until it becomes unrecognizable, and then suddenly bring you back leaving you thinking "was that all one song?"

In many ways it is similar to "Run Like an Antelope" in that it shows their mastery of combining tonal and atonal instrumental music. Phish also explores some new musical styles on this album with the bluegrassy "My Sweet One" and the funky "Split Open and Melt". The album ends with the energetic "Bouncing Around the Room" a song that would later become a minor hit when it was released on "A Live One" in 1995.

While not their best album, this album comes very close to being their best and is certainly an essential album for anyone interested in Phish. November 9, 2007

Joey Likes It

My friend Joey likes this album, especially the chorus to "Reba". And he likes Bathtub Gin, though he'd re-name it Bathtub Whiskey, if given the chance.

We went and saw them at TRAX in Charlottesville in `91, and Joey liked it. He was trippin' on shrooms, and had to go out to the car to get it together. I finally came out and talked him back into the show. We walked in and they were playing "Cracklin' Rosie" by Neil Diamond, and Joey felt better about things. He's from Jersey, Hungarian, and loves Neil Diamond. It's a Jersey/Hungarian thing. You wouldn't understand...

Anyhow, Joey is down with this. It's cool, since Trey is also from Jersey. You see what I'm sayin'? January 20, 2007

Gentle Giant meets Frank Zappa and the Grateful Dead

Released in 1990, this was Phish's first "official" release. It was their first CD and their first on a major label. Their real first album was Junta, but it was only sold on cassettes at concerts at the time (it later got an expanded CD release). Lawn Boy is about 46 minutes long and the sound quality is very good.

It sounds a lot like what it is. The first major release by an up and coming band. It is a little looser than later releases, and the bands sound isn't quite set yet.

This CD features much more piano than later CD's will. It gives the whole album somewhat of a British Progressive Rock texture. Many of the openings to the songs sound like they could be from Gentle Giant.

There appears to be other influences mixed into the sound. Some of the guitar playing is reminiscent of Frank Zappa. And being a jam band, the seem to mix some Jerry Garica guitar style here and there.

This is a nice collection of songs, with a few exceptions. Phish was still playing most of these songs in concert up until they time they disbanded. You can't say that about most of Phish's albums, where only a few songs would make it to their concert play lists.

But, most of the songs do have the same problems that most of Phish's work, silly, or ridiculous lyrics. The lyrics sometimes are just something that the group can later jam off of.

There are some problems with the production values on some of the songs, especially with the vocals. It is gets really bad when the band tries to harmonize. Some songs are a little disjointed. On Reba, which is 12 minutes long, the first 4 minutes are just a waste, with bad vocals, disjointed music and some of the worst Phish lyrics of all time.

But, get rid of the first 4 minutes of Reba, and lose the two short tracks, My Sweet One and Oh Kee Pa Ceremony, and you have a pretty good CD with almost 40 minutes of nice music and singing.

The song Lawn Boy is a nice little bluesy number. I wonder why Phish couldn't have done more like this. December 1, 2006

Phish shows the promise of what is to come

If there has been a band that has had the most success of being an "underground" band, it would have to be Phish This is a band that produces some of the most innovative music anywhere on the music scene.. Phish has long had the reputation of being a band with an "open audio taping" policy and as a result they built up a great following - especially as a live act. But their reputation as a live act goes well beyond the "open audio taping" policy - this band can completely back things up by putting on some of the most incredible live performances anywhere. As a result, many people consider Phish to be a stronger live act than a studio act. My feeling is that in order to become a powerful live act, the music performed has to come from somewhere. In this case, much of the music comes from Phish's outstanding library of music they released. One of the roots of this great live music is the studio album, "Lawn Boy". This was Phish's second album and for the most part sets up the foundation for a very successful career.

Phish is commonly called a "jam" band. In the live setting for many of their songs, Phish seems to follow a very simple formula. The songs have simple lyrics - most of the lyrics toward the beginning of the song. Many of their songs are then extended with some beautiful and intricate instrumental pieces - "or jam" pieces. These pieces can be long - including one 12 minute song ("Reba;. If you want to know why Phish isn't played on conventional radio - that is the reason). It's a shame because conventional radio's loss becomes the fans gain. What I like best about many of the long numbers is that it will often take you on a music journey to parts unknown. Phish also isn't afraid to do a short song - as there is a 1:41 track on this collection ("The Oh Kee Pa Ceremony"). Whatever the song length, it's important to know that Phish will grow on you. Some of the songs will catch on right away - other songs will slowly grow on you.

I wouldn't categorize "Lawn Boy" as their strongest Phish album. This album was still made early in their careers and definitely shows that the band was on the road to promise. Here is a track by track review:

"The Squirming Coil": This song is a Phish classic. It is 6:04 in length on this collection, but it is done much longer in live sets. However I think the length is perfect for this song on this album. Page McConnell's piano work sets the tone throughout this entire song. The great thing about this song is how the tempo evolves and changes.

"Reba": Another Phish classic. Phish seems to have fun doing this song. As mentioned above this is the longest track of the collection. The song opens with a folksy-like feel. The chorus of "Bag it; Tag it; Sell it to the butcher in the store" is extremely catchy. This is classic Phish because it follows the simple lyrics that lead into the intricate instrumental. I like the "reprise" at the end.

"My Sweet One": Bluegrass isn't really my cup of tea. This shows Phish explores different avenues and genres. While this wasn't my favorite song, this one hooks you.

"Split Open and Melt": This song is outstanding and proves why Phish is one of the most innovative bands. It has a Jazz feel throughout with a touch of psychedelica. While it is bassist Mike Gordon who is the star of this song, kudos must go to guest vocalist Christine Lynch - who does an outstanding job The horns used in this song also adds to the experience. The near a capella part about 2/3 of the way of the song provides the perfect "relief" before segueing into more vocals by Lynch.

"Oh Kee Pa Ceremony": As mentioned, this is the shortest song on the collection. It is also a pure instrumental feel to it. Not bad, but it also has the bluegrass/folksy feel to it - and this isn't where Phish is their strongest.

"Bathtub Gin": This song follows the classic formula of the simplistic lyrics followed by an intricate jam. I can't say this is as strong as other Phish songs cut in this mold, but it still isn't bad. Once again Page McConnell shines on the keyboards.

"Run Like An Antelope": This song deviates from the classic Phish formula. The instrumental kicks off this song. Trey Anastasio provides some outstanding guitar work throughout this song and once again McConnell gets kudos on keyboards. The two really seem to jam hard on this number. It is the instrumental where Phish really shines. It is over 8 minutes before the vocals kick in! This proves Phish doesn't "follow the script".

"Lawn Boy": This song was accused of being "boring", but I liked this. It combines a "supper club" type feel with some of the fun and simplistic lyrics that Phish is famous for. You can also hear the strongs of Anastasio's guitar.

"Bouncing Around the Room": Great song. This one isn't a jam song by Phish, but it is a "fun song". I'm surprised their record company didn't promote this - because this could have easily been a mainstream hit. Jon Fishman and Mike Gordon kick off this song on drums and bass very well - setting the "bouncing" tone for this song. The song slowly builds up as well. McConnell's keyboard also comes in at the right moments.

The liner notes included the lyrics as well as production and musician credits. While Phish definitely has had stronger albums top to bottom, this is still a very good album. This will definitely keep Phish fans satisfied, but I'd still recommend it for new Phish fans as well October 28, 2006

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