Phish - Rift

my friend my friend he's got a knife...

it is good to have this cd again. a great phish masterpiece including the likes of maze, weigh, and fast enough for you. definitely worth the 3 dollars used. AMAZON MARKETPLACE = WIN ! August 13, 2008

yeah, i'm afraid it is that good

A lot of Phish-heads out there are going to tell you this is such a great album ... personally I burned out on Phish many, many years ago, and hadn't played their stuff for a long time. I just listened to this album again for the first time in probably ten years, and was reminded of something I read around '93 - an interview in which Trey reckoned that Rift was the first album where they really got things right. August 6, 2008

without doubt, phish's best studio effort

Although almost everyone would agree that the best way to experience this band is by seeing them live, this album is their masterpiece. It is a perfect blend of the energy and improvisational creativity you get at a live show, but also reflects some great songwriting, meticulous studio craftsmanship, and lush, deep, and spacious production. Although i love classics like lawn boy, junta, and picture of nectar, parts of those albums sometimes sound thin and improperly paced. (think "you enjoy myself" on junta compared to live). Also, Rift is one of those rare albums where every song fits perfectly in the sequence and there is simply no filler. "Rift" , "Maze", "Its Ice" and "Mound" , as captured on this album, show phish at the top of their game. Later albums like "Billy Breathes" were nice and showed that phish could effectively write more concise tracks, but they didn't really do a good job of capturing any of the band's live energy. To me, rift is like a perfect live show, complete with energetic improvisation, purpose, and momentum, plus flawless studio sound quality with a layered, clear, 3-dimensional tone.

Although the band would go on to create some great music in the years following this album, i don't think they ever again performed at this level in the studio. In hindsight, Rift is definitive proof that Phish peaked a little too soon March 17, 2008

Plenty of Examples of Phish's Trademark Signatures in Songs

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. Phish would begin to build a following in the late 1980s and by 1992 would release "A Picture of Nectar" - the band's strongest effort up until that date. The follow-up album to "A Picture of Nectar" was 1993's "Rift" - and while not as strong as "A Picture of Nectar", it is still a very good collection.

Phish is commonly called a "jam" band. However I tend to subscribe to the theory that "jam music" is one component of what Phish is all about. My feeling is that Phish is really an improvisational band - and they might just be one of the greatest improvisational bands of all time. They put a mix of Folk, Rock, Jazz, and Country into their music. In other words, improvisational music allows them to do whatever they want. "Rift" contains all of Phish's trademark fusion of genres as well as their trademark humor.

"Rift" is one Phish album that tends to follow the traditional formula seen in many of Phish's live performances. In their live setting, 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. In addition, it contains some of the shorter (fewer than two minute songs) that Phish has also become famous for.

Here is a song by song synopsis:

"Rift": Starts off with a Country/Farmhouse sound that has become a Phish trademark. Listen to how it translates into a more progressive rock jam about two minutes into the song.

"Fast Enough for You": This was my favorite track and a very underrated track. This song has more of a classic rock feel to it. Trey Anastasio's and vocals really shine here.

"Lengthwise": This contains some of Phish's trademark humor. It's a short song with the lyrics "When you're there I sleep lengthwise; And When you're gone I sleep diagonal in my bed". Phish improvises by putting some "snoring" sounds into the song. It also provides a nice segue into "Maze".

"Maze": This follows the classic Phish formula of simple lyrics at the beginning following an extended jam (one of Phish's best jams) This song clocks in at over 8 minutes, but well-worth the listening. By listening to this studio cut, you can understand why this became a popular live cut. I like the Rock sound with a touch of Jazz.

"Sparkle": Great song. Page McConnell's piano work sets the tone for the first 90+ seconds before a cool segue into a "farmhouse-style jam". Phish interjects some humor into this song with the vocal-style.

"Horn": Starts off with heavy guitar riff to kick off the track. Good balance of Anastasio's guitar and McConnell's keyboard giving it a classic Phish feel. I like the "pause" just after 3 minutes into the song.

"The Wedge": This is another underrated Phish track. I like the Jazz-infused opener and Mike Gordon's Bass work. Jazz isn't the only thing, you will hear some Rock and some Country in this song.

"My Friend, My Friend": Phish improvises again. This song has a Rock-Opera/Theatrical feel to it. This track has a darker tone as the lyrics "My friend my friend, he's got a knife" is prevalent throughout the chorus. The ending of the song shows Phish's improvising at their best.

"Weigh": Another very good song with a good mix of McConnell's keyboards and Anastasio's guitar, although McConnell really gets a chance to shine here. It has Phish trademark humor throughout the lyrics. The song has a nice jam too.

"All Things Reconsidered": This is a nice instrumental by the band, although it's not as strong as the instrumental jams that are heard on the songs with vocals in this collection.

"Mound": This song shows Phish can pull off a Blues-jam, but it is the "switch off" of styles in this song that is unique. They pull a nice segue into a farmhouse-style folk chorus, then into more of a progressive rock jam and back to the farmhouse.

"It's Ice": This begins a continuous segue between the last four tracks. It also opens up with Jazz-like feel to it. Anastasio has a really good guitar riff three minutes into the song followed by a classic jazz-infused Phish jam.

"Lengthwise": A reprise that varies slightly from the earlier track. It is a segue from "It's Ice" to "The Horse".

"The Horse": A short track. Primarily an acoustic track. Didn't really excite me, but was a good segue into the final track.

"Silent in the Morning": This is probably the most "radio friendly" track on the collection. Terrific harmonies will be the highlight. Nice wrap-up tune.

While this collection had a lot of good tracks, my only complaint is that it lacked a "home run" track, and that's why I have it a slight notch below "A Picture of Nectar". Overall this is a solid album - this is definitely worth checking out. July 22, 2007

Rift not the best Phish CD?!?

But it's an awesome CD for those who are not familiar with the band. I heard it when it first came out, and a lot of the Dead's fans were big on the CD as I was, it's hard to say, IMO it's my favorite Phish CD, the title track really gets your mojo up :), along with other songs "Fast Enough For You" (a slow tune), Maze, Horn (another slow tune, but more guitar based), and pretty well any song on this CD. I always found the other CDs to be really hard to get into. It's worth a listen to, at least. June 2, 2006

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