 |  | Slave To The Traffic Light and Gumbo sold the CD |  |
At the moment, of all available Phish, I think this is the most solid release to date - live or otherwise. Also, this album was ranked in a list compiled by Rolling Stone; they called it one of the 25 Greatest live albums of all time. This is not to be missed.
The music is fresh and inspiring to this day and it was released 13 YEARS AGO! This album showcases the reason Phish was around for so long, they have created something that is satisfying to anyone.
Simply put, if you buy only one Phish album, it MUST be this one.
April 2, 2008I purchased this one years ago, loved it, but had it "borrowed" by my son, never to be returned. Has all to emotions of a great Phish concert. Yeah, it can be a little drawn out at times, but if you're a true "Phishead" you know that interp can change every time you listen to it.
Best version of "Bouncing Around The Room" I've come upon. (Can you feel it?!)
March 28, 2008First of all, I'm only using this "Kid" Title because i haven't made a purchase at amazon yet, but i just have to review this for any people unsure about this album. This is THE BEST live album ever made, except for maybe Phish's Madison Square Garden '95. Phish is my favorite band and 'A Live One' got me into them. When i first had it, it was a burned copy, so i didn't even know the song names, i just knew that i loved them. Even now, pretty much every song here is performed flawlessly, and should be the comparison mark for every other performance by Phish or any other live band. With the exception of Tweezer(Which just goes on too long, it's good up until about the 9 minute mark), every song is so Freakin' Amazing. I reccomend this to any beginner of Phish, it will make you a real Phan. Just buy this CD as soon as you can.
January 16, 2007 | | For God's sake, get back together already.... | |
This was my first Phish album. It is a rarity nowadays, an actual official live album by a great live band. This album is an extraordinary place to start, with great versions (vastly superior to their studio versions) of Bouncing Around the Room, Stash, You Enjoy Yourself (my favorite), Wilson, Tweezer (30 minutes and 55 seconds of it), and The Squirming Coil (twice as long as the studio version, with an absolutely beautiful piano solo at the end). Chalkdust Torture is here too (even though I prefer the studio version). The songs go on for quite some time, and the music is very reminiscent of Frank Zappa and progressive rock. Phish has more in common with Zappa and prog rock than with The Grateful Dead (a band they are often compared to). I do like Phish quite a lot, but sometimes their music doesn't have much depth. But their musicianship more than makes up for it. They recently broke up, which I think is ridiculous. They (especially Trey Anastasio) gave the usual "spend more time with the family...tired of the road" drivel, then Trey released a solo album and started touring again. Perhaps there's some dissension in the band that we don't know about, perhaps because of songwriting credits or something along those lines. Trey takes credit for the bulk of the material, but as in Pink Floyd and The Band, it could be misleading. Or maybe not, who knows? When their bank accounts start to run dry, they'll get back together....
October 3, 2006| | | As far as coherent live Phish albums go, this one is a great representation of the band in their prime | |
I got into Phish around 2001, hearing a live bootleg of a Las Vegas show. I believe it was the song "Colenol Forbins Descent" that drew me in, with its epic size, great lyrics and awesome musicianship. I instantly ate up everything with the "Phish" name on it. All bootlegs, studio albums, box sets, everything. "A live one" has a very acurate portrayal of Phish during this time of their career, and the listener is treated to many extended jams of their studio tracks, live improv, the infamous vacuum cleaner that they use as an instrument, and all the live stage antics that Phish provide.
Composition wise, Phish are strong artists that know how to extend and improv on their footholds and craft great wandering experiences, and "A Live one" captures just that.
Featuring two discs filled to the brim with jams galore, the listener will not be disappointed, even the sound quality is top notch.
However, my love for Phish waned as of late, and I grew tired of their typical and predictive jam directions. Each rendition of their songs became so monotonous and predictable that I couldn't take it anymore.
Maybe I am the only one, but this music is really for the drugged out, or those that absolutely LOVE Phish and long-winded jam-band music. For this music lover, the all too often long winded jams and abstract random music can get annoying.
I personally feel that Phish was more of a fad band than anything. The creative aspect of this band seems to be at best a novelty and seems to die out after much repeated listens, even their later albums fall short of pleasing.
Still, "A Live one" is a great portrayal of a once great band in their prime.
October 2, 2006More reviews at Amazon.com ...
(93 reviews)