Trey Anastasio - Shine

had low expectations, but pleasantly suprised

i didn't expect much from this selection, especially after the slopfest that was coventry. this album is a departure from the self-titled release, but still good. if phish returns, expect to see some of these songs in the repotoire, especially sleep again, spin, and shine. most of the songs are pretty good, but some of the songs (LTBAL, for example) reflect the uninspired songwriting that was represented in the phinal phish studio release "undermind". with that aside, the album is pretty good. trey's lyrics aren't as good as his partner's tom marshal, but the album is able to stand on it's own two feet. i think phish fans are living too much in the past expecting trey to sound like he did in the 93-95 and 97-98 and 2003 periods of phish. i really hope to see phish get back together (i didn't get to see a show in 2004, saw 8 in 2003). this album will satisfy most of the hardcores. i think most of the true phish fans realize that trey is maturing, and shouldn't lose hope that he'll have a true creative renaissance. I am looking forward to Bar 17 for this very reason. He still puts on a killer show, by the way. September 17, 2006

Hold the jam.

I'm gonna guess most people seeking this album out are Phish fans. If that's you, the best way I can describe "Shine", is that it's much like the pop side of Phish. Some won't like that, I do alot. Not to say I don't enjoy myself when I hear a 17 minute song, but I really dig this side of Trey also. Focused, catchy, and radio-friendly music. The entire disc is good, but I do notice a drop in quality as it plays on. It begins with the two singles "Shine" and "Tuesday", and though the next few tracks are nearly as good, the last few are not. Still it's a great listen, and while I hesitate to say it's as good as any Phish album, it's all we have now. The DVD side has 4-5 live songs at Red Rocks, and some decent interview footage as well. Just get it. August 21, 2006

Soulfull but not sad, optimistic but not shallow

Like many people, I've always had a pretty deep emotional experience with music. Soulful, heartfelt, and sincere expressions from artists as opposed to the shallow, marketing-generated crap that is so prevelant. But at the same time, I get tired of listening to music that drags me down and depresses me. Enter Trey Anastasio's Shine! This entire album is down to earth and feels very "true" for lack of a better term. But it's still uplifting and cheerful! That's seems really rare these days. I've been listening to it over and over cause it just makes me feel good.

I've been a Phish fan since about 1995. I saw Trey at the ACL Festival in Austin last year and was blown away. In my opinion it was all the good parts of Phish without the disjunct, excess elements (just my personal taste). As a side note, I think he's got to be one of the best guitarists in history. And even though I usually prefer live recordings to studio albums, Shine is a wonderful exception! April 13, 2006

Not Phish, but still pretty good

In 2004, the band Phish went on a farewell tour and would part on good terms. Much of the reason why Phish would split up is because they felt they had taken themselves as an entity as far as they can go. Following the split of Phish, each of the band members would go their separate ways. For lead singer and guitarist, Trey Anastasio he would resume his solo career. Anastasio had started his solo career in 1998 with the release of "One Man's Trash". For a while, Anastasio would continue to work his solo career in parallel with working with Phish. He would release three more albums - including in an orchestral album, "Seis De Mayo". In 2005, Anastasio would release his fifth solo album, "Shine". This would be the first album that would be released following the split of Phish. "Shine" is an album that is very different than Phish, but at the same time gives Anastasio to take things in a different direction.

This edition of "Shine" is a "Dual Disc". The "Dual Disc" has a CD on one side and a DVD on the other side. The CD contains the 12 tracks that make up "Shine". The DVD contains an enhanced stereo version of the tracks on "Shine" as well as four video tracks of a live performance from Red Rocks, Colorado. As for the enhanced stereo tracks, you are going to need a very good set of speakers to really hear the enhanced stereo sound. The DVD also contains some behind the scenes tracks and interviews. An important thing to know is that the CD version is a non-standard format than most CDs - and as a result it won't play in some older CD players.

To understand how Anastasio takes things in a different direction from Phish, it is important to understand some of the roots of Phish. For the most part, Phish followed a very simple formula. Their songs contain 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. As a live band, Phish has been known for constructing "extended jams" of many of their tunes. These jams could easily be in excess of 10 minutes, and some have been known to go to 30 minutes ( If you want to know why Phish isn't played on conventional radio - this is the reason. It's a shame because conventional radio's loss becomes the fans gain). Although the studio albums didn''t quite have as long jam sessions, you can often listen to the sound of a Phish studio cut and see how it can turn into an extended jam. Phish's jams often provided an avenue to improvise. When it comes to improvising music, there aren't many bands that can surpass Phish. Another important point about Phish is that they often will blend many different genres of music such as Rock, Jazz, Latin, and more.

"Shine" isn't going to contain the multitude of genres that were contained on Phish albums. For the most part, Anastasio is going to utilize a very heavy guitar-laden sound. The songs on this album are not going to sound like jam songs - but on the DVD, you will see and hear Anastasio and his band set up some extended jams. While the guitar-laden influence sounds good, the only knock is that the guitar-laden influence does sound at times like the cookie-cutter music of the 2000s.

Simply put, "Shine" is not a Phish album. From a lyrical standpoint, "Shine" is going to have a deeper set of lyrics than most Phish albums. On the DVD, Anastasio discusses how the emotions that were running through his mind played a role into writing the songs for this album. Anastasio includes a song "Whenever You Find It" that basically describes the period when he was making the transition from wrapping up Phish to focusing on his own career. This is evident in the lyrics: "Another letter to remind me; Walking circles on the phone; While this distant fog surrounds me; I let it settle on the ground." This very personal touch in his lyrics is something that I found to nicely compliment the work Anastasio did with Phish. Another song that comes from a personal angle is "Spin". This song also reflects Anastasio's transition period as demonstrated in the lyrics, "In time when you change the game; and hold yourself up to the light; It's past and you're all alone".

There is a lot of other good music on this collection. One of the best tracks is "Come as Melody". This song has a haunting sound and a nice balance of both guitar and keyboard work. While I wouldn't put this in a category of a Phish song, it has a mantra-like chorus sound that does evoke memories of Phish. Another good track is "Invisible". This sound opens with an almost folk-like sound. It features some terrific guitar work, but ultimately it is going be Anastasio's vocals that are going to standout here. Not only does Anastasio demonstrate terrific range, but he does a great job at switching his vocal tempo throughout the track.

Overall, there are no weak tracks on the album, but there are several additional standout tracks. This includes the "Shine", Air Said to Me", "Sleep Again", and "Black".

The liner notes contain all of the lyrics to each of the songs. In addition the production credits and musician credits are included. For those who don't believe that Phish's breakup was really on good terms, it is worth reading the acknowledgements that are included. In these acknowledgements, Anastasio gives major thanks to each of the members of the band Overall, this album is a very good piece of work. Even though the guitar sound is reminiscent of most of the music of the 2000s, Anastasio still brings enough musicianship to take things up a level. Highly recommended. April 12, 2006

Shine by Trey

For any fan of Trey's this is a must, especially after his tour last year. Many of the songs he's been playing solo since Phish are found on this album. An easy listen that will grow on you. March 1, 2006

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