On The Download: The Phish Studio Albums, Part II

Over the weekend, AccessHollywood.com brought you the first part of our examination of Phish’s studio albums. And now it’s time for part II.

“Billy Breathes” (1996)
“Free,” the first track from “Billy Breathes,” remains the highest charting Phish song from the band’s career. Reaching #11, the track helped push Phish into a more mainstream position in the rock world, without sacrificing the familiar jams the fans had come to expect. More extensive use of acoustic guitars than the previous albums is prevalent as well. “Theme From The Bottom,” “Prince Caspian,” and “Taste” are a few of the standout tracks from “Billy Breathes,” and many fans have even used the third track from the album, “Waste,” as their wedding song.

“The Story of the Ghost” (1997)
In 1997, Phish started to move from the intense, high energy jams that were their trademark into a more funk and groove oriented sound. In the way that Deadheads recognize “Go To Heaven” as the “Disco Dead” album, “The Story of the Ghost” is the Phish funk record. Mike Gordon is right up front in the mix, dropping some incredible bass bombs in tunes like “Ghost,” “The Moma Dance and Birds of a Feather.” But, in the middle of all this funk, the nearly nine-minute “Guyute” erupts in all its glory. Now once you’ve seen Anastasio conduct the Nashville Symphony Orchestra in an orchestral version of the tune, the album version is never going to stand up. But it is still a strikingly beautiful piece of music. “The Siket Disc,” which is almost entirely instrumental, also arose from these sessions, but is only for completists.

A moment of digression: on December 30 and 31, Phish played the Big Cypress Seminole Reservation in Florida. Acclaimed by the band and the fans as “The Best Phish Show Ever” (and also the longest-the second set on New Year’s lasted almost seven and one half hours, the band played until dawn of 1/1/00), nothing but audience bootleg recordings of the show have surfaced along with unauthorized video recordings. Phish, please open your vaults! We want Big Cypress!

“Farmhouse” (2000)
Recorded in Trey’s home studio (aka The Barn) in Vermont, “Farmhouse” features a mixture of tunes that had been performed by the band during the preceding three years, as well as some tunes off Anastasio and Marshall’s quasi-album of rough tracks “Trampled by Lambs and Pecked by the Dove.” One of those songs, “Heavy Things,” was the single from “Farmhouse,” reaching #22. “Twist,” “Farmhouse,” “Piper,” and “First Tube” all had had extensive workouts on the road, and “Back On The Train,” ‘Gotta Jibboo,’ and “Sand” are mainstays at Anastasio’s solo shows.

The first hiatus, which lasted from October of 2000 to New Year’s Eve 2002 at Madison Square Garden, gave the boys some time off to go work on solo projects. Trey went into the studio with Stewart Copeland and Les Claypool as Oysterhead to record “The Grand Pecking Order.” Jon Fishman went ahead with his side project Pork Tornado, Page formed Vida Blue with Oteil Burbage and Russell Batiste, and Mike Gordon guested with many diverse artists, as well continuing to work on his various film projects.

“Round Room” (2002)
“Round Room,” the first album following the hiatus, sprung from rehearsal sessions the band held at The Barn in preparation for the comeback shows at MSG. None of the tunes had previously been played for a live audience before. During the return run, Phish broke out “Seven Below,” “Walls of the Cave,” and “Waves” for the first time. Following soon would be the premieres of “46 Days,” and the greatest song about tequila, since, well, “Tequila, Mexican Cousin.” The album was recorded over three days, and because of that has a more unpolished feel preceding records, and like “Farmhouse,” was recorded without a producer.

“Undermind” (2004)
It is impossible to look at the cover for Phish’s last (up to now) studio album, “Undermind,” without thinking of another famous rock quartet’s final album. But unlike “Let It Be,” “Undermind” would not lead to the ultimate breakup of Phish. Rather it contains some great tunes that were forgotten due to the scarcity of live performances from the band between the release of the album, and the start of the second hiatus. he news that Phish would be splitting up again indefinitely around the time of “Undermind’s” release coupled with the record’s more radio friendly sound doomed the album in many fan’s minds, but tracks like “Scents and Subtle Sounds,” “A Song I Heard The Ocean Sing,” and the scorching “Crowd Control” are highlights of an album that has been largely ignored by fans.

So what comes next? With the countdown to Hampton, the boys have reportedly been practicing in Vermont and New York, and Anastasio premiered a number of new tunes in his last solo tour that are sure to be performed by The Phish on their upcoming jaunt around the country. The emphasis on live shows in the Phish-iverse will always be the most critical part of the band’s continuing success, but with a fanbase that never tires of listening to, debating, and reminiscing about the band, a new studio work cannot be too far away. Just give them a couple of years to get it worked out on stage first.