9 of 9 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
Surprise!, October 17, 2003
This review is from: Illustrated Band (Dig) (Audio CD)
Of all the Phish spinoff projects, the one I enjoyed the most was the first Vida Blue disc. Like most really good music, it didn't sit well with me at first because it defied my expectation that it would contain a lot of Page's wonderful Piano noodling. Still, it grew on me rather quickly and I have been really looking forward to this new release.
If you are expecting more of the same from "Illustrated", you're going to be disappointed. Page is frequently mixed into inaudibility and the "beat-centric" performances leave little room for the sort of rambling yet melodic atmosphere that made the debut so strong.
But don't give up too easily. After three or four times through, Page is more easily heard than on the first listening. Oteil get's a lot more use - to good effect - kinda makes one wonder where they were keeping him on the first release. The songs are long, wonderful run-on sentences; and the horns contributed by SPAM are an emphatic punctuation mark.
My only remaining criticism; and one not likely to be dismissed any time soon, is the whole DJ as musician thing. That's not to say it's not a skill unto itself; but there's entirely too much of it for my taste. That one issue aside, this is a very listenable recording.
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1 of 8 people found the following review helpful:
2.0 out of 5 stars
What's the use, February 6, 2005
This review is from: Illustrated Band (Dig) (Audio CD)
I am not a phan of this cd. It seems a little drawn out and the jams really never go any where.
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