Customer Reviews

Live Phish Vol. 13: 10/31/94, Glens Falls Civic Center, Glens Falls, New York

5 star:		(10)
4 star:		(5)
3 star:		(4)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

It was back in 1994 that Phish famously donned their first "musical costume" (incidentally, decided by fans who voted via the band's newsletter). Three sets of wild music on four CD's. The boys tackle some of their best tunes with gusto, especially "Sparkle" and "Divided Sky" (from Set 1), and a killer "David Bowie" (from Set 3) But make no mistake, the highlight here is clearly Set 2 (on disc 2 and 3) in which the boys roll through the entire Beatles' White Album (with the exception of "Good Night"). Check out their excellent take on Ringo's "Don't Pass Me By" and their creative rendering of "Revolution 9"; just two examples of how Phish go to great lengths to challenge themselves and expand the range of what a so-called rock band can do, even when playing cover tunes. "Dear Prudence" and "Everybody's Got Something to Hide..." also deserve special mention.

Overall, the results are truly impressive, though there are several spots during the White Album set where they sound very tentative (who could blame them, they only had a few weeks to learn almost 30 songs!). In addition, there is some standard early/mid-90's Phish humor ("Harpua") that might turn off the casual fan. But these minor gripes should not tarnish a document of an amazing and unique evening.

If you've a fan of the Live Phish series (or The Dead's Dick's Picks and String Cheese's On the Road series for that matter) the question is usually "which show should I buy?" The answer depends on what you're looking for. I wouldn't call these starter CD's for newbie Phish fans exploring the Live series. But for fans looking for one of the most important and historic Phish shows, this is definitely the one to go for.

Overall, this show is alright...not one that i listen to straight through because i'm not a beatles fan and i think that the white album limits phish's playing tremendously. Having said that, Discs 1 and 4 are solid. Some very good phish staples played with the energy that you would expect from a '94 show (ahhh, the days when trey would actually rip it). But if someone is looking for the essence of phish, the peak of their jamming and performance ability, listen to track 1 on disc 2....that's right, reba. this is by far the most cleanly played and moving one i've ever heard, and the band manages to acheive this while still being ambitious. the start of the jam sets a super-chill vibe as page accents mike's bop with some smooth electric piano. trey is plucking and fish is just sitting back providing the head nodding beat. they take the jam pretty far out there with some crazy stoccato licks from trey, but then at around 11 min phish's best 4 min of playing ever imo begins with an amazing, sort of melancholy riff which the whole band runs with. i can't describe the rest in words b/c i won't do the song justice, but buy this live phish and crank this song. if you won't like this, you'll never like phish.

Hi there folks, I usually don't write a lot of reviews on this site, but I felt so strongly about this that I just had to. I've listened to literally hundreds of Phish shows, and besides the novelty of the White Album covers, if there is one thing to buy this entire set for, is the REBA. This version of the song is among the top 3 performances I've EVER heard from Phish, period. The rest of the album is great for Phish fans, but the highlight is definitely Reba, it simply is the best representation out of the entire Live Phish series of what the band is all about. The first few minutes are beautifully orchestrated compositional parts, played unusually tight for the band. But the jam is something that must be heard to be appreciated. If you ever get a chance to listen, this is the most clear cut example of four people playing as one instrument I can ever come up with. Every time I try explaining what I love about Phish to people, this song and this version is what I play for them. One of the best climactic guitar solos you'll hear on the entire series taboot. I didn't give a rating for the album because of my focus on Reba, but this is definitely worth buying for any Phish fan. A disclaimer, my musical tastes extend FAR beyond Phish, so although I am a Phish fan, please be aware that my comments on this subject are as unbiased as they can possibly be. Regardless of whether you're a fan of the band or not, listen to this song and see what you think.

The E-Ticket ride is that Phish cover the entire Beatles' White Album from start to finish. It's a bold concept carried thru by a tour de force performance. More rock bands should honor rock history like this! Listening brought back fond memories of 1970 and soon I was singing along. But it's not just a nostaliga trip. With typical panache Phish bring new vitality to these classic tunes while staying true to the original vision. If you ever doubted "Dear Prudence" is a rock song, check this out. A treat for Phish fans and Beatles fans alike!

One of the better Phish Halloween shows on record. Not only did they cover the Beatles White Album, but there are many great original favorites on here too! 94 was a good year.

Perfect condition, great music, love the Beatles and love Phish. Together pretty f*****great
Thanks!

Certainly not the best Live Phish that there is, but overall not a bad one. The first set is really spectacular (check out Reba) and the third set is pretty solid. I was hoping that the cover of the white album would include some more improv but it is impressive that they learned all the songs in such a short time. I think While My Guitar Gently Weeps is easily the best track from the second set.
All in all, this cd is a collector's item of a great "musical costume" but as far as Phish originals, there are better Live Phish albums.

I LOVE THIS SET!

This CD is surely to be one of my favorites, and listening to it makes me realize the mistake I made the night it was recorded. I could have been there, but didn't, for some (lame, very lame!) reason. I SURELY would have purchased this CD LONG ago though, had I attended and known it's content.

THIS ONE'S A KEEPER!

Greetings.

I own all 20 live phish releases and i can honestly say this is the one i reach for the least. It should be noted i'm not a big beatles fan in the first place, but the whole set just doesn't really get it done for me. Disc 1 has a great Julius, and the Reba is also fantastic, but overall, this set probably won't get too much rotation if you buy it. Peace.

Phish's first musical halloween costume ever was debuted on 10/31/94. To many fans surprise, the band took on the entire White Album. A hell of a thing to accomplish, they did it, though not without its faults. So before purchasing this usually overpriced 4 cd set consider these things...
1.) While Phish may be one of the best bands of all time, they are only human. The White Album is a lot to learn and play, and some songs come out crappy. Do not buy this album to hear "helter skelter" or "everybody's got something to hide except for me and my monkey."
2.) They do not really "jam" off the songs on the White Album. They primarily play the songs exactly, with some exceptions like "While my guitar gently weeps."
3.) Even if their take on the white album isn't your cup of tea, there is still two other cds with the same phish everyone knows and loves.

The bottom line: Don't expect too much and you will be pleased, it is still a cool thing to be able to listen to the white album live as it was technically made to not be able to be played live, and the other phish sets are still as good as ever.