Customer Reviews

The Phishing Manual: Compendium to the Music of Phish

5 star:		(4)
4 star:		(4)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

This book came out in 1996. In the seven years that have passed Phish has done quite a lot. There are others resources out there that have adopted a lot of what appears in this book. Still, if you go back and take a look at what you'll find here, there are some cool tidbits that have fallen beneath the radar of current Phish fanatics.

Dean went on to found Jambands.com and the Jammys and he is now a Senior Editor at Relix. It's interesting to look back at his beginnings as a crazed Phish fan like many of us.

Plus the book is no longer in print so it won't cost you much- well worth a few bucks...

I just picked up my copy of this book again the other day after having read it once about six months ago. Here's what I found amazing about it- Budnick provides so much information in an easy-to-read format. Hundreds of entries on individual songs and people with tidbits and suggested versions, show suggestions, other arcane and fascinating info and some cool pictures too. I always take this with me on tour and in fact I keep a copy in my backpack and refer to it often. Of course it also helps that Dean Budnick is a long-time Phish.netter who has been very generous with trading his tapes with old-timers and newbies alike.

Dean does an excellent job compiling essential shows, "lures," as well as detailing every song Phish has ever played. Especially helpful are the dates denoting varied or exceptional versions of songs.

for about 12 years, gives dates, location, setlists, times, versions and occurrences at all the performances in order, all over the world.

Besides being a overall nice guy and the person most likely to trade tapes with newbies, Dean has done an outstanding job decoding the secret, stealth language and customs behind the world of the musical group Phish. An excellent companion piece to The Pharmers Almanac, The Phishing Manual will satisfy the neophyte Phan with its inclusive lists on cover songs, band phriends, and classic shows. One can only hope that Dean will be updating this work for the 1997 tour.

Mr. Budnik does a great job describing the wonders of the band Phish. He explains each song in depth including all covers. The set lists in the back are a great supplement but not needed due to the real Phish Phan already owning a copy of the Pharmer's Almanac. Anyways it has a great history section and a must for anyone who loves music. Phish is one of a kind and so is this book. (Dustin C. Blumenthal)

Dean Budnick explains everything that there is to know about Phish. Every possible tour story, song explanation, and tape review is found in the Manual. I recommend it to anybody that has ever grooved to a Phish tape and said "Damn, these guys are great!"

This book helped me realize just how fun music can be. Thank you Phish. Jonathan Pugh

If you're a Phish fan who already owns all the other books about the band, you'll want to read this one, too. Dean has some good insight here and there, and was the first to get a book about hte band off the ground. But this is really just one guy's take, its wrought with errors (typographical and grammatical, leave aside factual for now), and it's years and years old. There are a half dozen newer and more complete books, including the all-for-charity Phish Companion and the multi-volume Almanac.

Dean Budnick has written a comprehensive history to the miracle of music that is Phish.From early beginnings at Goddard to the sold out shows at Madison Square Garden Budnick's book draws a pretty picture of a wonderful band. The only reason I gave it 4 stars was the lack of new song descriptions and a more comprehensive set list guide, major shows are missing. Their should have definitely been an update by now and it would only make a great book even better. Wash you fizzi drive me to firenze?