Customer Reviews

Picture of Nectar

5 star:		(36)
4 star:		(4)
3 star:		(3)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

First of all, Ignore any reviews that have rated this CD less than a 4. Any true phish fan will tell you that this album is a must have. If you are new to Phish, this is a perfect collection of some of the greatest Phish songs ever written with which to start you off.

BUY THIS CD!!!!!!

I can't put it down. From the excellant opening track, Llama, to Tweezer Reprise, this CD is over an hour of start-to-finish splendor. My personal favorites are "Guelah Papyrus" and "Tweezer," but every song on this album is marvelous.

This CD stands out as a little different from the "classic" phish sound most people have come to know. The sound is distinctly a combination of funk, rock, salsa, and jazz, among other things. But phish pulls it off brilliantly, and I can't imagine my music collection without it.

Again, I implore you, BUY THE CD.
You won't regret it, I promise.

Among the snow banks of Birmingham, Vermont, the kings of improvisational jazz, rock, fusion, and bluegrass hide and hum along to their masterful song, "Stash", which is known to a select group of fans that have been lucky enough to discover this incredible sound. This sound is the music from Phish- the song, "Stash", off of their 1992 release, A Picture of Nectar. Although it is often said that the true essence of Phish, an improvisational 4 piece band, cannot be heard on any of their studio albums, this record's quality proves otherwise. To begin with, the incredible musicians of this group work together to integrate a plethora of styles into one album. "Llama", the first track off the album, starts the pace with a high tempo fusion arrangement where guitarist, Trey Anastasio, and keyboardist, Page McConnell trade brilliant solos. The next transition of music comes with "Poor Heart", a blue grass tune with outstanding slide guitar work and catchy vocals melodies. With "Stash", Anastasio sets what I would call the standard "Stairway" for fusion; the song is full of beautiful guitar riffs that are backed by a Latin samba rhythm. "The Landlady" captures an instrumental taste of salsa, where there is more grasping guitar work by Anastasio, the virtuoso. To top the album off, "Magilla", the creation of Page, completes the experimentation with a jumpy jazz number. A Picture of Nectar is filled with awe inspiring instrumentation that is spiced with irrelevant, meaningless, and hilarious lyrics that capture the essence of Phish. This band continues to stun audiences, traveling with one of the largest followings of any modern band-all of this done with hardly any radio or television support. For any music fan that enjoys and appreciates pure edge talent and creativity, A Picture of Nectar is an essential that will find its way into anybody's record collection and get the love it deserves.

I have been listening to Phish seriously for about two years now, but have known about their jammin' style of music since about the summer of '95. Phish have some great live recordings, but if you want the best in studio tracks, buy Picture of Nectar. This album is loaded with the ultimate in Phish songs. Buy this cd, if you're a newbie, or if you need another Phish cd to add to your collection. You can jam any time to this cd. No need to skip around on this cd, Phish is one of the few bands, where you can just let it play.

This is Phish at their best. This is the album that made me a fan. And when I saw them live for the first time, they came out and opened with an instrumental, The Landlady, off Picture O' Nectar, and it was great. They came out and just played, no cutesy-ness, no geeky, absurd, pseudo-momentous lyrics. I always wondered why they couldn't do that more often. When they appeared on the David Letterman show or Saturday Night Live, why not just come out and do a tight instrumental? I think I know why. Because they have to be cool and pick songs that show off that they don't care what the larger public thinks, "we're just playing what we like for ourselves, man." But they should show a little more respect for their fans, some of who, like myself, have attempted to turn other people on to the scene only to be embarrassed by their lame recitals when on the national stage.

Anyway, that first paragraph sounds awfully resentful, I'm off to a bitter start but I'm really trying to say that this is a great album. Of all their studio albums, Picture of Nectar has the highest ratio of cool songs to filler. Songs such as Llama, Cavern, Stash, Landlady, Guelah Papyrus, Chalk Dust Torture, and maybe Tweezer all rank as some of the best studio Phish. As a band, they don't quite live up to the hype and expectations of the hard-core fans. But as musicians, when they had time to write and create together, when they were focused on jamming and musicality over the bombastic flamboyance of their live shows, they were often great. One can make a case for Lawn Boy, which comes in a close second for me, but overall I would say this is the one album to own if you want to appreciate Phish for their songwriting and musicianship.

This recording has many different types of Phish songs. The long jammed out songs, the short songs, the weird tiny songs that sound like a joke and the medium songs that aren't long on the CD but in concert might go on forever. This CD is a good CD to buy as a second Phish CD. It has a variety of very good classic Phish songs. This CD is good for the all-around Phish fan although I would not recommend it as a first Phish CD. The only reason to say this is because like most Phish CDs they take awhile listen to before you really decided their great CDs. This quality of this CD could turn you off Phish forever because you think it is too weird. This CD has a song for a Phish fan. There's the catchy "cavern", the ever popular "stash", the funky "mango song", the jazzy "magilla", the bluegrass/folk "poor heart", and the rocking "chalkdust torture." This is a really great Phish CD and definite must have I highly recommend it.

I once heard a parable about religion and truth which applies to music, as well.

There was a spring that bubbled up from nowhere in the middle of a large, empty field. Gradually, people began to discover that the water was very healthy in addition to being very tasty. Soon, a fence was built around the spring and those who wanted access had to get a membership card. Over time, though, the waters subsided from that place and bubbled up in another place where the same thing happened all over again. And the whole processes continues to happen again and again and again.

Think about the innovation and sheer diversity of music in the earlier eras of both rock and jazz. Then think about how much of that has disappeared in later times. The same is true of what some call serious or classical music.

Let's focus on jazz for a moment. I'm not saying there is no good jazz being created today. I'm just saying that it's nowhere near as prolific an artform as it used to be. Much of the originality is gone, and you really have to search long and hard to find something different.

If you've ever wondered where all that talent and diversity escaped to, try this album. The playing on Stash and Guelah Papyrus, every bit as intricate and replete with themes and variations as a classical sonata, will help you to renew your faith in music. The guitar and piano solos in Stash are mind-boggling in their complexity. And elsewhere on the album, you'll find other pockets of very interesting playing.

One down side of Phish is that they sometimes get carried away with silliness. A little of that is fine, but Tweezer and a couple of other numbers on here are a bit tedious. But this is a much greater problem on other Phish releases, so don't let that get in the way of your deciding to try out this album.

If you're a musician or you just enjoy music as an art form, you're sure to enjoy it.

If there has been a band that has had the most success of being an "underground" band, it would have to be Phish This is a band that produces some of the most innovative music anywhere on the music scene.. Phish has long had the reputation of being a band with an "open audio taping" policy and as a result they built up a great following - especially as a live act. But their reputation as a live act goes well beyond the "open audio taping" policy - this band can completely back things up by putting on some of the most incredible live performances anywhere. As a result, many people consider Phish to be a stronger live act than a studio act. My feeling is that in order to become a powerful live act, the music performed has to come from somewhere. In this case, much of the music comes from Phish's outstanding library of music they released. One of the roots of this great live music is the studio album, "A Picture of Nectar". This album not only goes a long way to cement their development as a band, but also shows why Phish produces the innovative music their fans have become accustomed to.

One thing I really like about Phish is they do things "their own way". What I mean by this is they concentrate on making good music as opposed to trying to formulate their music to be played on conventional radio. 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. The studio albums aren't quite going to be as long, but there still are going to be long songs For example, "Tweezer" is an 8+ minute song. By listening to the studio versions of such songs as "Chalkdust Torture", "Tweezer" , "Stash", "Llama", and "Cavern" - you can get an appreciation for they build their extended jams. As you listen to live recordings of Phish records, you will gain a great appreciation for how they vary and improvise their music. On a side note - One thing I really like is how Phish integrates some short pieces (under two minutes) into the fold. There are three numbers that are 1:31 or less - "Eliza", "Manteca", and "Catapult". I find the short numbers add to the listening experience - almost serving as mini "intermissions". By the way, these aren't limited to being instrumentals. "Manteca" and "Catapult" feature vocals.

One of Phish's strengths is the ability to blend different genres of music to create such a innovative sound. While Phish is ultimately classified as a "Jam Rock" band, there is a potpourri of influences from many different areas in the music industry. "A Picture of Nectar" is a prime example at the blending of these different genres.

"Llama", "Cavern": Excellent examples of blending Rock and Modern Jazz. "Cavern" adds a layer of psychedelica on top of it.

"Poor Heart": Shows a Bluegrass and Country-Folk influence.

"Stash": There are definite Latin Jazz roots if you listen to the beginning. There is a definite Progressive Rock element also present in this song. This song is augmented by some the legendary chorus - "Maybe So, Maybe Not". This is why this song is such as legendary Phish track. There is a nice bridge (segue) between this song and the cover of "Manteca".

"Guelan Papyrus": Listen to the Jazz-like keyboards by Page McConnell about 3 minutes into the track. Great stuff. I love the pause about 4 minutes into the song.

"Magilla": This song has much more of a pure Jazz feel. Page McConnell's piano is incredible on this track.

"The Landlady": Shows a much more prominent Latin Jazz influence.

"Chalk Dust Torture": Shows the Harder Rock side of Phish. Trey Anastasio's guitar and Mike Gordon's Bass really on this track.

"Tweezer/Tweezer Reprise": The original "Tweezer" version has touches of Southern Rock. "Tweezer Reprise" brings the Southern Rock edge to the forefront - with an interesting blend of some Honky-Tonk Piano. I've always found this song a bit overrated, but it's still not bad.

"The Mango Song": I hear a lot of influences in this song. I can hear some Latin Jazz, but I also hear touches of 1960s psychedelica. The harmonies even have a slight Beatlesque feel to it. The ending of the song is most interesting - it almost has a Big Band-like sound.

"Catapult": This Mike Gordon penned track is sung a cappella.

While "Manteca" is a short cover of a Dizzy Gillespie song, despite the fact it doesn't have a pure Jazz sound - it shows that Phish has been influenced by one of the Jazz greats. It is worth noting that as a live band, Phish has garnered a reputation for doing covers of many great songs (not just Jazz). While this is a short cover, it shows that this innovation is not limited to just Jazz.

"Faht" is a very unique track. On this Jon Fishman penned track,.Fishman emerges from the drums to play some guitar and piano. For two minutes, you listen to some very serene "quiet woods" music, but toward the end you will hear the sounds of noise pollution. Another prime example of Phish doing things "their own way".

This album also shows that Phish really likes to have fun - and you can hear that this was a fun album to make. This is evident in their lyrics. Many of the lyrics may not be deep, but you'll hear they are on light themes.

The liner notes do not contain all of the lyrics to all the songs (none for "Mantca", "Glide","Catapult", and "Tweezer"). The lyrics are listed slightly mixed up in album order. These are minor points. Overall, this is a superb collection. If you want to proof that Phish can make a great studio album, I highly recommend this one.

A Picture of Nectar is probably Phish's most eclectic album to date, which is saying something. However, it is probably their most precise and deftly executed as well. You'll find many Phish live standards here, including Tweezer and Stash, but everything is good, and the flow is perfect. Buy this one first if you're a new fan.

Of the first five Phish albums, this was actually the last one I got. However once I had it, I could easily see why it's often referred to as their early peak. Unlike some of the other albums, it's very consistent. Track after track is basically what you would expect and hope for from Phish. Plus this disc serves up "Cavern", "Stash", "Tweezer", and the rockin' "Chalk Dust Torture", which all rank among their best songs. The best part is that everything else is nearly as great, and the more I play "Picture Of Nectar", the more I rank it up there with "Junta" and "Billy Breathes". It may be too late to catch Phish live, but it's not too late to get your hooks on one of their many great albums, including this one. It's jamtastic.

Starting things off with the adreneline rush track, "Llama" you just immeadiately get the feeling that this CD is going to rock! with as many soothing jazz ensemble-like peices and countless amazing piano solos on this album it's hard to not be intrigued.

The famous track, "Tweezer" that is often a 'must-be-on-the-setlist' live song in every arena they play in is featured on this CD with the "Tweezer Reprise" as a last woo ha of the album. Of course as a staple to most all Phish CD's, yes, there is a country track, yep, "Poor Heart" is the country ballad of the album, i don't perfer it, but some other Phans might. Despite the 'mixed opinion' country track on this album, it's a great great CD, it's one of Phish's best since Junta! pick it up!