Phish - the most versatile band out there?

Phish General
#3

Without a doubt… :thumbup:

This quote sums it up perfectly, It’s from that Esquire article by Eric Gillim, he wrote a review of seeing Phish at MSG last year, he had never listened to them before and is not a fan in the least , but this is pretty cool:

…you should see them play live at some point. Because Phish plays Music. All of it. At once. Every single kind you could ever think about. Bluegrass and classical and funk and arena rock and country and avant-garde jazz and Afro-Cuban and power pop and folk. Technically perfect. For four hours straight… :clap: :thumbup: :clap:

Here’s the rest of the review:
viewtopic.php?f=102&t=12445

This has been the very thing that has drawn me to Phish all these years, the diversity that they can achieve is almost staggering…You TRULY never know what you will get at a show and that will always separate them from every band on the planet…

#4

Does this include artists/bands that aren’t around any more?

#5

^Sure, feel free to compare them with whoever.

#6

^Then no, see 73’-82’ Zappa and 73’-74’ Dead…

But in the now, Phish is king… :wink:

#7

I then feel I must grant the versatile crown to Frank Zappa. No question, IMO.

Think about it. Phish never released a TON of albums of all jazz music.

#8

Ever see Ween do Enter Sandman? :smiling_imp:
They put out the Country album. They do hardcore. Ballads? No problemo.

#9

No they didn’t, but Frank Zappa never played Uncle Pen and Old Home Place either. :wink:

#10

They’re the best…around! Nothin’s ever keep 'em down!

#11

While the band line-up changed a lot, I would say Zappa is the most versatile artist ever.

Doo-wop, rock, jazz, synclavier, orchestras… the guy did it all.

#12

Sweep the leg!

#13

Can’t really agree or disagree with Zappa, as I am not quite familiar with his stuff. Can someone point me in the right direction of a good place to become initiated with his music? Any good sites for free listening perhaps? You’ve caught my interest!

#14

Versatile as say… a reversible, under-wire bra with removable wire? I think not!

anyway yeah I’ll agree… versatile +1

#15

::derails thread::

I highly recommend this DVD to any beginners:

As for albums, it all kind of depends on what era or style you’re looking for. The early Mothers of Invention are probably my favorite (We’re Only in it for the Money, Freak Out, etc.). Fusion, jazz (Hot Rats, Grand Wazoo, Waka/Jawaka), then the classic Zappa albums (Apostrophe, Overnight Sensation, Joe’s Garage). Then there’s live: Zappa in New York, etc.

Bassically and etree for Zappa plus forum:
zappateers.com/bb/index.php

Of course ye olde Youtube has some great stuff too.

#16

WEEN is a pretty versatile band. you can’t really label their music, in fact you could listen to tons of tracks and not even know that its the same band (you cant say that about phish because there is always something distinct about their sound-- trey’s tone for example. when ween tries different styles they go all out, instead of writing just a country song they go ahead and put together a whole country album! their sound covers everything from punk rock to euro techno pop (friends-off the friends EP) when my girlfriend asks who is this? when we are listening to the Ipod, and i respond “WEEN” she always cracks up and says “I should have known” the other day I played her the song Sarah, She said who is this Fleetwood Mac? I said no its WEEN. Is WEEN more versatile then Phish? maybe- they have the same 4 piece setup with bass, guitar, drums and, keys-- and both band have been classifyed by critics as “drug rock” Zappa and Grateful Dead are also good examples of versatility- who eles?

#17

^^Hey thanks Dan, that gives me somewhere to start. I’ll be checking out that DVD amongst some of the albums you listed.

I completely agree with you, Jud.

You gotta love how he concluded that Phish wasn’t for him, but is still able to admit all that.

He’s right that if you really want to get into them, you can’t split hairs. You have to be open to appreciate music in all forms.

Listening to them has had that effect on me. Before I got into them, I didn’t really appreciate many types of music. Classical and bluegrass for example never interested me. Now, I love it all and am constantly embracing new sounds.

#18

I don’t know. I’m pretty versatile. I am capable of turning forward, or backward. What say you now?

#19

I’ve always said they are the most versatile band out there right now. NO other band comes to mind when i think of what Phish is able to pull off on any given night. I don’t think too many bands really try to be all that versatile or have the virtuoso-type talents of all 4 members of Phish. They have honed their craft respectfully and paid their dues for a long time and reap the rewards of so much practice and music knowledge that they’ve gained over the years. I think Phish will hold this title for a long time.

#20

I always love the question of “what type of music do they play?” when people ask me about Phish. I never know what to say. I remember in an old Doniac Schvice, there was an “Ask Mike” segment where someone asked Mike what type of music they play and he said “Jamaican Roots Reggae.” That works for me.

#21

I’m in agreement that Zappa is probably the most versatile dude out there. One of the big differences between Phish fans and Zappa fans is that you will rarely find a Zappa fan that likes all of Zappa’s music, where you’re more likely to find phish fans who can appreciate the entire catalogue.

Imagine if Phish did TTE the orchestral version on stage with a brass section and a few more instrumentalists one tour, then went back to the original four, then did the big band again but played it in reggae style (which Zappa had later tunes that he played in reggae style - for what reason, I don’t know). Zappa’s not only versatile in style - I mean it’s astounding - , but he constantly changed the arrangements for his pieces from tour to tour.

Another versatile band out there is Garaj Mahal. They have pretty heavy Indian and jazz roots, but I’ve been to shows and heard just as much diversity as phish. I think GM probably works a little harder at connecting it all with groove elements, but they are some pretty talented guys.

#22

The first time I saw them, I had no idea who they were really. We were sitting down eating, drinking wine, and the table next to us had a single man eat three or four plates of food. After being astounded by that feat, we were even more astounded when he got up and played guitar for GM, ha!