Phishis an American rock band that formed inBurlington, Vermont, in 1983. The band is known formusical improvisation, extendedjams, blending ofgenres, and a dedicatedfan base. The band consists of guitaristTrey Anastasio, bassistMike Gordon, drummerJon Fishman, and keyboardistPage McConnell, all of whom perform vocals, with Anastasio being the primary lead vocalist. Phish’s music blends elements of a wide variety of genres, includingfunk,progressive rock,psychedelic rock,folk,country,jazz,blues,bluegrass, andpop. The band was part of a movement of improvisational rock groups, inspired by theGrateful Deadand colloquially known as “jam bands”, that gained considerable popularity as touring concert acts in the 1990s. Here are all of Phish albums ranked.
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10. Hoist (1994)
“One big change that you will see on this particular Phish album is the heavier use of outside musicians. Some might be critical of this move, but it really fits in to the idea that in the improvisational music genre. It allows Phish to do whatever they want. I think that the use of outsiders gave Phish a fresh perspective on things – and as a result would lead to one of the strongest albums in 1994.”
9. Round Room (2002)
“Round Room does consist of some remarkable, raw Phish composition-like tunes that definitely makes the album worth owning. I mean like story-telling, skillful up and down or start and stop dynamics involved. There are some nicely drawn out, non-radio-friendly jams with good dynamics within them as well.”
8. The Story Of The Ghost (1998)
“The album features exactly what the title says, a story of the ghost. Each song leads into one another musically and lyrically. Some feel that the album isn’t as successful as other Phish albums, but I disagree. The album may be a little different than most, but it tells a great story. Some songs are shorter than others, but some points in the story are stressed more than others. Phish is known for their funky flare in music, and Story of the Ghost is exactly that.”
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7. Slip Stitch And Pass (1997)
“This album contains multitudes, so much precision and improvisational craft packed into these nine songs. In some ways, it’s very much a “covers” album: Talking Heads, ZZ Top, Rolling Stone, Pink Floyd, The Doors, are all quoted and teased throughout the set. That being said, it’s still very much an awesome document of the brilliance Phish displayed on their 1997 tours.”
6. A Picture Of Nectar (1992)
“A Picture of Nectar stands astride that line between the band’s early, loose jams and their later studio tracks, and does it incredibly well. Nectar contains a number of the band’s most popular (and most often-played) live tunes — it’s easy to hear the roots of Phish’s famous jams in these recordings of songs like “Stash,” “Tweezer” and “Tweezer Reprise,” “Chalk Dust Torture,” “Guelah Papyrus,” “The Mango Song,” and “Llama,” to name some of them.”
5. Billy Breathes (1996)
“”Billy Breathes” does have a Progressive Rock sound, there aren’t going to be the long epic tracks that are found on their previous albums. In fact the longest song clocks in at 6:22. I would also say that this is a more “serious” album by Phish. It doesn’t have the humor that is prevalent on other Phish albums. However, I consider all of these differences a positive as it shows Phish will continue to do things their own way.”
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4. Rift (1993)
“This was produced back when Phish blended more compositional style songs (Junta style) with the straight foward radio type songs of say… (Farmhouse). The album holds its theme, (or rather mood) throughout, weaving in and out of Phish classics such as Rift, My Friend, It’s Ice, The Wedge, and Silent in the Morning that all blend poignant instrumentals with humorous vocals.”
3. Farmhouse (2000)
“Farmhouse may not be up to par with the standard Phish album, but it is still an incredible album. All the songs on it are great. Heavy Things do get tiresome after a while, but it is still a great song. It is just the only Phish songs to be overplayed. If you think about the first time you heard Heavy Things, whether it was live or on this album, I’m pretty sure that you liked it. The farmhouse has a countryish, almost reggae sound.”
2. Junta (1989)
“It’s “joon-ta” not “hoonta” as in the guy’s name not the military dictatorship. The studio stuff all stands up to varying degrees but Junta is, as so many “debut” albums by the super-talented, stands out as possibly the best end to end studio record they put out. Any fan of prog would enjoy this, as much as You Enjoy Myself. Fluff…Divided Sky…lots of good stuff here.”
1. A Live One (1995)
“This particular live release goes a long way to show how the band blends (or blended, during its peak, as the sound has changed) its influences while maintaining its own overall sound that can’t really be confused with anything that preceded it (its followers- often rip-off artists- are numerous, however). YEM is their ultimate statement, but even shorter tunes like “Bouncin Round the Room” and “Chalkdust Torture” bear their signature clearly.”
