Mike's Song >

[sunrisevt]

...and instead of a potentially evil jam in F# minor, you get one in F major--very different feel, imo.

[susep]

I'm surprised so many aren't into the Mike's>Simple jam.  there have been some truly amazing moments with that sandwich.  Sure, they did it a lot, but they have done a lot of combinations a lot.  It's pretty much always good whatever they do, so does it matter? 

My problem with Mike's>Simple is that the Simple usually comes straight after the closing notes of the tramps jam.

The tramps jam is the section of the song that is eery and dark and in a minor key that used to feature Mike and Trey on trampolines.

Now in 1995 (where I feel like Mike's hit it's "PEAK"), Mike's songs would have a dark, meaningful and expansive Tramps jam, have the closing notes, and then another jam section would open up and Mike's song would really take off.  This second jam section could go off literally in any improvisational direction and the best part was that Mike's song itself could go on for another 10 minutes or so.

In fall 1996, the band began having the Simple take the place of the second improvisational Mike's Jam.  This cut the amount of glorious improvisation that could take place in the context of Mike's songs...previously long and glorious Mike's now became a standard 10-12 minute affair.  Additionally, the segue into Simple wasn't really a segue at all, basically the band just up and started playing simple out of the closing of the tramps section of mike's.

The nature of the beast had change.  Mike's went from a jam power house to a jam lightweight with a forced segue into Simple.

The simple might have been bad ass (see 12/6/96), but the Mike's song suffered as a result.

When it comes to Mike's songs, I prefer mine long, jammy, improvised without the need to go into simple or hydrogen or anything.

Mike's-->simple-->Mike's--->simple-->hydrogen-->groove-->tmwsiy-->your mom's from 94 are a different subject altogether, and are probably never going to happen again.

That said, RJ has it right... Mike's-->Week's  Mike's alone and Mike's-->H2 is the only way to go!

well said faux, welcome back. :wink:

[Caravan2001]

The only good thing about Simple is the Simple-Not Simple jam at the end...otherwise, meh....it was just too much of a ho.  If they played it less often I would have like it more, but you could set your watch by it they played it so much....get that ho off the corner.....

[mistuhfry]

lest we forget the phantastic magilla teases [12.31.98 & 7.3.99 & ?]during the we play bee-bop... come on, its magilla!

i'm still holding out for the mike's-->psycho killer-->crosseyed-->h2-->groove

[Ri©h]

mike's-->psycho killer-->crosseyed-->h2-->groove

I like the cut of your jib sir.  That would be insane.   :-D

[natronzero]

Mikes > Simple > Mikes > Hydrogen > Weekapaug

This would be my layout of choice.

[ucusty]

This would be a dream set!

Mikes>Albuquerque>Mikes>Spocks Brain>Mikes>I am H2>Simple>Weekapaug> Buffalo Bill

[Gumbo72203]

I love  the set sandwiches too, a la 12/31/98....Mikes opener, Paug closer.....The 12/31/95 break-up was slick too, Mike's Closer, Paug opener....That was epic

mmm....  12/31/98 Set I went 1999 > Mike's, I Am Hydrogen > Weekapaug Groove, Ghost > Ha Ha Ha, Cavern. 

My problem with Mike's>Simple is that the Simple usually comes straight after the closing notes of the tramps jam.

The tramps jam is the section of the song that is eery and dark and in a minor key that used to feature Mike and Trey on trampolines.

Now in 1995 (where I feel like Mike's hit it's "PEAK"), Mike's songs would have a dark, meaningful and expansive Tramps jam, have the closing notes, and then another jam section would open up and Mike's song would really take off.  This second jam section could go off literally in any improvisational direction and the best part was that Mike's song itself could go on for another 10 minutes or so.

In fall 1996, the band began having the Simple take the place of the second improvisational Mike's Jam.  This cut the amount of glorious improvisation that could take place in the context of Mike's songs...previously long and glorious Mike's now became a standard 10-12 minute affair.  Additionally, the segue into Simple wasn't really a segue at all, basically the band just up and started playing simple out of the closing of the tramps section of mike's.

The nature of the beast had change.  Mike's went from a jam power house to a jam lightweight with a forced segue into Simple.

The simple might have been bad ass (see 12/6/96), but the Mike's song suffered as a result.

When it comes to Mike's songs, I prefer mine long, jammy, improvised without the need to go into simple or hydrogen or anything.

Mike's-->simple-->Mike's--->simple-->hydrogen-->groove-->tmwsiy-->your mom's from 94 are a different subject altogether, and are probably never going to happen again.

That said, RJ has it right... Mike's-->Week's  Mike's alone and Mike's-->H2 is the only way to go!

I hear what you're saying.  Its funny, though, because my exposure to Phish went backwards... sort of, in terms of chronology.  It started w/ PH and worked its way back.  By the time I got to pre-95 when Mike's went Song > Tramps Jam > Tramps Chords > Jam > Closing Cords > Hydrogen, i was so used to the single tramps jam and then going into Hydrogen or Simple THEN, that I never really got into the original kind.  I mean, its cool the way they would drop down the half-step, but keep it minor, and work their way back up to F#, but the atonal, dissonant, eerie weirdness never did it for me in those 2nd jams. 


However, I have to say that I am in full agreement with you... sort of.  I liked the 2nd incarnation of the original Mike's structure, with the F Major jam after the closing chords.  THOSE are my all-time favorite Mikes, the epitome being 12/31/98.  Other good ones are 7/14/00, and i'm blanking on others...  haha. 


Anyway...  i'm surprised at the hate on Mike's here.  Very surprised.  But i guess i shouldn't be, because most of you here were there for the original incarnation of Mikes, and lets face, it everybody hates change.  We want everything to stay the same as when we first experienced and loved it.  Thats human nature.  I do understand the annoyance with the ubiquity of Mike's > Simple in '98.  I would get sick of that if thats what happened every time. 



Its funny, because i was actually thinking about this same concept today, only with the Dead.  I had 9/17/82 on, and started thinking about the whole notion of song pairings.  I thought about how its a double-edged sword....  because once you become familiar with the band, it takes away the element of surprise.  You know whats coming when they start Estimated Prophet or Scarlet Begonias.  Now, it can also work the other when when you're jonesin' for an Eyes or Fire.  I began thinking about this because of the last DSO show I went to.  I was stoked that they opened the 2nd set with Help On The Way, so I knew what was coming and was way excited.  But then they started Estimated Prophet, and i was kind of bummed....  because I knew how the set was going to play out....   I knew that it was going to go into Eyes, and then Drums > Space.  I was pissed, because thats like, at least a half-hour chunk of time where I already KNEW what was going to happen.  Thats not why you go to shows; you go to get surprised. 

but at the same time, its cool that song pairings naturally developed, and that by knowing whats coming, you have that deeper connection that a casual fan might not have.  so i donno, it was just something i was thinking about today in the car on the way back from the hospital. 


anyway, Mike's Song.....     honestly, Hydrogen has to be there.  I get that they stopped doing it all the time after 95/96 just cuz they HAD been doing it all the time, but still.  My perferct Groove would be Mike's > Simple > Hydrogen > Weekapaug or Mike's > F Major jam > Hydrogen.  The surprises are cool, though... 

was there ever a Mike's > 2001?  THAT would be chill....   a gnarly feedback/space jam out of the tramps chords and then the 2001 beat dropping. 

[Ri©h]

I need to be on LSD to understand you, bruh.

[blatboom]

heh.. I got a little scared because I know exactly what he means about discovering Mike's jams in reverse.  My first exposure to them was the 99/00 style, then I realized what they used to be.. but he lost me at not really feeling the old-school post-chords jam and all was right with the world again  :-D

[susep]

the first Mike's Groove I heard was 31Dec.1991, a preety decent version.  The Mike's ends w/ great funk interplay between Trey and Page and the 'Paug is straight up dope w/ Lion Sleeps teases.  A must hear for fans of the traditional Mike's > H2 > 'Paug.

Here's CD review:

From: Charlie Dirksen
12/31/91 Memorial Auditorium, Worcester, MA (Rvwd 5/95)

MikeS is long and strong, but otherwise blahh.
Hydrogen doesn't kick in until 7:50 or so!!  Still,
the jam segment is good but not jaw dropping holy
shit far out, man.  Hydrogen is standard.  Weekapaug
kicks in at just after 11 mins, and Mike's opening
solo is hot as usual, but Page adds a little to it!!
Thanks to Page, it's an extra special, jamming
opening..  The jam segment starts out great.  Trey
practically plays the Little Drummer Boy theme, but
soon decides that he'd rather tease/play the Lion
Sleeps Tonight -- and jam, on this theme, he does.
By 15:30 or so, the jam is outrageous.  Trey really
gets into this Lion Sleeps Groove.  This version is
easily my second best of 1991, given this theme
jamming.  It ends at around 17:20 or so, so it is
significantly shorter than my favorite, 11/21/91, but
is logner and just better than most all of my other
1991 versions.  5.75 rating (B-/B).
 

two cents charlie

[Gumbo72203]

yeah theres a sick SBD of that show in circulation.  I have it.  I dont remember the Mike's Song, though; i'll have to check it out again. 

[Ri©h]

Listening to the Mike's Groove from my first show.  Oddly it segues out of Lizards which is somewhat lackluster but this version of Mike's fixes that by getting dark and dirty.  Trey squeezes every bit of feedback he can during his buildup before delivering the heavy metal throwdown.  I still love this one.  Short, sweet and right to the point.

[Wolfmansbabymama]

I am Hydrogen, while once as predictable as sunrise, became a treat after some 38 Simple segues.

[fauxpaxfauxreal]

I am Hydrogen, while once as predictable as sunrise, became a treat after some 38 Simple segues.

Yes it did!  In Raleigh '97, I had yet to see a Hydrogen, and I was as pumped about the Hydrogen as I was about the slick segue out of Down With Disease.