Sorry for the delay. The H1N1 has kept me down...
Quote
PHISH
Serenadenhof
Nuremburg, Germany
July 3, 1997
Source: AKG c1000s > Tascam DA-P1 > DAT(m)
Transfer: DAT(m) > Sony PCM-R500 > SPDIF > Tascam HD-P2 > CDWave > FLAC (16/48)
Source by Aldo Torre
Transfer by Terry Watts
Set I:
1. ,,Piper
2. My Soul
3. Divided Sky
4. Beauty
5. Taste
6. Train Song
7. Theme
8. Rocky Top
Set IIe:
1. Ghost >
2. CTB
3. Billy Breathes
4. Sparkle
5. Hood
6. Cavern
7. e: Zero
Review to follow... Listening (for the fourth time in two weeks) now...
DL here: http://bt.etree.org/details.php?id=569741
Terry
Nice! Can't be sure I've ever really listened to this one. Looking forward to it.
...Setlist is weird.... :?
Quote from: natronzero on January 19, 2014, 11:45:31 PM
...Setlist is weird.... :?
I've only gotten through Set I so far... and the first thing that pops out at me is the "big, small, big, small" factor... Although Piper is short, it does later become a Big song...
This Ghost has received some really good reviews, but the few times I've heard it this week... well, we'll see...
Terry
On a technical note, if you can, please DL my Seed and let me know if there are any problems or issues that I may missed in my Transfer, ie. diginoise, drop-outs, etc... I try to give each Source at least three "listens", but sometimes my mind wanders and I don't pay as close attention as I perhaps should...
Quote from: twatts on January 20, 2014, 12:25:04 AM
On a technical note, if you can, please DL my Seed and let me know if there are any problems or issues that I may missed in my Transfer, ie. diginoise, drop-outs, etc... I try to give each Source at least three "listens", but sometimes my mind wanders and I don't pay as close attention as I perhaps should...
This has made me think of how my listening has evolved over the years... Now that I do a ton of Transfers, I don't really listen for "quality" of playing anymore and only listen for technical issues... This exercise has made me slow down and
really listen to a show for once...
Funny...
Terry
I was obsessed with this Ghost for a while. Nice pick.
I have a few songs left to do SetIIe:
But here is Set I:
Quote
Piper - beginning is cut. I'm not sure how much is missing, but it doesn't sound like too much. Short lived.
My Soul - Page does some good work here.
Divided Sky - extra long pause. Beautifully done. Very nice playing all around. Post song banter (Trey): "Thank you. Thanks a lot. Its a beautiful place here, playing inside of this "giant plant". You know???"
Beauty - Pretty standard. Good work from Page.
Taste - really good work by Trey during the later half...
Train Song - Pretty standard
Theme - Very nice work from Trey...
Rocky Top - banter during song lead-in "we're going to rip through one more old song here, and then we're gonna, uh, take a short break so you guys can get out of the rain. [???] then we're going to play a lot more music, so please don't go away." Fishman yelps at one point...
Terry
1997-07-03
Serenadenhof, Germany
Set I
Piper- This one has all the makings of the essential "slow build" Piper. It's a shame they 3.0'd before that was even the cool thing to do. None the less, I dig this as the opener. Very slow version. Very chill. Builds rather quickly as the verse starts. Break down section serves as the ending here.
My Soul- brief pause and Trey starts up My Soul. So far, pretty underwhelmed with the start of this set. But I guess placing it here gets it out of the way, which isn't a bad thing. Standard version in my opinion.
Divided Sky- Very solid version of Divided Sky. Well executed in the composed section
Beauty of my Dreams- some phish grass. nice change of pace. I like the grass in the 4th slot of the first set.
Taste- I like the placement here too. Pretty good version. The jam section is lively to me. Trey is really on point with his staccato picking. ~8:20 some awesome atonal work by Trey with him executing flawless tension and release. His trill work is A+ too.
Train Song- Nice little cool down after a raging rendition of Taste. Solid version
Theme From The Bottom- Nice job in the composed section. The jam takes off rather nicely. Trey gets to a "soaring" place rather quickly. Really good jam in my opinion. They absolutely nail it.
Rocky Top- early piss break
Overall a pretty good set. Nothing spectacular happened. I liked it though. Solid Phish.
Set II
Ghost- I like how they get to this meaty funk theme early on in the jam. This is a monster jam. Lots of territory covered in this. The back of the worm sound still is pretty fresh at this point, and you can hear them building off the awesomeness of the Amsterdam run. Around 9 minutes, they hit what I would dub the fetal version of the Lakewood Ghost. Foaming, raging, spiraling to an orgasmic form in infant nature. That's one thing I love about Summer '97. Certain themes evolve so organically, and return weeks later in the same jams. This one gets to a rather ominous place quickly, about the 11 minute mark. It starts to develop very nicely. I'd also note, while they had "jammed" Ghost prior to this, this was the first one to really go for an extended ride. 7/1/97 sets the pace for the type II Ghost jams. June '97 Ghosts are pretty tame. I like this version because I feel like you can literally hear the epiphanies going off of this song has so many avenues to explore.
I think in the context of this, there is a lot to be said too. While Phish had jammed in years prior, this first few days in July '97 really broke new ground for them. I think it's the birth of the new sound that they had been tittering on for months. And Amsterdam being the huge tipping point, with regard to exploration becoming the focal point of their music.
~14 minutes they begin to hit the first peak of the jam. In context, it sounds like they are reaching a place to wind down, but knowing its really just getting started adds a level of excitement for me. I like how it gets weird around the 17 minute mark. Some out there shit. ~18 minutes we get a modulation via Trey to major key territory. I like how it meanders prior to that. It's apparent they don't know what to do or where to go, as they are literally breaking new ground. It quickly comes together though. I really like the theme Trey keeps playing. It builds nicely into a proto-bluegrass like style. Reminds me a little Antelope as well. It gets back into weird territory really quickly. Page's ascending chords are a nice touch.
~21 minutes the ascent to the second peak begins. I like this second half, it's more gritty and symphonic than the first half. Sort of a bridging of styles actually. I love how they segue perfectly back into the main Ghost theme. Fish with the falsetto singing the refrain! You can hear Trey slowly seguing the main A minor riff back into the proper tempo and rhythm.
~24 minutes we hit the last descent back into the main theme. It falls into perfectly in my opinion.
It's funny, nobody really talks about this Ghost. I think it gets way overshadowed by the Amsterdam version and the 7/9 version. It's really a monster though. Gorgeous middle section. The break down with the ending is awesome as well. dripping with deep funk.
Cars Trucks Buses- pretty standard. Page earns that sammy!
Billy Breathes- nice little cool off here. Good placement. solid version
Sparkle- piss break
Hood- Pretty good version of Hood. They sound a little tired by the end of it. I think that Ghost wore them out.
Cavern- Solid closer
Encore-
Zero- ::leaves for lot::
Overall a pretty good Phish show. I liked the second set better than the first set. Ghost was the obvious highlight for me. I'd give it a C+/B-. Outside the Ghost, there is nothing special about this show.
Wow, I haven't heard this Ghost in a while and agree with sophist that it is an overshadowed beast. Just the other night I was digging around for a Ghost I hadn't heard in a while and went to Amsterdam, but this one is all over the map. I love the little shuffle they find ~18:15 following the weirdness of the prior couple minutes. Def top notch version I won't overlook again.
My review of SetIIe:
Quote
Ghost - really slow beginning - really good but really slow... gradually speeds up until about 9min, when tempo takes off... Very nice work from Trey here... Nice jamming to about 15min. then slow into space... come out of space at about 18min. with brilliant work from Trey... back into Ghost about 22min... Fishman sings a line or two... Great work out of Page here... slows way down at 24min... End vocals are way off-key and the jam devolves into a slow/off-keyness... back of the worm???
CTB - Page kills it...
Billy - standard...
Sparkle - cheap brand of paper towels...
Hood - standard beginning... enter jam at 5:45... Very nice playing from Trey during jam... back into song at 12:15... Trey does what I call the Spinal Tap ending...
Cavern - Typical Cavern, with typical lyric flub from Trey... Good job dood...
Zero - I hate this song and refuse to review it. This version could very well be the best ever but Jennifer Dances is still better...
Anyways, I need to listen to that Ghost again. Its got some great parts, but some others lose me... I need to concentrate!!!
Terry
As I mentioned before, the SetI is a big-small-big-small affair. SetI offers good song selection.
Set IIe: is just Ghost and Hood with some tidbits thrown in there... I would have been unhappy at the show, but the playing is pretty good...
I think if I were to listen all-the-way-through again, I would listen to Set IIe: first, then Set I:...
Overall the show is "meh". There is excellent playing by all members, and its not over-the-top jammy like some 97 shows got... Ghost is definitely worth putting on the "listen again" list, but the rest not so much...
20/20 hindsight, I'm glad I went back to Bremen after Amsterdam instead of going on to Nuremburg...
Terry
nice pick.
enjoy these odd balls in the europe tour.
gonna kick off the 2nd set first, cause, I can.
Set 2
Ghost - nice chill, intro. Kicks off the set nice. tight intro. gets nice and spacey, like the direction they are taking this jam. Not the usual ghos stuff. Trey starts playing a nice melody part with they keybaord sounding effect. Mike hits this visceral low note and the rest of the band follows nicely switching keys and carrying this jam further. good stuff here. can def tell they are dialed in and listening to each other. trey noodles with some funk and then come through with this sick themed jam. nice major chords = blissful phish jam! @22:07!
nice funk jam back into "I feel like never told you..." section.
gets dark and grimey >
CTB - payyyy jorrrgan!
billy - nice break here, dig this tune. like the placement.
sparkle - lets get the energy goin again
hood- decent version, nothing too spectacular.
cavern - dancin to the end of the show!
character0- meh. yeah.
nice set.
Give it a C+
1rst set to come
Sorry I haven't submitted a review yet. I've got it about halfway typed up but my last week kind of went chaotic and this fell thru the cracks.
Hopefully by tomorrow.
Quote from: natronzero on January 27, 2014, 02:12:33 PM
Sorry I haven't submitted a review yet. I've got it about halfway typed up but my last week kind of went chaotic and this fell thru the cracks.
Hopefully by tomorrow.
What he said. All of it, actually.
7-3-97 Serenadenhof, Germany.
I
Piper - Slow piper is slow.
My Soul - The real opener of this show. Does what it is supossed to.
Divided Sky - Solid version. Page really seems to shine in the outro on this aud.
BOMD - Good placement.
Taste - I like it, everything off Billy Breathes ruled in 97.
Train - More billy stuff, like this song too.
Theme - And now my favorite song off the album. The building starts off slow and steady and gets real serene and stays there.
Rocky Top - Piss then beer line.
II
Ghost - Love these trippy intros, wish they would come back. Uber dark from the start. Pages almost theramin-esque sounds really pull me in. Some cool work from trey for the next few minutes until they mellow out before trey comes back with some porno funk. Follow that up with some lyric spitting from fish and some pretty nice jamming. I liked it.
CTB - Billy breathes show huh? Pee time.
Billy - Love this song but thats about all.
Sparkle - Yup.
Hood - Beautiful.
Cavern - FUNKY CAVERN!
Zero - SING IT MIKE. Awesome. More billy breathes :RAWK: to finish the night off.
I overall liked this show, having never heard it before this morning. Thanks for the suggestion. Ill give it a c+/b-.
Yay, another July 1997 show. This is a nice way to catch up on a tour that I don't know that well, and this is a show I don't think I'd listened to before. Cool.
Piper-Was surprised upon first listen to hear it cut in. As the song sounds like it is in its infancy, I'm guessing we didn't miss one of those epic 20 minute pre-lyrics intros. I've gotta say, this version does nothing for me. It sounds like the song is just a 6 second loop played continuously.
My Soul-So I have never liked this song. It sounds like the Germans like their rock and roll, as there is some noise as soon as Trey busts that initial blues lick. Page is great through the 2-3 minute mark, and I especially like the quick drop down he does at around 2:25. Subtle, but I love when he adds weird flourishes. Like my review of the last show we had, I think I would have had questions as to what band I was seeing after these two songs. My setlist notes would have been poor. This seems to be more practiced than the preceding Piper, perhaps it is just the comfort of the standard blues progression. Meh.
Divided Sky-When there are no flubs, I have a hard time saying anything negative about this song. I hear no flubs. This version moved me. This pause feels really long. Perhaps it's because the crowd may not have known what was going on and was close to silent. I mean, it's barely a minute. Eh, standard version, which means I loved it. I'm sure the Germans LOVED that nice structured jam.
Beauty of My Dreams-Thus begins the Catholic mass part of the show. Up, down, up, down. Big song, shorty, big song, shorty. The fast arrangement of this rips, so that's cool. Really working in the new material. Vocals sound nice.
Taste-I really like versions of this song from this period. Trey makes it dark starting around 7:30, and I hear 1970 Dead at the 8:25 mark. Whoa, 8:50 gets weird. And then the shraging takes it to the conclusion. I don't like this one as much as the 7/29/97 version we reviewed last week, as it doesn't seem to have that constant acceleration that I love. Still pretty damn good.
Train Song-I'm not sure I needed a cool down after that Taste. I do love me some Train Song, but it seems like a bit of a buzzkill here. Again, weird flow this set.
Theme From the Bottom-Love this song. I have listened to this one a few times, and I love the way they melt it down at the end. Otherwise, it's pretty standard to these ears.
Rocky Top-A treat for the rain-soaked crowd.
Overall, I'd grade the first set as a C-. Weird flow, not really much jamming. I mean, I own this album. Onward.
Ghost-So, somewhere around the 8-9 minute mark, my attention has been caught. I'm not sure what it is about Trey's tone that stands out, but there is something here that I don't ever hear anymore. It's a more liquid sound, due in part to Big Red having complete control of his music and his instrument. I love the drop around 11:25. Trey creates a new melody on the spot and the band slowly forms the cushion around him. Within two minutes, Trey seems to repeat himself and allow Page to take over from underneath. I love what Page is doing, even if Trey is seemingly the "lead". Wow, another new theme explored by Trey at 15 minutes. This sounds like it is on the verge of ending up in 2000-style ambience, but never gets there. Just on the edge. I like that. And, on cue, Trey goes into the scary wah. At 18 minutes I swear it's about to drop into Lizards. Again, teetering on the edge of ambient groove. Trey has found something new within a minute, and it sounds like the Lone Ranger or something. This plods along a bit from 20-25 minutes, and then returns to an awkward vocal reprise. Fish's scat-style solo vocals are kinda funny. Sounds like they are about to drop into the WOO jam at 27:45. The last few minutes sound like a collection of syncopated farts. I think I like it. Overall, it lost steam a bit about 2/3 of the way through, but a really nice exploration of a new (at the time) song. Washes into...
Cars Trucks Buses-Great call here. Standard version.
Billy Breathes-I am a big fan of this song. I think I like how it flows in the set. Wonderful Trey tone.
Sparkle-The Germans seem to also love them some piss break songs.
Harry Hood-They kinda had to go big after the trio that followed Ghost. Standard good version, nothing stood out to me while I was double-tasking. Well, except that the end reminds me of how they ended Hood at Clifford Ball a year before this, playing along with the fireworks.
Cavern-Trey's wah before the words kick in sounds pretty cool. Actually, he seems to employ it for most of the song. It's weird, this version of Cavern, with all the wah work, lacks a bit of punch that you'd maybe hope for out of a second set closer. Makes the ending seem a bit anti-climactic.
Character Zero-Fish's vocal shenanigans are kinda funny. I also like how Trey responds by asking for more Mike in the monitors and then for Mike to just "sing it". Other than that, it is a carbon copy of basically every other set-closing Zero.
I'd give the second set and encore a C+. I feel like they lost all their steam after Ghost and mailed it in completely after Billy Breathes. Overall, I'd give the whole show a C. If not for the Ghost, it would likely be a C- or D. Will definitely give the Ghost another listen, but nothing beyond that.
Thursday, 07/03/1997
Serenadenhof, Nüremberg, Germany
Set 1: Piper > Solid start with this new tune... Not much to report as they are clearly still feeling Piper out.
My Soul > Guitar shreddery of the tallest order. I love this tune. I really do.
Divided Sky - is it just this recording or was the crowd basically quiet for much of the "pause?" Must have been nice to see these small shows in 1997.
Beauty of My Dreams - preceded by some banter about the beautiful room. Man, I am really jealous of the folks on this tour. Another great tune that, like My Soul, was great in this era. Just perfectly played, especially by Trey.
Taste - I love the Page jam here. Not that it's out of the ordinary for Taste, but it's great. Then Trey is in machine-gun mode. YES!!
Train Song - how many in the crowd had a Eurail pass in their backpacks?
Theme From the Bottom - not much to report, but a great Theme. Lots of swirling pedal work from trey at the end.
Rocky Top - Woah - did he just say "get out of the rain?" I thought up until this point this was an indoor show. Hmmm... Is this the Rocky Top featured in the 20th anny video with the rain?
Set 2: Ghost > I looked this up on .net because I was shocked... this is only the 8th Ghost ever played. It was debuted less than a month earlier. And it's 30 minutes long. That's insane. Speaks to the purpose of this song. How and why it was written. It's always meant to be a vehicle for exploration. I like it! And the band is clearly having so much fun with it. Page starts out the jam with these washes of sound that we're all familiar with now, but were really new at the time. Then he moves to piano and things get interesting. 17 minutes in and I don't know what the hell is going on. But out of it springs this beautiful little jam that it at once mellow and quiet, yet hyper fast and energetic. Then a little vocal thing at about 22 min... yeah, I think Fish just wanted to remind people (within the band) that they were still actually playing Ghost. Good call, too because by 25 minutes they are solidly back into Ghost proper complete with lyrics that then melt into fun. Actually, the whole rest of this is melty.
Cars Trucks Buses - They come out of that funky Ghost with this as if to say "we've been playin' funk for years." Perfect!
Billy Breathes - Yup.
Sparkle > This, too.
Harry Hood > Solid Solid Solid Hood!!!
Cavern - Closer... and funkier than usual thanks to Page on Klav and Trey on Wah. Dig it.
Encore: Character Zero - Send 'em out wanting more!
Good show. Better than I expected. I actually was not bored by the 30 minute Ghost. Solid playing. Some odd song choices. I give it a solid B.
Let me add that the crowd was either tiny or just really quiet and listening. I love that about this show. You can tell it's an attentive crowd.
Never heard this show, which is the precise reason I subject myself to the show club. Forced listening. Here goes:
Piper: Immature version. No extended intro, verses are played well enough, but goes nowhere. Would have liked it at the time, but knowing the tracks potential with hindsight, this version falls short.
My Soul: They lock into the groove out of the gate. Great playing by Payjorgan. Nice, straight ahead funky blues.
Divided Sky: Nice slot for this one. Solid composed section up to the pause. Nice to hear like 3 people hooting during the pause (vs. 3000). Well played, nice pacing. It's such an epic track but hard to get excited when they trot it out so much, but shit, this is a top 5 track easily. Good version- the jam gets cookin'......
Beauty: Slow start but they pick it up....Standard chickin' pickin' fare. Little extra flair than we get these days (even though it's obv an early version)
Taste: I am liking the sparse sound of this show far. Sounds way different than an arena or shed show...good jam on this one. Page continues to shine....and Trey lays into it. I like when he finally reaches for the wah....
Train Song: sounds like the album version. Doesn't add to cohesion of the show like Hampton 97.....
Theme: Not gonna lie, after 2 min in, I skipped to the jam. Glad I did. Really like Trey's tone on this. Nice playing. Earth shattering? Nope. Would I have had fun? Fo shizzle.
Rocky Top: Weird slot but I like it. I like this song anyway, anywhere, anytime. Count me in.
Ghost: I used to like the cold starts more. Now I like the build up ones. Still, early Ghosts are clutch. They sound so much younger than they do now (duh). Jam is a little slow and plodding but picks up some steam. Cool to hear them finding their way through this "new" tune....starts to get deep around 15 min in....Love where they start heading around the 19 min mark...could be any song and they could be going into anything. Sounds like they are about to go into another cowboy tune, but it's funky at the same time. Great stuff! Solid funk groove at 24 min, when they reprise the lyrics. Surprised I have never heard this one before. Digging it.
Cars Trucks and Buses: Filler...we're on tour, let's play a show and get to the next one
Billy Breathes: Weird slot but I like it. I like this song anyway, anywhere, anytime. Count me in. Wait, what?
Sparkle: This version was entirely too short for me. Should have been at least 10 min. Fail.
Harry Hood: OK for a song about mail, milk and refrigerators. They actually enter the jam in a unique fashion. Dissolves into standard Hood jam territory but the way the beginning is unique and the whole jam is played with a fair amount of gusto. I feel good about this Hood....hits some genuinely unique spots.
Cavern: One of the most rushed versions I have ever heard...these guys were anxious to get off the stage at this point....still, there is some funk in the slop, but it's a throwaway...
Zero: They give it up to the peeps for this one....not as much as a mail-in back in '97, but not blowing the doors off either. Pales in comparison to Rocket Man post show track...
I dunno....Interesting show. Great pick as I had never heard it, so I really appreciate it from that perspective. Not a barn burner but a good show. Divided Sky sticks out for me in the first set, Ghost is obv the show highlight and elevates this show singlehandedly from meh to worth a listen. B-.....kind of a low grade, but this is a good show imo.
Set 1
PIPER – Gotta be the shortest Piper I've ever heard. It surprises me that even a handful of performances in, they hadn't started trying to stretch this one out a bit. I guess even epics start small sometimes.
MY SOUL – It's My Soul. Played fine, good blues-rocky energy. Not much else to report.
DIVIDED SKY – Standard, well played version. Sounds like the boys are well rested. Some nice little melodic lines thrown in during the pretty part between Little Lamb and the silence part. It's not much, but it's the only jamming so far in this show....
BEAUTY – I kind of thought Trey's comments about them really liking being in that room might be an indication they'd start mixing it up, but instead it's Beauty. Beauty's fine, but nothing special.
TASTE – Relatively typical version of Taste. Some really nice Machine Gun Trey in the jam.
TRAINSONG – I love Trainsong. That said, it's not really a sign that this set is going anywhere.
THEME – Typical, soaring version of Theme.
ROCKY TOP – It's Rocky Top.
Set 2
GHOST – Somebody really wants to hear Tweezer... Ghost is still really young, so they haven't quite discovered its potential yet, although they obviously recognize that it has potential. I like the funky little flairs they're putting on it during the verses. After the verses - fooling around with standard funk rock jamming for the first 8 or 10 minutes, not really finding "it". The jam shifts at around 11m, into some harmonic noodling, then at about 15m into a sort of ambient space. Where's this going? Around 18m a whole new melodic bit emerges, and it is awesome! 20m –sounds like an attempt to segue into something fast, possibly bluegrass, but they keep exploring. At 22m, it's got a funky vibe. Sort of a Bomb Factory-ish feel to some of the transitions in this jam, or maybe not. The Ghost lyrics come back around again. I kind of get lost in the fun after this, but there are a couple more shifts over the next few minutes, they slip into ambient space, some looped whistling sounds, and then the segue into CTB...
CTB – I love Cars Trucks Buses, but it's a lead-in song. It's best placed before an amazing jam or sequence (11/30/95, Jazzfest, etc). It just feels out of place after "the meat".
BILLY BREATHES – Aaaand a breather song. Hrmm. Some sloppy bits in the guitar solo.
PARKLES – Jeez. In a great set with lots of energy Sparkle has its place, but this just isn't going anywhere.
HARRY HOOD – Always welcome, and good placement. One last pick me up to save this show. It's an average Hood, which is to say it's very nice and played well, but there's not really anything special about this version as far as I can hear.
CAVERN – Autopilot
CHARACTER ZERO – Back when a Zero to finish wasn't a groaner. Good rock energy, searing guitar solo. Not bad.
Honestly, most of this show just doesn't do anything for me. Maybe they're just spent from Amsterdam. It's not like they're playing badly, it just seems like they're playing the songbook. Ghost is an obvious exception - it takes while to get anywhere, but it ends up being well, well worth it. Alone, I give it a solid A-. Taste has a few moments too, as does Hood, but the overall flow of the show is weird and sputtery. As a whole, this show is probably a C, maybe a C+ for me, but I'm glad I heard the Ghost.