Stanley T. Roper, a friend of ours here at LMB, makes his valiant return to Phish Friday with a short take on some solid tracks from the band’s old school days. If you dig Mr. Roper’s submission, be sure to dig into the archives for some previous installments from Stanley T. And remember, we love hearing from the rest of you on this weekly feature, so feel free to send us your own submissions or drop some comments to let us know that you’re listening. Hope you enjoy another installment from Mr. Roper and have a killer weekend!
As a fan of the ’97 funk era, I’ve come to appreciate that Mike Gordon (aka ‘Cactus’) is the engine that powers Phish. One of my biggest beefs with early tapes is that Mike’s sound levels are so painfully far down in the mix. Not the case with this show. Cactus is front and center. And Trey’s playing is as good as I’ve ever heard it. This show’s version of “Possum” and “Llama” are my favorite versions of those songs ever, particularly because Trey’s solos rage so freakin’ hard and hit so many nasty notes. “Possum” also features all sorts of fun secret language tricks.
“Lizards” is also my favorite version ever, mostly because of Page’s solo which seems to gain steam like a runaway train. And the “Mike’s Groove” is proof that Mr. Gordon knew a thing or two about the funk well in advance of 1997.
Highlights from 4/16/1992, Anaconda Theater, U.C. Santa Barbara:
- Phish – Possum (live, 4-16-1992) [mp3]
- Phish – Llama (live, 4-16-1992) [mp3]
- Phish – Lizards (live, 4-16-1992) [mp3]
- Phish – Mike’s Song > (live, 4-16-1992) [mp3]
- Phish – Hydrogen > (live, 4-16-1992) [mp3]
- Phish – Weekapaug Groove (live, 4-16-1992) [mp3]
Enjoy. And remember to respect the old school.
Grab the whole show here. Full Setlist via Phish.net:
1: Buried Alive, Possum, It’s Ice, Bouncing Around the Room, Split Open and Melt, Rift, Fee, Maze, Colonel Forbin’s Ascent-> Icculus-> Famous Mockingbird, Run Like an Antelope
2: Sanity, Llama, Lizards, Mike’s Song-> I Am Hydrogen-> Weekapaug Groove, Horn, Poor Heart, Cold as Ice-> Terrapin-> Cold as Ice, Carolina, Memories, Sweet Adeline, Suzy Greenberg
E: Sleeping Monkey
