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A Live One
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| A Live One | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | ||||
| Live album by | ||||
| Released | June 27, 1995 | |||
| Recorded | July 8 – December 31, 1994 | |||
| Genre | Jam rock, jazz fusion | |||
| Length | 131:04 | |||
| Label | Elektra | |||
| Producer | Phish | |||
| Phish chronology | ||||
| ||||
| Singles from A Live One | ||||
| ||||
| Review scores | |
|---|---|
| Source | Rating |
| AllMusic |   [1] |
| Encyclopedia of Popular Music |  [2] |
| Entertainment Weekly | B+[3] |
| Los Angeles Times | [4] |
| Rolling Stone | [5] |
| The Rolling Stone Album Guide | [6] |
| The Village Voice | C+[7] |
A Live One is a live album by the American rock band Phish, released on June 27, 1995, by Elektra Records. The album was the band's first official live release, their first album to be certified Platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America and one of the best-selling releases in their catalog.[8]
Background and contents
[edit]Although tapes of concerts recorded from the audience had been distributed among Phish's fanbase for several years by the time of A Live One's release, the album marked the first time that the band had officially released live recordings directly from their soundboard masters. The album was named after a question that the band members were often asked by fans: "When are you gonna put out a live one?"[9]
Each track on the album was recorded at a different live show in the United States with one track taken from the 1994 summer tour and the rest from the fall tour. Although recorded at different venues, the songs are noted in the liner notes as having been recorded at "The Clifford Ball", a reference to aviator Clifford Ball that the band would use again as the name of their 1996 festival.[10] This decision was made because the band's management could not secure the recording rights from every venue featured on the album at the time of its release.[11]
Five of the songs—"Gumbo", "Slave to the Traffic Light", "Wilson", "Simple" and "Harry Hood"—had never appeared on any of Phish's studio albums, but all of them were regularly performed by the band in concert. A Live One marked the first time all five had appeared on an official Phish release. Of those songs, only "Slave to the Traffic Light" would subsequently be released in a studio version, when a recording of the song from 1986 appeared on the 1998 Elektra reissue of the band's demo release The White Tape. The track "Montana" is a two-minute excerpt from the longform improvisation that followed "Tweezer" during the band's show in Bozeman, Montana.[12] On A Live One, "Montana" serves as a prelude to the epic "You Enjoy Myself", one of the best-known versions of that song.
Two of the concerts that were excerpted on A Live One were later issued in their entirety by Phish: July 8, 1994 (featuring the A Live One version of "Stash") and November 28, 1994 (which is the source of the aforementioned "Montana").[13][14]
Tracklist selection
[edit]The track-listing for A Live One was selected by the four members of Phish, each of whom reviewed the concert tapes from their 1994 fall tour and drafted a list of personal favorite performances.[15] The band then compiled a master list of 560 song performances that had received mention by at least two of the members, which was further narrowed down to a shortlist of 30 songs, from which the final tracklist was selected.[16]
In addition to utilizing their own selections, Phish involved their fanbase in the compilation of the album.[15] The band posted an official thread on the rec.music.phish Usenet newsgroup, in which the message board's users were encouraged to suggest performances they believed should be included.[16] The July 8, 1994, version of "Stash" was brought to the band's attention through the thread, and was ultimately chosen for inclusion on the album.[15]
Sales
[edit]In July 1995, A Live One peaked at number 18 on the Billboard 200 album chart in the United States, and was their first album to reach the chart's Top 20.[17] The album sold nearly 50,000 copies in its first week on sale.[18] "Bouncing Around the Room" and "Gumbo" were both issued as singles, but neither appeared on a Billboard chart.
Phish received its first Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) award for the album. The RIAA certified the album gold on November 10, 1995, for sales of 500,000 copies, and platinum on October 9, 1997, for sales of over 1 million copies.[19]
Track listing
[edit]| No. | Title | Writer(s) | Recording date and venue | Length |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Bouncing Around the Room" | December 31, 1994 – Boston Garden (Boston, MA) | 4:08 | |
| 2. | "Stash" |
| July 8, 1994 – Great Woods Center for the Performing Arts (Mansfield, MA) | 12:31 |
| 3. | "Gumbo" |
| December 2, 1994 – Recreation Hall, University of California, Davis (Davis, CA) | 5:14 |
| 4. | "Montana" |
| November 28, 1994 – Brick Breeden Fieldhouse, Montana State University (Bozeman, MT) | 2:04 |
| 5. | "You Enjoy Myself" | Anastasio | December 7, 1994 – Spreckels Theater Building (San Diego, CA) | 20:57 |
| 6. | "Chalk Dust Torture" |
| November 16, 1994 – Hill Auditorium, University of Michigan (Ann Arbor, MI) | 6:48 |
| 7. | "Slave to the Traffic Light" |
| November 26, 1994 – Orpheum Theatre (Minneapolis, MN) | 10:46 |
| No. | Title | Writer(s) | Recording date and venue | Length |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Wilson" |
| December 30, 1994 – Madison Square Garden (New York, NY) | 5:07 |
| 2. | "Tweezer" |
| November 2, 1994 – Bangor Auditorium (Bangor, ME) | 30:55 |
| 3. | "Simple" | Gordon | December 10, 1994 – Santa Monica Civic Auditorium (Santa Monica, CA) | 4:53 |
| 4. | "Harry Hood" |
| October 23, 1994 – Gator Bandshell, University of Florida (Gainesville, FL) | 15:11 |
| 5. | "The Squirming Coil" |
|
| 12:30 |
| Total length: | 131:04 | |||
Personnel
[edit]- Trey Anastasio – guitars, vocals
- Page McConnell – keyboards, vocals
- Mike Gordon – bass guitar, vocals
- Jon Fishman – drums, vocals
with The Giant Country Horns (on "Gumbo")
- Peter Apfelbaum – tenor saxophone
- Carl Gerhard – trumpet
- Dave Grippo – alto saxophone
- James Harvey – trombone
- Michael Ray – trumpet
References
[edit]- ^ Erlewine, Stephen Thomas. "A Live One – Phish". AllMusic. Retrieved August 7, 2011.
- ^ Larkin, Colin (2011). "Phish". The Encyclopedia of Popular Music (5th concise ed.). Omnibus Press. ISBN 978-0-85712-595-8.
- ^ Hermes, Will (August 4, 2000). "Phish albums". Entertainment Weekly. Retrieved November 12, 2017.
- ^ Masuo, Sandy (July 30, 1995). "Phish 'A Live One' Elektra". Los Angeles Times. ISSN 0458-3035. Retrieved November 12, 2017.
- ^ Moon, Tom (August 24, 1995). "Phish: A Live One". Rolling Stone. Archived from the original on June 8, 2008. Retrieved August 7, 2011.
- ^ Randall, Mac (2004). "Phish". In Brackett, Nathan; Hoard, Christian (eds.). The New Rolling Stone Album Guide (4th ed.). Simon & Schuster. pp. 635–36. ISBN 0-7432-0169-8.
- ^ Christgau, Robert (November 28, 1995). "Turkey Shoot". The Village Voice. New York. Retrieved September 11, 2014.
- ^ "Putting Music To Words: Author Walter Holland Talks Phish's 'A Live One'". JamBase. March 8, 2016. Retrieved November 29, 2018.
- ^ Puterbaugh, Parke (2010). Phish: The Biography. Hachette Books. p. 128. ISBN 9780306819209.
- ^ Puterbaugh, Parke (2010). Phish: The Biography. Da Capo Press. p. 9. ISBN 9780306819209.
- ^ Holland, Walter (2015). Phish's A Live One. Bloomsbury Publishing USA. p. 8. ISBN 9781628929393.
- ^ Phish.net Song History: Montana Online. Accessed: August 23, 2011.
- ^ Todd, Nate. "Phish Releasing Great Woods 1994 Audio Including 'Gamehendge' Performance". JamBase. Retrieved March 7, 2021.
- ^ Bernstein, Scott. "Phish Announces Bozeman 1994 Live Archival Release". JamBase. Retrieved March 7, 2021.
- ^ a b c "June 1995". Phish. Retrieved November 29, 2018.
- ^ a b The Phish Companion: A Guide to the Band and Their Music. Hal Leonard Corporation. 2000. ISBN 9780879306311.
- ^ "Phish Chart History". Billboard. Retrieved November 29, 2018.
- ^ Sutherland, Scott (July 30, 1995). "POP MUSIC; A 12-Year Climb to the Heights". The New York Times. Retrieved February 21, 2022.
- ^ "RIAA". Recording Industry Association of America. Archived from the original on July 1, 2007. Retrieved November 8, 2012.
External links
[edit]
A Live One
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Background
Conception
Throughout Phish's early career, fans and media persistently requested an official live album to capture the band's renowned improvisational performances, a sentiment that directly inspired the project's title. The phrase "A Live One" originated from the common query posed to band members—"When are you going to release a live one?"—reflecting the growing demand after years of bootleg tapes circulating among devotees.[1] In early 1995, following the release of their fifth studio album Hoist in 1994, Phish engaged in internal discussions about compiling their first official live recording, marking a deliberate shift toward documenting the spontaneous energy of their concerts rather than continuing solely with studio efforts. Bassist Mike Gordon noted that fans had been advocating for such a release for some time, but the band waited until they could employ high-quality 32-track recording equipment during their tours to ensure the material met their standards.[7] This decision came after four prior studio albums—Junta (1989), Lawn Boy (1990), A Picture of Nectar (1992), and Rift (1993)—which had built a dedicated audience but left many eager for a representation of the live shows that defined the band's identity. The band ultimately chose to draw exclusively from 1994 performances, a year that encapsulated their peak touring intensity with 124 concerts and significant commercial momentum, allowing them to showcase the unfiltered vitality of that era without incorporating earlier material.[7][8] By 1995, Phish had solidified their reputation as a live powerhouse through relentless roadwork, making this focused selection a fitting response to longstanding fan expectations.Phish's live performance context
Phish formed in the fall of 1983 at the University of Vermont in Burlington, where guitarist Trey Anastasio, drummer Jon Fishman, and keyboardist Jeff Holdsworth met as freshmen, with bassist Mike Gordon joining shortly thereafter.[9] Their debut performance occurred on December 2, 1983, as Phish at a semi-formal ROTC dance in the Harris/Millis Cafeteria.[10] Keyboardist Page McConnell joined in 1985 after Holdsworth departed in 1986, solidifying the band's classic lineup.[9] In their early years, Phish played small venues such as basements and cafes, gradually developing a repertoire that blended rock, jazz, funk, and bluegrass influences.[9] By the late 1980s, Phish had evolved into a prominent jam band, renowned for extended improvisational sets that transformed standard songs into dynamic, unpredictable explorations lasting 20 to 30 minutes or more.[9] The band prioritized touring as the core of their identity, performing frequently across regional circuits and expanding nationally, which allowed them to refine their onstage chemistry through nightly reinvention.[9] This emphasis on live performance, inspired by the Grateful Dead's model but infused with Phish's whimsical and eclectic style, distinguished them within the burgeoning jam band scene.[11] Prior to 1995, Phish released no official live albums, instead encouraging fans to record shows and trade audience tapes freely, which cultivated a devoted grassroots following without commercial interference.[9] This tape-trading culture, often conducted via mail with blank cassettes exchanged for recordings, enabled enthusiasts to relive and share the band's improvisational magic, building a national network of phishheads who spread word-of-mouth promotion.[12] The practice underscored Phish's commitment to accessibility and community, fostering loyalty among fans who valued the variability of each performance over studio polish.[12] In 1994, Phish's touring momentum accelerated dramatically, with the band selling out arenas coast-to-coast and grossing $10.3 million in concert revenue, a testament to their surging national popularity.[9] Milestones included headline slots at major venues like Madison Square Garden and the Boston Garden, where they capped the year with a sold-out New Year's Eve show, solidifying their status as a arena-filling act capable of drawing thousands for improvisational spectacles.[13] This breakout year amplified fan demand for an official live recording to capture their onstage prowess for broader audiences.[12]Production
Recording sources
The recordings for A Live One were drawn exclusively from professional soundboard masters captured during Phish's 1994 concert tours across the United States, spanning the summer, fall, and holiday runs. These multi-track recordings were made on DA-88 DTRS digital tapes primarily by the band's guitar technician, Paul Languedoc, ensuring capture of the full instrumental and vocal details from the stage mix.[14][2] The sources included performances from July 8, 1994, such as at Great Woods Center for the Performing Arts in Mansfield, Massachusetts, through the fall tour and culminating in the New Year's Eve show at Boston Garden in Boston on December 31, 1994, with additional material from venues like Madison Square Garden in New York City on December 30, 1994.[1] To achieve high fidelity suitable for commercial release, the production team prioritized these soundboard-derived multi-track tapes over fan-recorded audience sources, which were common in the band's tape-trading community but lacked the clarity and balance needed for a polished album.[15] This approach allowed for precise audio isolation and editing while preserving the raw energy of the live performances. The 1994 tours provided an extensive pool of material, with Phish performing over 120 shows that year, many featuring the band's signature extended improvisational jams particularly prominent during the fall leg.[8][16]Track selection and editing
The band members of Phish undertook an extensive review of recordings from their 1994 summer, fall, and New Year's Eve tours, examining approximately 560 song performances captured on multitrack tapes. This process, which began shortly after the tours concluded, involved the four members—Trey Anastasio, Mike Gordon, Jon Fishman, and Page McConnell—independently listening to the material and voting on favorites over several months, ultimately narrowing the pool to around 30 candidates before finalizing the 12 tracks. Fan input played a key role, with the Phish.net community soliciting suggestions via a public call on February 5, 1995, for proposed double-CD tracklists drawn from specific shows, including the 1994 fall tour and holiday run; submissions emphasized selections that would appeal to both longtime followers and newcomers.[1] Selection criteria prioritized high-energy improvisational jams that exemplified the band's live dynamism, while ensuring variety in song lengths—from concise numbers under five minutes to extended epics exceeding 20 minutes—to mirror the ebb and flow of a typical Phish concert. A significant focus was placed on including five original compositions that had never appeared on the band's prior studio albums: "Gumbo," "Slave to the Traffic Light," "Wilson," "Simple," and "Harry Hood," which showcased rarely documented live staples and introduced fresh material to a broader audience. These choices aimed to balance fan favorites with underrepresented tracks, capturing the improvisational spirit of 1994 without relying solely on the most famous performances.[12][1] Editing decisions emphasized preserving the raw authenticity of the live experience, with minimal splicing applied to the multitrack recordings to avoid over-polishing; most tracks were presented as complete performances from their original shows, though a few segues—such as the transition into "You Enjoy Myself"—were retained intact from the source concerts to maintain narrative continuity. This approach, overseen primarily by Anastasio in collaboration with engineer Ed Thacker, reflected the band's commitment to conveying the unfiltered energy of their stage dynamic rather than constructing a heavily manipulated composite. The final mixes were completed at Bearsville Studios in March-April 1995, resulting in a double album that clocked in at over two hours while staying true to the tour's spontaneous ethos.[1][17]Release and promotion
Commercial release
A Live One was released on June 27, 1995, by Elektra Records as a double-CD set, with a double-cassette version also available.[1][18] Following production and mixing completed in March and April 1995, the album launched amid Phish's growing mainstream recognition.[17] The packaging featured a booklet containing live photographs by contributors including Danny Clinch, C. Taylor Crothers, and others, alongside liner notes written by the band that described the origins of the selected tracks without specifying exact performance dates.[17][1] Artwork direction was handled by Carol Bobolts of Red Herring Design, with cover photography by Danny Clinch capturing a thematic image of the band.[17] The album was distributed through major retailers as a premium live recording, later seeing vinyl reissues including a 2017 four-LP box set on 180-gram split-color vinyl.[18][3]Marketing and singles
The release of A Live One coincided with Phish's extensive summer 1995 tour, a 22-date run across major U.S. venues that served as a key promotional vehicle for the album. The band incorporated live performances of tracks from the double-CD set into their sets, allowing audiences to experience the material in a concert setting shortly after its June 27 launch, thereby building excitement among fans familiar with the group's improvisational style.[19] To extend reach beyond live shows, Elektra Records issued two promotional singles in 1995 targeted at radio stations: an edited live version of "Bouncing Around the Room" from a 1994 performance and "Gumbo" from a 1994 performance. These one-track CD singles, limited-edition releases, aimed to showcase Phish's energetic live sound to commercial radio despite the challenges of promoting a jam band format typically geared toward extended improvisations rather than concise airplay edits.[20][21] Media coverage emphasized the album's role as a curated selection of peak live moments, positioning it as an accessible entry point for newcomers while rewarding longtime supporters. A July 1995 New York Times profile highlighted its release amid the band's rising profile, noting how the double-disc compilation captured over two hours of 1994 tour highlights to demonstrate Phish's evolution from underground act to arena headliners. Similarly, an August Rolling Stone review praised it as "the definitive statement of the jam-band aesthetic," underscoring its value in distilling the band's dynamic stage presence for wider appeal.[22][23]Commercial performance
Chart positions
Upon its release, A Live One debuted and peaked at number 18 on the Billboard 200 chart. This performance marked a significant milestone for Phish, as it was their highest-charting release to date and demonstrated their rising commercial viability within the rock genre.Sales and certifications
A Live One sold approximately 50,000 copies in its first week of release on June 27, 1995.[22] The Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) certified the album gold on November 10, 1995, for 500,000 units shipped, making it Phish's first such accolade. It was subsequently certified platinum on October 15, 1997, for exceeding 1 million units shipped in the United States.[24] By October 1998, the album had sold 492,000 copies in the United States.[1] These certifications highlight over 1 million total U.S. shipments for the album, which remains Phish's best-selling release.[25] Ongoing sales were sustained by the band's dedicated touring fanbase, ensuring steady catalog performance into the 2000s.[13]Musical content
Overview of tracks
A Live One exemplifies Phish's signature blend of high-energy improvisational jams and concise fan favorites, drawing from their 1994 tour performances to showcase a dynamic mix of psychedelia, funk, and bluegrass elements. The album opens with shorter, upbeat numbers like "Bouncing Around the Room" before diving into extended explorations, such as the over 30-minute "Tweezer," where the band layers intricate guitar riffs, shifting rhythms, and atmospheric builds to create an epic, narrative-driven jam that highlights their ability to transform structured compositions into fluid, psychedelic journeys. This structure reflects Phish's improvisational ethos, where compositions serve as launchpads for collective exploration, incorporating funk grooves in tracks like "Stash" and bluegrass-infused picking in moments reminiscent of their acoustic influences, all while maintaining a sense of playful unpredictability that defines their live sound.[26][23] Thematically, the album celebrates the chaotic energy of live performance, capturing the band's communal interaction with audiences through spontaneous creativity and theatrical flair. Tracks like "Gumbo" infuse a New Orleans jazz vibe with horn sections from the Giant Country Horns, blending loose funk rhythms, three-part harmonies, and whimsical lyrics to evoke a festive, improvisational gumbo of styles that underscores Phish's genre-blending prowess. Similarly, "You Enjoy Myself" culminates in vocal acrobatics during its signature "vocal jam" segment, where the band engages in scat-like, multilingual improvisations that mirror the absurd, celebratory chaos of their shows, often paired in live contexts with trampoline antics for added visual spectacle—though the album focuses on the musical interplay. These elements collectively portray Phish's music as a live ritual of joy and invention, free from rigid boundaries.[27][28][22] Spanning 131 minutes across 12 tracks, A Live One balances marathon improvisations with tighter arrangements, demonstrating Phish's skill in crafting epic suites without unnecessary filler and providing an accessible entry into their expansive live repertoire. The album's pacing mirrors a full concert experience, alternating intensity to sustain momentum and reveal the band's tight musicianship amid their penchant for extended, riveting jams. This runtime curation from 1994 tours emphasizes their growth as a live act, prioritizing moments of peak synergy over exhaustive documentation.[1][26][29]Track listing
A Live One consists of twelve live recordings by Phish, compiled from performances during their 1994 tours, with a total runtime of 131:04.[1][30] The main tracks are as listed below, including durations, recording dates and venues, and songwriters (primarily Trey Anastasio and Tom Marshall, with exceptions noted).[1]| No. | Title | Duration | Recorded | Writer(s) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | "Bouncing Around the Room" | 4:08 | December 31, 1994 Boston Garden, Boston, MA | Anastasio, Marshall |
| 2 | "Stash" | 12:32 | July 8, 1994 Great Woods Center for the Performing Arts, Mansfield, MA | Anastasio, Marshall |
| 3 | "Gumbo" | 5:15 | December 2, 1994 Recreation Hall, University of California, Davis, CA | Anastasio (music), Fishman (lyrics) (horn arrangement: Phish) |
| 4 | "Montana" | 2:04 | November 28, 1994 Montana State University, Bozeman, MT | Anastasio, Marshall |
| 5 | "You Enjoy Myself" | 20:57 | December 7, 1994 San Diego Sports Arena, San Diego, CA | Anastasio |
| 6 | "Chalk Dust Torture" | 6:49 | November 16, 1994 Hill Auditorium, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI | Anastasio, Marshall |
| 7 | "Slave to the Traffic Light" | 10:45 | November 26, 1994 Target Center, Minneapolis, MN | Anastasio (music), Marshall (lyrics) |
| 8 | "Wilson" | 5:07 | December 30, 1994 Madison Square Garden, New York, NY | Anastasio, Marshall |
| 9 | "Tweezer" | 30:56 | November 2, 1994 Bangor Auditorium, Bangor, ME | Anastasio, Marshall |
| 10 | "Simple" | 4:54 | December 10, 1994 Civic Auditorium, Santa Monica, CA | Anastasio |
| 11 | "Harry Hood" | 15:12 | October 23, 1994 O'Connell Center, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL | Anastasio, Gordon |
| 12 | "The Squirming Coil" | 12:29 | October 9, 1994 (main) A. J. Palumbo Center, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, PA October 23, 1994 (outro) O'Connell Center, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL | Anastasio, Marshall |