History
The main guitar riff for the song originated in the fall of 1990 on a track called "Self." Recorded in studio in August 1991 (and later released in 1994 on Crimes of the Mind), it featured a collaboration between Phish and their longtime friend, The Dude of Life (aka, Steve Pollak). [2] [3]
The song was re-worked and included in the recording sessions for A Picture of Nectar. In addition to the CD single, the track was also released as an unedited LP to radio stations. [4]
Played at over a quarter of their live shows, [5] band members have taken a particular liking to playing the song in a live setting. Since debuting in February 1991, drummer Jon Fishman claims that the song went from being among his "least favorite" in the Phish catalog, to one that he hopes to play well into his eighties. He sarcastically notes that the lyric "can I live while I'm young?" sounds ever "more desperate" the older the band gets. [6]
In 1994, Phish performed the song on the Late Show with David Letterman , supposedly at the host's request. [7]
As the song's lyricist, Marshall has said that it was among the last he wrote by hand before switching to a computer. [6]
Hampton Comes Alive is a six-disc live album by the American rock band Phish, released on November 23, 1999, by Elektra Records. It is the band's third live album and the first time complete live Phish concerts were released in their entirety. Hampton Comes Alive consists of two full concerts recorded on November 20 and 21, 1998, at the Hampton Coliseum in Hampton, Virginia. The album title is a play on Peter Frampton's classic live album Frampton Comes Alive!.
Undermind is the eleventh studio album by American rock band Phish, released on June 15, 2004 by Elektra Records. The album was the group's last release before they disbanded in August 2004. It is also their final studio release for Elektra Records ; When the band reunited in 2009, their subsequent albums would be released through their own JEMP Records label which had launched in December 2005 for live releases.
Rift is the fourth studio album by the American rock band Phish, released on February 2, 1993, by Elektra Records. It is a concept album, detailing the experience of a man dreaming about the rift in his relationship with his girlfriend. Rift was recorded in September and October 1992 and produced by Barry Beckett. Rift was certified gold by the RIAA on October 15, 1997.
Round Room is the tenth studio album by the American rock band Phish released on December 10, 2002, by Elektra Records.
Live Phish Vol. 16 is a live album by Vermont-based jam band Phish released on October 29, 2002. It was recorded live at Thomas and Mack Center located on the campus of the University of Nevada, Las Vegas, in Paradise, Nevada on Halloween night, 1998.
Live Phish Vol. 17 was recorded live at Portland Meadows in Portland, Oregon, on July 15, 1998. It was the first of a series of four concerts picked by Mike Gordon to release. Except for Live Phish Volume 20, the releases include his journal entries about the shows in the booklet.
New Year's Eve 1995 - Live at Madison Square Garden is a live concert album by American rock band Phish that was released in 2005. The album comprises the band's December 31, 1995 show at Madison Square Garden, named by Rolling Stone as one of the "Greatest Concerts of the '90s".
"Birds of a Feather" is a 1998 song by the American band Phish. It is the second track from their 1998 album The Story of the Ghost and was released as their twelfth promotional single by Elektra Records. The song is a funk rock song written by the entire band and lyricist Tom Marshall, and was influenced by Talking Heads.
Live Phish Vol. 2 was recorded live on July 16, 1994 and was released on September 18, 2001 as part of the Live Phish Series. The show was performed on the side of a ski slope at the Sugarbush Resort in the town of North Fayston, located in Phish's home state of Vermont. It was the final concert of the band's highly successful 1994 summer tour. Earlier in the year, the band had released its highest selling album to date (Hoist) and the size of the Phish audience had expanded greatly by the summer. The Sugarbush concert, which included overnight camping on the ski slope under the stars, was slated as the grand finale of the tour.
Live Phish Vol. 6 was recorded live on the first night of a three night stand at the Worcester Centrum in Worcester, Massachusetts, on November 27, 1998.
Live Phish Vol. 7 was recorded live at the World Music Theater in Tinley Park, Illinois, United States, on August 14, 1993.
Live Phish Vol. 8 was recorded live at the E Centre in Camden, New Jersey, a suburb of Philadelphia, on July 10, 1999.
Live Phish 04.02.98 is the first night of the four-night "Island Tour," recorded live at the Nassau Coliseum in Uniondale, New York, on April 2, 1998.
"Down with Disease" is a 1994 song by American band Phish. It is the second track from their 1994 album Hoist and was released as their fifth promotional single by Elektra Records. The song is a funk rock song written by Phish guitarist and lead vocalist Trey Anastasio and lyricist Tom Marshall. The song's lyrics were based on a bout with infectious mononucleosis suffered by Marshall.
Crimes of the Mind is the debut album from The Dude of Life, a childhood friend of Phish leader Trey Anastasio and a lyrical contributor to many of Phish's early songs. Phish is the backing band for the entire album.
Live Phish 12.01.95 is a live album by the American rock band Phish. The album was originally released in MP3, FLAC and CD formats on March 20, 2007, and features the band's performance from December 1, 1995 at the Hersheypark Arena in Hershey, Pennsylvania in its entirety.
Ventura is a live album by the rock band Phish. It contains two complete concerts on six CDs. It was recorded on July 30, 1997, and July 20, 1998, at the Ventura County Fairgrounds in Ventura, California. Packaged as a box set, it was released by JEMP Records on June 18, 2013.
"Cavern" is a 1992 song by the American band Phish. It is the third track from their 1992 album A Picture of Nectar and was also released as their second promotional single by Elektra Records. The song is a beat-driven funk rock song written by Phish guitarist and lead vocalist Trey Anastasio and lyricist Scott Herman and Tom Marshall.
“Cavern” has been a rock in Phish’s rotation since early 1990. While most fans have become accustomed to the song as a set-closer or encore, initially it was much more versatile, appearing just about everywhere in the setlist. It was only beginning in 1992 that the band began utilizing it in its current role. In fact, beginning in fall 1992, well over half of the performances of “Cavern” have come either at the close of a set or during an encore. And no wonder: the song’s straight-up rock feel and fist-pumping climax make it a fitting exclamation point on the end of an evening of more excursionary jamming.
"Fast Enough for You" is a 1993 song by the American band Phish. It is the second track from their 1993 concept album Rift and was released as their third promotional single by Elektra Records. The song is a slow-tempo ballad written by Phish guitarist and lead vocalist Trey Anastasio and lyricist Tom Marshall. The studio recording features a pedal steel guitar performed by Gordon Stone.
In "Fast Enough for You," Tom Marshall (lyricist) supposes that we wouldn’t burden each other as we do with weighty expectations and needs unmet, and things would be a whole lot happier. But that’s not the way it is, and the lover to whom our narrator speaks is not content with the pace of the affair. He is thus a target for her scorn.
"Julius" is a 1994 song by the American band Phish. It is the first track from their 1994 album Hoist and was released as their seventh promotional single by Elektra Records. The song is a blues rock song written by Phish guitarist and lead vocalist Trey Anastasio and lyricist Tom Marshall. The song features backing vocals by Rose Stone, Jean McClain and the Rickey Grundy Chorale and horn instruments by the Tower of Power Horn Section.
