10-28-94 bowie review


Date: Fri, 30 Jul 1999 11:24:26 -0400
From: Jeremy Timko wsutt@earthlink.net
To: twodecks@onelist.com, dws@archive.phish.net
Subject: My Favorite Jam's #1 10/28/94 David Bowie->Manteca->David Bowie
 
My Favorite Jam's #1  10/28/94
David Bowie->Manteca->David Bowie
 
Author's Note: In an effort to spawn more discussion, and general knowledge
about Phish, I've decided to give periodic reviews of various Phish music
that I really enjoy.  After being a devout fan of Charlie Dirksen's many
GREAT reviews over the past couple of years, I have been called (perhaps by
a higher power :-)) to give my own interpretations of Phish music now that
Charlie no longer writes reviews.  This thread may also seem similar to
Christian McKee's "Jam's I Like", who also writes some EXTREMELY thoughtful
and concise reviews.  You can find his reviews here:
http://cc.kzoo.edu/~k97cm01/jams/jamshome.html ...if you haven't read them
yet, you should...they are excellent.  With that said, I bring you the first
in the installment of "My Favorite Jam's".  Of course it comes from
1994....where MANY of my favorite jams come from.  Here is the setlist.
 
10/28/94     Galliard Auditorium    Charleston, SC    Set II
Also Sprach > David Bowie -> Manteca -> David Bowie, Lizards, Peaches, Rift,
Lifeboy, Chalkdust, Old Home Place*, Nellie Cane*, Foreplay* -> Longtime*
E: Fee, Highway to Hell
 
I do denote between a true segue (->), and a stop-start or space segue (>).
 
0:00: High Hat starts out of Also Sprach.  Some nice noodiling from Mike.
Trey is giving some spacey effects.  Not much as much space as in other
versions...sounds like they just want to get started.
 
0:37: David Bowie chords start...I love Mike's popping in this section.
Lyrics @ 1:08.
 
1:24: First composed section...tough to make it through this part w/o many
flubs, this is no exception, but nothing brutal that makes you go "ouch".
Page is following ever so smoothly on the Piano.  Angry descending licks
back into Bowie chords by Trey that I really enjoy.  Trey seems pissed with
this one in the early going...he get's angrier :-).
 
2:35: UB40...
 
2:55: Second composed section begins.  Fish smokes through this section,
definitely making the -fewest- mistakes.  Page following oh so nicely on the
pIeano :-), as he always does.  Mike also seems to be harmonizing very well
here.  Man 94 is such a good year :-).
 
4:04: Jam begins.  very quietly at first, just Mike and Page.  Trey adds
some space and Fish with the high hat.  4:15 Mike drops the first bomb along
w/ Page.
 
4:35: Page comes in with some nice piano tinkling, nothing really too
special yet.  Just some spacey noodling.  Trey working the spacey effects @
4:50.  Good build by Page @ 5:03.  Nice interplay between Page and Mike at
5:15.
 
5:26: Trey comes in with some angry licks and Fish picks up on the emotion.
Page still noodles along on the piano.  5:33 Page starts banging away on the
keys as Trey and fish bang away as well.  5:54 Trey adds some fire to this
one...ooh yea,
 by 6:11 the tension is getting greater. Standard Bowie jamming.
 
6:30: Page and Fish trade beats, as Trey and Mike follow closely behind.
Trey seems very angry right here, and starts to rip it up @ 6:50.
 
7:05: Trey begins so play chords very similar to Timber, Page picks up on
it, followed by Fish with the rolls....Mike lays down some nice descending
notes here.  Very repetitive, but intense nonetheless.  Trey moves up an
octave, the adds some LIFE @ 7:43.  Jon is going OFF @ 7:55!!!  Wow...here
we go, it sounds like we are moving into the Bowie climax @ 8:12 already!
Page banging wildly @ 8:22.
 
8:30: Trey mellows things off a bit...Page takes control with some beautiful
piano playing...I don't think he's left it during this song:-).  Mike
noodles around in the upper register here...nice playing all around.
 
9:05: We drop into some sort of space here...tinkling from Page....9:20 Trey
and Mike are playing licks that are -distinctly- similar to the McGrupp Page
jam.  Page heads in a different direction @ 9:35.  9:42 Trey tries to find
some direction...no success....Mike is still laying down that nice
McGrupp-like line.
 
10:05: Wow, now we seem to be headed down this road to some beautiful
places, now in a major key jam really nice!!!  Hold on one minute there
captain, Trey sounds like he's pissed @ 10:40, so we head back into some
darker reaches.  10:53....Fish starts GOING OFF...Trey follows with some
machine gunning!  Page builds up on the piano for some sort of climax @
11:20.
 
11:30: Trey is screaming something?  Fish is still tearing up the kit
here..banging away...leads us into...11:48 We seem headed toward Llama now,
but Page pulls us back into a full fledged Bowie jam again @ 12:00!  Wow
goose bumps...but no!
 
12:15: Trey heads for Manteca, Page follows....then Mike.  Fish is the last
to catch on. 12:30, we calm down and there is a full-fledged Manteca, with
Fish finally laying down the drum line.
 
13:01: Crab in my shoe-mouth
 
13:20: Here we go back into Bowie, and this is absolutely RAGING!  Trey
builds this whole thing up for a few measures...Page just banging away on
the keys now.  I'd love to be there right now, I think my head would be
erupting!  13:45, it can't get any more intense than this...it CAN'T!  Still
building @ 14:10  14:20,HOLY SHIT! Trey hit the note that makes the hair on
the back of my neck stand up, and makes me look like an idiot banging my
head :-).
 
15:00:  We have Bowie back in high gear.  Manteca tease @ 15:12...into the
Bowie climax...with Manteca teases interspersed throughout the Bowie climax
just as there were Divided Sky and Possum teases in the 08/02/98 Bowie.
This one peaks four or five times....then we get the Bowie chords.
Whew...very nice.  I need some water after that :-).
 
Total time 16:35
 
This was an ABSOLUTELY raging Bowie '94 style.  There is just something
about the 94 versions that always makes the hair on the back of my neck
stand on end.  Just a great version.  Not incredibly long, but if you like
Bowie, then you MUST hear this one, trust me, you will agree that it is a
smoker.  Better than any version (exception 07/30/97) From the past 3 years.
94 was the year for David, hell 94 was the year for a good many songs.
 
Any comments, -discussion-, feelings, and possibly a BADLY needed upgrade of
the this tape are requested.  Thank you so much for reading, and look for
more reviews of this nature to follow soon.
 
--
Jeremy
wsutt@earthlink.net