I don't have the entire 4/14/93 show, but just this Stash as a filler at the end of 8/16/96 Set I. The sound isn't great (the filler is AUD5), but definitely listenable. I can't vouch for the rest of the show, but the setlist includes Tweezer and YEM->Harpua in the same set, so it can't be *all* bad ;-). If anyone out there has this show, let me know if the whole show is equal to this Stash. I will explain the new terms I use throughout the review.
Intro is standard. The main melody is nice and tight, no flubs. This was before the audience clapping thing, so Fish fills in those pauses with his trusty cowbell :-). The composed section continues, nothing unusual, but absolutely no flubs at all.
This has always been one of my favorite Stashes. Although it's in the shadow of the incredible Gin->Real Me->Gin (If you haven't heard this stop whatever you're doing and get a copy!!!) it still deserves to be recognized.
The intro is standard, although it may be a bit faster than normal (It could just be my deck.). The audience clapping is surprisingly coherent and well-timed. I actually like it here! :-)
Lyrics start at 1:30. The Wail is at 1:52, and The Climb starts at 2:10. The Climb is well executed, no botches. Singing again at 3:48. The first MSMN's are at 4:07. Trey is late on one of the Solar Garlic lines, although this may be on purpose. We step (this is definitely not a headfirst dive) into the jam at 4:47
Trey is noodling and weaving through the MSMN's until 5:20 when the singing fades out. This is a very quiet jam still, but beautiful. Not much Page, nice Trey, nice Mike (Listen to the bass around 6:10). Trey finds a theme around 6:20. Page is coming in louder here. Really nice stuff here! Still normal Stash jamming though. Page is very prominent around 7:03. Page fans should check this out.
At 7:20, they stay on one chord, slightly repetitive, but not in a bad way. We have definitely left the typical Stash jam chords! Trey repeats this theme, getting more and more ominous, and finds another at 8:05. This is really cool stuff here! At 8:30, Fish starts this cool beat... kinda like "Bum CH CHbum CH Bum CH CHbum CH...". This is hard to explain. It's very catchy, helping to build the jam. Trey is repeating similar themes here. This is one of the very cool times when the whole band is accenting each other... They each are adding very different, textural, important parts to the music (Although Mike is too quiet. Y'hear me Paul? ;-) Turn Mike up!). We hear Phish as a whole, rather than Trey jamming with the rest of the boys in back, but I'm rambling... Back to the jam!
At 9:07 Fish has abandoned this beat, with the jam still getting louder. Very very textural here! The jam is more stash-like at this point, although still not completely. Treys soloing is still unlike Stash at this point. FISH!!! The drums are amazing at 10:15!!!!! Page is giving us some cool dischordant atonal stuff here too!
At 10:32 the structure changes. Fish becomes less prominent. Page is stepping up front here, playing minor chords up high on his baby grand. The jam comes down a bit here. Page is truly awe-inspiring here!!! Trey is still soloing, but in and out of Page's playing. Anyone who says Trey is a better guitarist than Page is a pianist don't know NOTHIN' (Hi Charlie!) :-)!! This is getting louder around 11:05. Page is stepping back a bit here, but not much. At 11:30, Trey is officialy taking control. At 11:53 they all stumble on this pounding minor chord, metalish theme, but they depart from it immediately :-(.
At 12:00 the jam is VERY textural. Fish is louder, Trey's soloing is staccato, Mike is still hard to hear. If you haven't heard this stash, get a copy now! Wait a minute... if you haven't heard this stash, you havent heard the Gin/RealMe/Gin either! Get professional help immeadiately. But I'm digressing...
12:30 -- PAGE!!!! YES!!!!!! Page is incredible here, folks! This guy is hereby dubbed "Mr. Piano". Trey can move me, but Page is a genius! Trey is playing some phaaaaat staccato here too! We have moved into mystery land here, folks! not quite type I, not quite type II. This is from now on called "Type 1.5 jamming". At 14:00, Trey hints at the traditional stash jam. Are we coming in for a landing? At 14:10 the jam is less textural (just slightly less) and Trey is louder now, and his soloing is less staccato and more traditional stash soloing.
14:30 now, and we are officially back in the type I land of Stash. This is definately a Stash jam now, but a very good one. Trey hits a note at 15:00 and sustains it. Page builds up pressure behind it. The pressure is building, building, building until... at 15:20 Trey releases the note along with the built up pressure! The audience loves this, judging by their obnoxious noise here. The energy here is definately intense! This is machine-gun-Trey at his finest!
At 16:25 Trey goes back down the fretboard into the lowere regions in the land of his Languedoc. The final MSMN lyrics come in at 16:37, and Trey jams louder and harder than normal over the entire MSMN segment. About a minute later this Stash ends. The ending is less than perfect however, because someone Starts to sing "Maybe So" over the ending lick. Oh well. Total time 17:35, nice and long. 13:00 of that is the jam!!
Just my 2% of a dollar.
-Jesse
oso101@ix.netcom.com