This major two-disc set featuring tributes to
Phish offers a particularly
Phish-like twist to the tribute album equation. Instead of being performed by artists who
Phish has influenced, the bulk of the tracks here come from
Phish's own forerunners, including
Tom Tom Club,
Son Seals,
Little Feat,
The Wailers,
John Scofield, and members of
Los Lobos. The catch is that most of
Phish's elders provide utterly straightforward and uncompelling interpretations,
Scofield (who performs with
DJ Logic) and
Tom Tom Club being notable exceptions. The most successful tracks are performed by
Phish's contemporaries, who are more than willing to disregard all but the environmental aspects of
Phish's originals. As such, two tracks on the second disc are magnificent pieces of music in their own respect:
Boredoms' "Free (End of Session Version)" and
Lake Trout's sequence of "Faht >Catapult >Tweezer Reprise" (a trio of songs lifted from
Phish's A Picture of Nectar). Also of note here, buried among the irrelevant music, is
Phish guitarist
Trey Anastasio's first foray into the world of
orchestral music. His arrangement of "Guyute" (which contains elements of his earlier song "My Friend, My Friend") is performed by
The Vermont Youth Orchestra, who transform the song into a wonderfully narrative piece which functions heartily in its new context, loosened from its original
rock & roll moorings. The collection is cluttered but good-natured fun, especially for fans. ~ Jesse Jarnow, All Music Guide
