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Phish: Undermind

 A l b u m   D e t a i l s


Label: Elektra Records
Released: 2004.06.15
Time:
 50:30
Category: Alternative Rock
Producer(s): Tchad Blake
Rating:
Media type: CD
Web address: www.phish.com
Appears with: Trey Anastasio
Purchase date: 2012
Price in €: 1,00





 S o n g s ,   T r a c k s


[1] Scents and Subtle Sounds [Intro] (Anastasio/Herman/Marshall) - 1:37
[2] Undermind (Anastasio/Herman/Marshall) - 4:57
[3] The Connection (Anastasio/Marshall) - 2:22
[4] A Song I Heard the Ocean Sing (Anastasio/Marshall) - 6:20
[5] Army of One (McConnell) - 5:01
[6] Crowd Control (Anastasio/Marshall) - 3:34
[7] Maggie's Revenge (Anastasio/Fishman/Gordon/McConnell) - 1:43
[8] Nothing (Anastasio/Marshall) - 4:06
[9] Two Versions of Me (Anastasio/Marshall) - 3:45
[10] Access Me (Gordon) - 2:38
[11] Scents and Subtle Sounds (Anastasio/Herman/Marshall) - 5:05
[12] Tomorrow's Song (Fishman) - 1:51
[13] Secret Smile (Anastasio/Marshall) - 6:31
[14] Grind (Anastasio/Marshall) - 0:59

 A r t i s t s ,   P e r s o n n e l


Trey Anastasio - Guitars, Vocals, Engineer
Page Mcconnell - Keyboards, Vocals
Mike Gordon - Bass Guitar, Vocals
Jon Fishman - Drums, Vocals

"Secret Smile" Strings:
Katherine Winterstein - Violin
Laura Markowitz - Violin
Signy Glendinning - Violin
Sofia Hersh - Violin
Ann Cooper - Violin
Kathy Andrew - Violin
Roy Feldman - Viola
Pam Reit - Viola
Hilary Hatch - Viola
John Dunlop - Cello
Dieuwke Davydov - Cello
Maria Schneider - Arrangement

Tchad Blake - Producer, Engineer, Mixing, Photography
Bryce Goggin - Engineer
Bill Plummer - Engineer
Jared Slomoff - Engineer
Peter J. Carini - Assistant Engineer
Chris Weal - Assistant Engineer
Claire Lewis - Mixing Assistant
Bob Ludwig - Mastering
Danny Clinch - Photography
Jdk - Design
Brian Brown - Production Assistant, Technical Assistance
Kevin Brown - Production Assistant, Technical Assistance
Kevin Shapiro - Production Assistant, Technical Assistance
Pam Reit - Production Assistant, Technical Assistance
Kevin Monty - Production Assistant, Technical Assistance
Rob O'Dea - Production Assistant, Technical Assistance
Paul Languedoc - Production Assistant, Technical Assistance

 C o m m e n t s ,   N o t e s


Recorded in May 2002, The Barn, Vermont, April 2003, Nantucket, Massachusetts, June 2004, Big Moe Recording, Chicago, Illinois, February 2004, The Barn, Vermont, March 2004, Cactus Unlimited, New York and Vermont.



What's important to remember is that Phish is the kind of band whose hallmark moments don't happen in the studio, but on-stage where they feel most at home. That said, Undermind continues in the longstanding tradition of almost but not quite capturing the full band on all cylinders. It's the difference between watching an animal in its native habitat and in a caged environment: not quite as exciting, but still a curiosity to respect and observe with interest. Like previous endeavors, the band wastes no time settling into familiar territory, favoring simple song structures and sketches over lengthy instrumental passages (a trait they've deliberately focused upon since Hoist nearly a decade ago). However, Undermind lacks the stylistic diversity that graced many of their earlier albums, opting for a more cohesive sound and tone throughout. Gone are the uptempo, peppy jams and forays into diverse musical waters, replaced here by a band whose members seem to be running on fumes at some points and a full tank of fuel on others. As always, the musicianship remains top-notch, a testament to the high standards of quality Phish have consistently maintained over the past two decades. There are moments of typical Phish brilliance (e.g., opening and closing with an [unintentional?] homage to legendary Beach Boys collaborator Van Dyke Parks). Lyrics of surrealist imagery that border on haunting run rampant at times, and the album's closing moment ("Grind") serves as an uncomfortable swan song comparable to McCartney's happy accident at the end of Abbey Road. And while it wasn't publicly confirmed that Undermind was to be their last album (the bandmembers announced mere weeks before its release that this was to be their last record), shades of the band's winter could be subtly interpreted by various song lyrics (especially on "Undermind" and "Crowd Control"). And while the album is still more focused and a much-needed improvement over 2002's Round Room and their finest since Billy Breathes, Undermind is essentially the sound of four musicians growing tired of the limits they've imposed on one another after decades of albums and touring. However, if this is to be the band's curtain call, fans will find solace in a long line of live CDs for years to come.

Rob Theakston - All Music Guide



For their twelfth and last studio album, Phish team up with the most fitting producer they've ever used: Tchad Blake, whose talent for bringing just the right unorthodox textures to roots-rock artists has yielded breakthrough works such as Los Lobos' Kiko and Sheryl Crow's second album, Sheryl Crow. On Undermind, Blake encourages Phish to do what they do best (experiment) and fine-tunes their worst tendencies (weak songwriting and instrumental overkill). The band delivers the most commanding song of its sixteen-year recording career, "The Connection." With its blast of ringing guitars, a hummable country-rock melody and Trey Anastasio's earthy vocals and surprisingly focused lyrics, the song evokes "Box of Rain," one of the stronger tunes by Phish's most obvious influence, the Grateful Dead.

But Undermind is no vintage American Beauty. Unlike the Dead's famous folk-rock album -- or even Billy Breathes, Phish's other studio high point -- Undermind is giddily adventurous. The album's fourteen tracks run from the simple, stripped-down psychedelia of the opening "Scents and Subtle Sounds" to the joyous rock of "Crowd Control"; from the dense, fuzzy feedback of "Maggie's Revenge" to the nearly translucent symphonic pop of "Secret Smile." Even Phish's whimsical side doesn't come off as so annoying: Blake musses up the bumbling "Access Me" with gritty electronic touches and skittering beats, and he submerges the awkward lyric clutter of "Nothing" beneath the song's sweet, catchy melody. If Phish really are going out this time, they're going out in style.

Mark Kemp - Jun 14, 2004
RollingStone.com



Undermind is the thirteenth studio album by the American rock band Phish, released on June 15, 2004, by Elektra Records. Undermind was Phish's last album before their breakup in fall 2004 (the band subsequently reformed in 2009).

The album's cover art appears to be a direct nod to Let It Be, the final studio album by The Beatles. In a review of Undermind, Glide Magazine suggests that the album's individual song contributions may also be intentionally "Beatles-esque". While the bulk of the songs are by frontman Trey Anastasio and Phish lyricist Tom Marshall, keyboard player Page McConnell, bass guitarist Mike Gordon and drummer Jon Fishman all contributed one song each. "Maggie's Revenge" is the album's only instrumental.

One month before the album's release, Anastasio (and separately, McConnell) announced on Phish.com that the band would take an indefinitely long hiatus following a final summer tour. As such, a number of the songs were not performed live before the break up, though most have been played since the band's return in 2009. Undermind's songs remain among the least played originals in Phish's large catalog.

Many reviews praised "The Connection", calling it "the most commanding" and "most commercially accessible" song of Phish's recording career to date. The song has not yet become a fixture in the band's live rotation, however.

Early copies of the album included a DVD with the 25 minute documentary Specimens of Beauty, a behind the scenes film on the making of Undermind, directed by Danny Clinch.

An extended improvisational studio jam recorded at the start of the Undermind sessions was later released as the Headphones Jam at LivePhish.com.

In February 2009, Undermind was made available as a download in FLAC and MP3 formats at LivePhish.com.

Wikipedia.org
 

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