Mash-up video culled from 99 classic albums

The jam band Phish came up with a list of 99 classic albums, one of which ("Exile on Main Street") they surprised an audience by covering in its entirety at a Halloween concert in Indio, California. As an intro for the Phish performance, London-based A/V remixers Eclectic Method took audio and video bits from each of those 99 albums and collaged them together into a superb cut-up. "Eclectic Method Goes Phish" (Thanks, Gabe "TuneUp" Adiv!)

David Pescovitz is Boing Boing's co-editor/managing partner. He's also a research director at Institute for the Future. On Instagram, he's @pesco.

More at Boing Boing

Ants and Stars: Bruce Sterling and Jasmina Tesanovic visit the Sardinia Radio Telescope in Italy

The Snowden Principle

Dan

I support the inclusion of two separate zappa songs
Anonymous

This post is kinda frustrating because the 99 albums aren’t listed here. I
curious to what phish thinks is classic
- Phikus
  
  Here is the countdown site. Each day one was eliminated until they played the “last album left alive.” Note there are some red herrings in the list, which I imagine the band added as jokes, but you never know. Perhaps these were added for an element of danger, or perhaps they really do find Saturday Night Fever to be a classic album. You decide. I’m just glad they never played any of those.
  
  They also divided the campgrounds into sections named after the 8 finalists, which was a neat and interesting twist, adding to the anticipation. They really pulled out all the stops, going way out of their way (literally) to make the festival as amazing as possible.
Anonymous

Oh no, it seems that they forgot Gerardo “Rico Suave”. Again!
glace neuf

i was also there and it was an amazing experience. here’s the page that phish maintained prior to the weekend with the pictures of every album:

http://www.phish.com/festival8/halloween/

here’s a list of them:

http://jamtopia.com/blog/phish-festival-8-cover-album-teaser/

phish practiced the heck out of exile and it showed – the whole album was super tight and the comment about loving cup is spot on – even better than the stones ever did.

people love to hate phish, it’s pretty easy to do because they’re so odd (vacuum cleaner playing, secret language, hippie followers, unique music, etc.) but if you dismiss them without at least giving them a chance, you truly are missing out. if you like funk, check out 12/7/97. if you like zappa, check out 12/6/96. if you don’t like real long jams but want to hear solid phish, check out the early stuff, like 4/16/92. if you do like full blown pyschadelica, check out their IT festival’
s tower jam (videos all over youtube) from the early morning of 8/2/03. phish fans are generous folk and would be happy to share their music with you, especially if you’re coming with an open mind. do yourself a favor and find a fan who can introduce you!
- Phikus
  
  You beat me to it, and added the text list. Thanks! =D Also, I totally agree. Can’t wait ’til the next phestival!
Anonymous

having seen Phish since 1991 and 135 shows, Festival 8 was an incredible and magical music experience. Phish pulled off something so special—-40K+ people and a non-corporate event. they have many tables of foundations to support globally and locally for every show they go to. i’ve read all the comments on here and the people in the know are the ones in the know…they are smart and positive in how they talk and appreciate Phish. Phish is playing only for the love of creating music, and as much as I loved my hardcore Phish days from 91-93 in the Southeast, i have to say that the best is yet to come, only because this summer, fall, Festival 8 and New Year’s in Miami were all great shows in which they grew and progressed more and more with every show. i saw Camden, Gorge, F8 and Miami. Trey’s sobriety is the biggest blessing as the clarity of the connection between band-members is heightened, so is the creativity and intensity of the jams. they are pushing themselves to grow, and be happy (JOY), and the fans, young and old are truly digging it so much again! everyone is smiling, and all your old friends are back on tour. at least it seems that way to me. i’m 39 and feel very comfortable at shows, (not sure i’d feel the same way at a Disco Biscuits show as i saw about 40 shows from 1999-2004..but none in the past 4+ years) i hope anyone who enjoys an amazing musical experience will come back out to shows and enjoy the happiness and fun that all of us are having again. Summer shows are really safe to bring your kids.

Like Trey said at Big Cypress after
the ABC live ‘Heavy Things’ segment and the show continued not on TV: ‘it’s just us now.”
deviceofmind

Ahh, Phikus.

I missed the point? I? As someone who was a high schooler in Burlington, Vermont attending countless Phish shows at Nectars and elsewhere through the late ’80′s/early ’90′s I think I saw too much of the point. My sensibilities are hardly “hair-trigger”. I was making an observation that Phish – and their ardent fans who choose monikers based on Phish songs – have a hard time dressing up in Halloween costumes that are not readily supplied by the Western Corpocratic Myth. Isn’t it cooler to show up at a Halloween party and see a costume you only vaguely recognize/remember (say, someone in a Zaphod Beeblebrox costume).

I know for a fact that Trey loves Fela Kuti (who was tangentially embraced by the Western Corpocratic Myth himself): what if Phish came out on Saturday night and played “Coffin For The Head of State”? How cool would that have been?

The point is when I look at the albums Phish chose for their list of possible costumes (and very much in keeping with all the costumes they have donned over the years) I just see the same old, same old. And I’m reminded of how the Western Corpcratic Myth goes about defining the concept of “classic”. There is so much more “classic” out there and if Phish were really artists they would turn their phan base on to that. It’s not art. It’s a band that came out of retirement because their 401Ks tanked over the last year.

Sorry. You enjoy myself.
- Tdawwg
  
  Well, following that logic, they could just ululate and dance a vagina dance praising the Great Earth Mother. Jeez.
  
  Thanks for the great links above, everybody! Damn, what a great set! And Trey actually enunciates the lyrics on Exile, unlike Mick’s affected gutter snarl: I can actually hear most of the words to “Rip This Joint,” wow!
  
  Happiness.
- Phikus
  
  I was making an observation that Phish – and their ardent fans who choose monikers based on Phish songs – have a hard time dressing up in Halloween costumes that are not readily supplied by the Western Corpocratic Myth.
  
  Hunh? I think your telepathy is misaligned, dude. How one is to infer this from your original post, or even what the fuck you are trying to say now, is as clear as Dirt. You’re a little hung up on this idea of a “Western Corpocratic Myth” aren’t you? -Whatever that is. Criticizing what you think people may have worn as Halloween costumes because they’re just not hip / geeky enough for you? Man, no wonder you weren’t invited to the party. What a buzz-kill you turned out to be.
  
  The point is when I look at the albums Phish chose for their list of possible costumes (and very much in keeping with all the costumes they have donned over the years) I just see the same old, same old.
  
  Hooray for you! Any such list is obviously going to be highly subjective, and there are a lot of other known influences they could have cited, but again, this was a list of albums they might like to cover, not some complete index of all music that has informed them over all time. But since you seem to have a hotline into Trey’s brain, why don’t you give him your suggestions directly instead of complaining about the free Phish Food ice cream here. Mmkay?
  
  It’s a band that came out of retirement because their 401Ks tanked over the last year.
  
  Wow, nice attempt to troll. Do you really think they’re doing this because they need the money? These guys are each millionaires many many times over. Do you honestly believe that this is the quickest way for them to make some scratch at this point? It is a shame that you were lucky enough to spend formative years with Phish and are still completely missing the point. I can see where that would make you really bitter and want to try to tear down anybody else’s good time. Too late this time.
  
  So long and thanks for all the Phish!
  - deviceofmind
    
    Yeah, you’re right. I take it all back.
    - Anonymous
      
      What a great thread of comments. Typically don’t comment but the idea of the “Western Corporatic Myth” is just to contradictory to fathom when talking about Phish. In fact, if there is any one band who is not “of” such a myth it is this band.
      
      This isn’t the Pussy Cat Dolls, my friend.
      
      And to kill two birds with one stone, the first being said myth, the second being their needs to pad their 401ks, if EITHER of these were true, don’t you think they would have gotten Budweiser, AT&T, or any of the other corporate monsters that can’t you can’t escape at any other festival experience these days…
      
      I was at F8, I’m not even a huge “Phan,” but I’ve never been to such a massive event without see a logo ANYWHERE in sight… the beer tents were all locally crafted microbrews… ALL OF THEM… there was a local organic farmers market, for Christ’s sake!! They broacast the show not via ATT’s Blue Room, rather, via their own radio station and online portal.
      
      How you can make those accusations is simply absurdity.
      
      My too scents.
      
      jb
      - kenbabbs23
        
        Phish festivals have always had more of a Punk Rock DIY feel to them then any festivals out there. It’s always been a joy to see 40 or 70 thousand people gathered in one place with out one corporate Logo.
Agies

I think I’ll stick with Girl Talk.
Bob Rossney

That’s an outstanding rendition of “Loving Cup,” at least, up to the three minute long ostinato at the end. The bloom comes off the rose there.
ishkabiblessister

This should go on stuff white people like. I didn’t realize until just now that music starts and ends with big hair white men playing stuff from the 70s.
- deviceofmind
  
  Exactly.
- Tdawwg
  
  Tell that to Sharon Jones.
Giraffe

The show was SICK!!! One of the sickest musical performances ive ever seen. 3 sets each day. jaysis. Glad someone posted it!

On halloween night, just before the band took stage to cover the stones’ album, all lights went dark and the montage posted on BB played on big screens as huge towers of fire burned behind everyone.

Exile on Main St was Phish’s Musical Costume for Halloween. THEY COVERED THE ENTIRE ALBUM, almost 100 minutes. I believe the original album was only 70.

It was a 4 day festival over Halloween weekend. Many bits of Phish history were made…

-first acoustic set ever during sunday day after halloween
-first haloween costume set in about 10 years
-first west coast festival
-sierra nevada made a beer just for the festival called FOAM (sold out the first day), which was ok becuase of the 50 other reasonably priced beers they had.
-first time many songs were ever played
-

here are some links to some visuals of the show:
Phish Covering Loving Cup on Haloween: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_XsZWMFntjw

Mean Halloween Fire: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HcDQHj86pQM&feature=channel

Sick floating balloon light show: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Qa0_5DtFV3M

more fire art: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZNeVM3Q5sb4&feature=related

robot fire wars: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4UoAZzKKM2M

Fire ceiling: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bO2vC4dpjWs

Creepy Vocal Jam: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P-ozplr9uoI
pstarr

huh. wonder if they got releases for all those songs. if not, they should totally go to jail.
Giraffe

@deviceofmind band broke up because their drug use and lifestyle was unsustainable and would prolly start taking them out one by one. tore them apart. Trey and crew got their shit together, sobered up, and flushed out most of the problematic stragglers. The band has changed and is no doubt in the beginnings of their new era.

heres a neat interview with Tom Marshall [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tom_Marshall_(singer)], who is the lyrisist of more phish songs than all the songs trey, fishman, mike, and the other dude wrote combined:

http://www.jambands.com/features/2009/11/03/ode-to-joy-the-tom-marshall-interview/

and another good writeup on 8: http://www.jambands.com/news/2009/11/01/shine-a-light-phish-at-festival-8-from-the-express

Miami for new years anyone?!? =)))))))))))))))))))

wooo!
InsertFingerHere

The greatest concert never held.
Anonymous

Yo Pstarr, the law still says you can use tiny snippets – I believe up to 8 bars – without paying royalties. Thus, I assume, why they used such tiny little snippets.

I kinda dug it.
Phikus

It was a really great event to attend, and they kept us guessing up until the actual day of Halloween as to which album they would cover as “band in costume” (as another band) by eliminating one album per day on a special festival website. A fitting tribute to their myriad influences and a treat for the phans.

Deviceofmind: You seem to have missed the point. They were not attempting to construct some sort of music etymology; simply a video introduction to the set that was eventually chosen from the countdown (which also included many artists not shown.) Nothing was selected for this piece to appease your hair-trigger sensibilities or your idea of ethnic diversity.

Diamondbach: Though I expected nothing less than jam-band derision from BB commentors, which seems to be the easy target du jour, you would do well to be more informed before you fling your poo. Though many Halloweens have passed since the band began doing this, they have only covered a handful of albums in this way. They are (not necessarily in order): 1) The Beatles’ “White Album” 2) Pink Floyd’s Dark Side Of The Moon 3) The Who’s Quadrophoenia 4) Talking Heads’ Remain In Light 5) The Velvet Underground’s Loaded, and now 6) Exile… Which made a fine continuation of the tradition. (They even added a horn section and soulful backup singers to round out the set nicely.) The version of “Loving Cup” alone is probably the best realization of this tune ever performed by anyone anywhere.

Name one other band who could pull off even one of these epic covers nearly as well, if at all, in addition to 7 other sets of their own music in a three-day event…

And I don’t know what your problem is with the Stones, but Exile is probably their greatest album and is widely regarded as one of the greatest rock & roll albums of all time. Way to go insulting 3 bands in one swipe; a vast swath of music in one go; simply because they do not suit your tastes. Golly they all should have consulted you in your apathy before daring to put on such a performance to the thrill of thousands.
Giraffe

@Bob Rossney your right, the end was a lil long and there were a few spots where that happened, a lil streched but he had to put his stamp on it.

@jb your right, that was one thing i couldnt put my finger on until now, no logos ANYWHERE. wow. amazing how subtle it is when the forced placements arent there.
VoiceUXGuy

Yay! What a fantastic piece of work. Expert amalgamation, indeed. Phish has always been a hugely generous band, treating fans with special goodies like this. I owe a debt to them and the Dead for helping me discover tons of music from artists I might never have found otherwise. Thanks for this post. BTW, can we stop using the term “mash-up” now, please?
deviceofmind

Wow. If it weren’t for Michael, Miles and Jimi you’d think music was only created by white dudes! Totally reminds me of a Phish show. Bunch of white dudes takin’ in some cult-chur.
- kenbabbs23
  
  as upposed to the racially diverse burning man, or coachella