Review 1 of 1

YoungerThanYesterday writes:

4of 5 Stars

My following review of Lawn Boy will no doubt have some bias through no intentional fault of my own, I am a Phish fan after all, oh sorry "Phan"

Lawn Boy was Phish's first real studio album under a major label and not a bad debut at all, this album though is not one I would suggest for someone just getting into the band, Farmhouse would be better for that. You will hear many fans say that most of these songs are better live which is true because a jam in the studio does not match the excitment and electricity of being on stage in front of a crowd that loves you. Lets review each track one by one.

The Squirming Coil starts off fairly slow and slowly picks up pace in the vocals and then settles slowly into a jam, the jam starts off slow and slowly picks up pace to where the noise sinks deep into your brain and you realise why you love this band so much, the vocals are great throughout the rest, is this not a perfect Phish song?

Reba, my favourite on the album and it is a long one, cute playful singing and a slow jam that gets better by the minute, not second. The song finishes by starting off what it began, a song that is truly made for the stage yet holds it's own on Lawn Boy.

My Sweet One, another of those country/bluegrass songs they throw onto some albums, fun and enjoying if your a fan, annoying and unnecessary if your not.

Split Open And melt, a weird tune that starts off with funk and a middle that sounds like something you would hear at Mass and a rocking guitar thrashing ending . . . .who else but Phish?

The Oh Kee Pa Ceremony, what is there to say? a little jam that fans would enjoy and one that would annoy others.

Bathtub Jin, a funky song that will catch and hook most people, could there be a cooler song than this?

Run Like An Antelope, this is a song that was born for the stage, thats right, another long jam that once again starts off slow but gets better every minute, the ending is pure joy, they even played it on the Simpsons in that infamous 'pot' episode.

Lawn Boy, a nice song that sounds like it should be on a michael Buble album, a nice song that does feel out of place, but then again, when does Phish play similar songs on an album?

Bouncing Around The Room, the version on A Live One is a must hear, one of the most famous songs from Phish and a great way to close the album.

Over all this album lacks consistency but that can be expected from Phish, it has no real duds for Phish fans and can be enjoyed when played, the only thing that hurts this for Phish fans is the fact that so many of the songs are played better live. The only thing that hurts non Phish fans from liking this album is the fact that it's Phish.

Jul 8, 2008 22:45:50