Hampton Comes Alive [Box set] [Live]

Amazon.com
There is a level of trust given to Phish by their fanatical audience that is quite liberating to the band. The folks stroll into the venue and give themselves up to the band, allowing the musicians complete freedom to take them wherever the moment dictates. Anyone who saw Phish during their club-playing days can attest that the quartet has always operated under that principle: Fishman was singing "Purple Rain" and playing vacuum cleaners long before fan devotion and major-label support bore them out. Herein lies the key to Phish's appeal, a precarious balance between artistic integrity and self-deprecation that allows them to blow fans away musically while convincing them that they're just regular goofy guys--valedictorian and class clown in one package. So then, what to make of this creatively packaged six-disc set, which collects in their entirety two back-to-back shows recorded in Hampton, Virginia, in November 1998? Well, for one, the range of covers is vast, including Gary Glitter, Bob Dylan, bluesman Son Seals, Ween, Will Smith, the Beatles, Stevie Wonder, bluegrassers Hot Rize, Jimi Hendrix, the Beastie Boys, and Chumbawumba. The original tunes are equally as eclectic and span the whole of Phish's career, many of them making their initial official appearance on CD. The real joy is in hearing it all magically and seamlessly unfold as they move from intense focus to astute parody to sheer buffoonery. Make no mistake: Phish requires effort on the part of the listener, not to mention patience, open-mindedness, and flexibility. Those unwilling to invest the effort will inevitably be disappointed. However, those who are either trusting or carefree enough to write them a blank check are just as inevitably rewarded. Or to quote from the movie Airplane: "They bought their tickets. They knew what they were getting into." --Marc Greilsamer

Hampton Comes Alive,Phish,Elektra / Wea,Alternative Pop/Rock,American Trad Rock,Box Sets (Audio Only),Jam Bands,Neo-Psychedelia,Pop,Rock,Rock/Pop

Hampton Comes Alive [Box set] [Live]

Average customer rating:

Oh yes.
Solid, but might be too pricey for casual fans...
... comes alive in my living room
Get Phish 15 Instead
Good stuff

Hampton Comes Alive
Phish
Manufacturer: Elektra / Wea
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

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A Live One
Slip, Stitch & Pass
The Story of the Ghost
Lawn Boy
Hoist

ASIN: B00002Z88F
Release Date: 1999-11-23

Tracks:

Rock and Roll Part 2
Tube
Quinn the Eskimo (The Mighty Quinn)
Funky Bitch
Guelah Papyrus
Rift
Meat
Stash

Tracks:

Train Song
Possum
Roggae
Driver
Split Open And Melt

Tracks:

Bathtub Gin
Piper
Axilla I
Roses Are Free
Farmhouse
Gettin' Jiggy Wit It
Harry Hood
Character Zero
Cavern

Tracks:

Wilson
Big Black Furry Creature From Mars
Lawn Boy
The Divided Sky
Cry Baby Cry
Boogie On Reggae Woman
NICU

Tracks:

Dogs Stole Things
Nellie Kane
Foam
Wading In The Velvet Sea
Guyute
Bold As Love

Tracks:

Sabotage
Mike's Song
Simple
Wedge
The Mango Song
Free
Ha Ha Ha
Free
Weekapaug Groove
Tubthumping

Amazon.com

There is a level of trust given to Phish by their fanatical audience that is quite liberating to the band. The folks stroll into the venue and give themselves up to the band, allowing the musicians complete freedom to take them wherever the moment dictates. Anyone who saw Phish during their club-playing days can attest that the quartet has always operated under that principle: Fishman was singing "Purple Rain" and playing vacuum cleaners long before fan devotion and major-label support bore them out. Herein lies the key to Phish's appeal, a precarious balance between artistic integrity and self-deprecation that allows them to blow fans away musically while convincing them that they're just regular goofy guys--valedictorian and class clown in one package. So then, what to make of this creatively packaged six-disc set, which collects in their entirety two back-to-back shows recorded in Hampton, Virginia, in November 1998? Well, for one, the range of covers is vast, including Gary Glitter, Bob Dylan, bluesman Son Seals, Ween, Will Smith, the Beatles, Stevie Wonder, bluegrassers Hot Rize, Jimi Hendrix, the Beastie Boys, and Chumbawumba. The original tunes are equally as eclectic and span the whole of Phish's career, many of them making their initial official appearance on CD. The real joy is in hearing it all magically and seamlessly unfold as they move from intense focus to astute parody to sheer buffoonery. Make no mistake: Phish requires effort on the part of the listener, not to mention patience, open-mindedness, and flexibility. Those unwilling to invest the effort will inevitably be disappointed. However, those who are either trusting or carefree enough to write them a blank check are just as inevitably rewarded. Or to quote from the movie Airplane: "They bought their tickets. They knew what they were getting into." --Marc Greilsamer

Customer Reviews:

Oh yes........2005-01-03

Oh yes. This is nice. Funky B*tch, Simple, The Wedge. Lots of hilarious covers. You can't go wrong here. Sounds quality seems to be very good.

Solid, but might be too pricey for casual fans..........2004-11-30

I'm biased 'cuz I was at both of these shows. Of course, I had an absolute blast. Having said that, if you weren't there, there's probably a few songs on this boxset that might not do much for you. For starters, let's just say I doubt any fans have "Get Jiggy Wit It" or "Tubthumping" on their own compilation CD-Rs...lol Overall 'tho, it's fairly solid. But really, the last disc (2nd night, 2nd set) is the high point. With the exception of the already mentioned "Tubthumping", Phish delivers the goods with authority, and several hair-raising moments are sprinkled throughout the set...some moments in the unlikeliest of places, too. For example, there's a briefly unexpected buildup during the "Mango Song" that never fails to give me goosebumps, and I've never gotten that on any other version...go figure. It's a worthy two nights' worth of music, however the price tag will probably only appeal to completists. So if you're just a casual fan, you're probably better off investing in something from the Live Phish series (much less expensive). But for what it is, Hampton Comes Alive is a good release nonetheless...

... comes alive in my living room.......2004-01-29

Received Hampton Comes Alive as a Christmas gift, and it's a live set I'd been eagerly awaiting. Having read the reviews I was almost worried but after listening to discs 1-5 over the weekend while on a roadtrip, and listening to disc 6 right now, I have to say that I am not disappointed at all. What some fans comment on as lackluster or otherwise imperfect performances, I embrace. Those so-called "glitches" serve as a valuable reminder - these boys are real, they're genuine, they're everything that cookie-cutter, over-rehearsed "musicians" are not. They're human, and I think that any serious musician can appreciate that. That said, I love it. There are tracks on here that I haven't heard live yet and in a couple cases, hadn't heard at all. All six discs will definitely be in heavy rotation from now until... I dunno, I download this year's NYE run? A great buy, for either the hardcore Phishhead or the unlucky soul who has yet to see a live performance.

Get Phish 15 Instead.......2003-06-01

Now there are many other much better live Phish CD's to get. If you want something from roughly the same time period, get Phish 15 instead. It will blow you away. This will disappoint by comparison.

Phish is the type of group that can play a number of nights in a row, play in different music styles, do alot of covers, do clownish material and never repeat anything. It is if they released this boxset just to prove it. This is a 6 CD set from two shows. It could have been crammed onto 5 or even 4 CD's, but it wouldn't allow for the natural breaks in the concert.

This boxset gives you the typical flavor of two Phish concerts. There are some covers of songs that most groups wouldn't touch, like Fresh Prince/Will Smith's rap song, "Gettin' Jiggy With It" and Chumbawamba's "Tubthumping". The problem with the covers is that they are fun to hear in concert, but they are not good enough to put on record. Phish plays so many different covers that they never get any good at any one them. They just run through the songs without adding any depth.

There are also the live versions of the studio numbers and the jamming. The studio albums have been uneven in quality, and the live versions suffer the same fate. The jamming is what makes Phish famous and what fans expect when they see Phish or buy a live CD.

This boxset illustrates what a gamble a Phish concert can be. The first show isn't very good. There is not very much jamming and the song selection is weak. The second show is great with better songs and more jams.

Instead of releasing whole concerts, Phish would have been better off releasing concept boxsets. A Live One, which is just jams was very succesful. Or they could have followed the example of the Grateful Dead with So Many Roads in pulling out the best from each concert. Or, a boxset of covers could be fun. At times, Phish has played all of the Dark Side of the Moon or the Beatles White Album.

Good stuff.......2003-05-01

I first got this set when I was pretty new to Phish. While it didn't have the flawlessness of "A Live One", and certainly had it's bad moments, it was still very well done and I think the covers were overall very well done (I'm not a big fan of the two rap songs and "Tubthumping", though I guess some may enjoy it). It definitely shows the band's versatility and endurance.

... Yes, it is six disks. But it is only four disks of material! Some disks are only 40-minutes long or so because they wanted to separate the sets and downtimes. The box really is nothing special; it has some paper CD-holders and that's about it.

Now that the Live Phish series is out (as well as the pay-downloads on Phish's web site), Hampton overall is a bad idea to get unless you're a huge fan. There are better disks (including this time period) in the live series for a better price. I'd check 11 and 06 for starters.

For a big Phan, get this, obviously. It has very good sound quality and that's probably what's most important to you.

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