…also at 14:07 you said “I’m really enjoying myself.” Funny you should say that! The next tune you react to should be “You Enjoy Myself.” Another masterpiece.

If you want another great instrumental from this period, "You Enjoy Myself" would be a great one. If you want a more traditional song format from a bit later in their career, "Waste" would be great listen.

In regard to the crazy stuff you read after the song: Trey’s thesis in music school was to wright a musical/rock opera. It’s a story about a far away land called “Gamehendge” which is inhabited by a race of kind-hearted but dimwitted folk. All the knowledge their society possesses is contained in a single book written by the great prophet Iculus. One day a traveler came to town and stole the only copy of this book, thereby enslaving the land and installing himself as the evil King Wilson. The story of the musical follows a new traveler from our world who finds himself magically transported to Gamehenge and helps a band of rebels steal back the book from Wilson and liberate the land. Most of the songs from this opera became the bedrock of classic Phish tunes from the very early days of the band. The name of the opera is “The Man Who Stepped Into Yesterday”, but the songs, characters, and story points from this material is generally referred to by fans simply as “Gamehenge”.

Reba is in my opinion the quintessential Phish song. Odd progression and timings, quirky lyrics, great hook over the chorus, composed piece, inspiring guitar driven end jam, tying it all back together with a good ole whistling section before calling it a day. So many great versions out there really can't go wrong, but I think most would say prior to 2000, or anything after 2009. The in between years can be touch and go. You Enjoy Myself is going to get a lot of votes, and it's well deserved, but the "vocal" jam near the end will either blow people away, or force them to click unsubscribe.

“They’re not in a hurry.” Music stops. Welcome to your first phish prank. And it was pulled off perfectly on you. :)

"Guyute" and "It's Ice" both have interesting compositions. As a piano player, you may like "The Squirming Coil"

So glad you like your first Phish song. 'Fluffhead' or 'You Enjoy Myself' are also superbly written and played songs that you might want to review next Doug.

I'm flabbergasted... I didn't know this band or their music that good. I liked the surprise. Good job

To my Phish Phriends, you can thank me for recommending this show to Doug. I really enjoyed watching Doug's puzzlement when we came to the pregnant pause.

What if I told you that not only did Trey write this at 19-22 years old, but he wrote it as an orchestral piece...for a four piece rock band...nobody does that...

I love watching musicians from all different backgrounds blown away by the different aspects of Phish. They're not just rock, they're not just funk, they're not just some hippie band. Phish is music for musicians.

Who else thought “You Enjoy Myself” when he said “I’m really enjoying myself y’all”?

I love that Phish is getting a reaction! I think Foam from pre-2000 would be a good one.

I found you because of Phish. Divided Sky is one of those songs that'll bring tears to my eyes when it hits me right.

Glad you enjoyed Divided Sky, your reviews are really appreciated! As a classical composer interested in choir arrangements I promise you that you will LOVE the song The Lizards. It has more lyrics pertaining to what you had read regarding the musical that involved Divided Sky and harmonies. Enjoy and Welcome Home!

If you get a chance, go see them live. They’re one of the best bands I’ve ever seen. 👍🏻

Hey Doug, divided sky and the weird paragraph were from Trey's senior thesis titled, The Man Who Stepped Into Yesterday, which is based on the created Gamehenge mythology. Wilson is a character in the mythology. You can find the original recording of The Man Who Stepped Into Yesterday online if you want to hear the whole thing with narration. I'm pretty sure the band has played it in its entirety live a time or two. Thanks for the great content!

I’ve been a Phish fan since 1992. What you read is Trey’s senior thesis, “The man who stepped into yesterday.” It’s in essence a musical, from which many phish songs and lore sprang from. You def want to listen to Harry Hood. Very epic song and maybe there best!

I love hearing music lovers listen to phish for their first time. You have no idea. Between you enjoy myself, to foam, fluffhead, guyute, it's ice, petrichor, you could listen and find unimaginable beauty the rest of your life. Trey us a fountain of music like some of the greatest musical composer's ever. That's why his music translates so well to symphonies.

"They are not in a hurry..." Never a truer statement has been used to describe The Phish.

Divided Sky has been one of my absolute favorite songs since i heard it in 1992. Still gives me chills 30 years later!

A composer analyzes Phish? I’m smiling. Welcome to the our world, sir.

Reba would be a great next song to dive into-there’s a fugue in the compositional section, among other cool things. Three great versions readily available on YT: Reba 1996-08-17 | The Clifford Ball, Reba 6/19/95 - Deer Creek Amphitheater, and Phish - 6/17/12 "Reba".

This is so awesome to see someone hear them for there first time. There are so many more absolutely brilliant pieces. As a fellow musician and 30 year phish fan, welcome to our world. Go listen to you enjoy myself, my friend my friend, the horse, maze Keep these phish videos coming please. Thanks for making me smile

Doug, Gamehendge is a fictional land where Trey's senior thesis, "The Man Who Stepped into Yesterday", is set. The recording of the thesis is composed of several songs, with narrations between them telling the story. This is required listening for anyone looking to get into Phish's music. The "Gamehendge" songs are an integral part of Phish lore, and are still played at their shows. When a Gamehendge song makes an appearance, it is a special moment. Have a listen to the original recording here: kzfaq.info/get/bejne/acWqqcqbmMmUZ2g.html

These are so fun to listen to. Feels like hearing for the first time again through your ears!

Slave to the Traffic Light is an all time favorite. Masterfully composed piece of work!

It was fascinating to watch your reaction to the long pause, it is something that the band loves to do with this tune live…I think you hit it on the head when you said “They’re not in any hurry here”, lol. The beautiful thing is that they have cultivated an audience that’s not in any hurry either! The trick is to surrender to the phlow! Song suggestions: Reba, Guyute, Stash, The Lizards

You can do any phish song from any of their live concerts and you can't go wrong

"I'm enjoying mysely, which song should I do next" - Well, "You Enjoy Myself", another highly composed song. Or "Fluffhead", you'd have fun with both of those.

Reba, You Enjoy Myself and Slave to the Traffic Light would all be excellent choices. You Enjoy Myself is kind of like Phish in a 20 - 25 minute nutshell

Made me think of when I first heard Divided Sky as a teenager. This song still means so much to me 20+ years later. Glad Doug enjoyed it. This is my favorite Phish song. Would love to hear a breakdown of the other epics like Reba or You Enjoy Myself.

Phish’s simplicity is their genius. Bite-sized melodic nuggets, clever rhythmic misdirections and use of space, and a sense of humor. Choice compositions also include You Enjoy Myself, Reba, Run Like an Antelope, and Stash. Of course, from there are another 100 stunning tunes in a myriad of genres. Phish is a musical rabbit hole worth the plunge.

So nice to see you diving into Phish!!! You have to hear "You enjoy myself", "Guyute", "David Bowie", "Rift"... they have so many great songs!!! I almost forget, you have to hear "The Squirming coil"!!!!!!

I enjoyed it with you. They are a devilish group. I think you would be really tickled by Foam, David Bowie, Fluffhead. These are all incredible compositions that harken Pat Metheny, Mahvishnnu, and Monk sometimes simultaneously. This was just A+ content.

The "pause" is always a part of Divided Sky, the video from "The Clifford Ball" will confirm this, that was an all-Phish three day event at an old Air Force base in Plattsburgh, N.Y. a few years before this show. I attended ten Phish shows from 1990-95 and they played this song at most of them, always a highlight, but most songs are their own highlight. No filler at Phish shows, jamming yes, filler no. I also attended about 50 Grateful Dead shows from 1980-95, and also Gov't Mule, Allman Brothers, String Cheese Incident, Widespread Panic, Oysterhead, and many other "Jam Bands", because it's ALL SO GOOD!!! Being a musician, you'll love exploring Phish, they are all really great musicians, as you will discover. If you haven't already.

Theme From The Bottom would be fun for the next one.

Trey did a whole symphony tour, I think you’d dig some renditions of these songs he did on that tour!

Lots of great suggestions here…a more recent “composed” phish song is a song called Petrichor. Similar to divided sky with different movements. But their original compositions from Junta are my faves. YEM, Foam (this one is really interesting from a composition standpoint, lots of chromatic movement), Fluffhead, David Bowie, Harry Hood. You have a LOT of potential content here if you tap into the Phish community, btw. Good luck!

Hey Doug, big Phish fan here and have been watching a lot of your videos lately so this is a welcome surprise! I would suggest Reba (video from Clifford Ball), which is a similar song with a long composed section followed by a jam

Harry Hood from 11/30/2019 is a good one. A composed song with a bit of improv toward the end.

@Doug one thing to think about is that the guitarist composed this when in College in the 80's. This bands debut album Junta is worth a listen and especially in the context of it being essentially a college/bar band in Northern VT in the late 80's. Very impressive and holds up to this day. One of the all time best rock bands indeed.

your comment about music pieces being "companions" is beautiful and spot on!

Personally I think the studio version of “rift” is a great listen, the battle between the guitar and piano is heavenly

The way you described how jams extend time was beautiful!!!!

Two words: Harry Hood

He just said “I’m enjoying myself” which has to be a vision of things to come. Go get it, Doug! I loved watching this and seeing someone outside of Phish appreciating the musicality that these guys bring to the world.

AWESOME! Welcome to the insane and very deep rabbit hole of Phish. Interesting pick for an introduction for sure. A couple of things- the part just after the vocals is a musical palindrome, as someone else mentioned; Trey wrote it out, and then flipped it around and charted it exactly the same again but in reverse. Trey would often challenge himself to write really 'out there' stuff to bring to the guys. Or, to quote him- "I want to see how far out there I can take it and still make people dance". The 'pause' is one of his famous 'tension and release' things, which is prevalent in his writing, jamming, and solos. The pause builds tension while the crowd waits for him to play "The Note" that resolves the preceding phrase. It's become a thing now where he knows we will scream our heads off until he drops The Note and he enjoys it. A lot of people are suggesting You Enjoy Myself (YEM) or other pieces with minimal lyrics- all amazing compositions to be sure, but I'd suggest a more vocally-based song to get a different side of the band. They have a lot of straight-ahead songs, but some that combine the Phishy weirdness and intense composition with vocals are Reba (HUGE crowd favourite), The Squirming Coil (gorgeous piano outro by Page) and Guyute- an extremely dense, challenging piece that is also highly melodic and really rips. Maze is also one of my top Phish songs- very weird but a real rocker. Birds of a Feather is great and has a lot of funk. The Horse/Silent in the Morning shows a different side- very beautiful but also complex musically- something not a lot of bands seem to pull off well. Guyute might be a great one- there is a live version they shot for TV on October 20, 1998 that is incredible- very intimate setting and shows just how tight they were. Trey's concentration in the middle section is insane. And a note abut lyrics- while they have a lot of great lyrics especially in their gorgeous ballads like Waste, Fast Enough For You, Dirt, or Secret Smile, they also have a lot of weirdness for weirdness sake- abstract stuff with no meaning except to act a a 'fifth instrument' to hang melody on, or to create the playful, whimsical humor we all love. Looking forward to more!

Lots of great suggestions on this thread already. More technical, composition driven: You Enjoy Myself or Reba are great BUT… To see a great example of what the band is doing now… Ghost from 4/21/22 MSG

Hello Phriend and welcome to the Phish community. I sincerely hope you do a lot more. It’s rare to see a band where 4 member are just meant to play together and the whole is so much more than the sum of the parts. Legendary band with legendary shows. 13 consecutive gigs at MSG and not a single repeated tune.

First time I've heard this group, very nice. reminds me a lot of Camel, especially the guitarist who sounds like Andy Latimer.

Hey Doug, it's Doug here. I saw the grateful dead 235 times. After seeing phish in Vegas 2000, I can honestly say this band is far more cohesive and just as talented. Great listening to the breakdown, I'm all in and subscribed. Thanks a bunch

I saw Phish for the first tine in Keene, NH in the fall of 1989, the (handmade) tickets were $3.

How such a prolific and talented band has stayed underground for so long is baffling ...

Yesssss!! I've been wanting to have Doug respond to this composition since I stumbled across his channel. I would have been satisfied with the studio version, but live is just icing.

For beautifully orchestrated Phish songs done with strings, check out Trey's 2020 Beacon Jams residency. A month of streamed shows during the pandemic. The arrangement of Harry Hood from the sessions is gorgeous.

Yes!!!! Been hoping for you to do some Phish! Especially these grand early compositions like Divided Sky. I think you'd love Reba from 10/31/94

I must say, it was wild to see the sincere, enjoyable reaction as a first time listener from such a versed musician. Well done! Keep the phish content coming!

Best reaction to a first time Phish performance I’ve seen in awhile. I love seeing people open their eyes and ears to the Phish world. The song 2001, or Punch You In The Eye are both favorites. You would love ‘slave to the traffic light’ 💕💕 I look forward to more. Welcome to our world

Try "My Friend My Friend" from their album "Rift". It's musically highly interesting song with some morbid lyrics that only Phish could write.

I vote for “Demand” off Hoist, which also contains a really sweet section of a live performance of “Split Open and Melt”

I think of Trey's big compositions as being "Fluffhead," "Reba," "Guyute" and "Petrichor." Any of those would be an excellent choice. There's also one more that we don't talk about. It's fine.

This is the perfect first phish song for a classical music composer. Really fun to watch your initial reactions to it.

For more songs like this one 'Stash' or 'You enjoy myself' are two good choices for next. Theme from the bottom, waste, down with disease, or Julius are good choices to see their more structured songs.

WOOOO Thanks for doing this. Harry Hood and Slave to the Traffic Light would be my next suggestions as plenty others have recommended YEM. Or if you really want to go there, can't beat 10/31/94 Reba.

Reba 8/17/96 Clifford Ball. Great video capture and great tune.

"Tune it up, guys". (6:16) That made me laugh out loud. Same thing I thought every time I heard the Grateful Dead sing.

Composition wise- Guyute, maze, the lizards, Fluffhead, stash As a phan- you enjoy myself, Reba, squirming coil, slave to the traffic light, runaway jim

Tweezer from A Live One. 30 minutes of musical magic.

Great commentary! Love that you used the word “companion!” I’m a huge Beatles fan and at my second Phish show they covered the White Album but it was the 3rd set Slave to the Traffic Light that hooked me. Over 100 shows later and I can still remember that feeling. If you liked this, then Slave is a good next one for sure! Thanks for doing these. It’s like hearing the songs again for the first time!

Hey Doug! I very much appreciated your analysis of Divided Sky, particularly your calling out the various modulations, modes, and overall subtleties of the dynamic interplay between the band members. I would really like to hear your interpretation of three of the most dynamic and complex standouts in Phish's core canon, namely "Ha Ha Ha", "Ass Handed", and "Fuck Your Face". Thanks!

I love how you're taken in by the "silent jam". He's actually playing the song in his head and seeing if the crowd reacts "in the right places". And you missed what's going on with the rhythm behind everything. Theres a 1, 1-2, 1-2-3 rhythmic circle going on underneath the changes in different places. What got me into Phish was how many layers they are constantly working through in their bigger compositions. And as far as next listen You Enjoy Myself (YEM) is probably the song they've played the most. That one starts composed and comes out in a funk/rock jam. It covers all the bases as far as what the band does. Finally, thank you for getting to my guys! Have enjoyed your channel for a while and have been waiting for this. Nice work! PS/BTW Gamehenge is a music mythology/children's story that Trey created as a senior thesis at Goddard College which you can find and listen through as "The Man Who Stepped Into Yesterday." Wilson is the evil king in the story. Also, the band has on several occasions performed complete "Gamehenge" sets live which are found easily enough on the web. As you saw their singing isn't really up to spec (which, unfortunately is almost to be expected in this genre) but their composition is pretty incredible. What I feel they do best though is in the moment improvisations which, especially lately (you can identify periods of the bands progress using strictly their improvisations), have been coming off as complete works in and of themselves. I'd point to the "Chalkdust Torture" from their Baker's Dozen run of shows at MSG in 2017. As you can tell I can talk about these guys all day. Thought I was already subscribed (as a musician, I watch you a bunch) but now I am officially for sure. Keep up the great work!

Well said on the comment about extending the emotional space while attending a concert. Divided Sky is one that is composed and played the same, for the most part. You should check out Stash.

My favorite Phish songs are “Lizards” and “Guyute”. As a musician myself, I’ve been in awe of these guys for over 25 years now! Enjoy!

You get it Doug, you get it. Being there is another thing altogether

Yes! More Phish please!! Their rendition of You Enjoy Myself in Atlanta in 1993 is a great place to go next

Try Fluffhead, You Enjoy Myself or Guyute. The quotes you mentioned are part of “Gamehenge” a rock opera written by Trey as his senior thesis in college.

As a classical composer you might enjoy the Phish song, Petrichor, which is one of Treys classical compositions. I witnessed the first time they played it live and you could hear a pin drop in a stadium of 20k people. Also the MSG performance of Petrichor with Broadway dancers does not suck 😉

This is the song that made me fall in love with this band and go on to see them all over the country for the last 25 years

People's reaction to the pause in the middle is amazing. Thanks for doing this. It's excellent and your video is so well done.

If you're looking for some of their other material similar to Divided Sky, I'd go with: You Enjoy Myself, David Bowie, The Curtain With, Foam, Harry Hood or Stash (if you're REALLY adventurous, check out Fluffhead). If you want to see them at their best, make sure it's a show from 2000 or earlier (aka the 1.0 era).

For the record, the divided sky you just listened to is composed. They rarely improvise on Divided Sky. I share that because I feel like it makes this that much more impressive. This is my favorite composed song of all time.

Bro you saying "they are not in a hurry" literally as they start the pause is fucking GOLD

“They’re not in a hurry” could not have been placed in a more perfect spot in all of their catalogue.

That section where you say "Mary had a little lamb" is a musical palindrome. Written on a staff it goes forwards and backwards in a mirror image. Next, find Reba off of their Lawn Boy album, and listen to the solo section where piano and guitar go through a motif...but then repeat it a half a measure apart from one another creating contrapuntal fugue.

Since you asked... 😎 I'm torn between recommending "You Enjoy Myself," also one of their older tunes, and going with something more recent, like "Mercury." 🤷‍♀️

There are so many ways you can go with Phish. Extended jams, composed instrumental works, great vocal harmonies, beautiful ballads.

Hey Doug, thanks for getting to Phish! As a big phan of the band and your channel, I'm totally loving this. You Enjoy Myself would be my request. There are several great, well shot live versions available...fire that pipe up next time!

Fluffhead or You Enjoy Myself - that's my vote for where to go next in the Phish repertoire

You enjoy myself

I was at that OKC show…driving up from Texas to Colorado for a stellar 3 night run at Dick’s.

This was awesome. I’ve been fascinated by Phish since I first saw them at Mississippi Nights (STL) in the early 90’s. Watching a skilled composer digest Divided Sky was SO cool! You might wanna do Fluffhead next. (it’s a journey:) There are tons of worthy Phish tunes… Great vid!

listen to more Phish. Check out "Undermine", check out "Ghost", "Waves", etc. Look up their show from MSG on 4-21-22 and 4-22-22. Great all the way through. Start there! So glad to hear your knowledgeable and thoughtful perspective!

First impressions listening to Phish. Cool jamming! Also, quite a bit of Grateful Dead meets Frank Zappa...

been subbed for a while and waiting for some phish, the day has finally come! Glad you enjoyed it! "Punch You In the Eye" is another great one, the 12/31/95 version is a great!

One of my favorite songs from my favorite band. This song gets down right other worldly when you're there live

The weird part right after the vocal break is a musical palindrome.

I would highly suggest Fluffhead, Reba, You Enjoy Myself, or It’s Ice.

Hey Doug! Just wanted to mention that you should give the video for the 10/31/94 Glens Falls Divided Sky a spin! It’s one of the only VHS shot things I watch. It is just peak after peak and shows the band in a different phase of their career and it is a jaw dropper.

There's a great thing in the song Reba where the piano and guitar play a composed section, then repeat it with it one trailing a half beat behind the other (it gets very chaotic), and typically ends in a great 2 chord vamp that has turned into some of my favorite jams. The version from At the Roxy is a gem.