I’ll admit that I have a hard time finding anything Trey Anastasio does
to be bad. He is the consummate guitarist and musician. In my opinion,
his name belongs with the likes of Eric Clapton, Jimmy Page, Jeff Beck,
Carlos Santana and Frank Zappa. His guitar playing is only matched by
his compositional skills and he has one of the most outstanding minds
in music today. Anastasio’s need to release a solo album was brought to
the forefront while Phish was recording their Farmhouse album. Most of
the songs on that CD were Anastasio compositions, but there was also
co-writing credits that included members of his side project.
By my recollection, it was from this place, as well as Anastasio’s
strong desire to give his side project a chance to flourish, where the
initial thought of a hiatus came from. I still had my concerns, though,
when it came to this album. Phish was always the vehicle for which
Anastasio wrote and Phish were widely known as one of the great live
bands of the 1990s. So what would be different?
Well,
for one thing, the songs on Trey Anastasio are more structured than
they were for Phish, almost like a Phish Lite. I don’t mean that as a
slam, just an observation. While listening to this DVD-A, I was
reminded of why I liked this album so much to begin with. You can hear
Anastasio’s affinity for Frank Zappa’s compositional skills
(Waka/Jawaka, Grand Wazoo and Roxy & Elsewhere era), just a little
more groove-oriented. All the musicians on this release are world class
and so are the compositions. So how does it translate to a
multi-channel mix? Very well, I must say. This is the type of music
that flourishes with multi-channel considerations.
Most of the mix takes place in the front two speakers, with the center
channel being the focal point for whatever instrument is being
highlighted at a given time. The surround speakers are mostly used for
the cymbal washes and ambient mic placement. I didn’t find there to be
any significant plus to the DVD-A over the standard CD in terms of any
real quadraphonic foreplay; the real advantage is you feel like you’re
in the studio with the musicians. Anastasio’s guitar takes up much of
the center channel, as does his voice when present, but I really liked
hearing his guitar or the occasional trombone through the center
channel. Since the album has a real jazzy feel to it, the multi-channel
mix invites you into the room and lets you hear all the nuances that
you may have missed on the 16-bit CD mix. “Flock of Words,” “Ray Dawn
Balloon” and “Ether Sunday” really open up in this mix. These are the
most intimate songs of the album, quiet by nature, but really spacious
in this mix. The highlights of the album to me are “Flock of Words,”
“Money, Love and Change” and “Last Tube.”
“Flock of Words” has to be one of the most beautiful pieces of music
that Anastasio has ever written. The flute solo at the end of the song
makes this song just about perfect. “Money, Love and Change” has this
gritty/funky quality to it; you can tell that the band is about to take
off into the stratosphere with Anastasio’s wah working overtime. It was
like Sly Stone invaded Anastasio’s body for that number. My personal
favorite of the album is the almost 11.5-minute workout of “Last Tube.”
The interplay of all the musicians on this piece is amazing and the jam
in the middle is something to behold. These are top-rate musicians
playing their hearts out and you can tell that they are having fun as
well! The biggest difference between the DVD-A release and the CD is
how well the horns come across. That is where I’m getting the biggest
Zappa influence from Anastasio, his use of the horns. This DVD-A
highlight’s the horn section and really give them a chance to breathe.
The overall feel of the mix is intimate. By “intimate,” I mean it
really does sound like you’re listening to a live band in front of you.
Drums pretty much staying in place, while the other instruments have a
chance to move about the stereo spectrum, but not the surround
spectrum. Big difference, at least to my ears.
Given the news of the last couple of months out of the Phish camp, I’m
optimistic and looking forward to hearing what each one of the members
will be up too. With this release, Anastasio has raised the bar, both
musically and sonically. The album Trey Anastasio is musically
accessible, but still complex enough for all you prog/fusion fans out
there. It is melodically interesting, but not so obscure that it will
drive away the faint of heart. This is highly recommended for fans of
classy/jazzy rock ensembles. If you’re into Chicago or Steely Dan, you
need to get this disc. Overall, I was really impressed with how warm
this mix sounded and just how relaxing yet interesting it is, all at
the same time. It makes me feel good to review music like this... maybe
there is hope after all.
Peace!
Like this article? Bookmark and share with any of the sites below.
I’ll admit that I have a hard time finding anything Trey Anastasio does
to be bad. He is the consummate guitarist and musician. In my opinion,
his name belongs with the likes of Eric Clapton, Jimmy Page, Jeff Beck,
Carlos Santana and Frank Zappa. His guitar playing is only matched by
his compositional skills and he has one of the most outstanding minds
in music today. Anastasio’s need to release a solo album was brought to
the forefront while Phish was recording their Farmhouse album. Most of
the songs on that CD were Anastasio compositions, but there was also
co-writing credits that included members of his side project.
