Ventura (Phish album)

Ventura is a live album by the rock band Phish. It contains two complete concerts on six CDs. It was recorded on July 30, 1997, and July 20, 1998, at the Ventura County Fairgrounds in Ventura, California. Packaged as a box set, it was released by JEMP Records on June 18, 2013.[1][2][3][4]

Ventura
Live album by Phish
Released	June 18, 2013
Recorded	July 30, 1997 July 20, 1998
Genre	Rock
Label	JEMP
Producer	Phish
Phish chronology
Chicago '94 (2012) Ventura (2013) Niagara Falls (2013)

Critical reception

Professional ratings

Review scores
Source	Rating
Allmusic	[1]

On Allmusic, Stephen Thomas Erlewine said, ". . . both [concerts] arrived during the two-year gap separating 1996's Billy Breathes and 1998's The Story of the Ghost — two years where the band's popularity was on the rise and it certainly seemed like a crossover was perhaps within their sites [sic]. That crossover never happened and these two shows indicate the band never seriously thought about moving into the mainstream, preferring to ride a sweet, hazy, sun-soaked vibe that fits Southern California in the late summer. A few covers surface . . . and soundcheck jams round out the third disc of each show, but the appeal of Ventura is, as always, how Phish tackle their core catalog . . ."[1]

On All About Jazz, Doug Collette wrote, "The relative comfort level [of a particular venue] can inspire or relax a bit too much, and both dynamics are on display over the course of these six compact discs.... Though not all the music is as vivid as the evocative wrap-round inside and outside graphics, the most memorable moments are nevertheless compelling. . . . During set two of '97, as the band wends its way into "Free", drummer Jon Fishman hits harder, bassist Mike Gordon holds back to hit only bedrock notes, guitarist Trey Anastasio redefines shredding, and all the while keyboardist Page McConnell frames the increasingly subtle four-way dynamics. A circular segue through "David Bowie" and Talking Heads' "Cities" is a singularity the like of which distinguishes Phish to this day: four virtually equally skilled players simultaneously inspiring each other to increasingly intense heights of improvisation."[5]

Track listing

Disc one

July 30, 1997 – first set:

1. "NICU" (Anastasio, Marshall) – 6:06
2. "Wolfman's Brother" (Anastasio, Fishman, Gordon, Marshall, McConnell) – 11:59
3. "Chalk Dust Torture" (Anastasio, Marshall) – 11:07
4. "Water in the Sky" (Anastasio, Marshall) – 4:11
5. "Stash" (Anastasio, Marshall) – 15:23
6. "Weigh" (Gordon) – 5:08
7. "Piper" (Anastasio, Marshall) – 5:06
8. "Cars Trucks Buses" (McConnell) – 4:49
9. "Character Zero" (Anastasio, Marshall) – 9:20

Disc two

July 30, 1997 – second set:

1. "Punch You in the Eye" (Anastasio) – 8:56
2. "Free" (Anastasio, Marshall) – 11:16
3. "David Bowie" (Anastasio) – 21:29
4. "Cities" (Byrne) – 5:29
5. "David Bowie" (Anastasio) – 6:08

Disc three

July 30, 1997 – second set, continued:

1. "Bouncing Around the Room" (Anastasio, Marshall) – 3:54
2. "Uncle Pen" (Monroe) – 4:14
3. "Prince Caspian" (Anastasio, Marshall) – 8:55
4. "Fire" (Hendrix) – 6:51

July 30, 1997 – encore:

5. "My Soul" (Chenier) – 6:02

July 30, 1997 – sound check:

6. "Ventura '97 Soundcheck Jam" (Anastasio, Fishman, Gordon, McConnell) – 9:18

Disc four

July 20, 1998 – first set:

1. "Bathtub Gin" (Anastasio) – 21:55
2. "Dirt" (Anastasio, Marshall) – 4:02
3. "Poor Heart" (Gordon) – 3:51
4. "Lawn Boy" (Anastasio, Marshall) – 3:04
5. "My Sweet One" (Fishman) – 3:05
6. "Birds of a Feather" (Anastasio, Fishman, Gordon, Marshall, McConnell) – 6:19
7. "Theme from the Bottom" (Anastasio, Fishman, Gordon, Marshall, McConnell) – 9:29
8. "Water in the Sky" (Anastasio, Marshall) – 2:47
9. "The Moma Dance" (Anastasio, Fishman, Gordon, Marshall, McConnell) – 9:56
10. "Split Open and Melt" (Anastasio) – 14:00

Disc five

July 20, 1998 – second set:

1. "Drowned" (Townshend) – 14:52
2. "Makisupa Policeman" (Anastasio, Marshall) – 8:08
3. "Maze" (Anastasio, Marshall) – 12:10
4. "Sea and Sand" (Townshend) – 3:10
5. "Prince Caspian" (Anastasio, Marshall) – 12:11
6. "Harry Hood" (Anastasio, Fishman, Gordon, Long, McConnell) – 15:31

Disc six

July 20, 1998 – encore:

1. "Sexual Healing" (Gaye) – 7:48
2. "Hold Your Head Up" (Argent, White) – 1:41
3. "Halley's Comet" (Wright) – 10:58

July 20, 1998 – sound check:

4. "Ventura '98 Soundcheck Jam" (Anastasio, Fishman, Gordon, McConnell) – 13:38

Personnel

Phish

• Trey Anastasio – guitar, lead vocals (all tracks except where noted), drums on "Sexual Healing" and "Hold Your Head Up"
• Page McConnell – keyboards, backing vocals, lead vocals on "Lawn Boy" and "Sea and Sand"
• Mike Gordon – bass, backing vocals, lead vocals on "Weigh", "Uncle Pen", "Poor Heart" and "Drowned"
• Jon Fishman – drums, backing vocals, lead vocals on "The Moma Dance" and "Sexual Healing"

Production

• Produced by Phish
• Engineering: Paul Languedoc
• Mixing: Jon Altschiller
• Mastering: Fred Kevorkian
• Post production: Kevin Shapiro
• Art direction: Julia Mordaunt

References

1. Erlewine, Stephen Thomas. Ventura at Allmusic. Retrieved July 16, 2013.
2. Bernstein, Scott (May 8, 2013). "Phish: Ventura Box Set Details Announced", Glide magazine. Retrieved June 15, 2012.
3. "Phish to Release Ventura Box Set", Jambands.com. Retrieved June 15, 2013.
4. "Phish Share Ventura 'Character Zero'", Relix. Retrieved June 15, 2013.
5. Collette, Doug (June 30, 2013). Ventura, All About Jazz. Retrieved August 18, 2013.