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Showing all posts tagged #top-25:

Top 25 Jams of 2012

Posted on November 13th, 2016

This is the next installment in my Top 25 PJJ tracks series for a year, which you can stream every track directly from Phish Just Jams. As with the previous installments, this is meant to be a list focused solely on the Phish Just Jams tracks from the year in question.

This is my version of the list for 2012. I'm not suggesting that it is the definitive list and there are a few choices that I could swap out with others depending on the day. I'm not ranking these 1 to 25 but just presenting the list as a whole because really what difference does it make which jam I think is 11th or 8th or 23rd or so on. The purpose of this list is just to provide a Phish Just Jams playlist of the best jams from the year. The list will be presented chronologically and can then be parsed and dissected from there. The list will also link to the full version of each song from the terrific resource that is www.phish.in for those want to take in the whole song instead.

As far as I'm concerned, 2012 is the year in 3.0 that Phish was fully back and delivering quality shows from the start of summer through the end of the New Years run in MSG. The first three years of 3.0 had delivered some high points but had yet to really establish some consistency. That all changed in 2012. They started strong at the start of tour but really hit their stride when they hit the Rust Belt run. And by the second leg of the summer they were dropping jams left and right. A number of the jams from the second leg stand up to the best from any era, such as Dick's Light, Long Beach Rock n Roll, and the BGCA Crosseyed>Light>Sally for starters.

This playlist clocks in just under 5 hours and can be downloaded here

6-16 AC Light > Manteca > Light

Top 20 Jams of 2010

Posted on November 12th, 2016

This is the next installment in my Top 25 PJJ tracks series for a year, which you can stream every track directly from Phish Just Jams. As with the previous installments, this is meant to be a list focused solely on the Phish Just Jams tracks from the year in question.

This is my version of the list for 2010. I'm not suggesting that it is the definitive list and there are a few choices that I could swap out with others depending on the day. I'm not ranking these 1 to 25 but just presenting the list as a whole because really what difference does it make which jam I think is 11th or 8th or 23rd or so on. The purpose of this list is just to provide a Phish Just Jams playlist of the best jams from the year. The list will be presented chronologically and can then be parsed and dissected from there. The list will also link to the full version of each song from the terrific resource that is www.phish.in for those want to take in the whole song instead.

Since there are only a total of 63 jam tracks for 2010 I've decided to limit this year's list to the Top 20 tracks. That works out well since while there are some killer jams that are worthy of spinning, regardless of era, the year didn't deliver the kinds of jams consistently that can help fill out a list such as this. Now that being said, this playlist should not be overlooked.

This playlist tops out at 4 hours long and can be downloaded directly here.

Top 40 Jams of 1999

Posted on May 22nd, 2016

This is the next installment in my Top 25 PJJ tracks series for a year, which you can stream every track directly from Phish Just Jams. As with the previous installments, this is meant to be a list focused solely on the Phish Just Jams tracks from the year in question.

This is my version of the list for 1999. I'm not suggesting that it is the definitive list and there are a few choices that I could swap out with others depending on the day. I'm not ranking these 1 to 25 but just presenting the list as a whole because really what difference does it make which jam I think is 11th or 8th or 23rd or so on. The purpose of this list is just to provide a Phish Just Jams playlist of the best jams from the year. The list will be presented chronologically and can then be parsed and dissected from there. The list will also link to the full version of each song from the terrific resource that is www.phish.in for those want to take in the whole song instead.

I'm doing things a little differently for 1999, however. First things first, after some deliberation and consultation I'm not including Big Cypress in this list. It is such a unique event that it isn't fair to compare regular shows to for list purposes. Plus including Cypress would take up about 5 spots on the list. So no Cypress, and I've decided to change the format a little to handle a year with as many quality jams as 1999. This will be presented as a Top 20 for both Summer and Fall tour (composed of all of the Sept and Oct shows as well as the December run up to Cypress). The separate Summer and Fall lists is something that would have to happen for 1995 and 1997 anyway so this list becomes a Top 40.

1999 is truly an epic year that is littered with highlights from the beginning of Summer Tour right up to the final run to Cypress. The summer started with a continuance of the loops and ambient sounds that defined 1998, only taken another step up. The introduction of the tunes from The Siket Disc, like What's the Use? and My Left Toe, added a new element to jamming repertoire and helped craft the sound of 1999. Once the Fall Tour started they really started to develop and expand upon the millennial sound. It is really something special to hear a sound or theme develop over the course of a tour and in 1999 is a great example of this development happening before your ears.

The Summer mix is just under 5 and a half hours while the Fall mix clocks in at 5 and a quarter hours. All told this mix has just under 11 hours of 1999 Phish improv!














Top 25 Jams of 1996

Posted on May 9th, 2016

This is the next installment in my Top 25 PJJ tracks series for a year, which you can stream every track directly from Phish Just Jams. As with the previous installments, this is meant to be a list focused solely on the Phish Just Jams tracks from the year in question. I plan on going back and doing more of these lists because I find it pretty enjoyable to go back and visit a year at a time and see what kinds of themes and styles recur over the course of the year.

This is my version of the list for 1996. I'm not suggesting that it is the definitive list and there are a few choices that I could swap out with others depending on the day. I'm not ranking these 1 to 25 but just presenting the list as a whole because really what difference does it make which jam I think is 11th or 8th or 23rd or so on. The purpose of this list is just to provide a Phish Just Jams playlist of the best jams from the year. The list will be presented chronologically and can then be parsed and dissected from there. The list will also link to the full version of each song from the terrific resource that is www.phish.in for those want to take in the whole song instead.

1996 is a year that often gets overlooked due to the majesty of both 1995 and 1997 (you can throw in 1998 too) and while it may not always reach the heights of those other years it has some excellent jams that are not to be missed. From the start of Summer tour in Utah to the close of summer with Phish's first festival, The Clifford Ball, this tour delivered a number of great jams. And the Fall tour, being recapped so well over by our friend at Lost in My Reflection, does not let up in the number of true gems dropped. 1996 was year in which Mike's and Simple really shined throughout (though Simple tended to stand out more during the Fall) and saw the introduction of a new funk and groove jamming style post-Halloween (though it's true debut came in the 10-29 Mike's, included in this list) that would fully develop in 1997.

This playlist clocks in a little under 6 hours and can be downloaded here







Top 25 Jams of 2009

Posted on May 8th, 2016

This is the next installment in my Top 25 PJJ tracks series for a year, following the 2015 playlist I put together a few months ago. As with the previous installment, this is meant to be a list focused solely on the Phish Just Jams tracks from the year in question. I plan on going back and doing more of these lists because I find it pretty enjoyable to go back and visit a year at a time and see what kinds of themes and styles recur over the course of the year.

This is my version of the list for 2009. I'm not suggesting that it is the definitive list and there are a few choices that I could swap out with others depending on the day. I'm not ranking these 1 to 25 but just presenting the list as a whole because really what difference does it make which jam I think is 11th or 8th or 23rd or so on. The purpose of this list is just to provide a Phish Just Jams playlist of the best jams from the year. The list will be presented chronologically and can then be parsed and dissected from there. The list will also link to the full version of each song from the terrific resource that is www.phish.in for those want to take in the whole song instead.

2009 was the return from the abyss of the post-Coventry years. It was great to have the boys back again and the 50 shows they played in 2009 hopefully gave people a chance to catch them back in action. 2009 doesn't get the attention that other 3.0 years get in relation to the quality of the jams produced and while that is justified, there is a surprisingly decent amount of jamming in the first year back. The jams aren't as varied as the band was getting their sea legs back, as it were, and certainly not as consistent throughout a set, show, run of shows or tour but on listening back I was surprised to see how many good jams I was returning to. By no means can 2009 compare to other years of 3.0 like 2012, 2015, 2013 etc. but there are some quality jams that often go overlooked.

This playlist clocks in a little under 6 hours and can be downloaded here.


Top 25 Jams of 2015 Phish

Posted on November 19th, 2015

As the anticipation builds to see what Phish does to cap off what has been the best year of 3.0, it seems like a perfect time to reflect back and examine the jams of 2015, make the art fight, and come up with a list of the best that the year has had to offer. It's what every good Phish geek does, is it not?

This is my version of that list. I'm not suggesting that it is the definitive list and there are a few choices that I could swap out with others depending on the day. I'm not ranking these 1 to 25 but just presenting the list as a whole because really what difference does it make which jam I think is 11th or 8th or 23rd or so on. The purpose of this list is just to provide a Phish Just Jams playlist of the best jams from the year. The list will be presented chronologically and can then be parsed and dissected from there. The list will also link to the full version of each song from the terrific resource that is www.phish.in for those want to take in the whole song instead.

You can download the Phish Just Jams Top 25 of 2015 here. The Just Jams playlist clocks in at just under 7 hours so it should have plenty to keep you occupied.




Chris Vernarsky