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Phish — First Tube
Album: Farmhouse
Avg rating:
6.6

Your rating:
Total ratings: 3033









Released: 2000
Length: 6:45
Plays (last 30 days): 3
(Instrumental)
Comments (226)add comment
The best thing about Phish is that they are AMAZING musicians! Instrumental Phish might be my favorite Phish. This rips!!!
woah, sounds just like an ambulance for a bit there
wow. this some lively shit. and I mean that seriously. yawn... where do i pitch my tent? is this the band? they suck... g'night
All I'm hearing from youuuu.... Is white noise
 unclehud wrote:

Only the second time I've heard this, and it's WILD.  The syncopation and irregular meters make this very difficult to play.  Honestly, I cannot see how the band can play this song well on stage, except through experience -- you know, memorization through rote repetitioI



I'm not an expert but all I here is a simple syncopation
 eileenomurphy wrote:

I have heard about them for a long time, but I have never heard them before this! GREAT TUNE! Thanx RP! ...PS: I have heard a lot of comments, comparing them to the Dead. These guys blow away the Dead with their musical skills! I saw the Dead 3 times in the 70s including Watkins Glenn w/ the Allmann Bros & The Band!



yes it is a great groove of a tune, I agree. But to say they are better musicians then those in the Grateful Dead, you said you saw them 3 times in the '70's, is a stretch.  I get it, you are just expressing your opinion. Trey is a damn good guitarist but to say better than Jerry Garcia is a bit exaggerated, again your opinion. Trey played with the Dead in 2015 "Fare the Well" tour for a few months and I seriously doubt he would put himself up there with Jerry.  Again, that is your opinion and I just felt I should give mine. Phish is a good band, like Wide Spread Panic (Who I appreciate more), but blow away the GD?  
Only the second time I've heard this, and it's WILD.  The syncopation and irregular meters make this very difficult to play.  Honestly, I cannot see how the band can play this song well on stage, except through experience -- you know, memorization through rote repetition.
 sjccroquet wrote:


Imprecise and sloppy? Seriously? Read the article article that user snimetz linked to above.

If you still think that this is imprecise, then I am guessing you think that π ought to equal exactly 3.14.

MY OPERATIVE WORDS, WISE GUY ENGLISH GRAMMARIAN: I wrote "Sounds like" kind of lazy.  I didn't say it was.  Is that precise enough? Yes, seriously.  Unless I should guess you think that every written word should have the simple, straightforward clarity of Hemingway. Throw you pi elsewhere.  
I happen to like this tune a lot.  Great energy. 

Posted 1 year ago by sjccroquet:kingart wrote:
Sounds like kind of lazy musicianship. Imprecise guitar and sloppy hook. Still, the whole track has a good energy. One might have -- many have had, no doubt -- a great time with this in concert.

Imprecise and sloppy? Seriously? Read the article article that user snimetz linked to above.

If you still think that this is imprecise, then I am guessing you think that π ought to equal exactly 3.14.
Discovered Phish through Ben&Jerry's 'Phish Food'
Need to rediscover 
Good Music, no tricks, just a well-played tune.
Outstanding.  If you think not, maybe you need to hear it through from start to finish.  Positively shimmers.
 Tippster wrote:

Meh.  Always thought it needs more vacuum cleaner.

https://www.dailymail.co.uk/ne... - obviously shares Tippster's tastes!

 timmus wrote:
If you see a faded sign at the side of the road that says
Fifteen miles to the, love shack
 
Oh wait it's not that song.


Far from it - very far.
Top Gear anyone?
If you see a faded sign at the side of the road that says    
Fifteen miles to the, love shack
 
Oh wait it's not that song.
Tickles some part of my brain that most rhythms don't, I like it.
EXCELLENT!! Phish is hit or miss for me. This tune is a HIT! Thanx RP!
EXCELLENT!!!
I have heard about them for a long time, but I have never heard them before this! GREAT TUNE! Thanx RP! ...PS: I have heard a lot of comments, comparing them to the Dead. These guys blow away the Dead with their musical skills! I saw the Dead 3 times in the 70s including Watkins Glenn w/ the Allmann Bros & The Band!
 Tippster wrote:

Meh.  Always thought it needs more vacuum cleaner.



Sounds like somebody heard a late-night talk show monologue joke about Phish... and not much else.
Huh.  I was enjoying this song, not that I'd give it a 10, but I liked it enough to click back to RP to see who it was.  
I have been programmed to reflexively hate Phish even though I did see them at 23 East Cabaret outside of Philly in the early 90s.
That was a kickin' club btw.
I kinda dig it.  Thanks RP.
such a cool groove - I love the way the two timing lines run around each other!  Makes me smile and stop what I´m doing every time I hear it.  Such good memories...    
A little Phishy for me
Last night Trey played this at SPAC. I heard he renamed it Tony Tube after his bass player the late great Tony Markalis.  I knew Tony. He was a wonderful man and a great musician.
What a groove     
 Tippster wrote:

Meh.  Always thought it needs more vacuum cleaner.


Here's one banger with plenty of that
 rlr511 wrote:

always and forever , in my top 3 bands of ALL TIME.  If you struggle to like them, then you're not that into music.  Try listening and appreciating jazz then come back to these guys.  If you can't do that, then go back to the top 40s



If you are discarding the Top 40s as part of the diversity of music, you're not that into music. Try to be more open minded, then come back. If you can't do that, accept to receive answers like this.

The more I grow as a (very much amateur) musician, the more I appreciate these guys.  I think in some ways you have to be a music nerd to appreciate what they do.  I used to find Trey's solos to be a bit meandering (and honestly, some of them I still do), but a bit of music theory under my belt has helped me appreciate them more.  That's more a comment about their live shows, BTW.
 rlr511 wrote:

always and forever , in my top 3 bands of ALL TIME.  If you struggle to like them, then you're not that into music.  Try listening and appreciating jazz then come back to these guys.  If you can't do that, then go back to the top 40s



gatekeeping much?
always and forever , in my top 3 bands of ALL TIME.  If you struggle to like them, then you're not that into music.  Try listening and appreciating jazz then come back to these guys.  If you can't do that, then go back to the top 40s
Trey is an absolute musical genius and I have spent 2/3 of my life listening to practically everything he does.  I do not, by any means, only listen to phish or related genres either, I constantly challenge myself to discover new and differing music as I'd like to think many dedicated RP listeners do.    However Phish reigns supreme!  History will treat Phish kindly, mark my words....
 nelamvr6 wrote:
Phish is without a doubt the most boring, unimaginative jam band out there. There are so many good jam bands I would much rather hear.
 
If they are even better: 
Which ones do you prefer?
Would love to listen to other bands with this kind of energy!
 kingart wrote:
Sounds like kind of lazy musicianship. Imprecise guitar and sloppy hook.  Still, the whole track has a good energy. One might have -- many have had, no doubt -- a great time with this in concert. 
 

Imprecise and sloppy? Seriously? Read the article article that user snimetz linked to above.

If you still think that this is imprecise, then I am guessing you think that π ought to equal exactly 3.14.
Tasty Phish!
It only took me 15 years, but I'm starting to really like this "up and coming" band.  
Any band that makes me immediately stop what I'm doing to find out who it is gets attention.  Wouldn't have guessed it was Phish, so a strong 7 it is!
Initially thought this might be Ozric Tentacles.
Phish is without a doubt the most boring, unimaginative jam band out there. There are so many good jam bands I would much rather hear.
 NelsonBlack wrote:
I regret to say that I think Phish is a little overrated...
 

Right behind you, although I'd get rid  of "a little." But this rocks even though the guitar riff repeats too much.

The guitar at the end is pretty impressive. Someone said here that this reminded them of The Allman Brothers and I'd agree if you're talking about the end of the song...
Very remniscent of the Allman Brothers.   Perfect.
 Jelani wrote:
There's a lot of bitching about this tune here, but I do think that if the piano was a bit higher up in the mix, the bitching would calm down. It does start to sound a bit muddy towards the end.
 
Nah, it's the woo woo woo woo woo woo woo woo keyboard that is in every g-damn Phish song from a certain point on. But hey, if you don't like it, just take more Molly and crack a few more lightsticks. You'll come around, or pass out. Either way you'll enjoy it more.
When this comes on, I keep thinking it's Ozric Tentacles...
Thanks for sharing in the groove. 
 1jerry wrote:


Very complicated rhythms.  Disappointed the link from only 4 months ago is broken.  :(
 
Hey Jerry - i noticed the site went offline, Here's the way back machine link


https://web.archive.org/web/20160306022226/http://www.magpu.com/cliff/first_tube.html


 Proclivities wrote:

I'm not sure why whether or not they've ever surfed is relevant, but much of the guitar work in this song sounds like a very sloppily-played scale exercise.  The rest of the production is pretty crunchy though.  Overall, it's not very appealing to me - to each his own.
 
That's the genius of it. Nothing sloppy: 


https://web.archive.org/web/20160306022226/http://www.magpu.com/cliff/first_tube.html


 Dave_Mack wrote:

That's as may be, but it makes me very uncomfortable listening to it.
 

That's fair - and that's why i love RP - every now and then there's a song (esp Joni) that i have a visceral reaction to. Thanks for >| or PSD!
 kingart wrote:


... What else do I need to say?
 
Nothing Kingart - all good!
There's a lot of bitching about this tune here, but I do think that if the piano was a bit higher up in the mix, the bitching would calm down. It does start to sound a bit muddy towards the end.
 kingart wrote:
Sounds like kind of lazy musicianship. Imprecise guitar and sloppy hook. 
 
Not.
 jacopo777 wrote:
When they wrote this tune the conversation went like this...

"Dude listen to this lick.  We could make a song out of this."

"Uh, I guess."
 
Such a conversation likely spawned hundreds (if not thousands) of songs.
 sniemetz wrote:
Love this groove.

Anyone thinking this is sloppiness or imprecision (looking at you @kingart) - take a moment to read this. 

http://www.magpu.com/cliff/first_tube.html

I've played a little guitar when young and thought I had a fairly solid sense of rhythm. What Trey is doing here is a genius ear-bender... 
 

You could be right.  I've reassessed.  However, I never said I didn't like it.  I've rated it at a 7 -- I can bump it to an 8 -- and I've never psd'd it.  It cooks.  It's a wonderful fun jam.  What else do I need to say?
 sniemetz wrote:
Love this groove.

Anyone thinking this is sloppiness or imprecision (looking at you @kingart) - take a moment to read this. 

http://www.magpu.com/cliff/first_tube.html

I've played a little guitar when young and thought I had a fairly solid sense of rhythm. What Trey is doing here is a genius ear-bender... 
 
That's as may be, but it makes me very uncomfortable listening to it.
I regret to say that I think Phish is a little overrated...
Nice trippy groove to this - has me bopping around the studio. Lack of usual Phish nasal vocals a huge plus for me.
I'm thinking they've been inspired by Fripp and Eno.
 sniemetz wrote:
Love this groove.

Anyone thinking this is sloppiness or imprecision (looking at you @kingart) - take a moment to read this. 

http://www.magpu.com/cliff/first_tube.html

I've played a little guitar when young and thought I had a fairly solid sense of rhythm. What Trey is doing here is a genius ear-bender... 
 

Very complicated rhythms.  Disappointed the link from only 4 months ago is broken.  :(
 adavey wrote:
This may be the worst thing ever played on RP.
 

Oh, come on.  I've heard many tracks of lesser energy and musicianship, even by bands/brands of higher renown. Anyway, comments like this are pointless. 
The album is titled Farmhouse, but the album cover is the door of an outhouse.  I like the groove.  
When will the music start?
The initial hook/groove is good, but its repetition and the cacophony laid atop,  go on way too long for prolonged enjoyment.
This may be the worst thing ever played on RP.
Updated (URL wasn't working - added link to web.archive cache)

Love this groove.

Anyone thinking this is sloppiness or imprecision (looking at you @kingart) - take a moment to read this. 

http://www.magpu.com/cliff/first_tube.html

https://web.archive.org/web/20160306022226/http://www.magpu.com/cliff/first_tube.html

I've played a little guitar when young and thought I had a fairly solid sense of rhythm. What Trey is doing here is a genius ear-bender... 
When they wrote this tune the conversation went like this...

"Dude listen to this lick.  We could make a song out of this."

"Uh, I guess."
 kingart wrote:
Sounds like kind of lazy musicianship. Imprecise guitar and sloppy hook.  Still, the whole track has a good energy. One might have -- many have had, no doubt -- a great time with this in concert. 
 


And you can tell this how?
Sounds like kind of lazy musicianship. Imprecise guitar and sloppy hook.  Still, the whole track has a good energy. One might have -- many have had, no doubt -- a great time with this in concert. 
I thought it was the Allman Bros.

Not a bad thing, quite likeable...
 scraig wrote:
This is crap at its best. Apparently they're from the East Coast and have never surfed because this is slop.
 
I'm not sure why whether or not they've ever surfed is relevant, but much of the guitar work in this song sounds like a very sloppily-played scale exercise.  The rest of the production is pretty crunchy though.  Overall, it's not very appealing to me - to each his own.
repeat repeat repeat
I just have to say that i really appreciate hearing Phish here.  It all started for me in the early 1990's when Phish bumper stickers started to become a common sight in Grateful Dead concert parking lots.  After seeing them open up for Santana in 1992, I was hooked for life, leading up to the once in a millennium fun, madness and mayhem of Y2K @ BIG CYPRUS.
As for this song, it has a groove going that is unstoppable.  Simple guitar riffs maybe, but masterful execution and a groove that was nominated for an Emmy. 
From Phish.net:
 “First Tube” garnered Phish their first Grammy nomination in the category "Best Rock Instrumental Performance," losing out to Metallica, Michael Kamen and the San Francisco Symphony’s "The Call of Ktulu."
I can listen to so many works that may have deceptively "simple" instrumentation, yet recognize their inherent brilliance.  It does not mean that I have to "like" the song.  What I really like about "First Tube" is the way that the guitar seems to be a bit off time or off balance from the rhythm.  I'm not enough of a musician to know exactly what is going on there, as I suspect is the case with many who came here to criticize this masterful piece by the best adult contemporary jam band on the planet.  Proof: see any Phish Halloween "musical costume".


Thank you for playing Phish.  Play more!
 daddiowen wrote:
Redundant, stoned, elementary riffs from the lead guitar.  Awesomely bad.

 
Well, maybe, but I can't help but wonder how the GD played stoned fubar'd, out of key, jamming like they were in search of lost chords, singing like wet cats -- and had a vast following, but this song Phish kind of revs it up and they called out. 
To the owner of a blue Honda Civic, your alarm is going off.
It's just a 10 second loop being played over and over for an eternity... to damn Phishy for me. And I usually like his stuff.
It has some vibrancy, but it's less than the sum and some of its parts. 
Meh.  Always thought it needs more vacuum cleaner.
What a waste of electrons.
Redundant, stoned, elementary riffs from the lead guitar.  Awesomely bad.
This is good for the Monday morning after Turkey day weekend. 

Shake it up, forget about eating way too much food.  
Nice. I always welcome a little insertion of Phish into the RP playlist!
I love Phish's studio stuff and have for years but I will say that this song does very little for me. The first half of this album is really good, the second half not so much. Stuff like this is great live but not the best Phish selection for RP.

Still, nice to hear some Phish, Bill!
Great song for a workout playlist.  Not that there's any overlap between gym rats and Phish fans.  Except me.
wow
Tasty sashimi!
MiketheKnife wrote:
OK- I get it. You can play your guitar really well. Knock it off already. Not everybody is high.
That's your problem.
theirishtickler wrote:
anybody catch the trey symphony show at b-roo (2004?) this was a great way to end it.... fireworks and what not.... ohhhhh memory lane
Oh I was there!! Quite memorable I might add. It was a long weekend of over-indulgence and blazing heat and I couldn't think of a better finale than Trey's. Other highlights of the weekend were Ween and Primus (who's shows overlapped---Grrrr!!) The Dead, Umphrey's Mcgee and Vida Blue (more overlap :-{ ), String Cheese (awesome early afternoon show that we enjoyed with paper on the tongues and Bombay Saphire in our lemon Ice slushies - felt great to be alive!) I actually enjoyed the DMB show much more than I thought I would - but that might have been the psilocybin ;) --- just a huge show and the entire crowd of about 90000 was lovin' it! I really felt the whole hive-mind thing was in affect. We sold a lot of homebrew too! (Bonabroo pale ale- best beer in the lot) Great memories! *sigh*
First "tube"? As in bong? Phish?! No way. ... someone thought this was about surfing?
anybody catch the trey symphony show at b-roo (2004?) this was a great way to end it.... fireworks and what not.... ohhhhh memory lane
This sounds amazingly crisp at a very high volume...and I like the absence of vocals on this one.
Playing this song or driving while high on heroin. Damn, these guys suck anyway you look at it.
I love hearing this!
This is also on one of the ACL Festival DVDs (but with Trey solo).
I tend to agree, I'm not that into Phish but I have enjoyed Trey's solo efforts. parrothead wrote:
Good point, Trey is not a technically diverse type of player, he is (IMO) stait to the point with not too much over playing, which can ruin other wise good tunes. I like him...I'm into his solo stuff...Give Shine on a listen!!!
Allenthar wrote:
Dang it! Someone shut off that siren alarm!
That "siren" sound really detracts IMHO.
does anyone remember "Astronomy" by Blue Oyster Cult? this song starts out like that, then wimps out and sounds like those dips who did "Keep on Rollin""
More Phish!
OK- I get it. You can play your guitar really well. Knock it off already. Not everybody is high.
This entrée is best consumed live.
Holy spastic song Batman!
Phishing...
Dang it! Someone shut off that siren alarm!
My favorite Phish studio album, although this isn't my favorite song on it...
scraig wrote:
This is crap at its best. Apparently they're from the East Coast and have never surfed because this is slop.
Are you sure the song is about surfing? Maybe it's about the first "tube" of the day - aka, wake-and-bake :D
This is crap at its best. Apparently they're from the East Coast and have never surfed because this is slop.
mgkiwi wrote:
First time I've heard this - cool tune. I can imagine jumping around the room, can in one hand, homegrown in the other - yeah, that'll work
hopefully a can of gordon or old chub..
First time I've heard this - cool tune. I can imagine jumping around the room, can in one hand, homegrown in the other - yeah, that'll work
jazy510 wrote:
this album was released near the end of phish I (pre 2000 hiatus) which was an era when trey (guitar) seemingly was more concerned with quantity of guitar affects, than anything else; and this track demonstrates that somewhat.. i remember thinking "just quit stomping on all those dumb pedals and play the guitar" at times.. i have heard (more than once, and as is alluded to here) that many guitarists find his playing unlistenable; (maybe cuz their 2 egos cannot coexist?)
Good point, Trey is not a technically diverse type of player, he is (IMO) stait to the point with not too much over playing, which can ruin other wise good tunes. I like him...I'm into his solo stuff...Give Shine on a listen!!!
Great stuff!
Same... I guess drug use is pretty much mandatory right before any of their concerts ;) Deadwing wrote:
First time I have ever actually heard Phish (heard ABOUT them a million times) What's all the fuss about? This is pretty bland stuff. I mean if you ran with this song in your hands and fell down you probably wouldn't get hurt...
First time I have ever actually heard Phish (heard ABOUT them a million times) What's all the fuss about? This is pretty bland stuff. I mean if you ran with this song in your hands and fell down you probably wouldn't get hurt...
this album was released near the end of phish I (pre 2000 hiatus) which was an era when trey (guitar) seemingly was more concerned with quantity of guitar affects, than anything else; and this track demonstrates that somewhat.. i remember thinking \"just quit stomping on all those dumb pedals and play the guitar\" at times.. i have heard (more than once, and as is alluded to here) that many guitarists find his playing unlistenable; (maybe cuz their 2 egos cannot coexist?)
marmelock wrote:
I think Jon Fishman (!), the drummer, came up with some lyrics about 'living inside a tube' for this jam. They never recorded a version with lyrics, but stuck to the title...
The song takes its name from one of the non-Phish bands that Trey created, 8 Foot Fluorescent Tubes, which eventually evolved into the Trey Anastasio Band. Lacking better names for instrumental tracks, this one was the first song they played and was called First Tube:
Meanwhile Trey dug back into the new material he had begun earlier that year and got ready for his debut appearance at Winooski's new club, Higher Ground. He put together a group known as 8 Foot Fluorescent Tubes consisting of Russ "Rhythmo Loco" Lawton on drums, Tony "The Meat Man" Markellis on bass, Heloise Williams on vocals and keys and Tom Lawson on guitar, vocals and keys. The group came together for a single show on April 17th, performing a set of new originals consisting of: First Tube, Sand, Mozambique, The Meatman, Shame, In the Mood, Silicone Fairy and Last Tube. Trey finished the set of original music with a dedication to his brother-in-law Kevin Statesir and his partners' new endeavor, playing Stevie Wonder's classic, Higher Ground. The 8 Foot Fluorescent Tubes set was kind of a tribute to the late-80's, with four dancers waving light tubes and a variety of other costuming and set weirdness. From:https://www.phish.com/tmiph/index.php?year=1998&month=4
Its finally over! So happy
DoctorHooey wrote:
This is a great song. Screw the haters. Makes me want to RUN.
Amen, brother
I imagine somebody has referred to the "pipeline" of a wave as a "tube" before. . . Queue wrote:
OK, would one of you Phish-heads comment on the "First Tube" song title? Today, Bill's got it in one of his thematic sets: Now Playing: The Lively Ones - Surf Rider Phish - First Tube Sebadoh - Ocean Mosquitos - Xixizinho No Oceano But is "First Tube" about surfing? Q
This is a great song. Screw the haters. Makes me want to RUN.
From one Vermonter to this Vermont band: "Thank you for breaking up"
OK, would one of you Phish-heads comment on the "First Tube" song title?
I think Jon Fishman (!), the drummer, came up with some lyrics about 'living inside a tube' for this jam. They never recorded a version with lyrics, but stuck to the title. The song is ever evolving (like most Phish tunes), there are songs by the title of 'Tube' and 'Last Tube' in their live repertoire too. Hope that answered your question. Cheers...
OK, would one of you Phish-heads comment on the "First Tube" song title? Today, Bill's got it in one of his thematic sets: Now Playing: The Lively Ones - Surf Rider Phish - First Tube Sebadoh - Ocean Mosquitos - Xixizinho No Oceano But is "First Tube" about surfing? Q
It took me about 10 years to appreciate Phish. The first time I heard them, I just didn't get it. That was in about 1991. By about 99/00, I seemed to "get" them. Unfortunately, they didn't last much beyond... This is excellent Phish. Trey's solo stuff is pretty good too, IMHO.