Phish - Billy Breathes Album Reaction

[@danielschoenwald1567]

Walter, you have touched a huge part of the Phish community. Your reactions are so genuine and heartfelt, and it is pure joy getting to re-experience these albums through your eyes which brings us back to how we felt at the time.

[@icononaroad]

Thoroughly enjoyed wasting my time with y’all on this one. Consider checking out Taste from 7/22/97 for a truly raging version.

[@briantgrant]

Definitely do that.

[@dknapp100]

This phanner knows what's up.

[@yvoncomeau]

Also check out the one from 6/22/97, in Germany. The show was televised, so there's a great video of it...

[@audtill]

Thanks for sharing your journey with us, Walter. We want you to be happy! 🎶⭕️

[@GeorgeGeo]

There is an acoustic performance of Waste from COVID times with just Trey and Page out on a deck thats awesome and worth checking out.

[@matthewwood110]

even garnered a response from beato: kzbin.info/www/bejne/nImsmXWPbNWZfKc

[@hesh8367]

Just two old rock stars with a fancy tea set jamming out on the porch over a cuppa.

[@suzannemiller1877]

@hesh8367 Old?!?!? Middle-aged, come on! 😀

[@joshl.7552]

I bet I'm not alone in saying Thank You, Walter, for helping me feel some feelings I forgot.

[@Emperor.of.Organos]

Every one of these songs live is a massive group hug. Love wasting my time with you all.

[@tommj4365]

You've got me back into Phish after not listening for a long time. I only have albums up to Hoist, but have in the past heard Billy Breathes and a couple other albums after that. Keep going though, because I recently started listening to more of their studio albums and the other day got up to their album "Joy", and it really impressed me as they sorta finally go back to their older sound, at least for one epic song. I also discovered Phish-dot-in, where you can find tons of live show recordings, I found some of their very first versions of songs like YEM and other classics that are just crazy different but show the initial DNA in a cool way, in some cases years before they show up on the studio album. Anyways, great reactions and thanks for bringing the band back to my attention.

[@timcardona9962]

Walter, never stop saying ‘dissonant’ and/or ‘discordant’. You use them correctly and there aren’t really any other words to properly convey what they mean in the moment. The words you use are used eloquently and beautifully. Never change

[@SamSnips]

Hey man just wanted to say i appreciate the care and respect you give to your reactions.. and encourage you to check out Asaf Avidian.. seeing that you play guitar i thought id give you a option . If you want an amazing guitar performance go with Your Anchor - In a Box II or if you feel like tickleing the ivories check out 900 days In a Box III for great work with the piano. Alos ill throw out a suggestion for putting into an album poll.. try The Lovin Spoonfuls album.. Do You Believe In Magic.. i think you will like them a lot. No rush man.. i know theres probably a lot to get to.. thanks for great entertainment and dialog. Love the channel man. ❤

[@TR-ry1xv]

I feel deep down that Trey is singing to us in the crowd in Waste. It is a love song to us coming and letting him do what he loves. You really need to hear a live Waste asap. The guitar will really fuck you up.

[@timbauza1370]

Such a treat watching your Phish reactions.

[@dmtLMT5925]

Waste. I balled my eyes out uncontrollably at dicks in 2017. My best friend had taken his life just a few weeks prior. So brutal, yet as Jedi Trey has the knack to do, out of 30,000 people, it seemed like somehow he just knew how to sing that directly to me. RIP George James.

[@evoshandor11]

Big hug dude. Peace be with you.

[@LuckyGallopsNC]

I’ve been waiting for this video for a hot minute!

[@christophermeyer3115]

Walter, you’ve gotten popular enough with the phish community that I’ve noticed the last stream had a fair amount of jaded phans. This is just part of any community. Someone was hating on Character Zero, turns out it was because they’ve seen it close out a show 22 times. Maybe a valid complaint from their POV but really lame to bring your personal issues with seeing a song overplayed into someone’s experience listening to it for the first time imo. A lot of negativity in the phish community comes from entitled phans who have seen the band live hundreds of times and get upset when the band doesn’t play what they want them to play, or play how they want them to play. Don’t listen to these people.

[@AnthonyGargini]

You're not allowed to ever express a negative opinion about a song? That's crazy

[@christophermeyer3115]

@@AnthonyGargini consider reading the comment again my friend that’s not what I said at all.

[@mutoneon]

Nobody cares how many shows some goober has gone to, that’s really it.

[@wizzlemane6314]

The Billy Breathes solo is so fucking good.

[@Thatoneguyfromthere]

Great reaction. I can’t wait for you to get to Story of the Ghost and then listen/watch the 98 Prague Ghost

[@willvickers5537]

Hey I’ve been enjoying your reactions dude! You are reacting exactly how I would want someone to react when I show them Phish lol this music is so special I’m so glad you agree

[@TheHSIHP]

Character Zero rips live. love how you put your personal experience into these reactions. I'm sober too my friend. Lots of introspection these days.

[@ameadors11]

Really smiling about Billy Breathes being in your “top 2 or 3”. That’s the correct answer! 😉 Junta, Rift, and Billy Breathes in some order! Really glad you’re here. Keep going!! Oh, and you have no idea just how good “Theme”-and many of these songs actually-is live. Can’t wait for those realizations to follow in due time. Slip Stitch or Story of the Ghost next? I think you should probably do Slip Stitch just to get back to some live stuff! And dude, we are going to need some Big Cypress NYE reaction for sure. The audio and video on KZbin are too good for you not to do at least some of that set… 😊

[@tbangert2584]

Slip Stitch, for sure, next.

[@tboogie63]

I'm so glad you found Billy Breathes. Heck yeah!

[@seansho]

The name of the guitar is Koa #1and its actually the 3rd of his Languedocs the first 2 being Old Reliable aka Who's the Mar-Mar and the second being Blonde #1 aka I'm the Mar-Mar. In total he has 7 Languedoc G2's 4 of which are made of Koa and 1 the same shape as a G2 but bigger bodied like a jazz box with only 1 neck position pickup.

[@AllenEvanWright]

Re: Waste - You've got a lot of folks in here happily wasting their time with you, Walter. I know it's not the type of relationship you mean, but I'd wager a healthy chunk of us at least are grateful to accompany you on your journey of Phish-covery... swimming in this real thing I call life✌️We'll wait with you til the tide turns 🐠

[@Holliswards]

Rift is my favorite Phish album, but it should not go without saying that Billy breathes is a masterpiece for the band

[@tombadil64]

They're masterpieces in different respects. I get why people prefer rift, but for me, BB is just perfect.

[@jameskyler5441]

@@tombadil64 I feel th eexact same about BB - understand why it is so like but for me it is RIFT.

[@tommj4365]

That 2nd half of he Billy Breathes track is really sublime, has grown on me as maybe the best Trey solo ever.

[@j.kyronhanson5644]

​@@tommj4365- Saying it's his best composed solo is a pretty safe take. It's sublime.

[@lumpyhead5024]

Made my day Walter, excellent interview btw, looking forward to Story of the Ghost when you get to it, feel good!

[@DeborahYoung-v8y]

Keep in mind Waste could be a love song to the fans and not to a love interest!

[@michaelsheehan5559]

As far as Phish albums go, this may not be their most experimental, but it is their most cohesive.

[@WillS-pl8wg]

Guitar solo in billy breathes maybe the best studio solo??Amrite? No whammy pedal.Just trey bending and holding like he does.There’s a backing track in last part of solo.Beautiful is and understatement here!!

[@ericzar4470]

I think I've watched every second of Walter's journey. Is it just me or has the name Tom Marshall been uttered yet? You know seeing that the lyricism is so crazy. Tom!

[@cristabelleblanc309]

❤❤❤ this album. Prince Caspian was my first phish song- my friend knew I was a huge CoN fan so he knew how to draw me in and thank god for that and for him, my best friend Drew, RIP.

[@timbauza1370]

Waste was our wedding/first dance song 🙂.

[@jwilde801]

I have played Waste at 6 different weddings, just me and my acoustic. Everyone loved it at all 6.

[@TR-ry1xv]

Watching that live chat and seeing people that don't like Zero hurts my soul.

[@slowwaterdrifting]

Those same people rage to Zero at shows.......classic phish phans 😂

[@ChadWeisman]

Its the song ive seen live most. Im always initially a little disappointed but then i get onboard

[@ChadWeisman]

Its the song ive seen live most. Im always initially a little disappointed but then i get onboard

[@Bardmin]

97-98 zero ROCK!

[@j.kyronhanson5644]

​​@@slowwaterdrifting - Nah. They're the chompers ruining this top-tier song experience (of scores) for the rest of we sane ones.

[@auzzieamerican]

Much fun was had thanks Walter! Looking forward to your next phish dive.

[@mikeyevans5014]

Phish is therapy

[@jez443]

Theme saved me the first time I dosed. “So toss away stuff you don’t need in the end. But keep what’s important and know who’s your friend.” Check out the 12/29/97 version! One of my favorite guitar solos treys ever played. This album marked the shift of phish becoming more of an arena rock band. They started playing bigger venues. Also check out the 7/31/99 Prince Caspian. You should do a reaction to that video!!

[@danielschoenwald1567]

Best Theme ever (IWT); I say this all the time...

[@muskybites505]

My first show was 10/31/95, Halloween. 3 set show. They covered Quadrophenia. I think you may enjoy it. Especially Fishman doing Love Reign Over Me!

[@cshubs]

I was there, too!

[@jeffgallucci4558]

That Antelope is my favorite all time and set 3 was insane!

[@prairiedawg9299]

What a great first show. I was sharing in the groove

[@kennethbernhardt3806]

Trey considers the Billy breathes solo his best recorded solo

[@Johnobrien204]

this was my first Phish album and didn't really know anything about them. I listened the first time and liked it but didn't really hit me, but the second time it was on i was doing something and not listening hard but the song Billy Breathes starting hitting me and the when the solo came, i found myself feeling emotional and got goosebumps and I was like...what the hell was that! There was no going back after that and promptly bought all the other studio albums which I loved but then of course, A Live One sealed the deal!

[@ameadors11]

He’s right. It is.

[@dpfeiferjr]

a bit after the final notes were played @ magnaball, they played Waste at half speed through the festival grounds PA..... ethereal moment. thanks phish

[@tombadil64]

Thanks for wasting your time with us walter! This reaction impacted me deeply. You talking about swept away and sunday dinner was... poignant to say the least. You are loved walter! Thank you for going on this journey. Pham as Phuck ⭕️🌵🧀🎂🐒⭕️

[@jameskyler5441]

MAny of these songs are 12-20 min+ when played live. Many are also Phish staples" Free, Character Zero, Theme from the bottom, Prince Caspian. (I highly recomend watching/listening to the 2022 Free from Blossom MUsic Center) 25 min. In free he is talking about being in the womb, Character Zero is often one of the biggest hardest jams when it is live. The Caspian in Pittsburgh in 2017 is so special as well.

[@mutoneon]

Blossom Free was crap, but the Pittsburgh Caspian was absolutely phenomenal.

[@speedgoat2533]

May I suggest a "Bittersweet Motel" movie reaction? Todd Phillips documentary on the band during the era you are about to embark on. I think you'd dig it.

[@andrewwoods9478]

@Walterooski - Thanks for another great recap. I heard you say you were getting more into jazz lately, and I saw some folks mention Medeski, Martin & Wood in the Twitch stream during Cars Trucks Buses. I cannot recommend MMW enough. They are, or kinda "were" (since they don't really play together much anymore), major movers of the jazz world, creating a future sound of jazz the likes of which I've never experienced. A reaction video to their pinnacle album, "End of the World Party (Just in Case)" would be AMAZING. Life-changing album for me.

[@pyite100]

This is a fun CD. This is the last one before Phish destroyed America - the tour where Phish went from good to great. If you do them chronologically, Slip Stitch & Pass (Phish in the process of destroying America) is next... just wait til you hear Mikes Song -> Lawn Boy -> Weekapaug. Then Ghost which is right after America had been destroyed. A couple of suggestions maybe - consider listening to the 4 "Island tour" shows before Ghost as well... these 4 shows were the warmup for the Ghost sessions and are quite epic (and have aud video as well). You may also want to listen to The Siket Disc with Ghost... it is the outtakes and the engineering is just so good on these two. Arguably the best sounding recordings of any band ever. Siket was robbed by not getting a Grammy for this one.

[@runlike]

Hope you get to the Hollywood Bowl shows

[@marccarver2098]

Food for thought before you go any further chronologically- You caught some of the Quadrophenia influence on Billy Breathes, which was recorded after they covered that album in its entirety for their Halloween costume on 10/31/95. This was an annual tradition for a few years, and each time the cover album choice influenced their sound and song writing. I love the studio album approach you are taking but you are missing out on the cover elements, which was a big part of their fabric in the 80s and 90s. Billy Breathes came out 2 weeks before 10/31/96, when their musical costume was the Talking Heads Remain in Light, with Karl Perazzo supporting on percussion. This totally changed their sound and direction for years to come. Would be cool to hear your reaction to that album- audio and video both available. The next album, Story of the Ghost, will make a lot more sense if you listen to Remain in Light first. I’d actually vote for you to go back to 10/31/95 Quadrophenia, but you may not want to go backwards.

[@marccarver2098]

kzbin.info/www/bejne/q6GqY2BqbdRkf7Msi=gRsRtsvXOgu0zO3V

[@davidaffholter4683]

Phish covered sweet emotion at the bomb factory during an epic tweezer that lasted most of the set

[@amypedatella6627]

Hey Walter! To think it’s only 1996! We are here for the ride and I thank you for taking me backwards down it and enjoying all of this again with you ⭕️❤️⭕️

[@m.k.2489]

Loved this, ty! Please do blind melon next. I think you’d dig it. Often known as a one hit wonder for the “bee song” no rain, the band actually grew to hate that song as it didn’t really represent them. The repertoire is much deeper and often darker. Shannon Hoon their singer and song writer is a true tragic character who spills his soul out in their songs and the way he talks about love, loss, and addiction has brought me to tears.

[@jbski5083]

I’m glad you found this special band! That ending is what you wanted the whole time! One of a kind

[@ericzar4470]

To me it's just that you feel that feeling you forgot which could be anything in life

[@andrewdyke5561]

One of my all time favorite albums, my love for that 2nd half of album will never die

[@MrRezRising]

Here we go! Waiting for this one! Found your reactions a few days ago. It's been a pleasure listening to your vids, dude. You have a good voice and good, ernest energy behind it. Enjoy Billy! 1st Edit: On the beginning of 'Taste' Jon is playing a straight, no-mustard paradiddle. RLRRLRLL. 2nd Edit. Train song, that's a mirimba. Wood keys, not metal. 🙂

[@sagegoodwin1]

Waste hits a bit different in the key of C here, little more melancholy. Live it’s in D and seems as a bit brighter.

[@GeorgeGeo]

Its funny to me - this and Hoist are new Phish albums in my thinking.. lol ya I'm old.

[@Munchylego]

I agree!

[@jayweir6375]

agree

[@jenniferbowdish7347]

Had my first birth to this album. Im betting im not the only one, almost 19 years now.

[@tommj4365]

Great, now I imagine that's why Mike's bass tone is sometimes so wet sounding

[@adamgordon315]

The kids conceived at Big Cypress turn 25 this year.

[@jenniferbowdish7347]

​@@tommj4365 Truth hurts

[@geoffadavis]

I'm excited to see your reaction to the next two albums.

[@johnny85er]

In 1994 phish went on a big bluegrass spree… And they did Boston’s foreplay/long time, in a bluegrass format I hope you can seek it out, it would be amazing to see your reaction

[@ubik2388]

Great react. Can''t wait for the next one.

[@treyphish]

@walterooski Your commentary between 16:00-16:40 “That sentiment” in general. Sometime between you finishing the studio albums and getting through a dozen live shows, I think you’ll retract that statement.

[@TheBadgertwo]

Some may say that the album version of Billy Breathes solo can't be beat, but I argue that the 11.22.97 version is better. They don't really nail the harmonies at the beginning (get used it lol) but that solo is just so so so so good.

[@ericzar4470]

That is the beautiful thing about art well said, Walter. While there may be direct meaning to lyrics that come with Tom Marshall, as you said introspective lyrics mean different things to different people as we know music is subjective to the individual. With that being said your lyrical breakdowns of the lyrics are pretty much right where I stand with them as well. You're in there man you get it and we love it!

[@johnholland9371]

The first time I heard Billy Breathes was after a particularly intense Antelope 12/4/95 and it was the most beautiful thing I’d ever heard and absolutely perfect for the moment. I remember just soaring over the crowd with the music.

[@cristabelleblanc309]

God what a beautiful album!!!! ❤❤❤ love your Phish reactions so much

[@faronsquare]

They played/sang a bit of "Sweet Emotion" at my first show. 7-9-99 in the middle of a Mike's Song

[@dknapp100]

30 yr Phan. Love the journey Walter. I had a series of insane panic attacks. Landed in the hospital. Mess. Still struggle today (13 years later). I recorded a live solo acoustic cover of "Talk" from my tiny bathroom. I heard Talk maybe 2000 times before it fully hit me as I lived it. I couldn't drive, couldn't get my mail, etc etc without awful, powerful anxiety. I also couldn't explain it to anyone. Nobody could relate. Learning this song was a self therapy. Hope Walter or anyone else who cherishes this band will enjoy. kzbin.info/www/bejne/l2e4mqKOpr15rck

[@filldrummin42]

Happy to waste some time with you, Walt. Thanks so much for doing this this. I can't listen to this music for the first time again, but I can experience it vicariously through you. Watching you fall in love with my favorite band is like falling in love with them all over again myself. So toss away stuff you don't need in the end, but keep what's important and know who's your friend (my friend), And whatever you do, take care of your shoes. Justin Case an angry mob of joggers comes up to knock you down.

[@suzannemiller1877]

@walterooski, spring west coast tour just announced...will you be at one or several shows???

[@yolauskriff3144]

Did waste bring the waterworks?😢❤❤❤

[@craiger991gm]

My brothers and I heard the first public play of an earlier verions of this way back in like 95 at the E Center in Utah. Quite different sound than what ended up on the album. This was our first Phish show and honestly we really didn't know much about them but we had tickets to the HOARD festival the two days before and decided to make a weekend of it. Best choice we ever made as far as live music goes.

[@kbiggins]

Badly Drawn Boy!!! Have You Fed The Phish?! Feed The Phish!

[@kbiggins]

"It's starting to get sexy-scary!"

[@mikeyevans5014]

You’ll find love again, but being emotional just shows you have a pulse & want to live life the right way

[@zenecharris4632]

For anyone who is a fan of Waste, give 9/14/99 a spin. The whole show is a barn burner, but the Waste in particular is 🤌

[@grendelum]

since you seem to like the jam band sound, *the string cheese incident* album *round the wheel* is seriously hot… mandolin/violin instead of a lead guitar with a hammond organ and synth…

[@stevefowler8660]

Walter Phish is playing Mexico this weekend. They just laid down the most amazing Theme and Free night 1 and opened with Sand. Oh sorry you haven’t gotten to Sand it’s on Farmhouse. Extra mustard please.

[@Not.Satoshi]

Great album. I enjoyed the listen! 🔥 🎸

[@Luckdragon57]

Pardon me if this has been covered, but all sounds are credited to the four members of Phish on this album, which is I think the first since Junta to have zero extra musicians. So that’s not Bela with the banjo on Waste, likely Mike. Bela did of course play on Scent of a Mule on Hoist.

[@jammcrusader1981]

pretty sure trey is playing that main bass , pedal makes guitar sound like bass, in theme, the Sphere Vegas imagery for this is unbelievable

[@ned4idaho]

1:47:10 "I love this noise" has been what I've been saying for 30 years now.

[@rockodilechannel3509]

From the chat at end of Character Zero, we hear these noises in our sleep for sure!

[@johnny85er]

I love this journey, going through the studio albums, but I cannot wait until you sit down and watch a live performance

[@tecreates2384]

I’m a phish and Linda Ronsthad, Joni Mitchell, Deadhead, Graham Nash, Jim Croce, et al. Waste is among my favs. Trey and Page did a balcony session. Rick Beato did a video on that video. It was Waste.

[@davecolombo8677]

Was at nutter 97. When they played this, you could hear the crowd shoosh (shhhh) folks and it was silent except for the band. Beautiful

[@Smooth_Atonal_Sound]

Check out any of the versions of Free from 1995 for a very different arrangement with a long, intense psychedelic jam instead of the funk bass jam. 6/26/95 is the high water mark. This whole album is chock full of weird little overdubs, which I never noticed until many years after I first heard this song. Like those "eyyys!" during the bridge of Taste. This album was also the start of Trey and Tom going on writing retreat vacations together. They wrote a lot of these songs on vacation together in the Caribbean, later vacations were usually to remote cabins in the woods. This is the start of a long series of water/ocean/sailboat themes in Tom's lyrics. FTR, I've always sang "someone controlled by the phone and TV" and will continue to do so :). Also, there's a few composed parts that are really subdued or absent on this album but are huge parts of these songs live...there's a rising guitar part between the chorus and jam on "Theme" that will blow you away live, same for the final guitar solo on "Waste."

[@davidaffholter4683]

Thanks Rooski!

[@ChristopherGaffney-fe5ve]

I fucking love how Walter has taken such meaning in multiple album’s worth of lyrics. It’s literally what phans and non fans alike complain about the most. If one can just appreciate that gamehenge songs are based on a creative lore and the rest actually have such depth (pun intended)…. You’re only acknowledging another reason to love this band beyond just their musicality (which is clearly virtuosic). Cool stuff and this is why I watch reactions … so many ideas and perceptions that the artists’s art creates in turn

[@nikisawyers7559]

Billy Breathes... His daughter's birth, at home. Eliza aka Billy

[@bigguyandtea]

Dude, you should have seen taste in Las Vegas at the sphere. That was something to behold

[@jamesdaley4571]

Check out the Free from Vegas 11/02/2014. The part with the Martian Monster quotes is amazing. The video of Trey just laughing and having so much fun.

[@kenbodean]

Whelmcome Walt ❤️

[@wuds420]

Free is about one spouse throwing the other overboard from a ship

[@modelcitizen1977]

This album sounds so much more mature than Rift. Like they know what they're about and they have an unlimited budget. Rift is a band with something to prove that succeeded. Billy Breathes is the sound of that success.

[@gracylillymaddy]

We always thought the lyric was, "Ohhh to be Prince Caspian with sunsets at our feet, but lets be real, stumps instead of feet is much more Phishy

[@twiteone]

16:54 At the time Trey wrote Character Zero with the intention of it being a set closer

[@BallparkFranks7]

First time I did shrooms, my buddy and I listened to this 4 or 5 times straight. One of the best nights of my life.

[@Luckdragon57]

Haven’t watched yet, and I’m honestly just psyched there’s another Ph installment, but you really are overdue to go back and listen to The Man Who Stepped Into Yesterday. PLEASE do that next!

[@infinitedurr]

I have a soft spot for this album and this era of Phish, it's when I first went on Phish tour.

[@dknapp100]

I've always felt like "Talk" was Phish's "Don't Think Twice, It's Alright".

[@PYITE314]

Such a lovely album, I used to play it for my kids when they were infants to put them to sleep.

[@HarryMackIsAnAlien]

@16:00 you’re moving at light speed through the catalog, you’re gonna see them slooooowwwww down really fast lol!

[@mattreynolds612]

Production note: even out your voice and the music. Voice is WAY Louder than the music. Thx🙏