| Phish | |
| Type: | demo |
| Artist: | Phish |
| Cover: | whitetape.jpg |
| Released: | 1986 (cassette) 1998 (CD) |
| Recorded: | Various locations, 1984–1986 |
| Length: | 54:27 |
| Label: | Self-release, Phish Dry Goods |
| Producer: | Trey Anastasio |
| Next Title: | The Man Who Stepped into Yesterday |
| Next Year: | 1987 |
Phish (also known as The White Tape) is a demo album released by the American rock band Phish on cassette in 1986. Often cited as the first Phish "album", The White Tape was originally a collection of original material that the band used as a demo/sample tape for venues, and was sometimes labelled "Phish" or simply "Demo".[1] The album was widely circulated among Phish fans for more than a decade before being officially released in 1998.
The album was created from four-track recordings over a period of three years and includes a number of outside musicians performing on various songs. Only "Alumni Blues", "AC/DC Bag", "Slave To The Traffic Light" and "Dog Gone Dog" (a.k.a. "Dog Log") have the four band members together. The remaining tracks were recorded separately by various members and blended together to create the finished album.[2]
The White Tape includes an early version of the Phish epic "You Enjoy Myself", performed a cappella with the band members singing the opening guitar lines. The album also contains avant-garde experimental pieces, instrumental passages, electronic noises and studio trickery. Some songs were further developed and figure heavily in the band's live performances, while a few have rarely been heard since.
All instruments and vocals on "Fuck Your Face", "NO2", "He Ent to the Bog" and "Minkin" are performed solely by bass guitarist Mike Gordon. All instruments and vocals on "Run Like an Antelope" and "And So to Bed" are recorded solely by Trey Anastasio.
"The Divided Sky", "Ingest" and "Fluff's Travels" are performed by Anastasio, Phish lyricist Tom Marshall, and their friend Marc Daubert on percussion. "Aftermath" has Anastasio and Roger Holloway on guitar. "Slave to the Traffic Light" has Tom Marshall on keyboards and Pete Cottone on drums.
In addition to being released on CD, this album was made available on June 7, 2006, as a download in FLAC and MP3 formats at LivePhish.com.
A limited edition white vinyl version was released at Superball IX, Phish's 2011 summer festival with the remainder offered up for sale as part of Record Store Day's "Black Friday" promotion on November 25, 2011. The song "And So to Bed" was finally debuted live in 2021, 25 years after "The White Tape" was originally released.[3]
Phish – perform as a quartet only on "Alumni Blues", "AC/DC Bag" and "Dog Gone Dog"
Additional musicians