Phish Debut: Fuck Your Face

Fuck Your Face

Date: 4/29/1987
Location: Nectar's, Burlington VT

The debut of Fuck Your Face is shrouded in a bit of mystery. Played as the encore, there is supposedly a version that circulates with the rest of this show, but some doubt it was actually played that night. Officially it was, but I've not been able to track that recording.

Of course, more recently, Phish dusted this one off 23 years later, on 7/2/10 in Charlotte. I've decided not to include the audio for that as most of us have probably heard this or another later version by now, and probably does not accurately match what the Nectar's version was like. An early studio version is readily available on the White Tapes, though, so head that way if you're interested.

Phish Debut: Who Do? We Do!

Who Do? We Do!

Date: 4/24/1987
Location: Billings Lounge, UVT, Burlington VT

Yet another song that would eventually be integrated into Fluff's Travels, this early Who Do? We Do! is not exactly what I expected. Played at a torturously slow pace and full of dead air, it's mostly recognizable as a Phish song, but there were times when I had my doubts. Certainly the late 80's were a very experimental time for the band, and quite frankly, I think this experiment fails. More-so than other Fluff's Travels components, Who Do? We Do! doesn't really work on its own as a standalone song, but thankfully all that matters is that it turned out in the end.

This version is not the debut, but the version from 4/29/87, five days later

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Phish Debut: Punch Me in the Eye

Punch Me in the Eye

Date: 4/24/1987
Location: Billings Lounge, UVT

A variation on the well-known Punch You in the Eye? Think again.

Punch Me in the Eye, played only once, is a truly bizzare song, with numerous distinct parts. The first is a strange, sing-songy exercise (including some singing in the round, which I believe is the first instance of this common motif in a Phish piece.) This is followed by a short dirge-like vocal section. The largest portion of the song is actually a pretty cool composition that would not seem out of place right in the middle of Fluffhead next to Clod. The final installment is an unholy amalgam of bluegrass and doo-wop (with hints of Sparkle). Indeed, it's almost as though four different people brought together different snippets of something they were working on at the time and literally spliced some cassette tapes together.

I knew the early days of Phish had some pretty crazy stuff, but this one needs to be heard to be believed.

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Phish Debut: Freeworld

Freeworld

Date: 3/6/1987
Location: Goddard Cafeteria, Goddard College, Plainfield VT

Little is known about this mysterious little tune.It has come to be known as Freeworld, even the title isn't even truly known. It was only played one time. The singer remains anonymous and, supposedly, the lyrics were made up on the spot.

My initial impression was that this is the bastard offspring of the at-the-time-yet-to-be-composed Cars, Trucks, Buses and Bob Dylan's Subterranean Homesick Blues. It's actually kind of a wild ride. If it hadn't been so long since it's seen the light of day, I might hope for it on a setlist. But alas, I think we may never know more about this little guy. Perhaps we aren't meant to know some of life's great mysteries, like the origins of Stonehenge, or the Kennedy assassination, or how magnets work.

(Thanks to phish.net and Mark Toscano for the research help on this one!)

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Daily Debut: Suzy Greenberg

Suzy Greenberg

Date: 3/13/1987
Location: Johnson State College, Johnson VT

The first debut of 1987, and also the first for the band in over 3 months since the debut of Bowie. Not surprisingly, Suzy hasn't changed much over the years, but thankfully the sound quality has improved.  I believe this version features the Dude of Life, who co-wrote, on vocals.

Warning! Poor Sound Quality

Warning! Dude of Life!

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Daily Debut: David Bowie

David Bowie

Date: 10/31/1986
Location: Sculpture Room, Goddard College, Plainfield VT

The last debut of 1986, the original Bowie displays far less urgency than modern versions. There is a breakdown at about 1:45 that still remains in the song today, but in this version has a pronounced jazz feel to it, almost to the point of being unrecognizable. The jam is also markedly less hurried, providing a quite different overall feel. It picks up speed as it goes, ratcheting up the intensity. If you've been following past debut posts, you'll easily see that Trey's skill has grown considerably over the past year by this point.

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Daily Debut: Clod

Clod

Date: 10-15-1986
Location: Hunt's, Burlington VT

Of course Clod is better known as an integral part of Fluffhead, but it began life as a standalone song. Even though it's essentially the same composition, the feel of the performance is totally different. At seemingly half the pace of any Fluffhead version I've ever heard, the debut takes plenty of time to work its way through the many intricate passages; the vocal sections are almost torturously slow.

Another strange aspect of this version is that the song doesn't really have a beginning. It just sort of picks up in the general vicinity of where the transition from "Who Do? We Do!" would normally leave off. The ending is much the same, as Page hits a little arpeggiated flourish and that's it! Needing a more stable foundation, it's no wonder it was incorporated into the larger opus. Frankly, I'm glad for this, as Clod is my favorite section of Fluffhead. It's hard to imagine the tune without it.

Clod lasted on its own for about a year and a half before it was assimilated in early 1988, although it did make an encore appearance late in 1989. So, never say never for Phish busting on Clod on its own, I guess.

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Daily Debut: Sanity

Sanity

Date: 10/15/1986
Hunt's, Burlington VT

As much as there is a "typical" version of Sanity, this debut comes pretty close to that. It's a bit raw, but with a little imagination it's not hard to picture this particular performance coming out of a mid-90's show. Of all the debuts so far, this one has probably changed the least.

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Daily Debut: Roll Like a Cantaloupe

Roll Like a Cantaloupe

Date: 10/15/1986
Location: Hunt's, Burlington VT

The second debut in a row for which it's debatable whether it constitutes an "original" Phish tune, Roll Like a Cantaloupe is just a play on Run Like an Antelope. Where the "Set the gearshift..." lyric would normally be, Trey instead injects a short narrative of strolling through the produce department and bowling the titular melon down the aisle. And that's it. Ultimately it's nothing more than an inside joke that survived surprisingly long - it was actually played four times between 1986 and 1991. It's doubtful we'll ever see its return, but who knows? The band has been willing to bust out some of their "novelty" songs recently (e.g. Fuck Your Face), so while it's not likely, I don't think it would be out of the question to hear a sweet 'Loupe in the future

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Daily Debut: Shaggy Dog

Shaggy Dog

Date: 10/15/1986
Hunt's, Burlington VT

Ok, ok, I know. Shaggy Dog is really just a Phishified version of a Lightnin' Hopkins tune. However, depending on who you're talking to, some still consider it a Phish original, even if it's just one lyric changed. I decided to include it mostly because I like the idea of a scruffy mutt walkin' around, seein' his friends. Also I included Fire Up the Ganja, which was barely even performed by Phish, so I pretty much have to include this, right? Either way, it's a fun little blues tune, nothing more.

The version below is in fact the debut, but if you ever listen to the Ian's Farm version you can hear Trey's dog Marley, among others, barking in the background

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