99 Halloweens - Handicapping Festival 8

The Final Fifteen

2009-10-28T09:12:00.000-07:00

Album	@mdubno	@ericwyman	Phishiest Songs
David Bowie Hunky Dory	15:1	40:1	Song For Bob Dylan, Queen Bitch
David Bowie Ziggy Stardust	3:2	2:1	Moonage Daydream, Suffrage City
Frank Zappa Apostrophe	25:1	15:1	Apostrophe
Genesis Lamb Lies Down on Broadway	13:1	25:1	In The Cage, Chamber of 32 Doors
Jimi Hendrix Electric Ladydland	8:1	3:1	Voodoo Child (Slight Return)
King Crimson Larks' Tongue In Apsic	25:1	100:1	Larks' Tongue In Apsic (Part 2)
Led Zeppelin I	5:1	15:1	Babe I'm Gonna Leave You, Your Time Is Gonna Come
MGMT Oracle Spectacular	30:1	75:1	Electric Feel
Michael Jackson Thriller	5:1	20:1	Wanna Be Starting Somethin
Pink Floyd The Wall	7:1	75:1	Comfortably Numb, One of My Turns
Prince Purple Rain	50:1	35:1	Purple Rain, Let's Go Crazy
Radiohead Kid A	6:1	40:1	Everything in its Place, National Anthem
Rolling Stones Exile On Main St	25:1	12:1	Loving Cup
Van Morrison Astral Works	45:1	50:1	Sweet Thing, Slim Slow Slider
Yes The Yes Album	30:1	50:1	I've Seen All Good People, Starship Trooper

Elton John - Goodbye Yellow Brick Road

2009-10-23T06:17:00.000-07:00

@mdubno says:

Odds: 60:1
Phishiest Song: Saturday Night's For Fighting
Comments: Naturally, for Saturday night is the Halloween set.

@ericwyman says:

Odds: 4:1
Phishiest Song: Love Lies Bleeding
Comments: This is Page's album. The crowd can sing along. Elton is an icon. So many great songs.

The consensus?

Reply hazy, try again

Genesis - Lamb Lies Down On Broadway

2009-10-23T06:14:00.000-07:00

@mdubno says:

Odds: 13:1
Phishiest Song: In The Cage
Comments:

@ericwyman says:

Odds: 25:1
Phishiest Song: Chamber of 32 Doors
Comments: Fans may clamor for it, but I don't think they know more than the title. Amazing album but snooze fest for Phish. This is Time Turns Elastic. Page is perfect for 32 Doors though.

The consensus?

Reply hazy, try again

The Clash - London Calling

2009-10-23T06:09:00.000-07:00

@mdubno says:

Odds: 20:1
Phishiest Song: Train In Vain
Comments:

@ericwyman says:

Odds: 20:1
Phishiest Song: Rudie Can't Fail
Comments: I have high hopes for this album happening. Great rocker, potential for a unique spin from Phish

The consensus?

Ask again later

The Killer Among Us

2009-10-22T07:12:00.000-07:00

I was just listening to the highly entertaining and wonderfully wook-free, This Week On Lot podcast (iTunes Link) and a new idea popped in my head, playing off of yesterday's "The Field" post.

Nick, Steve and Scotty B were discussing how many albums would be left when the festival opens.

If the festival starts with multiple albums remaining, will they have a public "murder" of the remaining albums? Jamtopia had to remove their leaked festival map (ed. note Assumption on my part, it's gone). With the album names contained there I wouldn't be shocked if you heard screaming and found a dead album.

With a flair for the dramatic this would bring the web experience to real life.

Does this inflate the possibility of the 100th album being the killer? Would a spun out wook lose his shit? All questions remain unanswered.

Update: You can still access that map HERE

The Field

2009-10-21T12:32:00.000-07:00

The Field. In the world of oddsmaking, all other competitors that do not have set odds are collectively referred to as "the field."

Given that there are 99 albums on Phish's Web site, in a rare moment of clarity, a phan may wonder "Well, why not 100? Why do they give us this strange number one shy of a C-note? Why not 88 albums, or 69?"

And indeed, as we count down the final week pre-festival, the rumor mill (scroll down to 10/16 entry) is bathtub-ginning up with some talk about a missing 100th album. No less a reliable source than Trey Anastasio himself has been said to have given a radio interview where he noted that there are actually 100 albums on the Phish Web site, but only 99 were showing, and the last, 100th, album is the one killing all of the others. This would indeed be a strange admission by Trey, given all the Flash coding that went into the 99 albums, but it would give credence to those people obsessed with round numbers.

So, herewith, we post odds on the generic Album To Be Named Later, that does not currently appear in the 99-album showcase.

@mdubno odds: 13:1

@ericwyman odds: 9:1

Phish has a long running history with "the inside joke". Sirius' Festivalography (Part 1 | Part 2)points this out when explaining the history of the festival names, often spawned from random moments in time. A creative burst. Why would this endeavor be any different?

Being a fan of Phish you spend a significant amount of timing dealing with the inherent mind fuck. And the band knows this. It's a distinct possibility that Phish chose certain albums to broaden the musical horizons of its fan base, knowing that at least some of us would rush out to listen to Television or MGMT or Miles Davis. That'd be a commendable decision on their part.

So where do we net out?

Theory #1: Much like California, a dead album is the ultimate choice. Much like the killer who you forget about once you assume his defeat, he returns to finish the job.

Intriguing early deaths: Tom Petty, Pavement

Theory #2: The aforementioned 100th album.

Intriguing omissions: Hidden Track did a great post on 10 Artists Phish Forgot. My Bloody Valentine???? (too hip, personally)

Others we'd love to see: Pink Floyd, Animals or Obscured by Clouds. The Kinks, Cream, Traffic, the Stones' "Let It Bleed."

Theory #3: It's all a game.

They brought California back so, in turn they must be open to using the same gag? Not likely. The end result proves to be on the up and up and stays true to the described format.

AC/DC - Back In Black

2009-10-18T08:55:00.000-07:00

@mdubno says:

Odds: 15:1
Phishiest Song: Hells Bells
Comments: This cover would be Fishman-heavy throughout the entire album. Revised odds up slightly from 12 to 15 because that's not going to happen.

@ericwyman says:

Odds: 30:1
Phishiest Song: Hells Bells
Comments: One of the pinnacles of hard rock. But and entire set of trey playing three chords?

@tmwsiy says:

Odds: 12:1
Phishiest Song:
Comments:

The consensus?

Very Doubtful

The Pixies - Come On Pilgrim

2009-10-18T07:53:00.000-07:00

@mdubno says:

Odds: 40:1
Phishiest Song:
Comments:

@ericwyman says:

Odds: 50:1
Phishiest Song: Vamos
Comments: Considering they started at the same time as Phish, a great connection. But, at 20:28 this can't be any entire set. Even if you add Surfer Rosa.

@tmwsiy says:

Odds: 40:1
Phishiest Song:
Comments:

The consensus?

Very Doubtful

David Bowie - Hunky Dory

2009-10-18T07:45:00.000-07:00

@mdubno says:

Odds: 15:1
Phishiest Song: Song For Bob Dylan
Comments: If they're going to do Bowie I think they would settle for the path of least resistance and cover Ziggy.

@ericwyman says:

Odds: 40:1
Phishiest Song: Queen Bitch
Comments: Ziggy Stardust seems to have a better flow, but Queen Bitch is another jam in the vein of Rock and Roll. I'd welcome that to the rotation

@tmwsiy says:

Odds: 10:1
Phishiest Song:
Comments:

The consensus?

Outlook good

David Bowie - Ziggy Stardust

2009-10-18T07:41:00.000-07:00

@mdubno says:

Odds: 3:2
Phishiest Song: Suffragette City
Comments: This album is the current frontrunner, with tons of Web buzz and even a possibly-fake "8/Spider" merch logo circulating out there. Given that Phish is rumored to have practiced four albums, they might change it up at the last moment away from the "obvious" choice of Ziggy.

@ericwyman says:

Odds: 2:1
Phishiest Song: Moonage Daydream
Comments: Bowie is one of those artists that begs to be honored. Ziggy Stardust is iconic and fans seem to like. Not my pick though.

@tmwsiy says:

Odds: 3:2
Phishiest Song:
Comments:

The consensus?

Signs point to yes

Rolling Stones - Sticky Fingers

2009-10-16T05:46:00.000-07:00

@mdubno says:

Odds: 20:1
Phishiest Song: Can't You Hear Me Knocking
Comments: This album has the "top track" going for it--Brown Sugar starts it off, and there aren't too many more iconic licks than the one at the top of Brown Sugar.

@ericwyman says:

Odds: 3:2
Phishiest Song: Bitch
Comments: MY #1 PICK! Popular money would be on Exile and its double album stature, but this album has the songs everyone knows and doesn't have Loving Cup.

@tmwsiy says:

Odds: 20:1
Phishiest Song:
Comments:

The consensus?

Outlook good

Rolling Stones - Exile On Main St.

2009-10-16T05:42:00.000-07:00

@mdubno says:

Odds: 25:1
Phishiest Song: Loving Cup
Comments: This is a really crappy album. Sticky Fingers would be a much better choice.

@ericwyman says:

Odds: 12:1
Phishiest Song: Loving Cup, DUH!
Comments: Exile drags a little, I blame all the heroin. Sticky Fingers is way more fun, critical acclaim be damned."

@tmwsiy says:

Odds: 12:1
Phishiest Song:
Comments:

The consensus?

Outlook good

Rush - Moving Pictures

2009-10-16T05:35:00.000-07:00

@mdubno says:

Odds: 25:1
Phishiest Song: Limelight
Comments: I'm a big Rush fan, and I think this musical costume would result in one happy Festgoer and 59,999 very pissed ones...and those are odds I don't like. But don't sleep on this album, Tom Sawyer is strong to start it off. Not sure if Phish could make it work trying to match Geddy's vocals.

@ericwyman says:

Odds: 25:1
Phishiest Song: YYZ
Comments: Seriously though, who raises their hand and says "Yeah I want to sing that"

@tmwsiy says:

Odds: 25:1
Phishiest Song:
Comments:

The consensus?

Reply hazy, try again

Wilco - Yankee Hotel Foxtrot

2009-10-13T07:56:00.000-07:00

@mdubno says:

Odds: 50:1
Phishiest Song:
Comments:

@ericwyman says:

Odds: 75:1
Phishiest Song: Heavy Metal Drummer
Comments: Not the right album for Phish. Another snooze fest for fest 8.

@tmwsiy says:

Odds: 50:1
Phishiest Song:
Comments:

The consensus?

Don't Count On It

Van Halen - Van Halen

2009-10-12T05:44:00.000-07:00

@mdubno says:

Odds: 40:1
Phishiest Song: Ice Cream Man
Comments: This would be an audacious cover album, but some fun.

@ericwyman says:

Odds: 40:1
Phishiest Song: Runnin With The Devil
Comments: A quintisential rock guitar album. I'm pretty certain Trey leaned Eruption back in 81.

@tmwsiy says:

Odds: 40:1
Phishiest Song:
Comments:

The consensus?

My sources say no

Boston - Boston

2009-10-12T05:39:00.000-07:00

@mdubno says:

Odds: 9:1
Phishiest Song: Foreplay/Long Time
Comments: Although the audience will be waiting for "Smokin'"

@ericwyman says:

Odds: 15:1
Phishiest Song: Rock and Roll Band
Comments: Is there a 9 song album out there that the entire audience knows all the words to? This one maybe.

@tmwsiy says:

Odds: 9:1
Phishiest Song:
Comments:

The consensus?

Concentrate and ask again

Frank Zappa - Hot Rats

2009-10-09T12:03:00.000-07:00

@mdubno says:

Odds: 12:1

Phishiest Song: The Gumbo Variations

Comments: Rumors of a horn section joining Phish for Fest 8 would align with this as there are some horns on the album.

@ericwyman says:

Odds: 75:1

Phishiest Song:

Comments:

The consensus?

Reply hazy, try again.

Der Führer weighs in

2009-10-09T11:58:00.000-07:00

A major tip of the jester hat to PTer spooniefelt who pretty much locked up PTer of the Year with this one.

DISCLAIMER: The creators and contributors to this blog disavow and certainly do not support MGMT. Or the Nazi Party.

Pearl Jam - Ten

2009-10-09T11:42:00.000-07:00

@mdubno says:

Odds: 5:1

Phishiest Song: Alive

Comments: This would be a really interesting direction if Phish wanted to go out on the alt-rock limb (by limb by limb by limb by limb).

@ericwyman says:

Odds: 50:1

Phishiest Song:

Comments:

@tmwsiy says:

Odds: 5:1

Phishiest Song:

Comments: Would resonate well with so many fans.

The consensus?

Better not tell you now.

The Beach Boys - Pet Sounds

2009-10-09T11:39:00.000-07:00

@mdubno says:

Odds: 25:1

Phishiest Song: Wouldn't It Be Nice

Comments: No, I'm not sure it would be nice. I'm not sure Trey's vocals are up to such a workout in the middle an eight-set festival.

@ericwyman says:

Odds: 40:1

Phishiest Song: Sloop John B

Comments: The interplay between Trey and Page would be downright amazing, but an entire set of the complicated vocal harmonies make it unlikely.

The consensus?

Outlook not so good.

Aerosmith - Toys in the Attic

2009-10-09T11:34:00.000-07:00

@mdubno says:

Odds: 8:1

Phishiest Song: Walk This Way

Comments:

@ericwyman says:

Odds: 15:1

Phishiest Song: No More, No More

Comments: I'm a fan of this album, but am I a fan of Aerosmith? Big 10 Inch might be the best Fish song ever.

The consensus?

Outlook good.

Black Sabbath - Paranoid

2009-10-09T11:30:00.000-07:00

@mdubno says:

Odds: 40:1

Phishiest Song: War Pigs

Comments: Fishman did a mediocre War Pigs awhile back. He probably didn't get any better at it in the interim.

@ericwyman says:

Odds: 75:1

Phishiest Song:

Comments:

@tmwsiy says:

Odds: 40:1

Phishiest Song:

Comments:

The consensus?

My reply is no.

Nirvana - Nevermind

2009-10-08T11:46:00.000-07:00

@mdubno says:

Odds: 10:1
Phishiest Song: Lithium
Comments: This cover would be a straightforward rocker.

@ericwyman says:

Odds: 12:1
Phishiest Song: Lithium
Comments: Easily an album that would get one of the biggest receptions. The opening chords to Teen Spirit would be lost on no one! Could Phish maintain the intensity?

@tmwsiy says:

Odds: 10:1
Phishiest Song:
Comments:

The consensus?

Jimi Hendrix - Electric Ladyland

2009-10-08T11:41:00.000-07:00

@mdubno says:

Odds: 8:1
Phishiest Song: Voodoo Child (Slight Return)
Comments:

@ericwyman says:

Odds: 3:1
Phishiest Song: Voodoo Child (Slight Return)
Comments: Trey can't talk about music and not mention Hendrix. He's at the pinnacle of his heroes.

@tmwsiy says:

Odds: 8:1
Phishiest Song:
Comments:

The consensus?

Pink Floyd - The Wall

2009-10-08T11:36:00.000-07:00

@mdubno says:

Odds: 7:1
Phishiest Song: Comfortably Numb
Comments: Been waiting for 15 years for Phish to cover "Run Like Hell"

@ericwyman says:

Odds: 75:1
Phishiest Song: One Of My Turns
Comments: Seems like too much of a production to be considered

@tmwsiy says:

Odds: 20:1
Phishiest Song:
Comments: a great choice, has spots to let each band member shine/ but Darkside done already makes it less likely

The consensus?

Michael Jackson - Thriller

2009-10-08T11:29:00.000-07:00

@mdubno says:

Odds: 5:1
Phishiest Song: Wanna Be Startin' Somethin'
Comments: Mama-se, mama-sa, ma-ma-coo-sa...if Phish is ever going to play this album, this is the year to do it.

@ericwyman says:

Odds: 20:1
Phishiest Song: Wanna Be Startin' Somethin'
Comments: Probably the perpetual goof, but Indio would lose their shit.

@tmwsiy says:

Odds: 20:1
Phishiest Song:
Comments:

The consensus?

Beatie Boys - Hello Nasty

2009-10-08T10:05:00.000-07:00

@mdubno says:

Odds: 40:1
Phishiest Song: Three MC's and One DJ
Comments: How the hell would they pull this off? They wouldn't is how.

@ericwyman says:

Odds: 75:1
Phishiest Song: Song For The Man
Comments: The two versions of Sabotage are the low point of Phish cover history. Terrible idea.

@tmwsiy says:

Odds: 20:1
Phishiest Song:
Comments:

The consensus?

Bruce Springsteen - Born To Run

2009-10-08T09:57:00.000-07:00

@mdubno says:

Odds: 12:1
Phishiest Song: Jungleland
Comments: In concert, Bruce jams out Tenth Avenue Freeze-Out and Phish could also do so. A lot of phans hate Springsteen, actually.

@ericwyman says:

Odds: 8:1
Phishiest Song: Tenth Avenue Freeze-Out
Comments: Wooks aren't the boss' crowd, he's more of a longshoreman type. Still this album sits high in Trey's influences.

@tmwsiy says:

Odds: 12:1
Phishiest Song:
Comments:

The consensus?

Grateful Dead - American Beauty

2009-10-08T09:38:00.000-07:00

@mdubno says:

Odds: 2:1
Phishiest Song: Truckin'
Comments:

@ericwyman says:

Odds: 100:1
Phishiest Song: Ripple
Comments: ZERO chance. Terrapin Station was their tribute.

@tmwsiy says:

Odds: 10:1
Phishiest Song:
Comments: A strong candidate, but would not be too surprising, a little trite?

The consensus?

Legal Disclaimers

2009-10-08T04:20:00.000-07:00

This site is completely full of shit.

Should you find a way to lose money on predicting which album Phish will play at Festival 8, well...that's your problem. We are incredibly smart (this is true) but once this blows up the band will have to change their plans (not our fault)

Should you devise a way to bet on this, please let us know. We are degenerates too. Totally interested.

We'll be tackling these albums in no specific order. If you have a request, please leave it in the comments.