This remnant will be replaced soon. The FAQ is back, with a new design! What do you know about Round Room? Released December 10th, and available for from Dry Goods. Title: Named after a Burlington restauraunt known for its waffle fries and its brick-and-red-plank design, just like the ball on the album cover. (The band's first major-label release, Picture of Nectar, was named for the owner of Burlington restaurant Nectar's, known for its gravy fries.) Contrary to rumor, the album is not named after the room at Goddard College where Mike had his ephinany. That was the cafeteria, which is quite rectangular, and the school has no round rooms - it's all old barns and cabins and planks, all quite angular. Recorded at The Barn with producer Bryce Goggin over four days in Sept. 2002, as the culmination of three weeks rehearsal time with only the four band members present over 70 minutes long, with lots of improv Tracklist: 1. Pebbles and Marbles 2. Anything but Me 3. Round Room 4. Mexican Cousin 5. Friday 6. Seven Below 7. Mock Song 8. 46 Days 9. All of These Dreams 10. Walls of the Cave 11. Thunderhead 12. Waves Of the 12 songs, 10 come from a set of 23 new Marshall/Anastasio tunes which had been recorded (over the summer, at the Farmhouse) in a rough format similar to what was later released as Trampled by Lambs and Pecked by a Dove. The other two ("Mock Song" and the title track) are by Mike. This was reduced from 30 songs brought to the table: Page told Billboard (12/21/02), " I had a song, Fish had a song, Trey had 20 songs, and Mike had eight songs.") According to the official (10/29/02) announcement, "What started as rehearsals for the upcoming Phish New Year's shows quickly progressed into a full-blown recording session, the results of which are distilled onto a new studio release, Round Room, due out Dec. 10 on Elektra Records. Recorded in four days in October by producer Bryce Goggin, the album ripples with raw, vital energy and features a healthy dose of the band's trademark improvisational style. In total, the album's twelve tracks clock in at over seventy minutes. The "round room" on the cover of the album is not computer generated as one might think - it's a real sculpture called "Barn Ball" that was exhibited at Dartmouth College while I was there. The artist is Lars-Eric Fisk who also did the artistic direction for the Great Went (not sure about the other festivals) and won the DeCordova Museum's Rappaport Prize; here are some articles about him: 1 and 2; "Barn Ball" at Dartmouth: 1 and 2. (rmp post by Dan Mielcarz 12/7/02) "I know it is not perfect in the studio sense of the word. The sound is not necessarily as clean as can be for the true audiophiles. There are some quote-unquote wrong notes. But it sounds like us, you know? It has a feel akin to what it sounds like when you go see Phish, which is good, because I think a lot of times our records don't capture what we really sound like. ... There's more jamming on this album than any other studio album we have ever done. There are at least five songs that have big, big jams: 'Pebbles and Marbles','Seven Below,' 'Walls of the Cave', 'Waves', and '46 Days.'" - Page in Billboard, 12/21/02 -- Liner notes (as posted to rmp late Nov 02): ELEKTRA # 62850-2 PHISH Round Room (NO WEBLINK) 1. Pebbles and Marbles (11:39) 2. Anything But Me (4:30) 3. Round Room (4:13) 4. Mexican Cousin (3:16) 5. Friday (6:31) 6. Seven Below (8:27) 7. Mock Song (4:29) 8. 46 Days (6:15) 9. All of These Dreams (4:08) 10. Walls of the Cave (9:59) 11. Thunderhead (3:19) 12. Waves (11:05) FOR CD BOOKLET: 1. Pebbles and Marbles (Anastasio/Marshall) She started a blaze from one tiny spark I didn't even detect She loved the light, was dismayed by the dark The stars though she seemed to respect The faint light that flutters at night to the earth Would land in her eyes and collect Luminous creatures she'd find in the surf I never thought to inspect Pebbles and marbles like things on my mind Seem to get lost and harder to find When I am alone I am inclined If I find a pebble in sand To think that it fell from my hand She gave me ideas Planted the seed But she never stopped to reflect The course that she's on, wherever it leads I never would redirect Pebbles and marbles like words from a friend Make us hold tight but are lost in the end When we're alone we all seem to tend If we find a marble in dust To wish someone left it for us 2. Anything But Me (Anastasio/Marshall/Herman) I am just a satellite, high above the atmosphere Bouncing every thing you say to someone who is meant to hear Sometimes on a rainy day, I lie in bed and dream of you So blame it on the satellite, when your message can't get through I am just a tiny wave, a minor ripple out at sea Moving slowly towards the shore, burdened with uncertainty I'm gaining power, losing speed, wondering as I near your door Will you hold it open for the tidal wave approaching shore? You've become an island in the hazy world surrounding me Offering a vast reward each time I safely cross the sea All too often I become lost in the fog and haze Clinging still, against my will, to promises of clearer days I am just a raindrop that accelerates without control Losing bits and pieces in descent 'til I'm no longer whole I am just another shooting star above that you might see Until I have your full attention I'll be anything but me 3. Round Room (Gordon/Linitz) My room is round when I lay down, when I wake up it's square When I go outside it's on a spiral set of stairs The people that surround me are waiting out there In a round room they can't find me anywhere Right angle rooms drive me crazier each day Put me in a box I know I'm never going to play Put me in a square room and I won't know what to say I want a round room at the end of the day I had an apartment, four corners on the walls Couldn't eat, couldn't sleep there at all I want a curve to the place where I stay I want a round room at the end of the day If I pass out take me to the Round Church Where echoes resound And my spirit is found And when I float high Take my arm and I'll fly you by The outskirts of town, to a garden that's round I went to the lighthouse and I liked the view I looked out the window and I could see you Put me in a square house and I won't have a clue I want a round room just to be with you. 4. Mexican Cousin (Anastasio/Marshall) Oh tequila I turn to you like a long lost friend I want to kiss my Mexican cousin once again We'll cover every emotion from happiness to sorrow And the conversations I forget you'll tell me about tomorrow When the phone calls start, am I in bed or in a hearse? The things you tell me about myself can't make me feel any worse Well I'm awful sorry you got pissed Just have to cross you off the list Of my true friends... And tequila's where that starts and where it ends 5. Friday (Anastasio/Marshall/Herman) I crashed, I burned But then I learned To keep my eye on you You always say You'll lead the way But then you never do I slowed, I swerved But lost my nerve And quickly looked away When I looked back The day was black Then I heard you say Why is the sun hot? Why does it rain? Why is there danger and Why is there pain? Why can't the burden we carry go away And why isn't it Friday today? Your lack of trust Is hardly just So do as you've been told Please follow me Into the sea Don't worry if it's cold I knew right then My chance again Would quickly slip away I crash I cry I burn but I Still follow anyway Why is the sea cool? Why is it blue? Why do I stay here? Why is it you? Notice the danger but don't help in any way Why isn't it Friday today? 6. Seven Below (Anastasio/Marshall) Blue, splinter and grow New crystals of snow Seen several kinds Through seven below 7. Mock Song (Gordon) Zither, Rachel, Cardamom, Frost - But at what cost? Threshold, Skin, Fortress, Win - A life of sin Pliers, Tension, Toy Store, Grace - The human race Raking, Fourteen, Basket, Screw - Now how 'bout you? Passion, Cardboard, Raisin, Stop - A better crop Field, Cater, Open, New - Who's mocking who? It's just a mock song... Gas, Thirsty, Rattle, Tick - A bone to pick Fountain, Egg, Treason, Cave - Will you dance on grave? Throat, Carrot, Meeting, Choke -I got that joke Temper, Thistle, Rodney, Wilt - The house I built Fewer, Pink, Kyle, Ball - I've known them all Penny, Thistle, Cell Phone, Blow - Reap what you sow Because it's just a mock song Call it what you will. 8. 46 Days (Anastasio) Leigh Fordham sold me out 46 days and the coal ran out Please come round here another day Sit yourself down when you're ready to stay She dug down when they took the town Lookin' for clues but they couldn't be found Leigh found out she was ready to roam 47 days and the coal came home Taste the fear For the devil's drawing near 9. All of These Dreams (Anastasio/Marshall/Herman) There is a place on the mountain nearby Deep in a cave but it's up rather high There in the darkness are safely concealed All of the dreams that you never revealed And if you go there, and after you do All of these dreams would be yours to pursue The rest of your lifetime devoid of a care If you keep your eyes open you may find yourself there Such is the promise, such is the curse You could just live your life better or worse Knowing the cache of dreams up on that hill Beckons and sways but won't bend to your will You might find a river under a mountain That feeds a remote subterranean fountain Drink from this, taste just a hint of a dream That somehow leaked into the underground stream 10. Walls of the Cave (Anastasio/Marshall) I'm leaving you a message, I'm leaving you a trace I'm leaving thoughts for you I hope that time will not erase And when the moment comes to read the words that I engrave You'll find them on the walls of the cave I know you heard the question but you didn't make a sound And when it fell you caught my heart before it hit the ground But if you ever need the names of those you couldn't save You'll find them on the walls of the cave Look at me The time stands still The mountain here is now a hill Look away The time goes past These rocks will fall away at last Maybe you will see it as you're passing by alone Below the moss forgotten where some words adorn a stone It might have been an etching on a marker of a grave Or maybe on the walls of the cave Listen to The silent trees But still your words float on the breeze Look away I see them all Carved into the cavern wall 11. Thunderhead (Anastasio/Marshall) I need a new way to express Myself so you don't need to guess What otherwise I'd say aloud And watch it float just like a cloud High up above you like a thunderhead But you would just look down instead And wait 'til foggy skies abate And vapor clouds all dissipate And when with them all my words for you Have softly sublimated too And you'll just hope that I've moved on So you'll look up and find me gone 12. Waves (Anastasio/Marshall/Herman) How is it I never see The waves that bring her words to me For though unseen they drift around They catch my breath and knock me down I feel them quickly swirling by As they withdraw with my reply And slip into the dark of night As I attempt to stay upright Instead I'm stranded on my knees As words depart upon the breeze That quickly drifts away from here And possibly won't reach her ear If we could see these many waves That flow through clouds and sunken caves She'd sense at least the words that sought her On the wind and underwater PHISH: Trey Anastasio Jon Fishman Mike Gordon Page McConnell Produced, Recorded and Mixed by Bryce Goggin Engineer: Peter J. Carini Mix Assisted by Nicholas Marantz and Adam Sacks Recorded at the Barn, Vermont, October 15, 16, 18, 19, 2002 Mixed at The Barn and Trout Recording, Brooklyn, NY Mastered by Fred Kevorkian, Absolute Audio, New York, NY Technical and Production Assistance: Paul Languedoc, Brad Sands, Kevin Shapiro, Rob O'Dea, Kevin Monty, John Billingsley Thanks: Tara McCarthy and Jason Beeman Art Direction / Sculpture: Lars Fisk Design: Jason Colton Photography: Ricky Levinson Band Photography: Mike Gordon, David Barron and Kevin Hoffman Management by Dionysian Productions: John Paluska, Jason Colton, Beth Montuori, Megan Criss All songs published by Who Is She? Music, Inc. (BMI). All rights reserved. In memory of Scott Schertzer and Michael Houser. c 2002 Elektra Entertainment Group Inc. for the United States and WEA International Inc. for the world outside of the United States. Warner Music Group, An AOL Time Warner Company. All rights reserved. Printed in U.S.A. 62850-2 (ELEKTRA Logo) CD LABELS: PHISH Round Room 1. Pebbles and Marbles 2. Anything But Me 3. Round Room 4. Mexican Cousin 5. Friday 6. Seven Below 7. Mock Song 8. 46 Days 9. All of These Dreams 10. Walls of the Cave 11. Thunderhead 12. Waves Produced by Bryce Goggin pc 2002 Elektra Entertainment Group Inc. for the United States and WEA International Inc. for the world outside of the United States. Warner Music Group, An AOL Time Warner Company. All rights reserved. Unauthorized duplication is a violation of applicable laws. Made in U.S.A. by WEA Manufacturing Inc. 62850-2 (ELEKTRA Logo) Additional Copy For Promo Label: For promotional use only. Sale or other transfer is prohibited. Must be returned on demand of recording company. CD INLAY: PHISH Round Room 1. Pebbles and Marbles 2. Anything But Me 3. Round Room 4. Mexican Cousin 5. Friday 6. Seven Below 7. Mock Song 8. 46 Days 9. All of These Dreams 10. Walls of the Cave 11. Thunderhead 12. Waves Produced by Bryce Goggin (ELEKTRA Logo) ELEKTRA ENTERTAINMENT GROUP INC. Warner Music Group An AOL Time Warner Company 75 Rockefeller Plaza, New York, NY 10019 345 North Maple Drive, Beverly Hills, CA 90210 pc 2002 Elektra Entertainment Group Inc. for the United States and WEA International Inc. for the world outside of the United States. Warner Music Group, An AOL Time Warner Company. All rights reserved. Printed in U.S.A. WARNING: Unauthorized reproduction of this recording is prohibited by Federal law and subject to criminal prosecution. (BARCODE) SPINE: 62850-2 PHISH Round Room ELEKTRA 62850-2 PHISH Round Room ELEKTRA "I am no more lonely than a single mullein or dandelion in a pasture, or a bean leaf, or sorrel, or a horse-fly, or a humble-bee. I am no more lonely than the Mill Brook, or a weathercock, or the north star, or the south wind, or an April shower, or a January thaw, or the first spider in a new house." -- Henry David Thoreau Rationalists, wearing square hats, / Think, in square rooms, Looking at the floor, / Looking at the ceiling. They confine themselves / To right-angled triangles. If they tried rhomboids, / Cones, waving lines, ellipses -- As, for example, the ellipse of the half-moon-- Rationalists would wear sombreros. -- Wallace Stevens This page last updated January 26, 2007. All contents © 1992-2007 Ellis Godard. All rights reserved.