A Picture of Nectar
Encyclopedia
A Picture of Nectar is the third official studio album and first on a major-label by the American rock
band Phish
, released on February 12, 1992, through Elektra Records
. The album is dedicated to Nectar Rorris, the proprietor of Nectar's in Burlington, Vermont
, where Phish played their first bar gig followed by a series of monthly three night stands, saying that the experience "taught us how to play".
There are two versions of the album's cover. The first printings of the CD were issued in longbox format, and the title of the album was not printed on the CD insert itself. Later printings came in shrink-wrap format, and had the band's name and album title printed directly on the insert.
The songs on A Picture of Nectar explore a variety of musical genres, including jazz
, country
, calypso
, rock and roll
and neo-psychedelia
. Tracks 2, 8, 9 and 14 are instrumentals. The song "Manteca
" is a cover of the song by jazz trumpeter Dizzy Gillespie
; in Phish's short version, the melody line is sung as a goofy nonsense phrase.
All songs on the album have been performed live by the band, though the instrumental tracks have become relative rarities after the mid-1990s. The short instrumental, "Faht", written by drummer Jon Fishman
, has only been performed live twelve times, the last in 1995. Several live versions of "Catapult" have been performed in the middle of a another song, such as "Run Like an Antelope", "David Bowie" and "Simple".
The album was certified gold by the RIAA
on November 15, 2001.
wrote that "The album enhances the eclectic style of the group... What kept Phish from acid-rock of the 60's was the 'classical' touch, the clean sound, and the impeccable musical patterns. The spirit was not one of hippies but of polished performers." He went on to include the album at thirteenth place on his list of best progressive rock albums of all time.
In an April 2, 1992 review, Billboard magazine raved that A Picture of Nectar "...should be required on all college listening lists. The songs are all over the place from whacked-out rock to bluegrass to jazz. The constant is the high quality of musicianship and spirit that runs from track to track."
, where it is the third song in the series to have full Impossible rating for all band members (Painkiller from Rock Band 2
is the first, "Buttersnips" by Periphery
was the second). However, it is the first to have a full Impossible rating with keys included.
Rock music
Rock music is a genre of popular music that developed during and after the 1960s, particularly in the United Kingdom and the United States. It has its roots in 1940s and 1950s rock and roll, itself heavily influenced by rhythm and blues and country music...
band Phish
Phish
Phish is an American rock band noted for its musical improvisation, extended jams, and exploration of music across genres. Formed at the University of Vermont in 1983 , the band's four members – Trey Anastasio , Mike Gordon , Jon Fishman , and Page McConnell Phish is an American rock band...
, released on February 12, 1992, through Elektra Records
Elektra Records
Elektra Records is an American record label owned by Warner Music Group. In 2004, it was consolidated into WMG's Atlantic Records Group. After five years of dormancy, the label was revived by Atlantic in 2009....
. The album is dedicated to Nectar Rorris, the proprietor of Nectar's in Burlington, Vermont
Burlington, Vermont
Burlington is the largest city in the U.S. state of Vermont and the shire town of Chittenden County. Burlington lies south of the U.S.-Canadian border and some south of Montreal....
, where Phish played their first bar gig followed by a series of monthly three night stands, saying that the experience "taught us how to play".
There are two versions of the album's cover. The first printings of the CD were issued in longbox format, and the title of the album was not printed on the CD insert itself. Later printings came in shrink-wrap format, and had the band's name and album title printed directly on the insert.
The songs on A Picture of Nectar explore a variety of musical genres, including jazz
Jazz
Jazz is a musical style that originated at the beginning of the 20th century in African American communities in the Southern United States. It was born out of a mix of African and European music traditions. From its early development until the present, jazz has incorporated music from 19th and 20th...
, country
Country music
Country music is a popular American musical style that began in the rural Southern United States in the 1920s. It takes its roots from Western cowboy and folk music...
, calypso
Calypso music
Calypso is a style of Afro-Caribbean music that originated in Trinidad and Tobago from African and European roots. The roots of the genre lay in the arrival of enslaved Africans, who, not being allowed to speak with each other, communicated through song...
, rock and roll
Rock and roll
Rock and roll is a genre of popular music that originated and evolved in the United States during the late 1940s and early 1950s, primarily from a combination of African American blues, country, jazz, and gospel music...
and neo-psychedelia
Neo-psychedelia
Neo-psychedelia is music that emulates or is heavily influenced by the psychedelic music of the 1960s. It began to be revived among British post-punk bands of the later 1970s and early 1980s and was taken up by groups including bands of the Paisley Underground and Madchester scenes, as well as...
. Tracks 2, 8, 9 and 14 are instrumentals. The song "Manteca
Manteca (song)
"Manteca" was co-written by Dizzy Gillespie and Chano Pozo in 1947. It was one of the first examples of Afro-Cuban influences being incorporated into mainstream jazz...
" is a cover of the song by jazz trumpeter Dizzy Gillespie
Dizzy Gillespie
John Birks "Dizzy" Gillespie was an American jazz trumpet player, bandleader, singer, and composer dubbed "the sound of surprise".Together with Charlie Parker, he was a major figure in the development of bebop and modern jazz...
; in Phish's short version, the melody line is sung as a goofy nonsense phrase.
All songs on the album have been performed live by the band, though the instrumental tracks have become relative rarities after the mid-1990s. The short instrumental, "Faht", written by drummer Jon Fishman
Jon Fishman
Jon Fishman is an American drummer best known for his work with the band Phish. He is credited with co-writing 19 Phish originals, 8 of them as a solo credit....
, has only been performed live twelve times, the last in 1995. Several live versions of "Catapult" have been performed in the middle of a another song, such as "Run Like an Antelope", "David Bowie" and "Simple".
The album was certified gold by the RIAA
RIAA certification
In the United States, the Recording Industry Association of America awards certification based on the number of albums and singles sold through retail and other ancillary markets. Other countries have similar awards...
on November 15, 2001.
Chart positions
| Chart (1992) | Position |
|---|---|
| Top Heatseekers Top Heatseekers Top Heatseekers refers to either of two separate "Breaking and Entering" music charts issued weekly by Billboard Magazine: the Heatseekers Albums chart or the Heatseekers Songs chart. They were introduced by Billboard in 1993 with the purpose of highlighting the sales by new and developing musical... |
30 |
Critical reception
Allmusic staff writer Jim Smith gave the album four and a half stars out of five, noting the variety of musical genres explored on the album and calling it "a surprisingly tight record for a band that built its reputation on endless concert jams". Music writer and historian Piero ScaruffiPiero Scaruffi
Piero Scaruffi received a degree in Mathematics in 1982 from University of Turin, where he did work on the General Theory of Relativity. For a number of years he was the head of the Artificial Intelligence Center at Olivetti, based in Cupertino, California. He has been a visiting scholar at...
wrote that "The album enhances the eclectic style of the group... What kept Phish from acid-rock of the 60's was the 'classical' touch, the clean sound, and the impeccable musical patterns. The spirit was not one of hippies but of polished performers." He went on to include the album at thirteenth place on his list of best progressive rock albums of all time.
In an April 2, 1992 review, Billboard magazine raved that A Picture of Nectar "...should be required on all college listening lists. The songs are all over the place from whacked-out rock to bluegrass to jazz. The constant is the high quality of musicianship and spirit that runs from track to track."
Tracklisting
- "Llama" (AnastasioTrey AnastasioTrey Anastasio is an American guitarist, composer, and vocalist most noted for his work with the rock band Phish...
) – 3:32 - "Eliza" (Anastasio) – 1:32
- "Cavern" (Anastasio, Herman, MarshallTom Marshall (singer)Tom Marshall is a lyricist, keyboardist and singer/songwriter best known for his association with Trey Anastasio and the rock band Phish...
) – 4:24 - "Poor Heart" (GordonMike GordonMike Gordon is a bass guitar player and vocalist most noted for his work with the rock band Phish. Gordon is also an accomplished banjo player, and is proficient at piano, guitar, harmonica and percussion...
) – 2:44 - "Stash" (Anastasio, Marshall) – 7:11
- "Manteca" (FullerCurtis FullerCurtis DuBois Fuller is an American jazz trombonist, known as a member of Art Blakey's Jazz Messengers and contributor to many classic jazz recordings.-Biography:...
, GillespieDizzy GillespieJohn Birks "Dizzy" Gillespie was an American jazz trumpet player, bandleader, singer, and composer dubbed "the sound of surprise".Together with Charlie Parker, he was a major figure in the development of bebop and modern jazz...
, PozoChano PozoChano Pozo was a percussionist, singer, dancer and composer who played a major role in the founding of Latin jazz...
) – :29 - "Guelah Papyrus" (Anastasio, Marshall) – 5:22
- "Magilla" (McConnellPage McConnellPage Samuel McConnell is an American multi-instrumentalist most noted for his work as a songwriter and keyboardist with the American rock band Phish....
) – 2:46 - "The Landlady" (Anastasio) – 2:56
- "Glide" (Anastasio, FishmanJon FishmanJon Fishman is an American drummer best known for his work with the band Phish. He is credited with co-writing 19 Phish originals, 8 of them as a solo credit....
, Gordon, Marshall, McConnell) – 4:13 - "Tweezer" (Anastasio, Fishman, Gordon, McConnell) – 8:42
- "The Mango Song" (Anastasio) – 6:23
- "Chalk Dust Torture" (Anastasio, Marshall) – 4:36
- "Faht" (Fishman) – 2:21
- "Catapult" (Gordon) – :32
- "Tweezer Reprise" (Anastasio, Fishman, Gordon, McConnell) – 2:39
Band members
- Trey AnastasioTrey AnastasioTrey Anastasio is an American guitarist, composer, and vocalist most noted for his work with the rock band Phish...
– guitarGuitarThe guitar is a plucked string instrument, usually played with fingers or a pick. The guitar consists of a body with a rigid neck to which the strings, generally six in number, are attached. Guitars are traditionally constructed of various woods and strung with animal gut or, more recently, with...
, vocalsSingingSinging is the act of producing musical sounds with the voice, and augments regular speech by the use of both tonality and rhythm. One who sings is called a singer or vocalist. Singers perform music known as songs that can be sung either with or without accompaniment by musical instruments... - Page McConnellPage McConnellPage Samuel McConnell is an American multi-instrumentalist most noted for his work as a songwriter and keyboardist with the American rock band Phish....
– keyboardKeyboard instrumentA keyboard instrument is a musical instrument which is played using a musical keyboard. The most common of these is the piano. Other widely used keyboard instruments include organs of various types as well as other mechanical, electromechanical and electronic instruments...
, organOrgan (music)The organ , is a keyboard instrument of one or more divisions, each played with its own keyboard operated either with the hands or with the feet. The organ is a relatively old musical instrument in the Western musical tradition, dating from the time of Ctesibius of Alexandria who is credited with...
, vocals - Mike GordonMike GordonMike Gordon is a bass guitar player and vocalist most noted for his work with the rock band Phish. Gordon is also an accomplished banjo player, and is proficient at piano, guitar, harmonica and percussion...
– bass guitarBass guitarThe bass guitar is a stringed instrument played primarily with the fingers or thumb , or by using a pick....
, vocals - Jon FishmanJon FishmanJon Fishman is an American drummer best known for his work with the band Phish. He is credited with co-writing 19 Phish originals, 8 of them as a solo credit....
– drumsDrum kitA drum kit is a collection of drums, cymbals and often other percussion instruments, such as cowbells, wood blocks, triangles, chimes, or tambourines, arranged for convenient playing by a single person ....
, vocals
Additional personnel
- Gordon Stone – pedal steel, banjo
- Michael Mills – art direction
- Tom Walters – assistant engineer
- Jon Altschiller – engineer
- Bob Ludwig – mastering
- B.C. Kagan – photography
- Joe Witkop – photography
- Kevin Halpin – producer, engineer
Cultural references
The song "Llama" is included in the music video game Rock Band 3Rock Band 3
Rock Band 3 is a music video game, developed by Harmonix Music Systems. The game was initially published and distributed by MTV Games and Electronic Arts, respectively, with Mad Catz taking over both roles a year later. It is the third main game in the Rock Band series...
, where it is the third song in the series to have full Impossible rating for all band members (Painkiller from Rock Band 2
Rock Band 2
Rock Band 2 is a music video game developed by Harmonix Music Systems. It is the sequel to Rock Band and is the second title in the series. The game allows up to four players to simulate the performance of popular songs by playing with controllers modeled after musical instruments...
is the first, "Buttersnips" by Periphery
Periphery (band)
Periphery is an American metal band from Bethesda, Maryland , formed in 2005.- Formation and lineup changes :Periphery was formed by guitarist Misha Mansoor in 2005...
was the second). However, it is the first to have a full Impossible rating with keys included.