A Picture of Nectar

A Picture of Nectar
Studio album by Phish
Released February 12, 1992
Recorded June–August 1991, White Crow Studios, Burlington, Vermont
Genre Alternative rock, jazz fusion, jam
Length 60:20
Label Elektra
Producer Phish, Kevin Halpin
Phish chronology

Lawn Boy
(1990)		 A Picture of Nectar
(1992)		 Rift
(1993)
Singles from A Picture of Nectar
  1. "Chalk Dust Torture"
    Released: 1992
  2. "Cavern"
    Released: 1992

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".[1]

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.[2]

The songs on A Picture of Nectar explore a variety of musical genres, including jazz, country, calypso, rock and roll and neo-psychedelia.[3] Tracks 2, 8, and 9 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.[4] "Poor Heart" is written in bluegrass style.

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.[5] Several live versions of "Catapult" have been performed in the middle of another song, such as "Run Like an Antelope", "David Bowie" and "Simple".

The album was certified gold by the RIAA on November 15, 2001.[6]

Chart positions

Chart (1992)[7] Position
Top Heatseekers 30

Critical reception

Professional ratings
Review scores
Source Rating
Allmusic [8]

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".[3]

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."[2]

Track listing

All songs written by Trey Anastasio, except where noted.

  1. "Llama" – 3:32
  2. "Eliza" – 1:32
  3. "Cavern" (Anastasio, Scott Herman, Tom Marshall) – 4:24
  4. "Poor Heart" (Mike Gordon) – 2:44
  5. "Stash" (Anastasio, Marshall) – 7:11
  6. "Manteca" (Curtis Fuller, Dizzy Gillespie, Chano Pozo) – 0:29
  7. "Guelah Papyrus" (Anastasio, Marshall) – 5:22
  8. "Magilla" (Page McConnell) – 2:46
  9. "The Landlady" – 2:56
  10. "Glide" (Anastasio, Jon Fishman, Gordon, Marshall, McConnell) – 4:13
  11. "Tweezer" (Anastasio, Fishman, Gordon, McConnell) – 8:42
  12. "The Mango Song" – 6:23
  13. "Chalk Dust Torture" (Anastasio, Marshall) – 4:36
  14. "Faht" (Fishman) – 2:21
  15. "Catapult" (Gordon) – 0:32
  16. "Tweezer Reprise" (Anastasio, Fishman, Gordon, McConnell) – 2:39

Credits

Band members

Additional personnel

Cultural references

The song "Llama" is included in the music video game Rock Band 3, where it is the second song in the main-game series (not including DLC) to have full Impossible rating for all band members (Painkiller from Rock Band 2 is the first). However, it is the first to have a full Impossible rating with keys included. "Stash" and "Tweezer" were also released as downloadable content for Rock Band 3 in 2011.

"Tweezer Reprise" was used in a Michael Phelps montage following his 19th Olympic medal in 2012.

"Catapult" features a sample from "Remember Now" by "Queensrÿche" off of the album "Operation: Mindcrime".

Notes

  1. ↑ Phish.com: A Picture of Nectar Online. Accessed: August 08, 2011.
  2. ↑ 2.0 2.1 Phish:net: A Picture of Nectar Online. Accessed: August 11, 2011.
  3. ↑ 3.0 3.1 Smith, Jim. "allmusic – A Picture of Nectar > Overview". Allmusic. Retrieved June 8, 2009.
  4. ↑ Phish.net: Manteca Song History Online. Accessed: August 11, 2011.
  5. ↑ Phish.net: Faht Every Time Played Online. Accessed: August 11, 2011.
  6. ↑ "RIAA searchable certification database". Recording Industry Association of America. Retrieved 2011-12-17.
  7. ↑ "allmusic – A Picture of Nectar > Charts & Awards > Billboard Albums". Allmusic. Retrieved June 8, 2009.
  8. ↑ http://www.allmusic.com/album/r53475

External links