J. Polsgrove 2010-01-21

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I'm about to head out on a long trip to Texas and the rental car doesn't have an mp3 adapter, so I grabbed my 24-CD Case Logic CD carrier and picked out 24 CDs to take with me on the trip.

I was down to Lawn Boy, Farmhouse, Billy Breathes and Joy (along with a couple of live Phish shows), and I ended up picking Joy. I downloaded it the day it was released and it's been played dozens of times and it's still fresh.

Phish has the "Grateful Dead curse" of not being able to reproduce in the studio the magic they create onstage. Well, sometimes I want to listen to a studio CD, not something live. And Joy is one of those (along with the previously mentioned Lawn Boy, Farmhouse and Billy Breathes, which to me are the best studio CDs Phish released. OK, a Picture of Nectar comes close.)

Joy is a coherent, nicely paced, well-sequenced CD. I won't delve into the songs because I'm reviewing the CD as a whole. I admit I shared my mp3 files with a friend in New Jersey who's not really a Phish phan and he really liked it.

I can't believe anyone could give this one star or two. It may not appeal to everyone, so to some maybe 3 or 4 stars. However, I love this CD, so it and 23 other great CDs are going 650 miles down Interstate 10 from Tucson to Odessa with me -- and back again in 3 days.

B. Acton 2010-01-15

0 of 0 people found the following review helpful:

An average effort by a band meant to be appreciated live. A few tracks stand out to me - "Joy, Time Turns Elastic, and I look forward to hearing live versions of Ocelot.

The main mistake on this album is "I Been Around," which is just plain embarrassing to listen to. I feel bad for whoever greenlit this song for release on the album.

J. Ibrahim 2010-01-07

0 of 0 people found the following review helpful:

If at first this album seems less than other phish albums you have heard, give it another listen and then another one. There is not one bad song on the album, but the only filler would probably be the Page sung "I've been around." This album lives up to its title. It is simply a very joy filled album. "Kill Devil Falls" and "Time Turns Elastic" are my personal fav's from the album. Kill Devil Falls is incredible live. If you like Phish, buy this, you're unlikely to be disappointed.

C. Sjolund 2009-12-23

0 of 0 people found the following review helpful:

Now it seems like a majority of fans share a slight disdain for Phish's studio releases, and I can understand that as they rarely have the energy and the on the fly fun that you get from a show.

I was a little hesitant to pick this up as I feel their studio stuff is more or less hit or miss, mainly for the same reasons as above, but I was extremely impressed with this album and continue to listen and enjoy more and more parts of it.

The only song that I have to skip past is the "I Been Around" as this is slightly less palatable than the rest of the album.

Either way, I would recommend this release.

C. Givens 2009-12-02

0 of 0 people found the following review helpful:

I feel that this is a very good which suffers from poor organization. "Backwards Down the Number Line" is probably the strongest song on the album, and if it isn't, it is still is a very brisk and peppy song to start and album with. However, two of the weakest songs on the album, "Faulty Plan" and "Joy" follow "Number Line," which has the act of depressing me when listening all the way through. However, I feel that tracks 4-10 are all very good songs. They are certainly very different from Phish's earlier recording efforts, but they are still great songs. A must have for a Phish fan.