@nolasox said:

A small nit ... you left the Dick's Piper off your Recommended Listening list.

Thank you! You're being generous, as I do not consider the failure to include the Dick's "Piper" in the "recommended" list at all "small." This has been FIXED! Thanks again!

Thanks to all for the comments! A couple points. (1) I do not understand the undue appreciation for the SBIX "Mound" (or the OL "Mound" either for that matter). It's "Mound." The SBIX version is barely well-played. Is it Trey's soloing at the end that you really like? I like it, too, but I don't think it's remarkable in light of the "Mounds" from years past.

(2) With respect to the OL "Tweezer," @ericwyman, like I said in the recap, it's a very good version of "Tweezer," and sure, maybe it's better than many others. And obviously fans of "Tweezer" should hear every version. But "Tweezer" has been doing well in recent years, and the 8/12 OL version just didn't strike me as unduly special... though you'll note that I did put it into the Tweezer jamming chart, so perhaps for that reason... uhm... maybe it should be added to the "recommended listening" list.

@AndrewRose: I am fond of part of the Essex "Carini" jam, the part that doesn't sound like Trey is consciously playing sharp and flat notes. But overall, I'm just very thankful that they decided to take it "out there" at all, even if I think the effort proved to be a mixed-bag musically, as I hear it.

@Waxbanks: I hear you on the 8/8 "Piper" and you may be right, and certainly "Piper" aficionados should hear all versions of the song, period. But when I "recommend" things I usually (though not always, since I fail) try to recommend only those versions of songs where even someone who isn't ordinarily drawn to the song will find something to appreciate about it. Does that make sense? For example, I am not much of a fan of "Sample," but I will recommend, very highly, the first version of it that Phish plays where the jam either proceeds in typical "type 1" fashion for more than 3 minutes, or that ventures into "type II" territory at all, as there has yet to be such a version.

And as for your thoughts on UIC3's second set, mileage can and should vary about it. I think it's musically mixed (given what Phish is capable of), but it's still enormously entertaining, and arguably worth listening to, of course, for that reason alone. Also, I agree with you that UIC3-2 is "cohesive," and you're right to suggest that the segue into "Piper" out of "Caspian" is worth hearing. I should have mentioned that, so thanks for bringing it up.