Mike's Song opens up on the last blink of Sparkle (cough).  Opening
standard, strong, solid, sound.. At 2:38 the tramps segment begins
[for those of you who don't know, there used to be trampolines in
Mike's Song at this point (when the fog started), but they haven't
been around since '94, I think].  Mike and Page groove away and
Trey lets out an occasional note or chord in here for the first minute
or so.  Fish just pounds out the typical Mike's Song rhythm.  At one
point, Trey and Mike get into this groove that I'd swear was a tease
of a non-Phish tune, but I have no idea what (7 note-theme that is
repeated.. and is loooow).

Around 4 minutes Trey becomes more active -- he's still low on the
'doc, though.  He solos in a rather dull, dark fashion.. Page is
chording pretty spookily, too.  Around 5:30 the jam sounds fiendishly
groovy, and at around 5:45 or so, Trey begins repeating this cool
chord-laden groove that sounds vaguely familiar (but it isn't really a
cover or tease).  The whole band jams on this groove for the next
thirty seconds or so, until at about 6:30 Trey begins soloing -- still
in an erie, scary fashion -- a bit more in the mid-octaves of the
'doc.  Page's playing is similarly frightening and dark... passionate
accompaniment, but again, the whole feel of this Mike's Song is of
Death and Despair and Darkness.  Not quite "anti-melodious," but sure
as hell not charming or quaint.

In the vicinity of 8 minutes, though, Trey seems to get caught in a
twirling, repetitive, dissonant groove, that Page and Mike join in on
(Fish wails away quite well), but, unlike many dissonant jams that one
hears in SOAM or Stash, this one is especially auricularly pleasing,
in my opinion.  This jam is left within a minute or so, though, and
sounds yet again like a SEVERE, ERIE, EVIL tramps segment of Olde
(Mike's Songs used to ALWAYS contain erie, off-key soloing from Trey
and generally be dark and wicked-sounding).

Trey really belts out some licks around 10 minutes!!! Just starts
FIRING AWAY!!!  Still in a downright terrifying groove at this point
(10:15), though.  Really evil close to this unusually long Mike's
tramps section jam.. at about

11 minutes or so, Simple starts up.  Strongly.  No screwing around.
Simple kicks right in after the tramps section of Mike's song. Benji
already reviewed this Simple, and I encourage you to check out his
review of it, since it is more thorough and enjoyable than the following.

The Simple jam segment begins at about 15 mins.  The opening few
minutes are what you expect to hear in Simple's jam segment:  Trey
melodiously noodling around, and Fish, Mike and Page accompanying in a
straightforward fashion for Simple.  In my opinion, there is nothing
at all remarkable about this opening -- it is typically beautiful,
mellifluous, Simple-jamming.

Around 17:40, like numerous other 1996 Simple's, the jam relaxes and
slows down -- Fish begins quieting the groove, Mike becomes more
prominent, Page lightly plays the piano, and Trey continues noodling..
but everyone is steady and soft.  Around 19 minutes, the groove
quietly continues softly and melodiously, with everyone clearly
listening to each other and playing in a most delicate and genteel
manner.  This is certainly beautiful music, but there are other
Simple jam segments that are equally wondrous, in my opinion.

At around 20:30, HOWEVER, instead of seguing/dissolving into something
like "Swept Away," the Simple jam delicately continues forward, and
gets more enjoyable by the second.  Around 21 minutes, Trey is still
melodiously soloing, and Page, Mike and Fish are still lightly
accompanying... but around 22 mins, Trey gets rather repetitive,
and the groove begins to profoundly captivate and charm!

Around 23 minutes, a key change occurs, Fish picks up the beat, Trey
intensely and darkly changes the tone of his soloing, and Page and
Mike similarly accompany!!!  This is a very cool groove, to be sure,
and Eric Burns likened it to a "Caution Jam" that you can find on many
an old Dead tape.  Trey's playing is similar to what Jerry often did
in 'Caution' jams (quick, fiery, rhythm&bluesy licks), and the rhythm
that Fish kicks out is also similar to Caution, but Mike isn't playing
the trademark "Caution" bass lines in here.  If you get this set to
hear Phish play "Caution," you will be disappointed.  ANYWAY, this
dark, bewilderingly Intense and Dank jam builds patiently and sweetly
until

around 26 minutes Trey melodiously solos yet again, accompanied
forcefully by the others.  Fish changes the rhythm into something
almost equivalent to "Montana" from the Bozeman Tweezer (almost).
Trey sustains a note for awhile, too, which gives Page's piano greater
prominence in the mix.  Mike accompanies patiently and repetitively
with Fish.

At around 28 mins, Trey returns, repeating a four-note lick over and
over again, and around 28:40-50 someone lightly calls something (I
have no idea what is said in here) a couple times, and then Trey lets
loose a few descending scales.  The jam at this point (29:15) is a
spacey fog...

At 29:39 Fish starts up Harry Hood, with the typical tom-tom action.
I'm not going to review Harry.  This version is **GORGEOUS** in my
opinion, and certainly up there with my personal favorites, but it
doesn't conclude as mightily as 11/12/94, for example, and it doesn't
build nearly as preciously as 10/7/95. I love it, though!!

At 45:27 Fish begins Weekapaug (out of sustained effects from the end
of Harry).  Mike doesn't really have an opening solo.. he just
repetitively jams.  Trey was chording a little bit in this opening..
The jam segment opens up with Trey repetitively chording while Page
funks out on the clavinet...

At around 48:05 Trey begins to melodiously solo, and Page moves to the
piano to accompany him.  Fish and Mike groove on.. At around 49
minutes Trey sustains a note on the 'doc and moves to the percussion
kit.  Page starts wailing away on the piano!  =^]

Very upbeat, passionate jam!!  At 50:30 Trey returns the 'doc and just
starts Firing Away!!  Great licks from him from here on out it sounds
like.. Just frighteningly stellar Weekapaug jamming at this point
(51:20), even though Trey gets locked in a rather repetitive groove.

The jam STOPS DEAD at 51:35!!!!!!  =^]  I didn't hear *ANY* signals
folks.  I have no idea where this came out of.  Damn!!!  DEAD STOP
AGAIN at 52:04!!!  =^]

I didn't hear any signals.. wow!  Talk about listening closely to each
other.  I guess there's a new STOP ON A DIME signal.

At 52:35 the jam quiets down and a "quiet mode" begins.. Trey turns on
the Leslie watery psychedelic guitar effect (or some form of it, it
sounds like) at first.. he starts melodiously, softly noodling.  Fish
keeps the groove going.. but lightly.. very lightly.  Mike is awfully
quiet, too.  Page is silent.. then at 53:51 Fish goes THWACK and nails
the snare and WHAM!!!

Back into Weekapaug Groove!  =^]  And HOLY SHIIIIIIIT!!!! Trey goes
OFF in this concluding section for about twenty sections or so,
wailing away, and Fish obviously picks up the beat!!  Crazy finish..
very rushed and dramatic.  Closing Weekapaug theme, and at 55:21 they
sing the closing lyrics.  Total time 56:04.

Well.  I think you should hear this Mike's Song > Simple > Jam > Harry
Hood > Weekapaug Groove.  "A" rating easily.  Magnificent!!  I
certainly prefer the 12/31/95 Weekapaug and Mike's Song to these 12/6
versions, but, well, in light of what transpires over the course of
this entire 'Groove (see the awe-inspiring Simple and Harry), the
rating is justified.  If I had to JUST RATE the Mike's Song, I would
give it a B+, but really only because of the final minute or so of the
scary, long, dark, erie jam (otherwise, it would just be typically
awesome, though LONG and typically awesome.. I wasn't really all that
taken with it).  If I had to JUST RATE the Weekapaug, it would get an
A-, given the intensity of the jamming and the amazing stops/starts by
the band (but, for example, there are plenty of more interesting "N/R"
versions of Weekapaug out there, in my opinion, and 12/31/95 is
profoundly more impressive overall musically (improvisationally)).

Nevertheless, as an Experience, this Mike's Song > Simple > Jam >
Harry Hood > Weekapaug Groove should get an  "A" rating overall.  BTW,
I know some of you don't like seeing the word "jam" on setlists.  I'm
not bothering to put "jam" on the setlists that I send out of this
show, myself.  But there's a solid ten minutes or so before Harry that
sure as hell isn't "Simple"... it is rather a different sort of jam in
a different key entirely.  (and no, I wouldn't call it a "Caution
jam"  ;-)  ... although it does evoke a cautious feeling)  There's
also no return to Simple after this jam.

two cents