RebaReview #25
11/29/95 Nashville, TN
Municipal Auditorium, set I
Time: 15:07 W/ Whistling

I will withhold all comments about this show until after the review.
Big thanks go to Big Bri for setting me up with this gem.

THE DIRECTIONS (0:00): Holy cow!  This one starts out FAST, and it's not
my tape, because nothing else in this set sounds fast like this...the
voices sound pretty normal, too, so they just must be PUMPED!  Fishman
is, as he can be heard saying "Ow!" right after the first line.  Ow is
right!!  Everything sounds good, but...damn, they must be on crack or
something. _Cool_ woodblock from Fish in the second verse.  They aren't
letting up one bit heading into

THE SIP (2:05): This is a more or less spotless Sip at a completely
insane pace.  How do they do that?  Maybe it is my tape...can they
really play like that??  That big build to finish the section is coming,
and all that I can do is wish the guys good luck...they're gonna need it
for the Swallow.  Hold yer nose, kid, here we go!!!!

THE SWALLOW (4:15): RAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA! (Translation, so good and so fast
it blows the author's mind).

THE CHILL (5:28): I really don't think it's the tape...Fish hits the
chill so hard he has to adjust the beat...it's weird, but he makes the
switch really well.  Page almost comes in on the piano, but hangs back
while Fishman gets things in hand.  Mike then comes back in, also having
to adjust a bit, but he too is quick to find the groove.  Page then does
come in on electric keys, adding a whole lot to the groove.  No Trey
yet...Page chimes a bit...at 6:01 Trey chirps...twice...three times,
then falls into a passionate sustain...nice!!  That's good enough to
repeat.  Trey then hops right in the groove with noodling nice enough to
solicit cool stuttering from Fish.  Trey starts to work down low,
Fishman is still feeling it.  At 7:01, Trey shifts into a lick
incorporating those chirps...Trey starts noodling around and Fishman
grows more elaborate with his stuttering.  Trey starts tapping at a
note, with little licks around it...now he starts playing around up
high, really really sweet work from him in here.  Finally he drops down
and hops on a lick to begin a build.  Slowly he pushes it up,
culminating in a shift that Fishman rolls into at 8:19.

Page moves back to the baby grand.  Fishman starts in on the ride,
things have picked up suddenly.  Page sounds really locked in with
Trey...Page signals to him and Trey responds by dwelling on that note
again, tapping it and licking around it faster than before.  There's a
shift at 8:59 and Trey's soloing suddenly takes on a life of it's
own...it's pretty sweet stuff.  He returns to a more repetitive lick to
gather everyone together, and rides this to a shift...now he really
starts in on a lick, getting more stuttering from Fishman...Trey is
possessed, I'll tell ya right now...there's almost another big shift,
but Trey takes things back down a shade...lotsa tension building...Page
is itching for release...at 10:17 Trey starts repeating a note, up high,
catching Page up there and generating a really good build from
Fishman...he wails at this note, finally releasing it a bit, noodling,
then returning to it...he passes up another release point and _really_
starts to freak out up high...I get the feeling Mike, Page and Fish are
at the mercy of Trey...Trey eventually just drops back down, escaping
that insanity for a moment...I hear all of the pieces coming together in
what Trey is playing now...some crashes from Fish...at 11:36 Trey shifts
into some really dark stustained stuff...this is absolute turmoil...a
shift comes and goes, but Trey holds on to his sustain, higher up
now...Page brings the organ in, like it's the rising sun, and this
pushes Trey into some inhuman flailing in the high reaches...Fishman is
taken over by this, it's a HUGE build...Trey rrreeeeeleases at 12:35,
sustaining powerfully!! RAAAAAAAAA!

Trey continues to wail at that level for a few moments, then is suddenly
sucked into some indescribably viscous thrashing lower down on the
‘doc.  Did I say turmoil?  I meant a maelstrom!!  Another phenomenal
release at 13:14!!!  God, I don't know what else I can say! Trey has
just exploded into a mushroom cloud of melted wax!  In a touching
gesture of sanity, Fishman brings forth the toms at 13:34.

THE WET WHISTLE (13:45): What?  What's that??  I'm face down on the
floor, totally spent, and you're just standing there WHISTLING?  Are you
mad??  You are mad.  I think we're all mad.  I think we should all be
bagged and tagged and sold, preferably at the local butchery, preferably
with big warning label that says "Grade A Rebage!".  The Wet Whistle
ends at 15:07.

******

First off, technicalities.  From what my ears tell me, this tape is a
little fast.  From what the statitistics tell me, it's not just my
tape.  If you are a statistics-type person, check this out...out of all
other ‘95 and ‘96 versions that I've reviewed, the longest I've heard
one take to get to the jam was 5:50.  This version takes a mere 5:28,
and 22 seconds is a *long* time in terms of composed music, at least for
Reba.  A LONG time.  Translation: It's not just the speed of my tape,
this Reba was performed at warp speed!

Second off, irony.  When I first heard this version, I thought it was an
A+.  When I first heard it, I had no idea what the date on the show
was.  A couple of days later, I found out the date was 11/29/95.  That
is the date of my 21st birthday.  My birthday Reba.  Kinda neat, I
thought.

Back to the song.

This one is all Trey.  I mean, the jam segment is typically a Trey
feature anyway, but on this particular night, it's ALL Trey.  His
soloing is nothing short of inspired.  Now there isn't much of a quiet
zone in the middle, and you know what a big fan I am of the quiet
moments in Reba jams.  But Trey's soloing is good enough to make up for
a lot of that...through his guitar this one takes on a life of it's own.

Usually, though, a version like this wouldn't win the respect from me
that many versions do.  On the strength of Trey's soloing alone, without
the unique qualities of, say, a 10/21/95 Lincoln or 12/8/94 Spreckles
(to name a couple), I would give this a B, with a plus or minus to
denote how well they resolve the jam.

But, somehow, they do manage to pull all of that rampant energy into to
two EXTREMELY powerful releases there at the end.  Rebas that elicit
involuntary physical reactions from me, such as writhing or, in this
case, leaping to my feet and throwing my hands in the air...well, let's
just say I treat them with respect.  I said before that I initially
thought this one was an easy A+, but it's not.  But it's certainly the
equal of, say, Austin ‘95.  ‘95 is really a great year for Reba.  You
can add this one to the list.

Finest in the Nation?  Happy Birthday to me! =)

A-

- Tim