The Man Who Stepped into Yesterday

The Man Who Stepped into Yesterday
Studio album (bootleg) by Phish
Released 1987
Recorded Goddard College, Plainfield, Vermont, 1987
Genre Rock
Length 63:14
Label Self-release
Producer Trey Anastasio
Phish chronology
Phish (The White Tape) (1986) The Man Who Stepped into Yesterday (1987) Junta (1988)

The Man Who Stepped into Yesterday (often abbreviated as TMWSIY) is a 1987 concept album written by Trey Anastasio, the guitarist and lead vocalist of the American rock band Phish, as his senior thesis while attending Goddard College. Composed in 1987, the thesis included an essay piece and collection of songs (recorded by Phish) relating an epic tale from the band's fictional land of Gamehendge.[1][2]

Though the album was recorded, it has never been released officially. Phish circulated the studio recording of the suite in 1987 and 1988 and it quickly became a collector's item.[3] At one time Anastasio announced plans in Doniac Schvice, Phish's newsletter, to release the material as an interactive CD-ROM.[4] However, this never happened and the album can only be found in bootleg or in fan-traded form.

On the album, the story of Gamehendge is told in nine parts, with short spoken narration in between. The saga can be compared to rock concept album projects like The Doors' Celebration of the Lizard or Rush's 2112 suite.

The story's primary protagonist is Colonel Forbin. Other major characters include Tela, the "jewel of Wilson's foul domain" and the "evil" Wilson himself. Several of the album's spoken narrative sections are accompanied by background music borrowed from sections of the Phish songs "Esther" and "McGrupp and the Watchful Hosemasters" .

The final track, "Possum", is the only song on the album not written by Anastasio, having been written by former Phish member Jeff Holdsworth and later added to the Gamehendge cycle.

Many of the album's tracks have long been included in Phish's regular song rotation and played during the band's live performances. In addition, various versions of the entire Gamehendge saga have been performed, complete with narration, on five occasions in the band's history, usually as the entire first set of a live show.

A large number of other Phish songs also relate in some way to the Gamehendge saga, and appear on later albums and in live performances, including "Llama", "Punch You in the Eye" and "The Divided Sky".

Track listing

All songs written by Trey Anastasio, except as noted.

  1. "Narration" - 3:56
  2. "The Man Who Stepped Into Yesterday" - 1:45
  3. "The Lizards" - 5:50
  4. "Narration" - 3:06
  5. "Tela" - 6:16
  6. "Narration (Ride On A Multibeast)" - 3:26
  7. "Wilson" (Anastasio, Tom Marshall, Todd Woolf) - 3:13
  8. "Narration" - 0:31
  9. "AC/DC Bag" - 3:09
  10. "Narration" - 3:18
  11. "Colonel Forbin's Ascent" - 4:36
  12. "Fly Famous Mockingbird" - 7:37
  13. "Narration" - 1:31
  14. "The Sloth" - 2:16
  15. "Narration" - 1:13
  16. "Possum" (Jeff Holdsworth) - 4:29

Timings and track splits are approximate as there are many different circulating sources running at various speeds and with various anomalies.

Personnel

Phish

Trey Anastasio - guitars, vocals, composer
Page McConnell - keyboards, vocals
Mike Gordon - bass guitar, vocals
Jon Fishman - drums, vocals

References

  1. ↑ "The Man Who Stepped Into Yesterday". phish.net FAQ file. Retrieved 2008-02-21.
  2. ↑ Aronson, Anne (July 6, 2000), "Phish Set Off Fireworks in Camden", Rolling Stone
  3. ↑ Thompson, Dave (1997). Go Phish. Macmillan. pp. 58–60. ISBN 0-312-16854-3.
  4. ↑ Phish Letters May 1994

See also

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