Recently I was talking with a friend and he mentioned he liked Phish, which I hadn’t realized.

I told him I had been thinking about listening to Phish.

The radio station I listen to plays ‘Bouncing Around the Room’ and I liked that song so I wondered if I might like more by the band.

I know they are immensely popular, so maybe it’s music I would like too.

If you know anything about Phish (or maybe I should say just about the only thing I know about Phish), they’re a jam band.

People like seeing them live. I think sometimes there are substances that help make those performances more enjoyable? I don’t know. That’s not my thing.

But anyway, I told my friend I knew one song and liked it, what did he recommend, and he sent me a link and said this was a good place to start - it’s an accessible first listen.

And then he laughed as he realized the accessible first listen was a 2-hour live concert.

But I figured I could listen over a couple of car rides and different sittings - I wasn’t going to listen for two hours straight.

First of all - that title is very clever. A collection of live music by the band Phish called ‘A Live One’? That’s good stuff.

And it starts with ‘Bouncing Around the Room’ - so that’s a positive.

And then there’s a lot of music that follows. Few songs, but a lot of music.

And it’s not bad.

Within all that lengthy jamming there was some music I liked. Especially the piano parts - and in particular the piano in a song called ‘The Squirming Coil’ - but on the whole it seems like a lot to go through for these little moments of music I really liked.

I mean, I appreciate the musicianship - these are clearly talented musicians.

I just like a quicker, catchier tune.

Like ‘Bouncing Around the Room.’ I tried listening to the album version after I finished this live album - I’m not sure what version of the song the radio plays. In addition to the one on ‘A Live One’ and the studio version there are a bunch more live versions…and I don’t think any of the ones I listened to are the one my radio station plays.

I’ll have to pay closer attention the next time I hear it on the radio to figure out which version it is. I just prefer the feel of that one.

And that’s I think the problem with a band like Phish. I like the song I like and I don’t really like when it’s messed with, which a lot of bands do with live versions.

So I get it - Phish is pretty good. But maybe they’re just not for me.