You Enjoy Myself

Phish, 1989, from Junta. Solo by Trey Anastasio.

A multi-part composition whose final jam gives Anastasio room for a long, building solo.

You Enjoy Myself is a long, multi-section Phish composition, full of odd meters, intricate unison parts and deliberately goofy moments, and the guitar solo arrives as a release after all that precision. Once the band drops into the funky jam, Trey Anastasio starts with short, rhythmic figures and gradually lengthens them, riding the groove rather than rushing to the top of the neck. The build is patient, with repetition used as a tool for tension. It shows how Phish balanced written complexity with open improvisation, a balance many later jam bands chased. Listen for the point where Anastasio settles on one repeated motif and the whole band swells behind it, before the jam gives way to bass and drums and, eventually, the famous vocal jam.

You Enjoy Myself by Phish is featured in our Jam (#6) list. The solo is played by Trey Anastasio and the song was released in 1989.

In our lists

• The 25 Greatest Jam Band Guitar Solos — #6
• The Best Phish Guitar Solos — #3

Sources