Live at Madison Square Garden New Year's Eve 1995

Disc 1
1	Punch You in the Eye 8:46
2	The Sloth 3:45
3	Reba 14:25
4	The Squirming Coil 10:27
5	Maze 10:18
6	Colonel Forbin's Ascent 5:22
7	Fly Famous Mockingbird 2:13
8	Shine 1:12
9	Fly Famous Mockingbird 7:18
10	Sparkle 3:46
11	Chalk Dust Torture 7:50
Disc 2
1	Audience Chess Move 1:32
2	Drowned 12:27
3	The Lizards 10:37
4	Axilla, Pt. II 4:13
5	Runaway Jim 16:05
6	Strange Design 3:36
7	Hello My Baby 1:27
8	Mike's Song 20:31
Disc 3
1	Gamehendge Time Phactory 5:03
2	Auld Lang Syne 1:44
3	Weekapaug Groove 17:42
4	Sea and Sand 3:46
5	You Enjoy Myself 25:37
6	Sanity 6:08
7	Frankenstein 5:47
8	Johnny B. Goode Encore 4:59

Barnes & Noble

Fans familiar with the innermost details of Phish's storied live career can all point to what they see as high points. And while dozens of gigs might pop up on best-of lists, there's virtual unanimity about the stature of this celebratory show, captured at last in its entirety on an official release. New Year's Eve 1995: Live at Madison Square Garden presents nearly four hours of music that reveals exactly how Phish separated itself from the jam-band pack. There's plenty of intricate improvisation on display -- over the course of 25 minutes, "Maze" drifts from altered-state rave-up to rustic hoedown and back again -- but also a goodly sample of the band's oft-ignored ability to crank out an undeniably catchy tune. That capacity is best displayed on songs like "Runaway Jim," a tune that lets Trey Anastasio flex his muscles as a soloist and simultaneously showcases a wry storytelling ability reminiscent of the Dead's heyday. And while the disc is peppered with moments -- like the in-joke narration of "Fly Famous Mockingbird" and the mind-game call-and-response of "Audience Chess Match" -- that make non-devotees wish for subtitles, just as often the band kick out the jams in the most universal language of all, regaling listeners with riff-heavy versions of staples like "Frankenstein" and "Johnny B. Goode" (the latter of which might even have Chuck Berry himself bopping along with pleasure). This is easily the most significant -- and most enjoyable -- nugget to emerge from the vast Phish archive. David Sprague

All Music Guide

With their breakup in 2004 and the subsequent releases of recordings from lead frontman Trey Anastasio, Phish and Rhino thought it a good idea to capitalize on the holiday market of 2005 by reaching back deep into the rich and plentiful archive of live recordings amassed over decades of touring, and present to the legions of fanatics what many consider one of their finest live performances. For their traditional New Year's Eve shows the quartet always brought something special to the table for their fans and 1995 was no exception, bringing a quality three-set session of fan favorites, extended jams, and quirky covers -- what are what make them such a distinct entity in the neo-jam band world. Many of the three disc's tracks are laced with songs from Anastasio's fabled "Gamehendge" song cycle and appear only on other live Phish recordings. Here these songs and many others are explored and jammed through in fine form, and the band is definitely at the peak of their creativity and running on all cylinders. The recording is crystal clear and mixed to near perfection, as one element never really jumps out on top of another, as so many live recordings have a proclivity to do. Inarguably one of the finest commercial live recordings issued by the band, and potentially a nice introduction to their catalog for those just getting their feet into the proverbial waters. Rob Theakston