Phish - Round Room (2-LP Vinyl Barn Ball Edition)

Read Jesse Jarnow's review of Phish's Round Room from December 2002 on jambands.com.

Pressed on limited edition "Barn Ball" colored vinyl, Round Room marks Phish's return after a two-year hiatus following their 2000 "Big Cypress" millennium show. Released in December 2002, this album finds the band recording as a quartet in a Vermont barn—just the four of them, no guests, no orchestras, no excess—working through material that would define their 2.0 era. The result is Phish at their most direct and focused, with Trey's guitar cutting through sparse arrangements and Page's piano providing the melodic backbone for songs that strip away the jam-band sprawl in favor of concise songwriting.

The album opens with "Pebbles and Marbles," an epic that became an instant fan favorite in the live rotation, and moves through the funky "Anything But Me," the delicate "Round Room," and the hard-driving "Seven Below." What makes this pressing special for collectors is the Barn Ball edition—a limited color variant that references the actual Vermont barn where Phish recorded the album in early 2002, capturing the intimate, back-to-basics approach that defined their reunion era.

Round Room divided fans and critics when released—some missed the extended improvisation of the 1990s Dead-influenced jams, while others appreciated the band's willingness to explore tighter song structures and new sonic territory. In hindsight, it's essential listening for understanding Phish's evolution: this is the sound of four musicians who'd spent two years apart, coming back together to remember why they started playing music in the first place. The Vermont barn setting wasn't just a recording choice—it was a statement about getting back to fundamentals.

Barn Ball Edition: Limited colored vinyl pressing. Recorded in Vermont barn, early 2002. Released December 2002. Double LP format.