The Siket Disc

The Siket Disc is a 1999/2000 release from the American band Phish. (It was released in 1999 through the Phish web site and mailordering system, but did not reach stores until November 7, 2000, from Elektra Records.) The Siket Disc emerged from material developed during the Bearsville Studio sessions for Phish's 1998 album The Story of the Ghost. Not exactly outtakes or unfinished songs, The Siket Disc's compositions are actually select excerpts from the long-form improvisation of the "Ghost Sessions". The Phish keyboard player Page McConnell edited and mastered the selections into this compilation, named for engineer John Siket. The material on The Siket Disc is defined by an almost ambient, post-rock sound that is distinct from the band's major studio albums. The album is almost completely instrumental, but contains a few instances of vocalization. "Quadrophonic Toppling", for instance, includes a triggered sample of bass guitarist Mike Gordon repeating the song's title. Only the compositions "My Left Toe" and "What's the Use?" have been notably incorporated into the band's live shows on a somewhat regular basis. (However, "Quadrophonic Toppling" and "The Happy Whip and Dung Song" have each made at least one live appearance). Gordon has indicated that The Siket Disc became a fixture in the band's late night tour bus music rotation in the early 2000s (decade), saying that "It fit the vibe perfectly ... It's one of the only instances I can remember when we regularly played our own music."