Phish.net

When the last chord of “Acoustic Army” died away on 12/8/95, the gentle instrumental tune was told to stand down from live Phish duty until further notice.  It was not asked to serve on the 1996 release Billy Breathes, which instead utilized another acoustic guitar piece, “Bliss,” as a lead-in to the album’s title track.

Trey, however, was not quite finished with “Acoustic Army.”  Stripped of the section which provided applause breaks in concert and rechristened “The Real Taste of Licorice,” the song appeared on Trey’s 1998 solo album, One Man’s Trash.  While its inclusion was certainly a sweet treat for fans of “Acoustic Army,” “The Real Taste of Licorice” has never been performed live, and its military forebear has remained at ease.