- Hoist (album)
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Hoist 
Studio album by Phish Released March 29, 1994 (US) Recorded October–November 1993 Genre Rock Length 50:28 Label Elektra Producer Paul Fox Phish chronology Rift
(1993)Hoist
(1994)A Live One
(1995)LivePhish.com Downloads series chronology Live Phish Downloads: Rift
(2009)Live Phish Downloads: Hoist
(2009)Live Phish Downloads: A Live One
(2009)Professional ratings Review scores Source Rating Allmusic 
[1]Robert Christgau 
[2]Hoist is the fifth official studio album by the American rock band Phish, released on March 29, 1994, by Elektra Records. At the time of its release, Hoist was Phish's best selling album to date.
The band suggested a few ideas for the album's title before finally settling on Hoist; one of the alternative suggestions was Hung Like a Horse. The band ruled this out, but decided to keep the visual joke intact for the album's cover. The horse is also a reference to "The Horse" ,the only song not visually depicted on the cover of Rift, the band's previous album.[3]
Hoist features guest appearances from Alison Krauss, Béla Fleck and a host of other musicians, as well as actor Jonathan Frakes on trombone. With its jazz, blues, soul and bluegrass influences, the album is marked by more stripped-down, straightforward songwriting and pop-friendly hooks, a somewhat new approach for Phish.
However, the album's final track, "Demand", segues into an extended instrumental excerpt from the April 21, 1993, live performance of the song "Split Open and Melt", followed by the first verse and refrain of the Hebrew song "Yerushalayim Shel Zahav (Jerusalem of Gold)."[4]
"Riker's Mailbox" is a brief interlude track on the album, and the only "song" on the album to have never been performed live by the band. Album producer Paul Fox lived next to Jonathan Frakes, whose mailbox is apparently uniquely decorated. Frakes, who plays Commander Riker on Star Trek: The Next Generation, sat in for a while during the Hoist sessions, giving his name to the track.[5]
On June 26, 1994, the band performed the entire Hoist album (minus "Riker's Mailbox") verbatim as the second set of their live show in Charleston, West Virginia. This move was a subversion of Phish's usual improvisationally driven performances, and later inspired the band's tradition of donning a musical costume for Halloween.[6][7]
The band released a music video for "Down with Disease", directed by bass guitarist Mike Gordon.
The album was certified gold by the RIAA August 19, 1996.
In February 2009, this album became available as a download in FLAC and MP3 formats at LivePhish.com.
Contents
Track Listing
- "Julius" (Anastasio, Marshall) - 4:42
- "Down with Disease" (Anastasio, Marshall) - 4:07
- "If I Could" (Anastasio) - 4:09
- "Riker's Mailbox" (Anastasio, Fishman, Gordon, McConnell) - :26
- "Axilla, Pt. 2" (Anastasio, Marshall) - 4:28
- "Lifeboy" (Anastasio, Marshall) - 6:54
- "Sample in a Jar" (Anastasio, Marshall) - 4:41
- "Wolfman's Brother" (Anastasio, Fishman, Gordon, Marshall, McConnell) - 4:28
- "Scent of a Mule" (Gordon) - 4:02
- "Dog-Faced Boy" (Anastasio, Fishman, Marshall, McConnell) - 2:11
- "Demand" (Anastasio, Marshall) - 10:42
Personnel
- Trey Anastasio - guitars, vocals
- Page McConnell - keyboards, vocals
- Mike Gordon - bass guitar, vocals
- Jon Fishman - drums, vocals
Special guests
- Morgan Fichter - violin on "Lifeboy"
- Alison Krauss - additional vocals on "If I Could"
- Rickey Grundy Chorale - backing vocals on "Julius"
- Rose Stone & Jean McClain - backing vocals on "Julius" and "Down With Disease"
- Tower of Power Horn Section - horns on "Julius" and "Wolfman's Brother"
- Johnathan Frakes - trombone on "Riker's Mailbox"
- Bela Fleck - banjo on "Riker's Mailbox", "Lifeboy," and "Scent of a Mule"
- The Richard Greene Fourteen - strings on "If I Could"
See also
- Tracking (video) - Documentary of the album's production.
References
- ^ {Erlewine, Stephen Thomas (2011 [last update]). "Hoist - Phish | AllMusic". allmusic.com. http://www.allmusic.com/album/r206768. Retrieved 7 August 2011.
- ^ Christgau, Robert (2011 [last update]). "Robert Christgau: CG: phish". robertchristgau.com. http://www.robertchristgau.com/get_artist.php?name=phish. Retrieved 7 August 2011.
- ^ Phish Letters
- ^ Phish.net: Hoist Online. Accessed: August 12, 2011.
- ^ Phish.net Song History: Riker's Mailbox Online. Accessed: August 12, 2011.
- ^ Phish.net Setlists: 1994-06-26 Online. Accessed: August 12, 2011.
- ^ Sessions at West 54th. Phish 10.20.1998 - David Byrne Interview (Part 3) Online. Accessed: August 12, 2011.
External links
- Phish's official site
- Phish.com Hoist - Official album page with full album credits
Categories:- 1994 albums
- Phish albums
- LivePhish.com Downloads
- Elektra Records albums
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