Hoist (album)
Encyclopedia
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.
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)."
"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.
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.
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.
Special guests
Phish
Phish is an American rock band noted for its musical improvisation, extended jams, and exploration of music across genres. Formed at the University of Vermont in 1983 , the band's four members – Trey Anastasio , Mike Gordon , Jon Fishman , and Page McConnell Phish is an American rock band...
, released on March 29, 1994, by Elektra Records
Elektra Records
Elektra Records is an American record label owned by Warner Music Group. In 2004, it was consolidated into WMG's Atlantic Records Group. After five years of dormancy, the label was revived by Atlantic in 2009....
. 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
Rift (album)
Rift is the fourth official studio album by the American rock band Phish. It is the band's second concept album, the first being The Man Who Stepped into Yesterday in 1987, which has never been officially released. Rifts songs convey the experience of a man dreaming about the rift in his...
, the band's previous album.
Hoist features guest appearances from Alison Krauss
Alison Krauss
Alison Maria Krauss is an American bluegrass-country singer, songwriter and fiddler. She entered the music industry at an early age, winning local contests by the age of ten and recording for the first time at fourteen. She signed with Rounder Records in 1985 and released her first solo album in...
, Béla Fleck
Béla Fleck
Béla Anton Leoš Fleck is an American banjo player. Widely acknowledged as one of the world's most innovative and technically proficient banjo players, he is best known for his work with the bands New Grass Revival and Béla Fleck and the Flecktones.-Early life and career details:Fleck was born in...
and a host of other musicians, as well as actor Jonathan Frakes
Jonathan Frakes
Jonathan Scott Frakes is an American actor, author and director best known for his role as Commander William T. Riker in the Star Trek franchise, as well as for his tenure as host of Beyond Belief: Fact or Fiction ....
on trombone. With its jazz
Jazz
Jazz is a musical style that originated at the beginning of the 20th century in African American communities in the Southern United States. It was born out of a mix of African and European music traditions. From its early development until the present, jazz has incorporated music from 19th and 20th...
, blues
Blues
Blues is the name given to both a musical form and a music genre that originated in African-American communities of primarily the "Deep South" of the United States at the end of the 19th century from spirituals, work songs, field hollers, shouts and chants, and rhymed simple narrative ballads...
, soul
Soul music
Soul music is a music genre originating in the United States combining elements of gospel music and rhythm and blues. According to the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, soul is "music that arose out of the black experience in America through the transmutation of gospel and rhythm & blues into a form of...
and bluegrass
Bluegrass music
Bluegrass music is a form of American roots music, and a sub-genre of country music. It has mixed roots in Scottish, English, Welsh and Irish traditional music...
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
Hebrew language
Hebrew is a Semitic language of the Afroasiatic language family. Culturally, is it considered by Jews and other religious groups as the language of the Jewish people, though other Jewish languages had originated among diaspora Jews, and the Hebrew language is also used by non-Jewish groups, such...
song "Yerushalayim Shel Zahav (Jerusalem of Gold)."
"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
William Riker
William Thomas Riker, played by Jonathan Frakes, is a fictional character in the Star Trek universe primarily appearing as a main character in Star Trek: The Next Generation...
on Star Trek: The Next Generation
Star Trek: The Next Generation
Star Trek: The Next Generation is an American science fiction television series created by Gene Roddenberry as part of the Star Trek franchise. Roddenberry, Rick Berman, and Michael Piller served as executive producers at different times throughout the production...
, sat in for a while during the Hoist sessions, giving his name to the track.
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.
The band released a music video for "Down with Disease
Down With Disease
"Down with Disease" is a song by the band Phish that appeared on their 1994 album Hoist. The song was written by Phish lead singer Trey Anastasio and the band's frequent songwriter, Tom Marshall; its lyrics were based on a bout with infectious mononucleosis suffered by Marshall."Down with Disease"...
", directed by bass guitarist Mike Gordon
Mike Gordon
Mike Gordon is a bass guitar player and vocalist most noted for his work with the rock band Phish. Gordon is also an accomplished banjo player, and is proficient at piano, guitar, harmonica and percussion...
.
The album was certified gold by the RIAA
Recording Industry Association of America
The Recording Industry Association of America is a trade organization that represents the recording industry distributors in the United States...
August 19, 1996.
In February 2009, this album became available as a download in FLAC
FLAC
FLAC is a codec which allows digital audio to be losslessly compressed such that file size is reduced without any information being lost...
and MP3
MP3
MPEG-1 or MPEG-2 Audio Layer III, more commonly referred to as MP3, is a patented digital audio encoding format using a form of lossy data compression...
formats at LivePhish.com.
Track Listing
- "Julius" (AnastasioTrey AnastasioTrey Anastasio is an American guitarist, composer, and vocalist most noted for his work with the rock band Phish...
, MarshallTom Marshall (singer)Tom Marshall is a lyricist, keyboardist and singer/songwriter best known for his association with Trey Anastasio and the rock band Phish...
) - 4:42 - "Down with DiseaseDown With Disease"Down with Disease" is a song by the band Phish that appeared on their 1994 album Hoist. The song was written by Phish lead singer Trey Anastasio and the band's frequent songwriter, Tom Marshall; its lyrics were based on a bout with infectious mononucleosis suffered by Marshall."Down with Disease"...
" (Anastasio, Marshall) - 4:07 - "If I Could" (Anastasio) - 4:09
- "Riker's Mailbox" (Anastasio, FishmanJon FishmanJon Fishman is an American drummer best known for his work with the band Phish. He is credited with co-writing 19 Phish originals, 8 of them as a solo credit....
, GordonMike GordonMike Gordon is a bass guitar player and vocalist most noted for his work with the rock band Phish. Gordon is also an accomplished banjo player, and is proficient at piano, guitar, harmonica and percussion...
, McConnellPage McConnellPage Samuel McConnell is an American multi-instrumentalist most noted for his work as a songwriter and keyboardist with the American rock band Phish....
) - :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
PhishPhish
Phish is an American rock band noted for its musical improvisation, extended jams, and exploration of music across genres. Formed at the University of Vermont in 1983 , the band's four members – Trey Anastasio , Mike Gordon , Jon Fishman , and Page McConnell Phish is an American rock band...
- Trey AnastasioTrey AnastasioTrey Anastasio is an American guitarist, composer, and vocalist most noted for his work with the rock band Phish...
- guitarGuitarThe guitar is a plucked string instrument, usually played with fingers or a pick. The guitar consists of a body with a rigid neck to which the strings, generally six in number, are attached. Guitars are traditionally constructed of various woods and strung with animal gut or, more recently, with...
s, vocals - Page McConnellPage McConnellPage Samuel McConnell is an American multi-instrumentalist most noted for his work as a songwriter and keyboardist with the American rock band Phish....
- keyboardsElectronic keyboardAn electronic keyboard is an electronic or digital keyboard instrument.The major components of a typical modern electronic keyboard are:...
, vocals - Mike GordonMike GordonMike Gordon is a bass guitar player and vocalist most noted for his work with the rock band Phish. Gordon is also an accomplished banjo player, and is proficient at piano, guitar, harmonica and percussion...
- bass guitarBass guitarThe bass guitar is a stringed instrument played primarily with the fingers or thumb , or by using a pick....
, vocals - Jon FishmanJon FishmanJon Fishman is an American drummer best known for his work with the band Phish. He is credited with co-writing 19 Phish originals, 8 of them as a solo credit....
- drumDrumThe drum is a member of the percussion group of musical instruments, which is technically classified as the membranophones. Drums consist of at least one membrane, called a drumhead or drum skin, that is stretched over a shell and struck, either directly with the player's hands, or with a...
s, 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"
External links
- Phish's official site
- Phish.com Hoist - Official album page with full album credits