Episode 14 - "Hoist" (1994)

 

This time on Beast in the Maze, we're taking on Phish's fifth studio album, Hoist. The album is significant for the band not only because it would become their best-selling studio album, but also because it was an album which featured a host of guest musicians, which imparted a unique sound to the record - among those guest-starring are Alison Krauss, Rose Stone, Bela Fleck, and Tower of Power. 

The commercial success of the album also lead to Phish's only song with a music video, "Down With Disease," which was directed by band member and bassist Mike Gordon. While some phish fans thought the band was going in too much of a mainstream/alternative direction with the song and perhaps others on the album, time would prove these hopes somewhat unfounded, as Phish would continue to evolve their sound throughout their career.

Join us as we go track by track and get into all of the details, including Fishman's nicknames, the relative importance of official live recordings, other bands the album reminds us of, and more! If you'd like to see the band play the material live, as well, you can check out this link to the GameHoist concert, in which Phish played the album in its entirety (during the second set).

We hope you'll join us for the episode. Enjoy!