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Phish - Hoist Audio CD

A fair review of the Phish "Hoist" Audio CD. Please note that the below review is the views of the authors, and authors only. You can get a complete list of all Phish reviews here, or go back to the Phish tabs.

Phish Band: Phish
Title: Hoist
Rating:
Release Date: 1994-03-29
Media: Audio CD

Tracks: 1: Julius 2: Down with Disease 3: If I Could 4: Riker's Mailbox 5: Axilla, Pt. 2 6: Lifeboy 7: Sample in a Jar 8: Wolfman's Brother 9: Scent of a Mule 10: Dog Faced Boy 11: Demand

Phish for people who usually don't like Phish
I'm not typically a Phish fan and have a very low tolerance for jam band music. I should probably get this out of the way first. I find the genre riddled with overly-long and musically self-indulgent songs. That said, Phish's "Hoist" is a notable exception in their catalog in that I tend to really like it. It owes more to the tradition of the off-kilter rock-funk of outfits like Primus than it does to the jam band tradition of the Grateful Dead and Allman Brothers. It's songs are generally shorter and more concise than a typical Phish album. It may not be the album of choice for the Phish die-hards, but it is a great Phish album for those of us not in their typical audience demographic.


Long on musicianship and innovation, short on heart
It seems as if Phish are trying to be a mish-mash of Frank Zappa, Moby Grape, Yes, Iron Butterfly-meets-Weather Report, and the Ozark Mountain Daredevils. This CD is just OK, IMO: the songs are a bit rambling, the overall "sound" a bit jumbled.

But then again, I'm not at all a fan of "fusion" music (except for "Jazz Blues Fusion" by John Mayall). I find fusion to be tedious to listen to; it sounds like naval gazing to me. There ARE tunes I like on here ("Scent of a Mule" for instance), but the last song is definitely not one of them. Clever, yes, but also somewhat irritating.


One of their less memorable discs
We all saw how catchy, more typical song structures crept into their seemingly never-ending complexities over the years, but not until Hoist has the fire been dimmed to such a point that the inertia sounds palpable. Not terrible, but for Phish's standards this is pretty low on the totem pole. Hoist is the bitter comedown to APoN's masterful assimilations. .


Good not great
Still, it brings back lots of memories from that time (early nineties). Not a bad Phish studio album, but I can think of live versions of every one of these songs that I like better. Clever songwriting, strong musicianship, but lacks the live dynamic.


Don't Let Overcritical Reviewers Deter You From this Album!
This isn't your run of the mill rock or pop album where everything sounds the same. What you need to know about this album is that it is very entertaining and jam packed with lots of different sounding, very original songs. Trey and friends really keep you guessing from start to finish throughout Hoist. I believe this was one of the first Phish albums I ever owned right along with Story of the Ghost. I feel the same way I do about it now as I did all those years ago. Phish provide me with an outlet for fun within my music choices. The highlights from this album include "Demand" which is one of their trademark jam songs. The guitar and instrumental pieces in this song are amazing. "Dog-Faced Boy", and "If I Could" slow down the pace of the album and provide very intricate and emotional lyrics. And of course there are the all around fun, pop-rock inspired songs which would include "Sample in a Jar" and "Down with Disease". While this album may be a little different and a lot less jammy than the rest of Phish's collection I think it provides solid, worthwhile entertainment to all who will possess it. Life should be part silly, get a hold of some of that silliness with Phish's Hoist.


You can see a complete list of all Phish discography, or go back to the Phish tabs. There is also a good guide on how to read guitar tabs here.

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