''Rift'' is the fourth studio album by the American rock band

Phish Phish is an American rock band formed in Burlington, Vermont, in 1983. The band consists of guitarist Trey Anastasio, bassist Mike Gordon, drummer Jon Fishman, and keyboardist Page McConnell, all of whom perform vocals, with Anastasio being the ...

, released on February 2, 1993, by

Elektra Records Elektra Records (or Elektra Entertainment) is an American record label owned by Warner Music Group, founded in 1950 by Jac Holzman and Paul Rickolt. It played an important role in the development of contemporary folk and rock music between the ...

. It is a

concept album A concept album is an album whose tracks hold a larger purpose or meaning collectively than they do individually. This is typically achieved through a single central narrative or theme, which can be instrumental, compositional, or lyrical. Som ...

, detailing the experience of a man dreaming about the rift in his relationship with his girlfriend. ''Rift'' was recorded in September and October 1992 and produced by Barry Beckett. ''Rift'' was certified gold by the

RIAA The Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) is a trade organization that represents the music recording industry in the United States. Its members consist of record labels and distributors that the RIAA says "create, manufacture, and/o ...

on October 15, 1997. ''Rift'' marked the second time that the band had recorded a concept album, but the first—the rock opera–styled '' The Man Who Stepped into Yesterday''—has never been officially released.

Production

All songs were written by Trey Anastasio and Phish lyricist Tom Marshall except "Mound" and "Weigh" by bass guitarist

Mike Gordon Michael Eliot Gordon (born June 3, 1965) is an American bass guitarist and vocalist most recognized as a founding member of the band Phish. In addition to bass, Gordon plays banjo, piano, and guitar. He is a filmmaker ('' Rising Low'', '' Outs ...

and "Lengthwise" by drummer Jon Fishman. The instrumental, "All Things Reconsidered", is an intentional variation on the theme to the

National Public Radio National Public Radio (NPR) is an American public broadcasting organization headquartered in Washington, D.C., with its NPR West headquarters in Culver City, California. It serves as a national Radio syndication, syndicator to a network of more ...

news show ''

All Things Considered ''All Things Considered'' (''ATC'') is the flagship news program on the American network National Public Radio (NPR). It was the first news program on NPR, premiering on May 3, 1971. It is broadcast live on NPR affiliated stations in the United ...

'', and has been featured on the show itself several times. An orchestral version of the song appears on Trey Anastasio's 2004 solo album '' Seis De Mayo''. Gordon stated that ''Rift'' was "more integrated", as the different styles of the band were mixed together within each song, rather than between each song like on their previous album, '' A Picture of Nectar''. Gordon also stated that he thought the album was a "little bit mellower", and that the songwriting showed more maturity.

Cover art

The cover art was created by New York-based painter David Welker, who worked closely with the band during winter 1993 in order to visually depict each of the album's tracks in a single image, with the notable exception of "The Horse". (For this reason, a horse intentionally appears on the cover of Phish's next album, '' Hoist''.) '' Relix'' magazine listed ''Rift'' as one of the ten most iconic album covers of all time in 2007.

Promotion

Elektra promoted ''Rift'' with a videotape sent to college radio stations and record stores that featured a six-minute promotional film about the album.

Track listing

Personnel

* Trey Anastasio – guitars, lead vocals * Page McConnell – keyboards, backing vocals, co-lead vocals on "Rift", lead vocals on "It's Ice" and "Silent in the Morning" *

– bass guitar, backing vocals, lead vocals on "Mound" and "Weigh" * Jon Fishman – drums, backing vocals, lead vocals on "Lengthwise" * Production *Engineered by Kevin Halpin, assisted by Jon Altschiller *Mixed by Justin Niebank, assisted by Mark Nevers *Recording engineer – Pete Greene, assisted by Greg Parker *Mastered by Bob Ludwig at Masterdisk *All songs published by Who Is She? Music, BMI *Pedal steel on "Fast Enough For You" – Gordon Stone *Illustrations – David Welker *Photography – David Gahr *Design – Mike Mills

References

External links

Phish.com
– Official site: discography, album info, lyrics, and audio files.

– ''Rift'' Painting (Full)
EmilsTabs.org
– A community–run archive of tabs and related resources. {{Authority control Phish albums 1993 albums 1990s concept albums LivePhish.com Downloads Albums produced by Barry Beckett Elektra Records albums