Rift (album)

Rift
Studio album by Phish
Released	February 2, 1993
Recorded	September/October 1992 at White Crow
Genre	Progressive rock, Jazz fusion
Length	67:54
Label	Elektra
Producer	Barry Beckett for Beckett Productions
Phish chronology
A Picture of Nectar (1992) Rift (1993) Hoist (1994) LivePhish.com Downloads series chronology Live Phish Downloads: A Picture of Nectar (2009) Live Phish Downloads: Rift (2009) Live Phish Downloads: Hoist (2009)

Professional ratings
Review scores
Source	Rating
Allmusic	[1]

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. Rift's songs convey the experience of a man dreaming about the rift in his relationship with his girlfriend. Recorded in September and October 1992 and produced by Muscle Shoals music veteran Barry Beckett, the album was released by Elektra Records on February 2, 1993.

All songs were written by Trey Anastasio and Phish lyricist Tom Marshall except "Mound" and "Weigh" by bass guitarist Mike Gordon and "Lengthwise" by drummer Jon Fishman.

The instrumental, "All Things Reconsidered", is an intentional variation on the theme to the National Public Radio news show All Things Considered, and has been featured on the show itself several times.^[2] An orchestral version of the song appears on Trey Anastasio's 2004 solo album Seis De Mayo.

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 most iconic album covers of all time in 2007.

Rift' was certified gold by the RIAA on October 15, 1997.

Track listing

1. "Rift" (Anastasio, Marshall) - 6:13
2. "Fast Enough for You" (Anastasio, Marshall) - 4:51
3. "Lengthwise" (Fishman) - 1:19
4. "Maze" (Anastasio, Marshall) - 8:13
5. "Sparkle" (Anastasio, Marshall) - 3:54
6. "Horn" (Anastasio, Marshall) - 3:37
7. "The Wedge" (Anastasio, Marshall) - 4:07
8. "My Friend, My Friend" (Anastasio, Marshall) - 6:09
9. "Weigh" (Gordon) - 5:08
10. "All Things Reconsidered" (Anastasio, Marshall) - 2:32
11. "Mound" (Gordon) - 6:02
12. "It's Ice" (Anastasio, Marshall) - 8:14
13. "Lengthwise" (Fishman) - :34
14. "The Horse" (Anastasio, Marshall) - 1:23
15. "Silent in the Morning" (Anastasio, Marshall) - 5:28

Personnel

Phish

Trey Anastasio - guitars, vocals

Page McConnell - keyboards, vocals

Mike Gordon - bass guitar, vocals

Jon Fishman - drums, vocals

Production

• Engineered by Kevin Halpin, assisted by Jon Altschiller
• Mixed by Justin Niebank, assisted by Mark Nevess
• 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

1. ^ Erlewine, Stephen Thomas (2011 [last update]). "Rift - Phish | AllMusic". allmusic.com. http://www.allmusic.com/album/rift-r75565. Retrieved 7 August 2011. 
2. ^ Phish.net: "All Things Reconsidered" Song History Online. Accessed: August 12, 2011

External links

• Phish.com - Official site: discography, album info, lyrics, and audio files.
• Artist Dave Welker's Official Site - Rift Painting (Full)
• EmilsTabs.org - A community–run archive of tabs and related resources.