Billy Breathes

Billy Breathes
Studio album by
Phish
ReleasedOctober 15, 1996
RecordedFebruary–June 1996
StudioBearsville (Woodstock, New York)
Genre
Length47:01
LabelElektra
ProducerSteve Lillywhite
Phish chronology
Stash
(1996) 		Billy Breathes
(1996) 		Slip Stitch and Pass
(1997)
Singles from Billy Breathes
  1. "Free"
    Released: 1996
  2. "Character Zero"
    Released: 1997
Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
Allmusic[1]
Chicago Tribune[3]
The Encyclopedia of Popular Music[4]
Entertainment WeeklyB−[5]
Jambands: The Complete Guide to the Players, Music, & Scene[2]
NME3/10[6]
Rolling Stone[7]
Select1/5[8]
The Village Voice(dud)[9]

Billy Breathes is the sixth studio album by American rock band Phish, released by Elektra Records on October 15, 1996. The album was credited with connecting the band, known for its jam band concerts and devoted cult following, with a more mainstream audience. The first single, "Free", was the band's most successful song on two Billboard rock charts, peaking at #11 on the Billboard Mainstream Rock Tracks Chart and at #24 on the Billboard Modern Rock Tracks Chart.[10] The album itself became the band's highest-charting album on the Billboard 200, where it peaked at number seven.[11]

Billy Breathes was produced by Steve Lillywhite and recorded at Bearsville Studios in Bearsville, New York between February and June 1996, following Phish's landmark fall 1995 tour. The songs "Free", "Taste", "Cars Trucks Buses", "Theme from the Bottom", "Billy Breathes" and "Prince Caspian" were debuted in concert by Phish over the course of 1995, with the remaining songs not appearing in the band's concert repertoire until after the album's release.[12] "Bliss" was not played live by the band until December 30, 2018, 22 years after the release of the album.[13]

The album and its title song were named after guitarist Trey Anastasio's daughter Eliza, who was nicknamed "Billy" as an infant.[14] The album's cover is a close-up shot of bass guitar player Mike Gordon, the first time that any member of Phish had appeared on an album cover. Phish frontman Trey Anastasio recalled in a 1997 interview that the cover came together very quickly on the last day of recording.

Upon release, Rolling Stone said that Billy Breathes is "a quiet gem of an album" that confirms Phish "is much more than a jam band from Burlington, Vermont."[15] The album was certified Gold by the Recording Industry Association of America on January 8, 1999.[16] The album was reissued on LP by Phish's label JEMP Records for Record Store Day in 2018.[17]

  1. ^ a b Erlewine, Stephen Thomas. "Billy Breathes". AllMusic. Retrieved 2018-02-01.
  2. ^ Budnick, Dean (2003). Jambands: The Complete Guide to the Players, Music, & Scene. Hal Leonard Corporation. p. 167. ISBN 9780879307455.
  3. ^ Kot, Greg (1996-10-25). "Phish Billy Breathes (Elektra)". Chicago Tribune. Archived from the original on November 13, 2017. Retrieved 2017-11-12.
  4. ^ Larkin, Colin (2011). The Encyclopedia of Popular Music. Omnibus Press. p. 2005. ISBN 9780857125958.
  5. ^ Browne, David (1996-10-18). "Billy Breathes". Entertainment Weekly. Retrieved 2017-11-12.
  6. ^ Ian Fortnam (1997-02-08). "Phish - Billy Breathes". NME. Archived from the original on 2000-08-17. Retrieved 2019-10-30.
  7. ^ Richard Gehr (1996-12-09). "Rolling Stone review". Rolling Stone. Retrieved 2014-05-27.
  8. ^ Tom Philips (March 1997). "Phish – Billy Breathes". Select. Retrieved 2019-10-30.
  9. ^ Christgau, Robert (1997-11-04). "Consumer Guide". The Village Voice. Retrieved 2017-11-12.
  10. ^ https://www.allmusic.com/artist/p21630/charts-awards/billboard-singles
  11. ^ "Phish". Billboard. Retrieved 22 October 2018.
  12. ^ "Song lists, histories and debuts". phish.net. Retrieved 28 December 2019.
  13. ^ "Phish Debuts "Bliss", Busts Out "Glide II" At Night 3 Of MSG". L4LM. 31 December 2018. Retrieved 31 December 2018.
  14. ^ "Billy Breathes History - Phish.net". phish.net. Retrieved 28 December 2019.
  15. ^ Gehr, Richard. Billy Breathes Review. Rolling Stone. Online. Accessed: August 23, 2011.
  16. ^ "Gold & Platinum". RIAA. Retrieved 28 December 2019.
  17. ^ "Billy Breathes 2-LP Vinyl Record Store Day Release". Phish.