Joy (Phish album)

Album by Phish

Joy

Studio album by

Phish

Released| September 8, 2009
Recorded| April–May 2009
Studio| Chung King Studios (New York City)
Length| 53:30
Label| JEMP
Producer| Steve Lillywhite
Phish chronology
| At the Roxy
(2008)  | Joy
(2009)  | Hampton/Winston-Salem '97
(2011)

|
|

Singles from  Joy

1. "Time Turns Elastic"
Released: May 26, 2009
2. "Backwards Down The Number Line"
Released: August 7, 2009

Professional ratingsReview scores

Source| Rating
Allmusic| [1]
Billboard| (83/100)[2]
PopMatters| [3]
Rolling Stone| [4]

Joy is the twelfth studio album by the American rock band Phish, released on September 8, 2009, on the band's own label, JEMP Records.

Joy was Phish's first studio album since Undermind in 2004, and their first since they reunited in March 2009. The sessions also reunited the band with producer Steve Lillywhite, who last worked with Phish on their 1996 release, Billy Breathes. The album's second single, "Backwards Down the Number Line", was successful on Billboard's Adult Alternative Songs chart, reaching a peak of #9 in October 2009.[5]

## Contents

[edit]

The first single, "Time Turns Elastic"—originally a multi-movement work for strings, guitar and vocals released as an album earlier in the year by Anastasio—was released for iTunes-only download on May 26, 2009.[6] The album's second single, "Backwards Down The Number Line", was released on iTunes and began radio rotation on August 17, 2009.

Amazon.com released an exclusive live version of "Backwards Down the Number Line", recorded at Red Rocks during the band's summer tour, as a download-only bonus track.

All ten songs were performed live during the band's 2009 summer tour, and have been generally well received by fans. However, "Time Turns Elastic" has been criticized as being too overly composed for ready translation to the live stage,[7] and the album's nostalgic ballads are sometimes thought to dampen the energy of Phish's typically acclaimed live shows.

## Reception

[edit]

Joy received generally favorable reviews upon its release, with a 65/100 critic score on Metacritic, based on nine reviews.[8] The New York Times commented that "Steve Lillywhite’s clear and ungimmicky production makes Joy sound like the band members onstage responding to one another,"[9] while Billboard simply stated "Joy is a journey not to be missed."[10]

Many critics also made reference to the band's enthusiasm, with Rolling Stone commenting that "what's most impressive here is how much they seem to be enjoying themselves—truly, deeply, gratefully."[11] Noting that 2009 marked the band's 25th anniversary together, Rolling Stone described Joy's songs as something akin to "a belated birthday party" characterized by nostalgic, reflective lyrics that appear to be influenced by guitarist Trey Anastasio's struggle with drug abuse during the intervening years. Rolling Stone praised the album as "genuinely great" and "a deeper trip than most Phish LPs".[11]

## Track listing

[edit]

JoyNo.| Title| Writer(s)| Lead vocals| Length

|
|
|
|

1.| "Backwards Down the Number Line"|

* Trey Anastasio
* Tom Marshall

| Anastasio| 5:37
2.| "Stealing Time from the Faulty Plan"|

* Anastasio
* Marshall
* Scott Herman

| Anastasio| 4:40
3.| "Joy"|

* Anastasio
* Marshall

| Anastasio| 4:24
4.| "Sugar Shack"| Mike Gordon| Gordon| 4:04
5.| "Ocelot"|

* Anastasio
* Marshall

| Anastasio| 3:36
6.| "Kill Devil Falls"|

* Anastasio
* Marshall

| Anastasio| 5:29
7.| "Light"|

* Anastasio
* Marshall

| Anastasio| 5:04
8.| "I Been Around"| Page McConnell| McConnell| 1:57
9.| "Time Turns Elastic"| Anastasio| Anastasio| 13:30
10.| "Twenty Years Later"|

* Anastasio
* Marshall

| Anastasio (with

* Jon Fishman
* Gordon
* McConnell

)| 5:09
Total length:| 53:30

## Party Time

[edit]

Party Time

Studio album by

Phish

Recorded| March 3, 1998–June 9, 2009
Genre| Rock
Length| 50:30
Label| JEMP
Producer| Steve Lillywhite

It was announced on August 10, 2009, that Joy would be made available for pre-order in several different formats, including CD, vinyl and the "Joy Box" which, in addition to the Joy CD, "will include ten individual Limited Edition posters designed for each of the album’s 10 songs, a complete second album titled Party Time, and a DVD capturing live performances from the first half of Phish’s summer 2009 tour—including footage from the 2009 Bonnaroo Music & Arts Festival and the tour’s opening date at Fenway Park in Boston."[12]

A limited edition vinyl was also released at Superball IX, Phish's 2011 summer festival. Party Time is available as a LivePhish download, but has not yet been made available for stand-alone purchase as a physical CD.

### Background

[edit]

Some of the songs on Party Time have become a part of Phish's live rotation, with "Alaska" and the title track appearing frequently, as well as appearances of "Windy City", "Gone", "The Birdwatcher", and "Let Me Lie". "Liquid Time" was soundchecked at Festival 8 in Indio, CA. Mike Gordon has played "Only A Dream" regularly with his solo band, and Trey Anastasio has played "Gone" and "Liquid Time" with his solo outfit. "Let Me Lie" also appeared (in a different version) on Anastasio's 2006 solo album Bar 17 and was recorded a third time on his 2012 album Traveler. Furthermore, a re-recording of "Liquid Time" appears on his 2015 album Paper Wheels.

"In a Misty Glade" and "Shrine", both of which feature a rare lead vocal from Fishman, were recorded in March 1998, 11 years before the release of the album.[13] The recording of "The Birdwatcher" on Party Time dates back to 2004.

### Track listing

[edit]

Party TimeNo.| Title| Writer(s)| Lead vocals| Length

|
|
|
|

1.| "Party Time"| Jon Fishman| Anastasio| 2:42
2.| "Alaska"|

* Trey Anastasio
* Tom Marshall

| Anastasio| 7:16
3.| "Windy City"| Page McConnell| McConnell| 5:15
4.| "In a Misty Glade"|

* Anastasio
* Marshall

| Fishman| 2:54
5.| "Gone"| Anastasio| Anastasio| 4:09
6.| "Only a Dream"| Mike Gordon| Gordon| 4:10
7.| "The Birdwatcher"|

* Anastasio
* Marshall

* Anastasio
* Fishman
* Gordon
* McConnell

| 2:16
8.| "Let Me Lie"|

* Anastasio
* Marshall

| Anastasio| 3:57
9.| "If I Told You"| McConnell| McConnell| 3:53
10.| "Splinters of Hail"| Anastasio| Anastasio| 3:33
11.| "Can’t Come Back"| Gordon| Gordon| 4:38
12.| "Shrine"|

* Anastasio
* Marshall
* Scott Herman

| Fishman| 1:54
13.| "Liquid Time"| Anastasio| Anastasio| 3:53
Total length:| 50:30

## Personnel

[edit]

Phish

* Trey Anastasio – guitars, lead vocals, backing vocals, co-lead vocals ("The Birdwatcher")
* Page McConnell – keyboards, backing vocals, lead vocals ("I Been Around", "Windy City", "If I Told You"), co-lead vocals ("Twenty Years Later", "The Birdwatcher")
* Mike Gordon – bass guitar, backing vocals, lead vocals ("Sugar Shack", "Only a Dream", "Can't Come Back"), co-lead vocals ("Twenty Years Later", "The Birdwatcher")
* Jon Fishman – drums, backing vocals, lead vocals ("In a Misty Glade", "Shrine"), co-lead vocals ("Twenty Years Later", "The Birdwatcher")

Production

* Produced by Steve Lillywhite
* Engineered by CJ Eiriksson
* Mixed by Steve Lillywhite & CJ Eiriksson
* Assisted by Jesse Gladstone
* Additional engineering on "Ocelot" by Ben Collette
* Mastered by Gavin Lurssen

## References

[edit]

1. ^ Allmusic review
2. ^ Billboard Magazine review
3. ^ PopMatters review
4. ^ Rolling Stone review
5. ^ "Phish Chart History". Billboard. Retrieved November 5, 2018.
6. ^ Phish’s Time Turns Elastic on iTunes Glide Magazine. Online. Accessed: September 13, 2011.
7. ^ ALBUM REVIEW: Phish's Joy Archived 2011-11-25 at the Wayback Machine Hightimes. Online. Accessed: September 13, 2011.
8. ^ Phish's Joy Reviews & Ratings Metacritic.com. Online. Accessed: September 13, 2011.
9. ^ "New CDs". The New York Times. September 7, 2009. Retrieved May 7, 2010.
10. ^ Regen, Jon. Phish, "Joy" Billboard Magazine. Online. Accessed: September 13, 2011.
11. ^ a b Hermes, Will (September 8, 2009). "Phish: Joy". Rolling Stone album review. Rolling Stone. Archived from the original on September 11, 2009. Retrieved September 13, 2009.
12. ^ Phish Dry Goods "Joy Box" Phish.com. Online. Accessed: September 13, 2011.
13. ^ "Phish - Party Time". LivePhish. Retrieved October 27, 2022.

## External links

[edit]

* Phish's official website
* Washington Post review
* Vimeo: Phish Official Videos – "Backwards Down the Number Line" recorded June 12, 2010 in Cuyahoga Falls, Ohio.

* v
* t
* e

Phish

* Trey Anastasio
* Jon Fishman
* Mike Gordon
* Page McConnell

* Tom Marshall
* Giant Country Horns
* Paul Languedoc

* Jeff Holdsworth
* Marc Daubert

Studio albums|

* Junta
* Lawn Boy
* A Picture of Nectar
* Rift
* Hoist
* Billy Breathes
* The Story of the Ghost
* The Siket Disc
* Farmhouse
* Round Room
* Undermind
* Joy
* Fuego
* Big Boat
* Sigma Oasis
* Evolve

Live albums|

* A Live One
* Slip Stitch and Pass
* Hampton Comes Alive
* Live at Madison Square Garden
* Live in Brooklyn
* Colorado '88
* Vegas 96
* At the Roxy
* Hampton/Winston-Salem '97
* Chicago '94
* Ventura
* Niagara Falls
* Amsterdam
* St. Louis '93
* Kasvot Växt: í rokk
* The Gorge '98
* Live Phish Series
* 1
* 2
* 3
* 4
* 5
* 6
* 7
* 8
* 9
* 10
* 11
* 12
* 13
* 14
* 15
* 16
* 17
* 18
* 19
* 20
* Other Live Phish releases
* 02.28.03
* 07.29.03
* 04.02.98
* 04.03.98
* 04.04.98
* 04.05.98
* 10.31.90
* Japan Relief
* LP on LP

Other albums|

* Phish
* The Man Who Stepped into Yesterday
* Crimes of the Mind
* Stash
* The Victor Disc
* Headphones Jam
* Party Time
* Get More Down

Songs|

* "Birds of a Feather"
* "Chalk Dust Torture"
* "Cavern"
* "Down with Disease"
* "Fast Enough for You"
* "Free"
* "Ghost"
* "Gumbo"
* "Harpua"
* "Harry Hood"
* "Heavy Things"
* "Julius"
* "Mike's Song"
* "Sample in a Jar"
* "The Wedge"
* "You Enjoy Myself"

Filmography|

* Tracking
* Bittersweet Motel
* Live in Vegas
* It
* Specimens of Beauty
* Live in Brooklyn
* Walnut Creek
* The Clifford Ball
* Phish 3D

Side projects
and related acts|

* Amfibian
* Dave Matthews & Friends
* The Dude of Life
* The Everyone Orchestra
* Jazz Mandolin Project
* Leo Kottke
* Oysterhead
* Phil Lesh and Friends
* Pork Tornado
* Ramble Dove
* Rhythm Devils
* SerialPod
* Surrender to the Air
* Trey Anastasio Band
* Vida Blue

Tribute albums|

* Gone Phishin
* Sharin' in the Groove
* Still Phishin
* JamGrass
* The String Quartet Tribute to Phish
* High Neighbors: Dub Tribute to Phish

Related articles|

* Discography (Songs)
* The Barn
* Gamehendge
* JEMP Records
* Tours and festivals
* The Baker's Dozen
* The Mockingbird Foundation
* The WaterWheel Foundation
* The Phish Companion
* Trampled by Lambs and Pecked by the Dove

Authority control databases |

* MusicBrainz release group

|

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