Billy Breathes is the sixth official studio album by American rock band Phish. It remains one of the most popular Phish albums, and is credited (like the later release Farmhouse) with connecting the band to a more mainstream audience beyond its strong cult following. 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."
The album includes the song "Free", the band's most successful chart single, which peaked at #11 on Billboard Mainstream Rock Tracks Chart and at #24 on Billboard Modern Rock Tracks Chart
Tracks 5 and 9 are instrumentals. "Bliss" is the only instrumental song on the album to have never been played live by the band. The album's final track, "Prince Caspian", is also the name of a mythical prince in The Chronicles of Narnia, a fantasy series by British novelist C. S. Lewis.
The cover of the album 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.
The album was certified Gold by RIAA January 8, 1999.
In February 2009, this album became available as a download in FLAC and MP3 formats at LivePhish.com.
Read more about Billy Breathes: Recording, Track Listing, Charting Singles, Personnel