Songwriting for
Farmhouse was a joint effort between Trey Anastasio and Phish lyricist
Tom Marshall, with contributions from
Tony Markellis,
Russ Lawton and Scott Herman. All of the songs were already part of Phish's live concert song rotation before being recorded for the album, some dating back to 1997.
Rolling Stone gave
Farmhouse only 2.5 Stars, stating that on the album the band walks "a thin line between mellow and torpid" with songs that "are going to need a lot of live [concert] resuscitation".
"Heavy Things" became Phish's biggest single to date, and was a hit on Adult Top 40 radio and on the
Radio & Records pop 100 chart. The song was performed for live broadcast during the overnight set of Phish's New Year's Eve 2000 show at
Big Cypress (reportedly then the largest concert in the world) as part of
ABC's coverage of
New Year’s festivities around the globe.
The song "First Tube" was nominated for a
Grammy for Best Rock Instrumental Performance.
Farmhouse had the highest-ever first week sales for a Phish record. The album was certified gold by RIAA on January 30, 2006.
In February 2009, the album was made available as a download in
FLAC and
MP3 formats at LivePhish.com.
