Flight of the Cosmic Hippo

Flight of the Cosmic Hippo is the second album by Béla Fleck and the Flecktones, released in 1991. It reached number 1 on the Billboard Top Contemporary Jazz Albums chart. The album title came from an audience member who suggested "Flight of the Codeine Hippo" as a name for the title track. The band changed "codeine" to "cosmic" to avoid the drug association.

Reception

In his Allmusic review, music critic Brian Mansfield wrote of the album "The Flecktones continue to make it look easy."^[1]

Track listing

1. "Blu-Bop" (Béla Fleck, Howard Levy, Victor Wooten, Roy Wooten) – 4:22
2. "Flying Saucer Dudes" (Fleck) – 4:51
3. "Turtle Rock" (Fleck) – 4:12
4. "Flight of the Cosmic Hippo" (Fleck) – 4:29
5. "The Star Spangled Banner" (Francis Scott Key, arr. Fleck, R. Wooten, Levy, V. Wooten) – 2:35
6. "Star of the County Down" (P.D., arr. Fleck, R. Wooten, Levy, V. Wooten) – 4:21
7. "Jekyll and Hyde (and Ted and Alice)" (Fleck) – 7:04
8. "Michelle" (John Lennon/Paul McCartney) – 5:10
9. "Hole in the Wall" (Fleck) – 4:40
10. "Flight of the Cosmic Hippo (Reprise)" (Fleck) – 2:14

Personnel

• Béla Fleck – banjo, electric banjo
• Howard Levy – diatonic harmonica, piano, synthesizers, harp in a cup, harp through micro synth, double ocarina, Hammond B-3 organ
• "Future Man" – SynthAxe Drumitar
• Victor Wooten – 4-string, 5-string fretless and 6-string electric basses

Production notes

• Produced and mixed by Béla Fleck with the Flecktones
• Bil VornDick – engineer, mixing
• Carlos Grier – editing
• Denny Purcell – mastering
• Mark Nevers – assistant engineer
• Keith Odle – mixing assistant
• Richard Battaglia – assistant engineer, mixing assistant
• Mark Tucker – photography
• Elvis Wilson – design
• Laura LiPuma – art direction
• Mark Fox – artwork

Chart positions

References