Parachute was the first album released by the band Guster. The album was mostly recorded in 1994, and a few copies were released under the band name Gus (the band had to change its name shortly afterward when another artist signed a record contract under that name). The 4,000 copies that were created that feature the band as Gus are considered very rare by Guster fans. The members of the band have been known to refer to this album as their weakest effort. It lacks the fuller sound of their later albums, and the sound quality is also relatively lacking. The band plays very few of the songs on this album at its live concerts anymore, although they do occasionally play "Mona Lisa", "Parachute", and "Window" (from The Weather Channel slogan "Bringing weather to life"). The stuffed animal on the cover of the album is a childhood toy of percussionist Brian Rosenworcel and is lovingly referred to as "The Big Friend." It has become a mascot of sorts for the band. During live performances of "Happy Frappy", it's tradition for fans to throw pixie sticks onto the stage.[1]
