PHISH & THE DUDE OF LIFE: CRIMES OF THE MIND

The Dude of Life is Steve Pollak, a songwriter who has worked with Phish on previous albums. But now I get an idea of why he doesn't usually sing with the band. His vocals are thin and off-key, sort of like a punk sounding Weird Al Yankovic, but less appealing. His songs are not bad, for humorous quirky pieces.

For Phish, this is something of a novelty album. The music is pretty much straightforward rock, and is just there to support The Dude's lyrics. The guys do get in a few good solos, however. But they do get just a bit proggy on Revolution's Over.

The best songs are Dahlia, about an encounter with a cigar smoking girl, Bitchin' Again (just what the title implies, and Lucy In The Subway, a revisit with the heroine of a certain Beatles classic.

This isn't an album I play often, but it has some merit.