THE STORY OF THE GHOST

This is a band that is too often overlooked in the prog world. As a group that is better known for their live performances and loose jamming, Phish are rarely recognised for their exceptional studio work. The Story of the Ghost is an incredibly strong album with plenty of progressive elements and influences that would satisfy the appetite of any progger. The album has an overall groovy and almost jazzy feel to it. The highlight of this album for me, and probably for most prog fans, is the amazing GUYUTE. As the longest track on the album, Guyute is incredibly well composed with an awsome instrumental section that's written and executed flawlessly! Other highlights of the album include the groovy title track, birds of a feather and the technical Limb by Limb. Every member gets a chance to shine here and, as always, none fail to impress. A truly enjoyable album.

This is probably Phish's most progressive album, in that it's the closest they've come to making a "concept" album. You know they're telling some kind of story here, but Tom Marshall's bizarre lyrics make it difficult to understand exactly what it is.

Musically, there are some great moments. The first track, "Ghost', features a very catchy bass line that has you immediately hooked. "Guyute" is a very well composed mostly instrumental song.

"Wading In the Velvet Sea" is a beautiful song. It's one of their softer songs, but it is a lot easier to appreciate after hearing Phish perform it as their final song at their final show. The lyrics are simple, but also very meaningful, and Page's keyboard melodies are wonderful.

I would probably recommed this, or their other "concept" album "Rift", to prog fans interested in their best studio work. However, if you want to hear Phish at their absolute best, listen to a live album.

Brilliant, my favourite Phish album. Many key tracks here excellent work on behalf of every member.

My favourite is Guyute, really a prog gem. The song progresses from overly cheery to incredibly dark and frantic. Creative vocal work by Trey is present here as well as his always up excellent guitar playing. Mike Gordan is brilliant on bass as usual. And of course Page and Fishman keep it real as usual.

Well worth the investment, very talented band. Reccomended for those into jambands with some progressive tendencies.

I have to agree with the above review. This is definitely the best studio album Phish has put out since Rift. Guyute alone is worth the price of the cd and is one of the most progressive songs they ever wrote. The rest of the album is also very good, but not quite as progressive. It's more in keeping with their later stuff, shorter more catchier songs. Phish was more at home live than in the studio, but this is one of their best.

By the late 90s, Phish was more focused on their incessant touring....as a result, their studio output suffered greatly. 'Story of the Ghost' is the first real evidence of that. What you get is 3 or 4 decent (not good or great) tracks ("Ghost", "Birds of a Feather", "Limb By Limb", "Guyute") and the rest is chaff.

You're better off skipping this one and going back to 'Rift', 'Hoist', 'Picture of Nectar' and, of course, 'Junta'.

Phrankie says "relax"

This 1998 follow up to the acclaimed "Billy breathes" saw Phish indulging themselves even deeper in the studio jams from which their album tracks would emerge. In this instance, not only did the sessions lead to this album, but also to "The Skillet disc" released a year later. The process this time involved the band listening to playbacks of the lengthy jam sessions, and composing songs based on parts which appealed to them.

The opening "Ghost" reminded me of the 70's bands Hot Chocolate and 10cc, with a soft funky beat and dual lead vocals combining to create a highly commercial piece of pop. "Birds of a feather" continues the 10cc style, the added brass intermingling with lead guitar and repeated vocal harmonies in an ever increasing cacophony of sound. Things take an unfortunate but marked dip with "Meat", a Steely Dan like jazz funk number.

The longest track on the album by far is the 8½ minute "Guyute". The track sets out as a light pop orientated piece before bizarrely breaking into a Fairport Convention like guitar led jig. From there it mutates again into a retro style guitar thrash, somewhere between "Orange blossom special" and "Sabre dance". While certainly the most interesting track on the album, for me it only works up to a point, perhaps because it falls into the old 10cc trap of clever for clever's sake.

Unfortunately, there are just too many of the understated soft pop outings here for my tastes, "Fikus", and "Limb by limb" being further examples. "Frankie says" is presumably some sort of tribute to "Frankie Goes to Hollywood", the word "Relax" being prevalent in this song. The link is purely lyrical though, the song being far more downbeat than the target of the homage. "Brian and Robert" is a strange title for more of the same.

"Water in the sky" moves into distinctly country rock territories, but it does at least lift the pace and offer something with a bit of spirit for a couple of minutes. "Roggae" is presumably a clever amalgamation of rock and reggae or something like that. In the end though, it simply returns us to the bland pop.

"Wading in the velvet sea" has a pleasant soft refrain, but the over-repeating of the title is unnecessary. "The momma dance" is a further indulgence in repetitive light funk, the album closing with the brief "End of session".

In all, a disappointing Phish album, which appears to indicate that the band have had all the vitality sucked out of them. This is nothing more than a collection of bland songs with primarily funky foundations. The only exception of note is "Guyute", but even this is below par.

Phish has been around for quite some time, and the basic quartet has always remained the same. This cohesiveness has been one of the main reasons why they are considered one of the best jam bands ever, because they work together so well, it's almost like they can read each others minds when it comes to music. Trey Anastasio, Page McConnell, Mike Gordon and Jon Fishman can work together as one unit better than most groups that are out there today.

'The Story of the Ghost' was Phish's 7th studio album, released after 'Billy Breathes' and before 'Farmhouse'. It marks a turning point for the overall sound of their studio output, and actually contains great examples of the different styles apparent on the albums it falls in between. The album was created differently than their other studio albums, in that this time, the songs were only put on the album if all of the band agreed to them. This socialistic approach to the album was the reason that Anastasio thought that the album could have been better, because some of their best output during that time, according to him, was left off the album in place of some weaker tracks. At first, Anastasio felt this was a weaker album because of this, but has later admitted that he is now happy with the album and the way that it came out.

The music was culled together from different jam sessions. They took the best parts of the jam sessions and turned them into song-like structures, though using the same unconventionality that they used in their music. Another thing that was different about this album was the fact that there are no instrumental tracks at all, they all have vocals, which is fairly odd for Phish. Most of the tracks are more standard size, except for 'Guyute' at over 8 minutes, which is also one of their most progressive tracks. The other tracks, even though they are more around a standard rock song size, are actually quite varied, probably one of Phish's most versatile albums, which is also why it is one of my favorites.

A move to the more laid back sound of later Phish albums actually started with the 2nd side of 'Billy Breathes', and that continues in the lead off to this album 'Ghost'. The style is more of the laid-back groove that we would be hearing more from them in their later albums, and also tended to approach the jam style of their concerts, rather than the high energy sound of earlier albums. Starting with a atmospheric intro, the song quickly slips into the slinky funk of the track, with contrasting vocal layers, and a slight psychedelic feel. Later, a higher energy from the guitar joins in after a short pause, and the song fades out, leaving an unfinished feel, because the theme will return towards the end of the album. This is followed by the single 'Birds of a Feather' which still retains a nice funky sound, but with a more upbeat rhythm and more rock oriented. During the 2nd chorus and after, the music builds to a rocking and blistering guitar solo for a nice payoff and the music continues to swell as the repetitive chorus returns. 'Meat' takes a more reggae vibed funk and vocals that definitely contradict each other, and a deep voice effect that sounds like someone speaking through one of those devices that smokers have to speak through.

The 8 minute 'Guyute' comes next, and is an example of Phish at their proggiest. The beat is tricky, and changes from a moderate, somewhat rambling song to one that is much faster and full of energy when it reaches the 3 minute mark. After that, it goes into that instrumental interplay that the best Phish studio tracks are known for, and then on top of that it goes through several rhythmic and style changes, while taking on odd rhythms and start/stop patterns. The boiling guitar section in the middle has a build up that is unlike anything they have put on disc before, as tension builds in a hurricane of instrumental chaos that culminates in a completely fulfilling return to the main theme. But then it goes totally atmospheric with an odd strumming out of tune guitar and meandering vocals, then everything connects together again for a satisfying ending. This is Phish at their inventive best.

'Fikus' goes off on a completely different direction with goofy percussion and nutty vocal lines, sounding like something from Robert Wyatt, a clanging bell that sounds like one of those gas station bells. It's a strange one, but showcases Phish's weird sense of humor. 'Shafty' is more of that minimal, goofy sound. There are again several lines of vocals, but the brevity of these two last track make them feel a bit meandering and unfinished, but they both make more sense as the 2nd half of the album comes around. 'Limb By Limb' starts off minimally as the last two, but quickly builds to a cool bass and percussion, and then you hear the real Phish return, silly lyrics and a sudden burst of energy as the song continues. The song develops a nice solid backbeat, and the lesser vocal lines are just as interesting as the main theme, making this one that gives you a good outcome no matter which vocal phrase you decide to listen to as the call and response style goes on. A sudden guitar solo kicks in and takes this into high energy territory again. Another great payoff.

'Frankie Says' backs off a bit, but not much, and more goofy lyrics ensue, but in a laid back style which is still quite interesting. 'Brian and Robert' sees Phish doing some Beach Boys style harmonization with simple keys and soft percussion backing it up. It's a nice peaceful sound similar to something that could have come from Pet Sounds. 'Water in the Sky' goes for the lunatic cow jazz sound, with their crazy brand of country that sounds like it is hysterically becoming unhinged. 'Roggae' features a slight reggae edge with steel guitar twanging along while they sing about the circus of life. This melts into the next track, the textured and beautifully smooth 'Wading in the Velvet Sea' with the lovely guitar solo at the end. From there we do the funky 'The Moma Dance' which proves white guys can groove, and then it ends much like it begins with 'End of Session', which finishes off the unfinished business started with the first track 'Ghost'.

Except for a few weaker tracks in the middle, this is a perfect album. Some would doubt that it is progressive, except for 'Guyute' which is so obviously progressive, but in my eyes it's perfect. For the archives purposes, however, I have to resort to giving it 4 stars, but a very strong one. This is one of Phish's best and a favorite of mine, and it would easily be awarded five stars on a non-progressive site.