Trey Anastasio, Jon Fishman, Mike Gordon, and Jeff Holdsworth formed Phish in 1983. In 1986, Jeff left and was replaced by pianist Page McConnell. Phish has since become one of the most recognizable jam bands to date.
The effect-heavy Story of the Ghost is Phish's funkiest,grooviest studio album. From the opening groove of
Ghost to the calm
End of Session, it portrays some of Phish's talent: their ability to play well together, ability to hold a groove, and experimentation. Some of the songs on ghost were actually bits taken from larger studio jams, which gives the album an authentic feel to it.
Tracklist:
Ghost-This is the title track of the album as well as a phan favorite. It opens with guitar looped organ effects. It has a "ghostly" feel to it. This song was taken from a larger jam, so they slowly faded the music in. The bass and dums come in with a solid groove with backing from the piano, while the vocals maintain that mystical sense. At about "1:58" Mike lays down a very appropriate, funky slap bass solo. Overall this is a one of the best songs on the album as well as a great opener. It truly displays Mikes talent. 5/5
Birds of a feather-This track comes in with fast paced drums and a nice slap bass line. The Trey and Page provide interesting little fills. Nice lyrics and great, memorable chorus; "Birds of a feather are flocking outside", sung in unison by all members. Horn accompaniment keep this track fresh and interesting. 5/5
Meat-This is a very drum/bass oriented track and is very heavy on both. This is a slow groove than the previous two tracks, yet still maintains the sound. All the members end up singing seperate lines, making the chorus very cool to listen to. Its rather short but makes up with it with groove. 5/5
Guyute-Let me just say Ive never been a big fan of Guyute after listening to Trey's version of it on
Seis De Mayo(2004) when it is played with an orchestra. Nonetheless, this is a great track and is the longest running on the album, at 8 minutes+. Its starts off telling the story of Guyute, the ugly pig, and his adventures with Trey.
Quote:
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Originally Posted by Phish-Guyute
Guyute was the ugly pig
Who walked on me and danced a jig
That he had learned when he was six
Then stopped and did some other tricks
Like pulling weapons from his coat
and holding them against my throat
He lectured me in a language strange
Then scampered quickly out of range
I'm bouncing like a new born elf
I can't believe inside myself
Guyute glances in my eyes
and manages to hypnotize
me as I sleep the sleep of death
He sucks from me my only breath
That I had breathed since I was ten
I hope this happens once again
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It starts off slow at first as Trey recalls his adventures. Page and Trey once again keep it interesting. About 3 minutes into it, it changes into a very quick romp. Jon provides quick beats along with Mike, while Trey shows off his stunning guitar ability. After thatruns its course it changes into a darker tune where Trey recalls his more frightening events. Overall, this song is an ever changing work of art with an imaginitive storyline an great musicality. 5/5
Fikus-This is one of the more odd,offbeat tunes in the album. It has a strange cowbell oriented beat. The main melody is provided by the bass playing the high notes. Odd lyrics,odd tune. 3/5
Shafty-This interesting track is written about hell. Its quite short and not that exciting. 3/5
Limb by Limb-This is an uptomistic upbeat track in which Page and Trey sing seperate lines after another. Great lyrics and vocals. The drums are amazing, as it was originally said that Trey and Tom Marshall(writing partner) while recording this song in Trey's barn, had to use a drum machine to even achieve this odd, offbeat drum line. Somehow Jon managed to pull it off and its very nice. Great guitar solo. 5/5
Frankie Says-This is a more mystical, laidback song taken from a larger jam. Great vocals/lyrics. Very relaxing. 4/5
Brian and Robert-This is a slow track with enchanting vocals/lyrics. Its very optimistic and hopeful and sticks to the relaxing theme that is apparent in the middle of
Ghost.
Water in the Sky-This upbeat bluegrass tune kicks in with some great organ work and drum beats. 5/5
Roggae-A funky romp about the circus. Once again, this track provides a solid rhythym section and vocal unity.4/5
Wading in the Velevet Sea-This song has beautiful piano work by Page. The singig is beautiful in both the chorus and verse. Its very slow and then picks up with a very emotional guitar solo by Trey. Amazing track, especially on Trey's compostion album
Seis De Mayo(2004)The most emotional, beautiful Phish song. 5/5
The Moma Dance-This track was taken from a larger jam and is a phan favorite. Its funk is only matched by Ghost. Great drums and groovy bass line. The guitar goes in and out once again to provide that "ghostly" feel. Cool vocals(Is it "the moma dance" or "the moment ends"?) and great lyrics. Vocally, its the best song on the album nest to Sea. It even has a tease from Ghost. Its my favorite song on the entire album. 5/5
End of Session-This is a calm cool-down from Moma Dance. Its a relaxing and appropriate closer. 3/5
Overall:
Overall, this is a groovy album and is some of Phish best work. It is very versatile, from pure funk
Ghost, bluegrass
Sea, to laid back
Frankie, this album offers a lot. This album starts off with straight groove and then goes into a more laidback state only to come back to the groove at the end. it is a piece of art. For all Phans this is a must. For those not familiar with Phish I would always suggest
Billy Breathes (1996) as a first just to become familiar, or
Lawn Boy (1990).
Rating:
5/5
[URL=http://www.phish.com/releases/detail.php?ID=25]Story of the Ghost[/URL] (Listen to the sample of Ghost to get a feel of the album)
Enjoy.
