Discs Phish surfaces with `Billy' November 1, 1996 - Boston Herald By Sarah Rodman Album Review - Billy Breathes 3 stars Every time Phish releases an album, it's said to be the one that will propel the quartet from having hundreds of thousands of loyal fans to the multimillion mainstream. "Billy Breathes," the Burlington, Vt., jam masters' seventh release, looks promising. It's a short, sweet and mellow song cycle that trims back the length, but none of the goofy charm of previous releases. The album's sole concession to jam band virtuosity is a six-minute, warm and womblike Pink Floydian symphony about bottom feeding as a metaphor for love. Elsewhere, an emphasis is put on acoustic textures, hummable melodies and the group's patented harmonies and quirky, feel-good lyrics of escape. And, y'know, it just might be enough to convert mainstream listeners to Phish-heads. Article © 1996 Boston Herald