Phish - The Story Of The Ghost October 24, 1998 - MTV by Staff Album Review - The Story of the Ghost Their first album since 1996's Billy Breathes, The Story of the Ghost signals Phish's determination to win over those unlikely to join them for a cross country trek. Ghost is about the mellow aftermath of those harried, jam-cluttered tours, maybe what the band plays after a long night of furious solos and extravagant arrangements. The tunes meld blissfully, one into another, mostly gentle and graced by dappled sunlight, with the Phish foursome only occasionally getting their rocks off in prog-rockish interludes. The album begins as if in mid-performance, a relaxed groove leading us into the arena on "Ghost." Bassist Mike Gordon pops his axe furiously as guitarist Trey Anastasio recites tuneful lyrics. "Birds of a Feather" is a soaring sing-a-long jamfest, funky wah wah guitars and oozing organs insulating the sunny, high-speed flight. "Meat," "Guyute," and "Fikus" explore various jam rationales from the Dixie Dregs to Yes to Apostrophe-era Zappa, before settling down to the easy picking and grinning. Some noodling rears its head on "Frankie Says," "Shafty," and the Meters-ish "Limb By Limb," but even so, melodies abound. The Story of the Ghost could be called The Story of Sleep, so fluffy are its melodies, so peaceful are its good vibrations. While beneath this tranquil palette there remains a band ready to blister and burn, for now, all is bucolic in the Phish aquarium.