Phish phans like 'Ghost' November 26, 1998 - Post and Courier (Charleston, SC) by Devin Grant Album Review - The Story of the Ghost Phish - "The Story Of The Ghost" - (Elektra) Well, it seems the question of who will fill the rather large empty space left behind by the Grateful Dead has been answered. It was actually answered last year, when Phish set up shop in Limestone, Maine, and played host to 62,000 people for an event known as the Great Went. Let's think about that for a moment. 62,000 people packed up their cars and drove to MAINE, just to hear a band. While Phish has proven to be a worthy successor to Jerry & Co. in the touring and performance capacity, their album catalog has slowly but surely been trying to catch up. Phish Phanatics will no doubt love "The Story Of The Ghost." Phish could release a CD of guitarist Trey Anastasio tuning up and it would probably go gold. That's not to say that Phish doesn't make good music. Their last offering, "Billy Breathes," was one of the best releases of 1996, and their live CD, "A Live One," has the potential to become one of the great live albums of all time. "The Story Of The Ghost" is a deep and intriguing album, full of experimental noodling and interesting harmonies. The title track kicks things off with a tune reminiscent of Steve Miller. From there, Phish is off, taking blind musical turns and actually making most of them. This is a band that thrives on improvisation, and their jazz influences are clearly heard here on tracks like, "Birds Of A Feather," "Guyute" and "Shafty." Other notable selections include, "Limb By Limb" and "Brian And Robert." Those who are new to Phish would do well to check out some of their earlier offerings before delving into "The Story Of The Ghost." Longtime Phish Phans will no doubt take to "Ghost" like a Phi-... no, that would be to easy. © 1998 The Post and Courier