The Story Of The Ghost

10/27/1998 3:00 AM, Yahoo! Music
Rob O'Connor

There's this long silly solo during "Guyute" that at one point threatens to take off like the German prog of Can or Neu! but then just as it hits peak propulsion shifts into an organ-drenched approximation of Jethro Tull--or maybe that's Uriah Heep. Stuff like this gives progressive rock a bad name (as if it needed any worse a rep). Scarier still is that Phish have been--no joke--improving. That their earlier work is less focused than this tedious stoner soft-shoe tuneage is perfect proof that nitrous oxide is one dangerous drug. How else to explain legions of fans getting off on their stoopid day-dream lyrics (one listen to "Frankie Says" is all it takes to understand)? It's like some people deserve this torture. True to its title, Ghost is a series of faint sketches, songs barely formed and often best left overheard.