Phish
The Story Of the Ghost

THE REVIEW

The umpteenth morning with kilometers to cover on the gray asphalt awaits me.
I have everything, I think, the documents, my laptop, I just need to start the engine and in a couple of hours I'll be at my destination.
Wait a moment, do I really intend to travel alone, leaving my best travel companions at home?
If one day you happen to meet a guy on the road who enjoys drumming on the steering wheel in his car, with his head constantly moving, humming and occasionally laughing, don't take him for crazy; he's probably listening to Phish.

Accompanied by their eclectic leader Trey Anastasio, singer and sophisticated guitarist, this Vermont quartet holds the record, along with a few other artists, for the number of concerts and audience presence in the United States.
With almost twenty years of performances behind them, thirteen or fourteen albums released, Phish was born in 1986 without any aspiration to become famous, united only by a simple love for music, so much so that they have always given their best live, such that their shows, initially attended only by a few connoisseurs, became in a few years a mass phenomenon.

The secret of such success, according to many, lies, in addition to their undeniable skill, in their ability to transform every show into a unique evening, with irresistible jam sessions where the audience becomes one with the band.
After the first albums that reflected their on-stage spirit, with tracks extended in jams of over ten minutes that didn’t do justice to the band in the studio, with "The Story Of The Ghost" in 1998, Phish focuses more on the song form and mixing rock, country, and funky creates a pleasant and interesting work.
Anastasio's guitar is the Phish trademark, a delightful touch, fluid and aggregating harmonies, managing to stay in the background with refined accompaniment, more decisive in the funkier moments and then getting lost in irresistible solos. Accompanying us through the smooth compositions is the delicate and confidential voice of the leader who, rather than straining the vocal cords, throws himself for long minutes into a splendid maze of chords as in "Guyute," the only extended track that recalls their nature as stage animals.

The album flows pleasantly and lightly, with the band venturing into funky realms (Birds Of A Feather, The Moma Dance), reggae hints (Meat, Limb By Limb), and even country (Wading In The Velvet Sea).
For the next journey, the company is guaranteed.