If any trace of the idealisitic spirit that fueled the hippie music scene of the 1960's has survived into the skeptical 90's, one place to look for it might be southern Vermont, a region that has produced millionaire ice-cream philanthropists Ben and Jerry, a socilaist mayor, and most interesting, the rock band Phish. Launched by guitarist Trey Anastasio and three buddies in a University of Vermont dorm room in 1983, Phish has built a hugely successful career as an underground band around the quaint notion that music can be used for buliding a sense of community, not just making money. As corny as it sounds, it is exactly the idea that paid off so handsomely for the Grateful Dead. Phish's musical essence resides more in its live shows than its discs.
Songs gather into easy crescendos that encourage audience self-discovery, rather than catharsis.
For Ghost the band culled the best of a dozen new jams, trimming and rerecording them in the studio. Songs like Birds of a Feather have the spark of spontaneity without self-indulgence.