PHISH “A Live One” <i> Elektra</i> : **

Phish is all about playfulness--from the way it spells its name to its wacky stage antics to, of course, its music. In fact, this live package, which features a 48-page booklet, more than 125 minutes of music and a mini mail-order catalogue full of Phish “dry goods,” is one sprawling sonic playground.

Working through its Grateful Dead-inspired jazz-rock fusion, the Vermont quartet frequently wanders into interludes of reggae, funk, even a spell of New Orleans-style brass. At times, the intensity of the jamming is rather captivating. At others, it’s just obtuse.

The problem isn’t so much a matter of excess--though it’s hard to imagine anyone surviving the 31-minute “Tweezer” with unwavering attention--as it is focus. Improvisational music succeeds when the tangents are grounded in some solid musical statement or concept. But too many of these Phish extrapolations start with mediocre pop hooks or goofy imagery that’s pointless, and even annoying.

Guess you had to be there.