There is a tradition in the religions and literature of the West known as katabasis.  It’s from the Greek words for “down” and “go,” and it involves the hero of the story descending into hell.  Odysseus consults his dead warrior buddies in Hades, Gilgamesh seeks immortality, and Christ, between his crucifixion and resurrection, “harrows” hell to bring salvation to all the righteous who have died since the beginning of the world.   Katabasis is usually followed by anabasis, where the hero ascends back to the land of the living. 

      After the katabasis of Like a Ghost, the best anabasis I can think of to lift the spirits is some old-school, good-time American funk, known today as “roots” music.  If you told me I was going to be stuck on a desert island for the rest of my life, and only had three songs to entertain me, I’d choose these three: 'Forbidden Fruit,' 'Ophelia' and the 'W.S. Walcott Medicine Show,' all by The Band.  (I’d insist on the live versions played on a great sound system, of course.) 

     'Fantasy League' is right out of this tradition.   If you’re a woman who doesn’t understand the male of the species’ obsession with Fantasy Football, don’t expect any answers from the song.  But learn the words and sing along.  They’ll lighten the Sunday afternoon agonies in the fall! 

      One more song to go and then it’s a wrap on the CD! 

      Click here to listen to a snippet of Fantasy League.