Core-member Masaki Batoh grew up in
Kyoto, Japan where he attended a private school. During this time, he became interested in American and British
rock music ranging from
Bob Dylan and
Pink Floyd to the
Velvet Underground and Japanese rock bands such as the
Taj Mahal Travellers and the
Flower Travellin' Band. Later, Batoh formed Ghost with a large and often varying lineup. According to reports posted on
Allmusic, the group lived a nomadic existence, drifting from ruins of ancient temples to disused subway stations around the
Tokyo area. The band began releasing their work with the albums
Ghost and
Second Time Around, which were released, respectively, in 1990 and 1992. The American independent label
Drag City licensed each of the albums for distribution, and the Los Angeles
The Now Sound label picked up two of Batoh's solo albums, released together as well under the title
Collected Works. Two albums,
Tune In, Turn On, Free Tibet and
Snuffbox Immanence, were released simultaneously in 1999. As well as their own work, Ghost have recorded and performed with the ex-
Galaxie 500 duo
Damon and Naomi. Five years after releasing both
Snuffbox Immanence and
Tune In, Turn On, Free Tibet, Ghost returned with
Hypnotic Underworld, and there were some changes in the band.
Cellist Hiromichi Sakamoto and
percussionist Setsuko Furuya left and were replaced by a rhythm section of Takuyuki Moriya (electric bass guitar, double bass, and cello) and Junzo Tateiwa (drums, tabla, and percussion). In 2005, the
Drag City label released a CD+DVD set titled, "Metamorphosis: Ghost Chronicles 1984-2004". The DVD is a career-spanning collection of footage featuring over two hours of improvisations, one-time-only band lineups, trances, freakouts, live shows and more. The CD features tracks from the previously undocumented 1980s era of studio improvs, live tracks, and outtakes from their debut album. In January 2007, Ghost released a new album titled
In Stormy Nights. It was given a 8.0 rating by
Pitchfork. The year 2008 saw Batoh collaborating live and in the studio with cellist
Helena Espvall, resulting in the album
Helena Espvall & Masaki Batoh.
Overloaded Ark followed a year later. In 2014, Masaki Batoh announced on Facebook that the group had disbanded after 30 years of activity. == Members ==