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Joined: April 01 2009
Location: Atlanta
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Points: 26133
Posted: December 03 2014 at 19:14
Spirit were one of THE great bands, and Sardonicus was their big statement. It should have been huge, like DSOTM huge. But it wasn't and now it's a trivia question. You never can tell. They were never quite the same (or even close) after the original band broke up following the commercial disappointment of Sardonicus.
Seriously, for 1970, it was seriously advanced stuff. All 4 of those 1968-70 albums are some of the most original music out there.
Edited by HolyMoly - December 03 2014 at 19:15
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It is easier for a camel to pass through the eye of a needle if it is lightly greased.
This is one that mystifies me. There are a coupe of tunes I like but one the whole it pretty much bores me. Yet it is a critics darling. I don't get it.
The first 4 albums are their best and 12 Dreams is their grand finale just as Abbey Road was for The Beatles. I loved Randy California's guitar playing. I remember he replaced Ritchie Blackmore in Deep Purple for 1 night.....one performance. The first time I heard him play was on a track titled "Mechanical World". West coast bands like Quicksilver Messenger Service, Jefferson Airplane seemed to have a distinctive trademark of sound to easily identify. Spirit were from L.A., (I believe), and sounded different from most bands on that scene. I recall hearing the tragic news report about Randy California and his son..both drowning and I was stunned/speechless. Spirit had a particular song I like about a canyon burning. It's been 25 years since I've heard it, but it struck me as a strange song. Half Psychedelic Rock and half of whatever else. It reminded me of Hendrix during his last days when he wrote songs like "In From The Storm". It was strange.
Joined: April 12 2013
Location: Michigan
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Posted: December 03 2014 at 22:35
bhikkhu wrote:
This is one that mystifies me. There are a coupe of tunes I like but one the whole it pretty much bores me. Yet it is a critics darling. I don't get it.
HolyMoly wrote:
Seriously, for 1970, it was seriously advanced stuff. All 4 of those 1968-70 albums are some of the most original music out there.
SO this!!
Caption: We tend to take ourselves a little too seriously.
Joined: November 29 2006
Location: Israel
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Points: 6632
Posted: December 04 2014 at 05:02
Sardonicus is also my fav from the band, I always thought that there was something special in that band. Randy California was such a great guitar player,he had that simplicity in his playing and a little something from Hendrix too.
Lately I've been digging the hell out of Spirit of 76' album, a lot of great stuff in this one.
Love this album.....although it's been a good while since I last spun it. May have to rectify that soon.
Agree with most of what's been said - especially Steve's comment on how the band almost imploded after Sardonicus. That's not to say that they didn't release any good music afterwards because they did. It' just wasn't the same.
“The Guide says there is an art to flying or rather a knack. The knack lies in learning how to throw yourself at the ground and miss.”
Joined: August 22 2010
Location: Indiana
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Posted: December 04 2014 at 08:43
Excellent and very original album.....one of my favorites from that time period. The earlier Spirit albums are also very good. A unique sounding band with an interesting mix of styles. They should have been as big as The Doors and Jefferson Airplane imo but for some reason never achieved that level. Perhaps they were a bit too esoteric.
On an old thread here I picked that album as my favorite proto prog album from those days.
Edited by dr wu23 - December 04 2014 at 08:45
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Joined: July 20 2009
Location: Tucson, AZ USA
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Posted: December 04 2014 at 10:39
Guldbamsen wrote:
Love this album.....although it's been a good while since I last spun it. May have to rectify that soon.
Agree with most of what's been said - especially Steve's comment on how the band almost imploded after Sardonicus. That's not to say that they didn't release any good music afterwards because they did. It' just wasn't the same.
Seems like many of us haven't heard this one in a while, this purports to be the entire LP. Randy California was a great guitarist, pity he died so tragically.
Joined: April 01 2009
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Points: 26133
Posted: December 04 2014 at 10:48
As great as Randy California was, I think the unsung hero of the band was Jay Ferguson, who at this point was still the primary singer and songwriter for the group (though for this album it was almost 50/50). Randy has a talent for beautiful guitar playing and mystical songs, but Jay provided the meat of their albums. This album in particular has some really great and tough tunes like Animal Zoo, Mr. Skin, and When I Touch You.
This foreshadowed the next direction Ferguson would take after leaving the band, forming (with Spirit bassist Mark Andes) a new group called Jo Jo Gunne that played really great piano-driven rock and roll, not unlike the Guess Who. Jo Jo Gunne's third album (Jumpin' the Gunne) is a huge favorite of mine - I enjoy it as much as any Spirit album.
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Joined: April 01 2009
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Posted: December 04 2014 at 10:53
A couple of my favorite tracks from "Jumpin' the Gunne" by Jo Jo Gunne - with Jay Ferguson on piano and lead vocals, Matt Andes (Mark's brother) on lead guitar, Jimmie Randall on bass, and Curly Smith on drums.
First, a lean hard rocker
Next, something more textured and subtle:
My other avatar is a Porsche
It is easier for a camel to pass through the eye of a needle if it is lightly greased.
This is one that mystifies me. There are a coupe of tunes I like but one the whole it pretty much bores me. Yet it is a critics darling. I don't get it.
Don't know what to tell you. I file this in the category of things that everyone else loves but for some reason is lost on me.
As great as Randy California was, I think the unsung hero of the band was Jay Ferguson, who at this point was still the primary singer and songwriter for the group (though for this album it was almost 50/50). Randy has a talent for beautiful guitar playing and mystical songs, but Jay provided the meat of their albums. This album in particular has some really great and tough tunes like Animal Zoo, Mr. Skin, and When I Touch You.
This foreshadowed the next direction Ferguson would take after leaving the band, forming (with Spirit bassist Mark Andes) a new group called Jo Jo Gunne that played really great piano-driven rock and roll, not unlike the Guess Who. Jo Jo Gunne's third album (Jumpin' the Gunne) is a huge favorite of mine - I enjoy it as much as any Spirit album.
I saw Brownsville Station, Jo Jo Gunne, and Slade in 1974 at the Spectrum in Philadelphia P.A. The concert was so flippin' awful that I wanted to dive off the balcony. All except for Jo Jo Gunne who played well and were very tight as a unit. They were tight until the power was purposely shut off by a crew member that worked for Slade. After about 3 minutes, the power came back on and the band began to play some of their earlier material. All of a sudden..there was abundance of feedback through the P.A. and solos were being taken out of the mix. Jay Ferguson grabbed the mic and said..."This is very unprofessional what you people are doing and if you don't stop, were gonna walk!" "We are a professional band!" They continued with their set and after about the 3rd song into that set, the feedback and loss of moniters began again. Jay Ferguson told the band to stop playing. He said...."Why are you people not listening to me?" "I told you we were going to walk" "Okay, that's it, we are leaving" This was my first introduction to the politics in the music business.
Joined: July 20 2009
Location: Tucson, AZ USA
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Posted: December 04 2014 at 12:29
...as soon as I started playing the link to the album, I started to grin like a cheshire cat!! This is a GREAT album! We used to play the sh*t out of it in the dorm, along with Traffic's "Low Spark," Pink Floyd's "Meddle" and a bunch of other ones.
I love Randy's use of slide guitar with heavy tape delay, that was something Larry "Rhino" Rheinhardt did in Captain Beyond! RIP to Randy and Rhino!
Great comment about Jay Ferguson as well! This was a very good band, pity they didn't get the kudos they deserved!
Spirit could truly develop a "dark" sound within their music. It depended on the piece/song or jam. When they jammed , it was in a free-form Jazz style, but yet there was something about the jam that could remind you of Rock music. They were extremely crafty in that way. Some songs were acoustic guitar oriented with strange ambient keyboard backings. Spooky Tooth had this particular approach to R&B that was haunting. You would suddenly hear a waterfall of notes played on a piano with a delay effect over top and it would leave you with the impression that they were progressive. Spirit were progressive 100 percent of the time in the method contained in their unit to approach composition in general with diversity. Sometimes they had an orchestra in the studio or they would write a song that was completely 'haunting" in every sense of the word. "Mechanical World" is very haunting. The way the band went about writing it is haunting.
Some of their music branches out into the Psychedelic Rock style of the 60's, but the many songs they wrote which crossed more into Progressive Rock territory is telling. Randy California was really respected by musicians of the 60's and I remember hearing them praise him. I was probably around the age of 12 when I first heard musicians talking about him. I grew up around musicians as a child and was introduced to the music of Spirit through relatives. "Joy to the world, the relatives have gone home". Seriously, he DID have a huge following for his guitar playing and the band Spirit were thought to be the avant-garde Rock band for the Psychedelic age in the U.S. in the same way that Pink Floyd became that when they toured the U.S. with Syd Barrett. Spirit were a bit more like British Psychedelic than most American Psychedelic bands. That is why they were so unique DURING that time period.
Joined: April 01 2009
Location: Atlanta
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Points: 26133
Posted: December 04 2014 at 13:21
TODDLER wrote:
HolyMoly wrote:
As great as Randy California was, I think the unsung hero of the band was Jay Ferguson, who at this point was still the primary singer and songwriter for the group (though for this album it was almost 50/50). Randy has a talent for beautiful guitar playing and mystical songs, but Jay provided the meat of their albums. This album in particular has some really great and tough tunes like Animal Zoo, Mr. Skin, and When I Touch You.
This foreshadowed the next direction Ferguson would take after leaving the band, forming (with Spirit bassist Mark Andes) a new group called Jo Jo Gunne that played really great piano-driven rock and roll, not unlike the Guess Who. Jo Jo Gunne's third album (Jumpin' the Gunne) is a huge favorite of mine - I enjoy it as much as any Spirit album.
I saw Brownsville Station, Jo Jo Gunne, and Slade in 1974 at the Spectrum in Philadelphia P.A. The concert was so flippin' awful that I wanted to dive off the balcony. All except for Jo Jo Gunne who played well and were very tight as a unit. They were tight until the power was purposely shut off by a crew member that worked for Slade. After about 3 minutes, the power came back on and the band began to play some of their earlier material. All of a sudden..there was abundance of feedback through the P.A. and solos were being taken out of the mix. Jay Ferguson grabbed the mic and said..."This is very unprofessional what you people are doing and if you don't stop, were gonna walk!" "We are a professional band!" They continued with their set and after about the 3rd song into that set, the feedback and loss of moniters began again. Jay Ferguson told the band to stop playing. He said...."Why are you people not listening to me?" "I told you we were going to walk" "Okay, that's it, we are leaving" This was my first introduction to the politics in the music business.
Man, that sucks... It's one thing to be booed by the audience, but when the venue itself turns against you... that just shouldn't happen.
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It is easier for a camel to pass through the eye of a needle if it is lightly greased.
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The 12 Dreams of Dr. Sardonicus: Spirit
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bhikkhu wrote:
