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The latest Spirit release (from May 2012) is another fine Musical testament to the genius of the late great Randy (Wolfe) California.
Here are a few reviews:
#1-
5.0 out of 5 stars More Spirit Greatest and the Past Corrected August 19, 2012
By Brian P. Nestor
Amazon Verified Purchase
For about the last decade, once a year there is a release from the estate of Randy California, bringing to light new material from a seemingly endless vaul. Mick Skidmore has been the man in charge of these productions, and I have gone on record before saying that his work has been above and beyond the call of duty. Starting with ‘Sea Dream’ in 2002, followed chronologically by ‘Blues From the Soul’, ‘Live From the Time Coast’, ‘Son of America’, “Euro-American Years’, ‘Salvation…the Spirit of ’74′, ‘Rock and Roll Planet’, ‘California Blues Redux’, “The Last Euro Tour’, ‘Tales From the Westside’, and finally ‘Two Side of the Rainbow’ (‘Potatoland’ is also in there somewhere), Mr. Skidmore has documented with great care the career and unrealized dreams of a great and greatly under appreciated artist.

For those who don’t know, Spirit were a group that fell somewhere between psychedelic and progressive. Their heyday was 1968-1971, when they managed occasional hit singles and albums. Then the group imploded, and Randy California and Ed Cassidy, the guitarist and drummer respectively, eventually picked up the pieces and continued on and off for an additional 25 years. By the way, Randy got his name from a certain Jimi Hendrix, for whom he played lead guitar in Greenwich Village in 1966 right before the Voodoo Child became a legend.

Randy was mercurial and not a great businessman, but he soldiered on, creating very interesting and unique albums on a variety of labels with Spirit and as a solo artist before his death in 1997. ‘Two Sides of a Rainbow’ is a re-release/re-imagining of a live set from 1978 that was released in some form or another two or three times. The problem was that the releases – ‘Live at the Rainbow’, ‘Live in Germany(!?!)’, and ‘Live Spirit’ – all suffered from many obvious overdubs and the occasional studio track included with canned applause added. Even thirty years ago, when I first encountered the set, it was obvious this was a heavily manipulated recording, and a bit disappointing.

This release fixes all those problems. Somehow – described in the excellence-as-usual liner notes – Mick Skidmore managed to correct whatever problems were in the original master tapes and the live set now sounds great. it is the complete concert, including all six encores, and it is without a doubt the best live Spirit from the 1970s and perhaps the best live release from any time in their career.

Plus, as a bonus, the US release has been included, so you can hear the extreme difference (and the two studio tracks) from Randy’s original compromised version. So for around $20 you get a two CD set with tons of great live music, finally done fight after 33 years. Personally, I can only say, ‘Thanks again, Mick’.

# 2-
5.0 out of 5 stars The Most Essential Spirit Vault Release So Far June 5, 2012
By G. Ratcheson VINE™ VOICE
Amazon Verified Purchase
First, a brief history:
In my opinion the original versions of this are the best live Spirit album ever, & the best post-original band Spirit album ever. There were 3 slightly different editions: the USA “Spirit Live” on First American (my favorite of the 3), A UK release called “Live” on Illegal with a slightly different track list & slightly different overdubs, & a German release called “Spirit Live in Germany” on a label I don’t remember that added a couple tracks from Rockpalast & subtracted a couple others. All 3 albums had slightly different track listings; in a rare occurrence the USA vinyl had the best sound quality. One of the previous Floating World sets said in the liner notes that the 3 different LP’s all had different performances, but I don’t hear that; I just hear slightly different overdubs & mastering.

In 2000, a UK indie label officially released a cd called “Live At The Rainbow” which included the complete UK album & 2/3 of the USA. It is long out of print & sells for a fortune.
Got it today.
It’s exactly what I thought it was: the complete original Rainbow show without overdubs (taken from a sound board cassette), & on my computer the sound from the cassette is more than acceptable.
That’s followed by my favorite version of the 3 original LP’s, the first complete cd release of the USA Live Spirit First American edition.
The booklet also confirms several suspicions I’ve long held:
1. The Live At the Rainbow booklet states that the American LP was taken from a Miami Florida show. I’ve never believed that. The 3 LP’s sound too similar. This booklet states that all 3 albums are from the same show, with the differences being track selection (each of the 3 had at least 1 song not on the other 2 & each was missing something from the others) & the American LP being more overdubbed than the other 2.

2. The German LP included 1 track from the Rockpalast show on the same tour.
Also, two things I didn’t know:
1. Most of the reason for all the overdubs was that RC was using 2 different guitar amps at the same time, one for general playing & distortion & one for an echoplex. Only the echoplex made it to the multi track tapes (apparently a roadie forgot to turn on a mic), so RC had to overdub ALL his guitar parts. He also “sweetened” it quite a bit at the same time.

2. Another thing I didn’t know: 2 of the best songs which were also exclusive to these releases at the time: Rock & Roll Planet & These Are Words are actually studio recordings with added applause. R&RP, TAD, Looking Down & Hollywood Dream are imo RC’s last great songs.

I’ve already heard enough to say if you’re a Spirit fan, …………….. BUY THIS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Along with the out of print companion piece Live At The Rainbow It’s by far THE most essential of all the Spirit vault releases.
______________________________________________________________________________
Sound:
The complete show sound quality is more than fine for what it is: a soundboard cassette tape.
Sound quality comparison on the original LP:
Part of why I was so excited to see this is because I have a memory that my original 70′s LP was one of the best sounding live albums I’d ever heard when I first bought it.
While today it’s not a bad sounding album by any means, either my memory is a bit off, or else the several hundred plays of the original LP have worn it a bit!
When I first got today’s edition, I tossed it on my computer & the USA album section sounded bright/compressed. I was a bit concerned, though I also know my pc stereo isn’t the most accurate going, so I did a comparison of the 4 versions I have available to me on my main system:
1. The original USA LP played on a Thorens TD180/Blue Point standard combo

2. The original UK LP played on a Rega RP1/Grado Prestige Green.

3. The Live At The Rainbow CD played on a a Tascam P-10/PS Audio SL3

4. This new Two Sides Of A Rainbow CD played on a Tascam P-10/PS Audio SL3

In general the UK LP had the best soundstaging, but also had a distractingly phasey sound on the top end (also, the bass solo on Looking Down seemed to come from the right channel only on this, while in all 3 other versions it was centered)
The US LP probably did the least amount “wrong”, but each other version reproduced some part of the music better.
The original Rainbow cd tended to have better sound on the instruments, but was a bit bright on the vocals.
This new version did the vocals better than the Rainbow cd but instruments were a bit muffled compared to the original cd. Oddly, while it was subjectively quieter in volume than the original cd, it did tend to sound compressed & most disturbingly it lost definition in loud parts.

Makes ya wonder what was used for the source material on each!

Finally I did a peak level comparison on EAC between Rock & Roll Planet USA on the 2 cd’s. The older cd shows a peak of 96%, while the new cd shows 98.8%.
Interesting that the cd that is subjectively louder is actually slightly quieter!
1 fyi: There is a bit of tape damage at aprox 6:04 on the USA album version of Looking Down, that I don’t remember hearing on Live At The Rainbow or the USA LP. It causes kind of a combination drop out & click.

#3- 2 of 2 people found the following review helpful
5.0 out of 5 stars Good golly. This is the Rainbow Jam. July 1, 2012
By Ricsheepy
First: Sound quality of the tapes is a non issue. Mick has done a great remastering job on old cassette tapes. You can do wonders with old tapes nowadays and these are wonders. Sure they are slim and they hiss, but the performances are what’s great. 18 Minute “It’s All The Same” with Ed Cassidy getting most of it is a school of drumming. Rockpalast only gives him 7 minutes of solo magic.

The other stuff on side one is restored greatness. You can hear Randy and Fuzzy and Ed just showing they knew what to do with skill and grace. A pleasure to hear these tracks again they way they were in that performance. You could tell they were board tapes as well as the first three songs, levels were all over the place.

The second disc has the encores, and I’ve listened to it more than disc one. The songs are different and really great. Downer and Turn To The Right are great performances. No wonder fans demanded release of “Potatoland”.

Then, the remastered “Spirit Live” takes place. I own the vinyl on “Potato Records” and love that set. I didn’t realize that Randy had done so much more to those tapes. Yet, when listening to a cut for cut comparison…wow. If it wasn’t for the huge fake applause Randy used, the embellishments made a great live album out of what he had to work with. Yeah, the “La Paloma” live set suffers from this fake crowd noise, but overlook that and there is some amazing guitar work on these recreated live cuts.

All told, another winning set compiled by Mick. Who knows how many more we’ll see before the CD’s dry up forever. Buy it now, or any of the other great archive collections here on the ‘Zon. Say the latest Potatoland or Future Games or Salvation ’74 or Rock And Roll Planet ’79 or even California Blues Redux or Blues From The Soul or even Euro-Amercian…. there is so much great Spirit/Randy out there.
*****************************************************************************************************************************************************
SPIRIT DISCOGRAPHY:
1968 Spirit
1969 The Family that Plays Together
1969 Clear
1970 12 Dreams of Dr. Sardonicus
1972 Feedback
1973 Best of Spirit
1975 Spirit of ’76
1975 Son of Spirit
1976 Farther Along
1977 Future Games
1977 Live Spirit
1981 Potatoland II
1984 Spirit of ’84
1989 Rapture in the Chambers
1990 Tent of Miracles
1991 Time Circle (compilation of unreleased tracks)
1992 Chronicles ’67-’92 (compilation of unreleased tracks)
1995 Live at La Paloma
1996 California Blues
1997 Made in Germany (Live 1978)
1997 The Mercury Years
2000 Live at the Rainbow (Live 1978)
2000 Cosmic Smile
2002 Sea Dream
2003 Blues from the Soul
2004 Live from the Time Coast Live ’89-’96)
2005 Son of America
2006 the Original Potatoland
2007 Salvation, the Spirit of ’74
2008 Rock ‘N’ Roll Planet (Live ’77-’79)
2009 California Blues Redux (different than California Blues)
2010 The Last Euro Tour
2011 Tales From the Westside
2012 Two Sides of a Rainbow (Live 1978)
***********************************************************************************************************************************************
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An Amazingly Beautiful Randy California Song from the Final Spirit CD “California Blues”.
Click the link below to listen to Spirit play “The River”…
Spirit- “The River”
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SPIRIT-
“FUTURE GAMES” (A MAGICAL-KAHAUNA DREAM)
1977 (MERCURY SRM-1-1133)

Studio Album, released in 1977

Songs / Tracks Listing:
1. CB Talk (0:42)
2. Stars Are Love (2:29)
3. Kahauna Dream (2:44)
4. Buried in My Brain (2:55)
5. Bionic Unit (2:52)
6. So Happy Now (0:19)
7. All Along the Watchtower (4:27)
8. Would You Believe (3:13)
9. Jack Bond Speaks (1:17)
10. Star Trek Dreaming (2:16)
11. Interlude XM (0:26)
12. China Doll (2:00)
13. Hawaiian Times (0:10)
14. Gorn Attack (2:10)
15. Interlude 2001 (0:25)
16. Detroit City (3:55)
17. Freakout Frog (1:57)
18. The Romulan Experience (0:57)
19. Monkey See Monkey Do (1:39)
20. Mt. Olympus (0:25)
21. The Journey of Nomad (2:30)
22. Ending (3:50)

Line-up / Musicians:
- Randy California / vocals, guitar, bass, other instruments
- Terry Anderson / vocals
- Ed Cassidy / percussion, drums
- Joe Kotleba / synthesizer

Releases information:
1977 LP Mercury 1133
2005 CD BGO – Beat Goes On (Released together with Spirit of 84′ in a double CD package)
*****
REVIEWS AND COMMENTS:

by Ben Upham
December 12, 2011
I can remember when the new Spirit album, “Future Games” (A Magical-Kahauna Dream) showed up at Eucalyptus Records (the record store I worked at when I was 19 years old) in Spokane, Wa. in early 1977. I was excited to see it (being a huge fan of Spirit) and was hoping that it was more of a return to their older sound. The last Spirit release, 1976′s “Farther Along” was a good record, but it was very “Slick” and had lots of orchestration and not much Rock on it.
The cover of “Future Games” suggested that it might have more “Rock” to it just by the way Randy California was posing with his guitar strapped on looking dead serious right at you. I purchased the record and planned to listen to it at home after work.
That’s when things got very strange…..
I got really sick for the first time since moving 1,000 miles away from home, and the caring nursing that my Mother would’ve provided. I had a 102 temperature and wasn’t able to keep any food down. In my bedroom I had the turntable set up right next to the bed and I decided to put the record on. As awful as I felt, I was also practically in a hallucinogenic state (which may explain a lot), the music was soothing and it pulled my attention away from my pain and discomfort. I think I almost smiled a few times…..
I remember playing that record over and over for about two days in that condition. To the point where I was becoming saturated by all of the songs and all of the little interludes in between them. Somehow that Music became really deeply embedded in my Soul, and it felt like a healing of sorts. That odd experience thus holds a very special place in my musical world.
I’m not saying that I feel it’s the best Spirit album ever made….The songs are mostly too short, and they sweep you from one section to the next, but there is a certain overall feeling that can be obtained by listening to this recording in it’s entirety that is very special and unique.
Some of the drama and humor in it just seem to blend perfectly with the spacy rock segments. The lyrics go from totally silly to very serious and just about everywhere in between.
For me personally, Spirit- “Future Games” (A Magical-Kahauna Dream) is a rare and beautiful slice of Rock Music History every bit as powerful and thought provoking as Pink Floyd’s “Dark Side of the Moon”. Highly recommended!!!
*****

by Jackhammer (Copa’s Burger Boy)-
January 5, 2010
Spirit were a Psychedelic Rock band from the late 60′s that produced a cult classic in ‘The Twelve Dreams Of Dr. Sardonicus’ but by the late 70′s they were a spent force and main man Randy California put out what is basically a solo album under the spirit umbrella which still divides fans to this day but to the uninitiated is a wonderful slice of drug induced Rock music that was as original as it was unfocused.
To say that this album was made under the influence of drugs is an understatement. SF TV samples, cross fading and cutting and pasting tracks are inherent even in this pre-digital age.
Tracks ranging from deep Psychedelia, Californian sunshine rock and Avant- Garde ramblings all mesh together surprisingly well into an album that is as odd as it is easy on the ear. Completely unpredictable yet perfect smoking music (it was a perennial smoking favorite back in the day), Future Games is still an album that defies conventional description yet it can sit happily in your collection without having a ‘difficult’ tag tacked onto the cover.
A great little gem that deserves at least a listen and if ‘Freakout Frog’ doesn’t make you chuckle then you need a humor transplant!
*****

All-Music Review
by Joe Viglione
Also the title of a Fleetwood Mac album from 1971, Mercury certainly let Randy California’s ideas flow across a number of releases in the mid- to late-’70s, this particular release dated 1977. As with the best of California’s work, there are flashes of inspiration and brilliance, the title track a perfect example of the upside. A collaboration with Kim Fowley entitled “Buried in My Brain” is California at his most self-indulgent. The effects and foundation for the song are good, but his vocals wander hither and yon. They don’t get better on “Bionic Unit,” also written with Fowley and co-engineer Blair Mooney. Connected by sound effects, the artist moves into his Jimi Hendrix mode, tracking Dylan’s “All Along the Watchtower.” Spirit, with California at the helm, continued to work this Hendrix connection, which certainly wasn’t a bad thing. The expressive and creative guitar lines would have made an instrumental version of “All Along the Watchtower” a real treat. What happens instead is California having fun but not thinking in terms of Top 40 airplay as Dave Mason did to some limited success with this Dylan title. “Would You Believe” goes back to the great stuff Randy California is capable of. Not commercial, but original and inviting. “Star Trek Dreaming” is exquisite, but a bit short, and side two is rife with excerpts from the Star Trek episode where Captain Kirk turns into his ex-girlfriend Dr. Lester. There are so many bits and pieces of Star Trek interspersed on side two it is a wonder that Paramount didn’t sue. There are many thank yous on the back, to Dr. Demento (Randy California’s ex-roommate), to backing vocalist Terry Anderson, but no credit to Gene Rodenberry. On one level, a major lawsuit would have been helpful, they could have yanked the Star Trek bits off, creating a collector’s item and bringing some attention to this good, but not great, record. Randy California appears half-naked on the back cover, a blatant and egotistical move, almost claiming that he is Spirit. Keep in mind this came a year after the reunion known as Farther Along, which brought John Locke and Mark Andes back into the fold, along with his brother, Sprit contributor and Jo Jo Gunne member Matt Andes, but no Jay Ferguson. These 1970s Mercury albums, from 1975′s sublime Spirit of ’76 double LP and its same-year follow-up, Son of Spirit, to the aforementioned Farther Along, make good companion pieces to the work on Epic records that brought the group their initial fame. Randy California references his big FM hit “Nature’s Way” on the beginning of the album as he does elsewhere in his career, while side two drifts off into some Star Trek dementia. “Freakout Frog” and “The Romulan Experience” are interesting, with bits of “All Along the Watchtower” thrown in for good measure. “Monkey See Monkey Do” could have been a great novelty hit…that is…on the planet Romulus. It’s a fusion of nuttiness and pop that sounds inspired by drugs and a Dr. Demento program. Randy California’s work with stepfather Ed Cassidy is unique and important, but they would have been better off calling some of the product Randy California solo, and that’s what this is. There are some great moments here, “The Journey of Nomad” as the album closes, along with “Stars Are Love” and “Kahauna Dream,” which open the album. Mr. California’s obsessions with science fiction and the place of his untimely passing, Hawaii, are here on these grooves, two decades before his passing.
*****

by Johnny Deluxe
June 18, 2005
Randy California takes us on a feverish journey through space like stone walls of transient tunes interspersed with samples from TV shows and so much more. Future Games:A Magical-Kahauna Dream is a cosmic ride and a unique visionary effort from California, almost a twin to the Spirit Of ’76 album but with a completely different mindset, though there are traits which tie the albums together. Jack Bond pops up on a couple of occasions to speak on Future Games and a trucker (played by California) on his CB radio mentions the Time Coast along the way. There is a childlike quality to the music. The band can start on a piece but soon get sidetracked and drift away on another plane, though this album does go on like this for almost 45 minutes yet it does sound together and rolls together smoothly in an odd way. Dylan’s “All Along The Watchtower” is given the Spirit treatment and Randy plays some nice smooth guitar before a brief moment of clarity arrives in the shape of candid acoustic track “Would You Believe” before continuing on the snippet like trip. Not for everyone, Future Games is an intriguing affair. The successful, and at times comical, use of samples (polarizing The Muppet Show with Star Trek, especially Kirk’s dictator like monologues) predates what many would believe were their first usage, and they work to a great effect to allow the entire concept to roll cohesively, in a loose manner of course. Future Games is never going to come across as a conservative collection, but it allowed the late Randy California to explore his eclectic experimental side and it serves well to preserve that very nature.
*****

by Kemman85
March 29, 2005
I first heard this album on a late night radio show in the late 70’s and bought it soon after. At one level, just a set of goofy offbeat inter-cuts of Star Trek and other 70’s TV and radio dialogue with part constructed or never-fleshed-out musical themes and lightweight ditties. Easily dismissed, but nonetheless there is something in this, a completeness and wholeness that has kept me coming back to it over and over these last 28 years. Sometimes music becomes so internalized that it seems every note, every nuance has some deeper resonance. Those few people I’ve shared this album with over the years have rated it highly too. Listening on a sunny day out in the car, it seems to me the best album in my collection!
*****

“The Dawn of Sampling”
by John Harrison (London)
December 16, 2010
This haunting album by US West Coast band Spirit was the first in rock history to make extensive use of sampling. Most of the band had left after 1970′s now classic Twelve Dreams of Dr. Sardonicus failed at first to sell. It was left to singer/guitarist Randy California (so named by his jamming buddy Jimi Hendrix) and Randy’s stepfather-drummer Ed Cassidy (who had played with Theolonius Monk and other jazz luminaries), to keep the Spirit flag flying – and fly it did, for another quarter of a century. Along the way the two gave us 1976′s ‘Future games’: the fifteen tracks are partly gentle and tuneful, partly raunchy rock and merge, via catchy connecting fragments, into a kind of time capsule from the mid-70s. Voices/samples sound now sinister, now tongue-in-cheek, or at times just plain stoned – and include Kermit the Frog, DJ Shadow Stevens, and of course Star Trek. Cass’s drumming is, as ever, beautifully crisp and subtle and Randy’s sustain guitar weeps and winds it’s way through various soundscapes in the most enthralling way: The Stars are Love is dreamy and beautiful, there’s a storming and take on Dylan’s All Along the Watchtower, Detroit City glides along the funkiest of bass lines, and the whole mirage-like sequence is launched by samples of native Hawaiian music. The Journey of Nomad is a slightly jarring warning about human/national catastrophes (the holocaust – Randy was himself a Jew, Pearl Harbor etc.): wake-up calls that emerge eerily from the generally lighthearted swirl…
The companion disk Spirit of 84 is a reworking of earlier material which was recorded when the original band – still good friends – re-united for that purpose. Future Games is more experimental – perhaps too much for some – but it does touch the stars (like at times the posthumous album ‘Son Of America).’ Randy died tragically in 1997 while swimming with his son off Hawaii. The two were caught by a rip tide, but he managed to throw Quinn free, so saving the young boy’s life.
*****

by Ric Sheepy
September 14, 2011
I had a vinyl copy of this album and listened to it a lot. (Remastered on CD so I could keep the vinyl like I bought it.) I considered one of Randy’s finest. But then, I like run together, sound collage. (Think Negativeland.) It suffered from the sound quality. To say “sound sheet” quality would be about right. It was like muffled music and where you got the faded picture rather than the hi-def portrait. This CD is that portrait. It’s a totally different album. Songs are live and flow together here in Randy’s world. Some of the songs here are a bit better than others, but all are too short, exception being “All Along The Watchtower”. This album as a whole rather than in chunks or MP3′s demands to be listened to and enjoyed. I could name individual tracks but again, I take this as “side one and side two” and the flow between cuts.
In the grand scheme of things, I really like this and it got me into Spirit big time. Too bad it was released in the “Stayin’ Alive” disco of the late 70′s.
*****

SPIRIT DISCOGRAPHY:
1968 Spirit
1969 The Family that Plays Together
1969 Clear
1970 12 Dreams of Dr. Sardonicus
1972 Feedback
1973 Best of Spirit
1975 Spirit of ’76
1975 Son of Spirit
1976 Farther Along
1977 Future Games (A Magical-Kahauna Dream)
1977 Live Spirit
1981 Potatoland II
1984 Spirit of ’84
1989 Rapture in the Chambers
1990 Tent of Miracles
1991 Time Circle (compilation of unreleased tracks)
1992 Chronicles ’67-’92 (compilation of unreleased tracks)
1995 Live at La Paloma
1996 California Blues
1997 Made in Germany (Live 1978)
1997 The Mercury Years
2000 Live at the Rainbow (Live 1978)
2000 Cosmic Smile
2002 Sea Dream
2003 Blues from the Soul
2004 Live from the Time Coast Live ’89-’96)
2005 Son of America
2006 the Original Potatoland
2007 Salvation, the Spirit of ’74
2008 Rock ‘N’ Roll Planet (Live ’77-’79)
2009 California Blues Redux (different than California Blues)
2010 The Last Euro Tour
2011 Tales From the Westside

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SPIRIT-
“SPIRIT OF ’76″
(ALBUM REVIEWS)

REVIEW #1-
THE CHARLESTON GAZETTE
CHARLESTON, W. VIRGINIA
MAY 18, 1975
This West Coast group which, in 1968, showed itself as one of the few American bands to create a truly original sound, is back with, its best album yet. “Spirit of 76″ is a Bicentennial concept album. It is
patriotic — in a weird way — and optimistic in a way not expected in a rock album.
But Spirit is more than a rock band. Its music is an amalgam of jazz, rock and the avant garde. Spirit has always been best at this brand of music. Ed “Cass” Cassidy, 52-year-old Spirit founder, is as steady with the drumbeat as he was initially, and his stepson Randy California’s guitar work is as fascinating.
They are the creative core of the band, and they are fine. On this two record set, there are some excellent surprises. First off is the opening tune, “America/The Times They Are A-Changing,” which is excellent. “America” gets a fine acoustic, folk treatment and melts beautifully into Dylan’s “Times.” It is fine.
“The Star Spangled Banner” closes the album, and it has never been given a better contemporary treatment. It is an excellent jazz piece, with a fine vocal. Outstanding tunes abound on the set. “Victim of Society” and “Lady of the Lakes” are fine rock numbers, and there is a thrilling version of “Like a Rolling Stone.” There is nothing contrived anywhere on the album. All the music is fine, polished stuff.
“Spirit of 76″ is the first Spirit album in three years. It is their best since the classic “Clear Spirit.” It is a refreshing treat to hear from musicians like Cassidy and California. The band’s new album should re-establish Spirit as one of the rock world’s most respected acts. One thing’s for certain — you can’t beat “Spirit of 76.”

REVIEW #2-
“IT’S ABOUT TIME”
BY F.M. MOSES
JULY 10, 2004
This is the first Randy California effort without the help of Ferguson, Locke, and Andes to rehash the legacy of Spirit. Though 1971′s release of “Feedback” seemed to satisfy a few Spirit fans’ cravings, many felt that the band was missing its main ingredient= Randy California!
“Spirit Of 76″ is California’s first collaboration with the trademark name after nearly five years of the release of the stunning “Twelve Dreams of Dr. Sardonicus” classic album. No, it isn’t the best follow-up album…but the title of the album offers a truce, for, it is in the “spirit” of its time. With Calfornia and Cassidy minus the rest of the original line-up leading the way, “Spirit of 76″ lacks some of the heavy jazz influences of the previous Spirit + California efforts. But for the elements that are lacking without the rest of the band, California makes up for with his brilliant guitar work and his find ear in music production.
To look at the album in another distinct way, it is sort of like Bob Dylan from “Blonde on Blonde” to “John Wesley Harding”…the ingredients differ, but both flavors are equally satisfying.
“Spirit of 76″ brings that same brand to life…it is much more mellow than the previous California/Spirit efforts, yet it is full of body and soul. Lacking the experimentation of “Twelve Dreams…,” “Spirit of 76″ is more natural in its sound…it reveals a beauty that cannot be duplicated by any mixing board…for, it comes right from the heart.

“Sunrise” and “Maunaloa” remain as some of my favorites on this album …there is plenty of studio experimentation made by a simple guitar and rhythm session, similar to the Hendrix tradition. If Dylan praised Hendrix’s version of “All Along the Watch Tower”…he surely had to recognize the chilling, yet beautiful version of “Like a Rolling Stone” composed by California on this album.

“Spirit of 76″ remains more like a MTV production of “Unplugged” in a bands’ discography…it proves that Randy California was truly a musician, not just another victim who fell to the grace of a record company. By now, any Spirit fan can recognize that Spirit are unique in their following. From a band that rejected an offering to the original Woodstock, the group has a lot more to offer than words can say. “Spirit of 76″ proves that a band can make the best without selling out!
It’s about time this album made its way to compact disc…hopefully it will have the same impact on others as it did for me…to see the Spirit collection reissued in its entirety! “Spirit of 76″ is just a start, and what a fine start it is!

SPIRIT DISCOGRAPHY:
1968 Spirit
1969 The Family that Plays Together
1969 Clear
1970 12 Dreams of Dr. Sardonicus
1972 Feedback
1973 Best of Spirit
1975 Spirit of ’76
1975 Son of Spirit
1976 Farther Along
1977 Future Games
1977 Live Spirit
1981 Potatoland II
1984 Spirit of ’84
1989 Rapture in the Chambers
1990 Tent of Miracles
1991 Time Circle (compilation of unreleased tracks)
1992 Chronicles ’67-’92 (compilation of unreleased tracks)
1995 Live at La Paloma
1996 California Blues
1997 Made in Germany (Live 1978)
1997 The Mercury Years
2000 Live at the Rainbow (Live 1978)
2000 Cosmic Smile
2002 Sea Dream
2003 Blues from the Soul
2004 Live from the Time Coast Live ’89-’96)
2005 Son of America
2006 the Original Potatoland
2007 Salvation, the Spirit of ’74
2008 Rock ‘N’ Roll Planet (Live ’77-’79)
2009 California Blues Redux (different than California Blues)
2010 The Last Euro Tour
2011 Tales From the Westside

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SPIRIT-
“RANDY CALIFORNIA HAS KEPT AN UPDATED SPIRIT ALIVE”
BY JIM WASHBURN
THE ORANGE COUNTY REGISTER
SANTA ANA, CALIFORNIA
MARCH 14, 1986

Back when one could say such things without being scoffed at, guitarist Randy California announced, “Music is our form of communication and love with the universe.”
Even in the heady days of 1968 such a statement might have been hard to take, except that California’s band, Spirit, backed it up with exceptional music that fans tended to describe in terms of magic rather than musical style.
One of the most innovative pop groups of an era bursting with innovation, the five-piece band took diverse influences — including modern jazz, blues, classical, country and rock — and produced seamless, hyphen-defying music ranging from the buoyant hit “I Got a Line on You,” the underground classics “1984″ and “Mechanical World” to live explorations of John Coltrane tunes.
California, then in his late teens, was central to the sound, writing and singing much of Spirit’s best material, and coaxing both Hendrixian fuzztone explosions and hushed Wes Montgomery like octave lines from his budget Silvertone guitar. Since the band split in 1970, California and drummer Ed Cassidy have retained the Spirit name and ethos, while other founders Jay Ferguson, Mark Andes and John Locke have moved on to less idealistic pursuits: writing commercial jingles, playing bass with Heart, and doing studio work in Montserrat, respectively.
Though hailed as a musical genius in Europe, where he still plays festivals and there are Spirit appreciation societies, California and his present band (Cassidy, keyboardist Scott Monahan and bassist Dave Waterberry) haven’t found the financial security of the ex-Spirits. On a U.S. club tour that concludes at the Coach House Saturday night, California claims he finds other rewards. “I have to look inside myself and say ‘What music is going to make me feel good — and everyone in the band feel good — while we’re doing it?’ And if that music becomes popular, all right. If not, at least we can feel good about what we’re doing. There’s no other choice for us.”
California began playing guitar at the age of 5. His uncle owned LA’s legendary blues-folk Ash Grove club, and many of the musicians playing there — including guitar greats Lightnin’ Hopkins, Doc Watson, Mance Lipscomb and Clarence White — would stay with his family and give him lessons. One frequent Ash Grove act was the Rising Sons, one of America’s first white blues bands, which featured Ry Cooder, Taj Mahal and Cassidy.
Cassidy fell in love with California’s mother and they married. Soon after, he began playing with the Red Roosters, a 1965 garage band that later grew into Spirit, making Cassidy and his new stepson perhaps the first father-son act in rock. Given rock’s rebellious nature, the notion of having dad sitting behind the drums might seem uncomfortable, but California said, “Actually, it was kind of fun. There was a great love and respect between us. We sort of got into rock ‘n’ roll together.”
Though Cassidy had played everything from symphonic music to country since his professional career began in 1939, most of his background was in modern jazz — having played with Chet Baker, Ornette Coleman, Zoot Sims and others. When Cassidy moved to New York for more jazz work, California came along, and found his music’s biggest influence. “I met Jimi Hendrix in a music store and he liked the way I played. He was doing his first gig as a solo artist at a place in-the Village called the “Cafe Wha”, and he invited me to play with him. I was 15 years old and I did that for three months, five sets a night, so he was a pretty heavy duty influence on me.” It was Hendrix who dubbed him Randy California (his original last name was Wolfe) to distinguish him from a Texas-born Randy also in the band. Hendrix was soon discovered and taken to England and stardom by manager Chas Chandler. The 15-year-old also struck Chandler as “a brilliant guitarist,” but California was too young to obtain a British work permit, and returned to LA with Cassidy.
There the pair ran into old bandmate Ferguson at a love-in in Griffith Park in 1967 and Spirit was soon formed. The title of Spirit’s eventual second album was “The Family That Plays Together,” and the group did indeed stay together communally for a time in a large old house in Topanga Canyon. California said, “I think the bottom line of what made Spirit special was the affection we had for each other, the fun that we had when we were together, and the creativity that abounded when we made music together. We didn’t sit down and say ‘Let’s write a hit song.’ We all did our own things, accepted each other’s styles — because we all came from different backgrounds — and we made music that came out the way it did. Everyone had the freedom to do what they felt they wanted to do; then we’d make it fit into one sound that was a culmination of it all “What mattered was the human side of it, that we weren’t just a music machine trying to make money. There was that magic there. This new band, I’m real happy to say, has that same creative feeling and the same kind of affection for each other that the old band had. We can do a sound check, and nearly come up with three new songs just jamming for 20 minutes. That’s what I’ve been looking for, and I think we’ve got it now.”
After residing in England for the past three years, California has moved back to the LA area. He recently released an album in Europe called “Restless” and is working on material for a new Spirit album with his band. Most of the current live set is revamped old Spirit staples, but California — now in his mid-30s — isn’t living in the ’60s, he’d like to see Spirit work with new wave producers Steve Lillywhite and Chris Hughes, and his current musical favorites include U2, Stanley Jordan, Eddie Van Halen and the Dream Academy.

SPIRIT DISCOGRAPHY:

1968 Spirit
1969 The Family that Plays Together
1969 Clear
1970 12 Dreams of Dr. Sardonicus
1972 Feedback
1973 Best of Spirit
1975 Spirit of ’76
1975 Son of Spirit
1976 Farther Along
1977 Future Games (A Magical Kahauna Dream)
1977 Live Spirit
1981 Potatoland II
1984 Spirit of ’84
1989 Rapture in the Chambers
1990 Tent of Miracles
1991 Time Circle (compilation of unreleased tracks)
1992 Chronicles ’67-’92 (compilation of unreleased tracks)
1995 Live at La Paloma
1996 California Blues
1997 Made in Germany (Live 1978)
1997 The Mercury Years
2000 Live at the Rainbow (Live 1978)
2000 Cosmic Smile
2002 Sea Dream
2003 Blues from the Soul
2004 Live from the Time Coast Live ’89-’96)
2005 Son of America
2006 the Original Potatoland
2007 Salvation, the Spirit of ’74
2008 Rock ‘N’ Roll Planet (Live ’77-’79)
2009 California Blues Redux (different than California Blues)
2010 The Last Euro Tour
2011 Tales From the Westside

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SPIRIT-
“SPIRIT LIVES UP TO NAME IN SHOW HERE”
BY DICK FLEMING
THE DAILY TIMES
SALISBURY, MARYLAND
SEPTEMBER 12, 1976

Ed Cassidy, the 53-year-old drummer for the West Coast band, Spirit, mopped his face with a towel, opened a soft drink and settled onto a stool in the office dressing room of Ocean City’s Hurricane night club. Cassidy, along with stepson Randy California on lead guitar and vocals, and bassist Jon Terlep, had just completed a rousing 90 minute performance, their first on the Eastern Shore, in which they had easily lived up to band’s name.
Soft spoken and articulate, Cassidy is a veteran of nearly four decades in the music business. He has gone through what he calls “sort of a natural progression” in music, beginning with country and western music in 1938 in Bakersfield, Calif, (“the Nashville of the West”), and going onto jazz, Dixieland music and early rock and roll before forming Spirit in 1965. He claims, with some pride, the distinction of being “the oldest rock and roll drummer in the world.”
The band is pretty excited about a couple of things right now. For one, their album, “The 12 Dreams Of Dr. Sardonicus,” released five years ago, was recently certified gold, having sold 500,000 units. “It was a real thrill,” Cassidy admitted, “Although I think it was overdue.” The sales requirement for gold certification, he said, had been upped from 350,000 units since the album was released.
But Spirit is not a band to dwell on the past. Even more important than their previous achievement are their plans for the future. As the title of their most recent album (their eighth) suggests, they are continuing to move “Farther Along.”
According to drummer Cassidy, “We’re about to get into something we feel will be our next plateau.” Having gone through a number of personnel changes during their 11 years, the most recent transition is the first from which they have emerged as a trio, a format which they are finding very comfortable. The “chemistry”, they say, is there.
“We’ll have a lot more freedom,” Cassidy said; “More of a chance to play on record what we’re playing live”.
In fact, their current road tour amounts to a warmup for their next record – a live double album that will be recorded between now and early next year.
The group’s new musical philosophy seemed to be aptly stated in their performance here, with the exception of a couple of standard “powerhouse trio” jams, the songs played, while faithful renditions of the originals, were not lacking in, well, spirit. Randy California proved capable of producing some sounds that might not have been thought possible outside the recording studio, yet with a feeling that could probably not be captured in more sterile surroundings.
Somewhat conspicuous by their absence were songs from the latest album, which, with it’s lush orchestral arrangements would be difficult to reproduce live. The album received minimal attention, with the notable exception of the haunting “World Eat World Dog.”
Among the highlights of the performance were “Nature’s Way,” from the Dr. Sardonicus album; Bob Dylan’s “Like a Rolling Stone” and their 1969 hit, “I Got A Line On You.”
And Ed Cassidy in one extended drum solo and through out all of the show, demonstrated that while he may be the oldest drummer in rock and roll, he also qualified as one of the best.
Despite requests that the dance floor remain cleared during the show, many in the audience found it difficult to keep from getting up and moving with the music. By the end of the performance, several people had left their tables to assume seating closer to the stage on the crowded floor.
The band is accustomed now to playing larger halls and more concert oriented crowds, Cassidy was explaining in the dressing room. “I’d rather play to at least a thousand people, he said. “We’ve done the club thing over the years a lot and you sort of graduate, like in school. You take that step up to concert shows, and then it’s like going a hundred miles an hour and slowing down to 15 miles an hour.”
Still, whatever the setting, the audience feedback is important to the band, and has a lot to do with its new musical direction. “The thing that can happen,” he said, “is when you have something successful to work off of, you can get more of an idea of what the people are digging.”
Perhaps because of his years in the business, Cassidy seems to have a clear perspective in his thoughts on audience, economics and self – satisfaction as an artist. “I think most bands over the years, try to aim for a complete market,” he said. “In a country with 210 million people, and say 100 million of them are record buyers, and you’re only selling 100,000 records, something’s wrong. “We want, to reach a total audience. That’s what it’s all about. “It’s part an ego thing, too. Everybody wants to be a star, and a lot of people relate that just to selling more albums than anybody else or drawing a bigger crowd or playing a larger hall than anybody else…”You have to entertain, and that includes selling records. That’s what we’re in the business for. But I have to get off myself. I can’t just go out and play songs and be a vegetable. “You have to have that feedback. “Some artists,” ,he said, “essentially, could care less who likes them, as long as they sell records.”
Randy California seems to be addressing such artists when he sings, in “Mega Star,” “Driving in your motor car, do you really care? The songs you sing, they mean nothing when you breathe in the air… All you see are dollar signs, melting in the snow.”
California, the other original Spirit member, is regarded by his associates as a serious musician with some definite goals of his own. At 25, he is still developing his own musical style, having drawn most of his influences from people with whom he has played with. As a young teenager he began jamming with old bluesmen like Lightning Hopkins and a then little known guitarist named Jimi Hendrix. He played with Hendrix in New York as part of ‘Jimmy James and the Blue Flames’ before the late guitar trailblazer went to Europe and found the fame that preceeded his American reception. In fact, it
was Hendrix, he said, who gave him his stage name of California.
“There were two Randy’s in the group,” he said, “one from Texas, and I was from California. So they called me Randy California.” Of his association with Hendrix, he said the two had been “influenced by each other.”
Now performing professionally for the first time in the format in which his late musical companion worked best, he observed, “I like playing as a trio. There’s a lot more responsibility, but there’s more freedom and it’s more fun.”

SPIRIT DISCOGRAPHY:
1968 Spirit
1969 The Family that Plays Together
1969 Clear
1970 12 Dreams of Dr. Sardonicus
1972 Feedback
1973 Best of Spirit
1975 Spirit of ’76
1975 Son of Spirit
1976 Farther Along
1977 Future Games
1977 Live Spirit
1981 Potatoland II
1984 Spirit of ’84
1989 Rapture in the Chambers
1990 Tent of Miracles
1991 Time Circle (compilation of unreleased tracks)
1992 Chronicles ’67-’92 (compilation of unreleased tracks)
1995 Live at La Paloma
1996 California Blues
1997 Made in Germany (Live 1978)
1997 The Mercury Years
2000 Live at the Rainbow (Live 1978)
2000 Cosmic Smile
2002 Sea Dream
2003 Blues from the Soul
2004 Live from the Time Coast Live ’89-’96)
2005 Son of America
2006 the Original Potatoland
2007 Salvation, the Spirit of ’74
2008 Rock ‘N’ Roll Planet (Live ’77-’79)
2009 California Blues Redux (different than California Blues)
2010 The Last Euro Tour
2011 Tales From the Westside

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