poker of rock 3 psichedelic popjazzbluesy when randy play Spirit-Clear (1969) 1. Dark-Eyed Woman (0:00-3:10) 2. Apple Orchard (3:11-7:19) 3. So Little Time To Fly (7:20-10:10) 4. Ground Hog (10:11-13:17) 5. Cold Wind (13:18-16:44) 6. Policemans Ball (16:45-19:08) 7. Ice (19:09-25:01) 8. Give A Life Take A Life (25:02-28:26) 9. Im Truckin (28:27-30:54) 10. Clear (30:55-35:04) 11. Caught (35:05-38:17) Mark Andes – Bass, Vocals Randy California – Bass, Guitar, Vocals Ed Cassidy – Percussion, Drums Jay Ferguson – Percussion, Keyboards, Vocals John Locke – Keyboards Clear was the third Spirit album, written largely in the wake of their work on the soundtrack to the 1968 film Model Shop. Several of the band members have said that they felt there wasnt enough time for developing the album after releasing two albums in 1968, recording a soundtrack and constantly touring, but a growing number of fans feel that it is one of their finest, if not the finest, album the group would ever make. Possibly because of the rushed work on the album, there is a larger reliance upon instrumental work and the jazz backgrounds of several members than any of their other albums, perhaps most exemplified by the three instrumental pieces penned by John Locke. It also features their sound gaining depth and sprawling out even more than it previously had, as they even attempt everything from the bluesy So Little Time To Fly to tightly constructed multi-part songs like Dark Eyed Woman and New Dope In Town. Stylistically, Clear is a precursor to the bands next album, Twelve Dreams of Dr. Sardonicus. So Little Time To Fly was covered by legendary British rockers Status Quo as Time to Fly. The original Ode Records recording of Clear would be later restored by Sony in 1996. The second edition includes both sides of the 1984 single, the song Fuller Brush Man (which hasnt appeared elsewhere), and a piece entitled Coral, which is also available on the Model Shop soundtrack but is present here in an elaborately produced version. Review by Matthew Greenwald (ALLMUSIC) (4 stars) Although this album may not be seen as the definitive Spirit statement, it has several moments of brilliance that prove what a revolutionary band they were. Coming off of the success of The Family That Plays Together and I Got a Line on You, the group entered the studio with Lou Adler once again in the producers chair. Unfortunately, the group appeared to be beginning to fragment, and it shows on this uneven but ultimately fine album. Dark Eyed Woman opens the album with promise, and it is indeed one of Spirits hardest-rocking studio performances. Randy Californias inspired guitar solo is one of the finest performances of the period. The riff and general feel of the track (right down to the siren sound effects) were borrowed by Traffic on Shoot Out at the Fantasy Factory. The record tends to go downhill from there (primarily due to some uninspired songwriting), but is not without its high points, like Cold Wind and the awesome closer New Dope in Town. Biografia di Scaruffi Gli Spirit furono uno dei complessi piu` originali del rock psichedelico, anche se il loro stile non fu mai spettacolare o cacofonico come quello della maggioranza. Ogni loro canzone era un tripudio di piccoli esperimenti di buon gusto. Furono forse gli inventori del progressive-rock, un paio danni prima che i britannici ne facessero un fenomeno alla moda. Gli Spirit nacquero nel 1967 dal sodalizio fra un giovanissimo chitarrista rock (Randy California Wolfe, emulo di Hendrix, gia` titolare di un complesso da garage) e un anziano batterista jazz (Ed Cassidy, veterano di musicisti jazz come Thelonious Monk, Art Pepper, Cannonball Adderley e Gerry Mulligan, e gia` con i Rising Sons di Taj Mahal e Ry Cooder nel 1965). A loro si unirono altri veterani della scena di Los Angeles, il bassista Mark Andes, il chitarrista Jay Ferguson e il tastierista John Locke. Il loro primo singolo, Mechanical World, era gia` una canzone sui generis, ma fu il primo album, Spirit (Ode, 1968), a render giustizia al loro eclettismo. I brani passavano con disinvoltura da uno stile allaltro, sperimentando con elegenza e savoir faire le combinazioni piu` cervellotiche. La loro fase psichedelica era rappresentata da Fresh Garbage, acida e poliritmica, jazzata e distorta, e Taurus, capolavoro di California (con flauto, violino e clavicembalo), piece che sembrano vagare nel nulla, e proprio per questo risultano fra i piu` insoliti esperimenti del rock psichedelico, anticipazioni del progressive-rock. California invento` un linguaggio alla chitarra che era si` figlio di Hendrix, ma che integrava meglio gli effetti nel sound di gruppo. Le ambizioni del gruppo culminarono in The Family That Plays Together (Ode, 1969), lalbum che passa dal riff trascinante e quasi hard-rock di Ive Got A Line On You (loro massimo successo) alla fantasia melodica di Silky Sam - Drunkard - Dream Within A Dream. La prima facciata e` di fatto una elaborata suite in piu` movimenti. Il contrappunto fra gli strumenti aveva raggiunto un livello quasi trascendentale di sofisticazione. I riferimenti al blues, al jazz, al raga e al rock si perdevano in un caleidoscopio di timbri soffici. Clear Spirit (1969) e` un album di hard-rock piu` banale (Dark-Eyed Woman, 1984), uniche consolazioni la partitura sofisticata di Ice e lonirica Clear. Twelve Dreams Of Dr Sardonicous (Epic, 1971) fu il loro album piu` barocco, arrangiato con sintetizzatori (Space Child, Love Has Found A Way) ed effetti di studio. Sfoggia il country-boogie spiritato di Animal Zoo, leccentrico pastiche lisergico di Natures Way, una ruggente, hendrixiana ed epilettica Nothing To Hide, il funk grottesco di Mr Skin e il surreale intermezzo acustico Why Cant I Be Free. Ferguson formo` poi i Jo Jo Gunne, un mediocre complesso di hard-rock. Gli Spirit pubblicarono ancora Feedback (1971). California, ripresosi da un esaurimento nervoso, registro` poi lalbum solista Kaptain Kopter (EPic, 1972). La reunion Spirit Of 76 (Mercury, 1975), un doppio concept fantascientifico, lascio` ben presagire (nonostante i brani migliori fossero forse le cover), ma la sua continuazione, Son Of Spirit, non e` molto onorevole. Future Games (1977) e` invece un ritorno al formato piu` sperimentale, un collage di rumori, voci e canzoni Time Circle (Epic, 1991) e` unottima antologia. Randy California Wolfe drowned in 1997. The double-disc Sea Dream (Acadia, 2002) and the double-disc Blues From the Soul (Acadia, 2004) collect unreleased material.
Posted on: Sun, 20 Oct 2013 10:17:06 +0000
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