(Acadia ACAD8173, 2007, 3CD)
One of the heretofore undocumented periods in Spirit's career began shortly after Epic's rejection of Potatoland in '73. Randy California left the group (for the second time) and moved to Molokai, while drummer Ed Cassidy and bassist Larry Knight drafted two new guitarists and a keyboardist (this lineup is often called the "fake Spirit") and continued touring for the next eight months. California's time in Molokai was very productive from a songwriting standpoint, and in the summer of '74 he reconvened the band with Cass and bassist Steve Jones and began working on new material and playing occasional gigs in Hawaii. Around October of that year California relocated to Colorado, rejoining Cassidy and original Spirit bassist Mark Andes (who had by this time left Jo Jo Gunne), continuing work on the new songs and playing some live dates as a trio. Some of these shows are documented on the first two discs of this set, with material culled from dates at Ebbetts Field in Denver and the Agora Ballroom in Cleveland. What's so surprising about these live sets is that it's almost all new material — only a few songs played from the first three Spirit albums, and nothing from Sardonicus. The band played some excellent covers in these sets as well, including "Hey Joe," The Stones' "Happy," and Dylan's "All Along the Watchtower" and "Like a Rolling Stone", all of which would become staples of Spirit's repertoire from that point forward. Several of the new songs would eventually get the studio treatment on 1975's Spirit Of '76 double-LP set, but probably just as many would be abandoned, and appear on this live set for the first time. Some material from the '75 tour with bassist Barry Keene is also included to round out the two discs.
Concurrently the trio also recorded numerous studio demos for an album tentatively titled The Spirit of Salvation, which are included here on the third disc of this set. Ultimately the Salvation album was scrapped when the band, better financed after some high profile gigs in '75, recorded Spirit of 76 and signed with Mercury. Some of the demo material from late '74 would appear in newly recorded arrangements on the albums Son of Spirit and Future Games in late '75 and '77 respectively, and the faux-Potatoland in '81. In many cases these early versions have a charm, honesty and simplicity that stands equally strong next to those versions that were eventually released — in particular "Family," "Looking into Darkness," "Maybe You'll Find," "Stars Are Love," and "It's Time Now." And, like the material from the two live discs, there are plenty of absolutely great songs on this studio disc that were never released in any form until now. All taken, this is an excellent set that explores one of the many periods and lineups of Spirit that has been, until now generally unheard. — Peter Thelen
(Acadia ACAD 8141, 2007, 4CD)
It merits discussion as to what, in the early 80s context, constituted the difference between a Spirit album and a Randy California album. Because nearly every Spirit composition in those days was California's, and he was the focal point of that band, it would seem that the two were essentially interchangeable, or at the very least conveniently blurred. But in fact, the material released on the two Randy California LPs herein (Euro-American and Shattered Dreams) and various demos, singles, EPs and live sets that this sprawling four-disc set is chronologically aligned with generally favor a more straight-ahead hard rock approach laced with melodic hooks and flashy guitar chops than the more eclectic and diverse material that had been recorded under the Spirit moniker to date. But indeed, during this four to five year period those differences often became blurred for the musicians involved and fans alike.
At some point after the Spirit Live album in '78, Spirit split up and California was offered the opportunity to make a go of a solo career by none other than Ian Gillan, with an opening slot on the former Deep Purple singer's 1979 European solo tour. A trio was quickly assembled with drummer Jack Willoughby and bassist Steve "Liberty" Loria, and the three took off for England as the Randy California Band. They toured, some demos were recorded, and then the band came home. Almost immediately, Loria became the touring bassist of a new version of Spirit in early 1980. It was during that time that recordings began for what was to be a new Spirit album that ultimately never saw the light of day (included herein, of course). Around '81, the Potatoland album was finally released, and another European tour was arranged, during which California was signed by Beggars Banquet (UK) label to do the solo Euro-American LP, which is included in its entirety on disc one, along with additional material recorded concurrently that appeared on various bonus discs, EPs, singles, and versions of the LP released in other countries, as well as plenty of unreleased cuts. Disc two carries on with additional recordings from the period, some of which ended up on the Shattered Dreams LP in '83, others recorded as demos, yet others unreleased. Disc three features excellent live recordings from the Spirit 1980-81 band featuring RC, Ed Cassidy, Loria, and keyboardist George Valuck, from various dates and venues, mostly stateside. Finally we come to disc four, the "collector's bonus" disc, which is roughly split between demos and miscellany from the period, and a complete soundboard recording of the Randy California Band in Ayr, Scotland, November '79. The sound quality on this last disc tends to be a bit dodgy, especially on the live material, but apparently these were the only surviving recordings of that tour. Together, these four discs include nearly all the archival material that could be found from this period (and deemed listenable) by archivist Mick Skidmore, and all taken it's probably a bit more than the casual fan needs, but then again, at a price tag of around $28, how can one go wrong. — Peter Thelen
(Big Beat CD WIKD 265, 1966/2007, CD)
In the early sixties at the height of the folk boom, Denver based singer/songwriter Bob Lind was regularly working the coffee houses in the area, and later (as the local folk scene dried up) moved to San Francisco for a short duration, and eventually ended up in the LA area, where he was teamed up with arranger Jack Nitzsche. Given that the folk boom had pretty much run its course by the end of '65, and betting that Lind's collection of songs could be marketed as pop, they were subsequently recorded and treated to Nitzsche's orchestrations. It was a good bet; in the early months of 1966 "Elusive Butterfly" was a huge hit, ringing out of radios from coast to coast and in England as well, and although a follow-up hit was just as elusive, two albums of Nitzsche produced material were released that year, both of which are included in this compilation, along with some stray tracks that were never released. Among the 25 tracks here are numerous excellent songs that certainly should have been heard by more listeners, yet all follow-up singles barely scraped the bottom of the charts. Someone was apparently listening, though, as several of Lind's songs were in turn recorded by other artists (among them Cher, Blues Project, Adam Faith and the Yardbirds). Though the arrangements are that of the period, this collection is nonetheless a treasure trove of great songwriting. — Peter Thelen
[Jade Hubertz — barbarousrelics (at) sbcglobal.net]
(Long Hair LHC0057, 2007, CD)
(Long Hair LHC0056, 2007, CD)
Along with the reissue of this quartet's amazing self-titled debut album from '73 (which originally appeared on the Vertigo label), Long Hair has released these two collections of archival recordings, one live set from September '71, about a year before their LP was recorded, and a four-song set recorded for a radio broadcast in early '73. They were a group of mostly English expatriates based in Germany at the time, although organist Jeff Beer was from Bavaria. Their sound is a heady progressive mix of rock with some jazz influences, with a very prominent role for organ and lead guitar, and an amazingly tight and busy rhythm section. The live set shows the band in it's formative stages, already a force to be reckoned with, playing mostly covers of Frank Zappa ("My Guitar…", "Peaches En Regalia", "Little House", "Oh No"), Neil Young ("Ohio", "Cinnamon Girl"), Quatermass ("Gemini"), KC ("21st Century Schizoid Man") and others, and doing them justice. The one original number in the set is the 19-minute monster "Silver Dollar", easily worth the cost of the disc by itself.
Recorded just a few months after their LP, SWF Session shows the band in top form. The four tracks from the radio session include two originals, and two outstanding Zappa covers (a smokin' version of "King Kong" and "Oh No"). The opening original penned by guitarist Rob Terstall bears a strong Zappa influence as well (as does his guitar playing throughout), while its follow-on, written by Beer and bassist Ray Brown is an amazingly engaging workout, a labyrinth of instrumental changes sporting great vocals. The radio session only accounts for about 30 minutes of material, so a fifth bonus track, a fourteen minute cover of Quatermass' "Make Up Your Mind" is included, another live recording from the Maxim set in September '71. Both of these discs are excellent supplemental material, though I would still recommend starting with the reissue of their eponymous LP. — Peter Thelen
[Jade Hubertz — barbarousrelics (at) sbcglobal.net]
(Ozit/Morpheus 9006, 2006, CD)
The front of the package proclaims "Joe Strummer's favourite concert." Well, I'm sure it was great to be there. The Captain and his crackshot '72 touring lineup (Rockette Morton, Roy Estrada, Zoot Horn Rollo, Ed Marimba and Winged Eel Fingerling) run through a great set of material from the Trout Mask through Spotlight Kid period. What the potential buyer needs to know is that the sound quality of this recording is basically marginal bootleg; there are no breaks in the tape but there are some sudden changes in level, and the basic sound is sort-of-like you're listening to it all through a pillow (or two or three); clearly this tape was nowhere near the soundboard. That said, it sounds like it was indeed a great performance (screeches of feedback and all), and I must say I've enjoyed the subsequent plays a bit more after my initial horrified response to the sound, but still, this is something I would recommend only to hardcore Beefheart fans that already have everything else he has recorded. — Peter Thelen
[Jade Hubertz — barbarousrelics (at) sbcglobal.net]