A record a day number 204. The Best Of Spirit. My introduction to Spirit, a Los Angeles band that played psychedelic rock with a jazz edge, wrote intelligent lyrics with meanings and were so tight musically. Spirit, who had Randy California on lead guitar, compared to Hendrix, Mark Andes understated yet oh so effective bass lines, Ed Cassidy on drums stepfather to the lead guitarist, John Locke on keyboards and Jay Ferguson on vocals. From the opening song !984 (this was 1973 at the time) 1984 Knockin on your door, Will you let it come, Will you let it run your life I wouldnt. But then Id just finished George Orwells classic novel, I didnt want no police state, no big brother watching over me. Mechanical World, Ferguson sounds like hes in pain Death falls so heavy on my soul... Death falls so heavy makes me moan... Somebody tell my father that I died... Somebody tell my mother that I cried and then a blistering Hendrix style solo before back again to the pain. Yet it doesnt last Natures Way, a percussive start, almost acoustic, a song with a green theme Its natures way of telling you somethings wrong, Its natures way of telling you in a song light and pleading asking for your best, realise whats going on, wake up and act, chuck in harmonies and a restrained tasteful electric guitar buried in the background and your there. Animal Zoo the sounds of the city, poppy staccato guitar, a daft refrain Your much too fat and a little to long a band not taking themselves too seriously. Fresh Garbage jazzy rock with sentiments light years ahead of it time Fresh garbage, Fresh garbage,Look beneath your lid some morning, See those things you didnt quite consume, The worlds a can for Your fresh garbage - sampled years later by Pink on Feel Good Time The rocker I Got A Line On You, The soul,funk R & B of Mr Skin, a brass section on fire, calling and answering far better than Sly & The Family Stone. I could go on and on. I wont other than to say Spirit were a great underrated band. One final point if I may please, seek out Taurus listen and tell me thats its not that chord sequence that Led Zeppelin used for the intro to Stairway To Heaven.
Posted on: Tue, 25 Nov 2014 22:57:22 +0000