NEW REMASTERED 5 CD CLAMSHELL BOXED SET FEATURING EVERY RECORDING RELEASED BY THE LEGENDARY SPIRIT FOR ODE & EPIC RECORDS BETWEEN 1968 - 1972.
INCLUDES THE ENTIRE MONO MIX OF THE 1968 ALBUM SPIRIT ON CD FOR THE FIRST TIME, ALONG WITH THE SOUNDTRACK TO THE FILM THE MODEL SHOP, THE ORIGINAL 1968 STEREO MIX OF THE FAMILY THAT PLAYS TOGETHER, ASSOCIATED OUT-TAKES, SINGLES AND ALTERNATE MIXES UNDERTAKEN IN 1991 FOR THE TIME CIRCLE COMPILATION.
INCLUDES AN ILLUSTRATED BOOK WITH AN ESSAY BY MALCOLM DOME AND FEATURING ARCHIVE INTERVIEWS WITH BAND MEMBERS.
Esoteric Recordings are pleased to announce the release of a new 5CD remastered clamshell box set by the legendary American band SPIRIT. Formed in Los Angeles in 1967 from the remnants of The Red Roosters, SPIRIT was one of the great bands to emerge on the US West Coast in the Psychedelic era. Featuring the talents of 16 year old guitarist Randy California (who had played guitar with Jimi Hendrix in New York the previous year), his step-father drummer Ed Cassidy along with Jay Ferguson (vocals, percussion), John Locke (keyboards) and Mark Andes (bass), Spirit signed to producer Lou Adler’s newly established Ode Records label in late 1967. Their self-titled debut album appeared some months later and demonstrated the breadth and diversity of the band covering psychedelic, rock and jazz influences and featuring such legendary cuts as Fresh Garbage, Uncle Jack, Topanga Windows, Mechanical World , Elijah and Taurus (the subject of a court case decades later when it was alleged Led Zeppelin had taken the musical structure of the piece as a basis for Stairway to Heaven). The band’s follow-up album, The Family That Plays Together, spawned the hit single I’ve Got a Line on You and was one of their finest works thanks to material such as It Shall Be, Aren’t You Glad, Silky Sam and Darlin’ If. Leading up to the recording of 1969’s Clear album Spirit recorded the soundtrack to Jaques Demy’s film The Model Shop. In 1970 Spirit recorded the classic The Twelve Dreams of Doctor Sardonicus for Epic Records, from which the single Animal Zoo was taken and included excellent material such as Nature’s Way, Mr Skin, Space Child, Morning Will Come and Soldier. Sadly the original line- up of Spirit fell apart some months later leaving just Ed Cassidy and John Locke to assemble a new incarnation of Spirit for 1972’s Feedback, which saw brothers Al and John Staehely join the band on bass and drums respectively. Spirit went on hiatus soon after, although California and Cassidy would continue to tour and record as Spirit on and off until California’s untimely death in 1997.
Newly re-mastered, this anthology features all of Spirit’s recordings for the Ode and Epic labels between 1968 and 1972 and notably includes the entire mono mix of the band’s self-titled debut album (appearing on CD for the first time), the complete soundtrack to the film The Model Shop, along with original 1968 stereo mix of The Family That Plays Together, associated out-takes, singles and alternate mixes undertaken in 1991 for the Time Circle compilation. It Shall Be also includes an illustrated booklet with essay by Malcolm Dome featuring archive interviews with Randy California and Ed Cassidy.
Track Listing:
DISC ONE
FRESH GARBAGE
UNCLE JACK
MECHANICAL WORLD
TAURUS
GIRL IN YOUR EYE
STRAIGHT ARROW
TOPANGA WINDOWS
GRAMOPHONE MAN
WATER WOMAN
THE GREAT CANYON FIRE IN GENERAL
ELIJAH
TAKEN FROM THE STEREO ALBUM “SPIRIT” RELEASED IN 1968
I GOT A LINE ON YOU (ORIGINAL 1968 STEREO MIX)
IT SHALL BE (ORIGINAL 1968 STEREO MIX)
POOR RICHARD (ORIGINAL 1968 STEREO MIX)
SILKY SAM (ORIGINAL 1968 STEREO MIX)
THE DRUNKARD (ORIGINAL 1968 STEREO MIX)
DARLIN’ IF (ORIGINAL 1968 STEREO MIX)
ALL THE SAME (ORIGINAL 1968 STEREO MIX)
JEWISH (ORIGINAL 1968 STEREO MIX)
DREAM WITHIN A DREAM (ORIGINAL 1968 STEREO MIX)
SHE SMILED (ORIGINAL 1968 STEREO MIX)
AREN’T YOU GLAD (ORIGINAL 1968 STEREO MIX)
TAKEN FROM THE ALBUM “THE FAMILY THAT PLAYS TOGETHER” - RELEASED IN 1968
DISC TWO
THE MOVING VAN
MELLOW FELLOW
NOW OR ANYWHERE
FOG
GREEN GORILLA
MODEL SHOP I
MODEL SHOP II (CLEAR)
THE REHEARSAL THEME
SONG FOR LOLA
EVENTIDE
CORAL
AREN’T YOU GLAD (DEMO)
TAKEN FROM THE FILM SOUNDTRACK “THE MODEL SHOP” – RECORDED IN 1968
DARK EYED WOMAN
APPLE ORCHARD
SO LITTLE TIME TO FLY
GROUND HOG
COLD WIND
POLICEMAN’S BALL
ICE
GIVE A LIFE, TAKE A LIFE
I’M TRUCKIN’
CLEAR
CAUGHT
NEW DOPE IN TOWN
TAKEN FROM THE ALBUM “CLEAR” RELEASED IN 1969
DISC THREE
PRELUDE – NOTHING TO HIDE
NATURE’S WAY
ANIMAL ZOO
LOVE HAS FOUND A WAY
WHY CAN’T I BE FREE?
MR SKIN
SP ACE CHILD
WHEN I TOUCH YOU
STREET WORM
LIFE HAS JUST BEGUN
MORNING WILL COME
SOLDIER
TAKEN FROM THE ALBUM “THE TWELVE DREAMS OF DOCTOR SARDONICUS” - RELEASED IN 1970
ROUGHER ROAD
RECORDED IN 1970 DURING SESSIONS FOR “THE TWELVE DREAMS OF DOCTOR SARDONICUS”
CHELSEA GIRLS
CADILLAC COWBOYS
PUESTA DEL SCAM
RIPE AND READY
DARKNESS
EARTH SHAKER
MELLOW MORNING
RIGHT ON TIME
TRANCAS FOG-OUT
WITCH
TAKEN FROM THE ALBUM “FEEDBACK” RELEASED IN 1972
DISC FOUR
FRESH GARBAGE (MONO MIX)
UNCLE JACK (MONO MIX)
MECHANICAL WORLD (MONO MIX)
TAURUS (MONO MIX)
GIRL IN YOUR EYE (MONO MIX)
STRAIGHT ARROW (MONO MIX)
TOPANGA WINDOWS (MONO MIX)
GRAMOPHONE MAN (MONO MIX)
WATER WOMAN (MONO MIX)
THE GREAT CANYON FIRE IN GENERAL (MONO MIX)
ELIJAH (MONO MIX)
TAKEN FROM THE MONO ALBUM “SPIRIT” RELEASED IN 1968 PREVIOUSLY UNRELEASED ON CD
RUSKA
FREE SPIRIT
IF I HAD A WOMAN
ELIJAH (ALTERNATE TAKE 2)
RECORDED IN 1968 DURING SESSIONS FOR “SPIRIT”
I GOT A LINE ON YOU (“TIME CIRCLE” MIX)
IT SHALL BE (“TIME CIRCLE” MIX)
POOR RICHARD (“TIME CIRCLE” MIX)
SILKY SAM (“TIME CIRCLE” MIX)
TAKEN FROM THE 1991 COMPILATION “TIME CIRCLE”
DISC FIVE
SCHEROZODE (“TIME CIRCLE” MIX)
ALL THE SAME (“TIME CIRCLE” MIX)
A DREAM WITHIN A DREAM (“TIME CIRCLE” MIX)
AREN’T YOU GLAD (“TIME CIRCLE” MIX)
EVENTIDE (“TIME CIRCLE” MIX)
MODEL SHOP THEME (“TIME CIRCLE” MIX)
GREEN GORILLA (“TIME CIRCLE” MIX)
REHEARSAL THEME (“TIME CIRCLE” MIX)
TAKEN FROM THE 1991 COMPILATION “TIME CIRCLE”
FOG
SO LITTLE TO SAY
MELLOW FELLOW
NOW OR ANYWHERE
SPACE CHILE
RECORDED IN 1968 DURING SESSIONS FOR “THE FAMILY THAT PLAYS TOGETHER”
