The second and fourth albums by late guitarist Randy California’s gifted, if quarrelsome, Los Angeles troupe highlight the group’s gradual opening up to jazz, blues and soul influences from the psychedelic sound captured on their eponymous debut. These latest issues replicate the running orders of Sony’s 1996 editions (including the largely inessential bonus tracks) but add newlypenned sleevenotes by veteran rock journalist Chris Welch that place the band’s problematic history in useful context (although a decent proof-reading wouldn’t have gone amiss).
Conventional wisdom suggests that Spirit reached theri peak on Twelve Dreams…, the loose, science fiction-inspired framework allows for classic West Coast ruminations on environmental calamity and man’s impact on the animal kingdom. Elaborately produced by longtime Neil Young collaborator David Briggs, it’s an ambitious work that contains some fiery ensemble playing, particularly on Mr Skin, and will always deserve a substantial footnote in musical history for being one of the first to successfully integrate the thennew Moog synthesizer.
Despite this, it’s The Family… that now sounds more cohesive. Opener I Got A Line On You is one of Spirit’s finest moments, while the arrangements give greater rein to the band’s primary assets: Ed Cassidy’s creative drumming and California’s incendiary guitar.
