Twelve Dreams Of Dr. Sardonicus

I had to listen to this one twice because I couldn't figure out how I felt about it. On one hand, it feels a bit scattered. There's no real through-line to the album. But the songs aren't bad. Just... oddly constructed. On a second listen-through, I was able to focus a bit more on the fantastic production. The guitar tones are killer, the mix is super balanced while still being experimental, and the overall song construction is good if unconventional. I don't know, I went back and forth on this one but I ended up giving it a 4-star score mostly because it made me stop and think. There are a lot of albums on this list that can't manage to snag my attention for more than a song or two so that deserves an extra star.

The fact that I already had 12 songs from this album liked in Spotify (all the original songs minus Space Child, plus the bonus track Rougher Road) will tell you how I feel about this album. To me this is the quintessential psychedelic masterpiece. I've owned it on vinyl for many years and listened to it hundreds of times. It's probably in my all-time top 10 albums. Spirit was a little too out there for most people. They were a little bit rock, a little bit jazz, a bit psychedelic, and several doses of just plain weird. I get why they never caught on like some of their contemporaries but when they were good they were oh so good. This album is Spirit at their best, by far. The album is a masterpiece, start to finish. It's rare to hear an album that holds together so well and doesn't really have a single weak spot. 5 stars, of course. p.s. Most people know this already, but an interesting tidbit if you weren't already aware. Listen to Spirit's song Taurus (from their self-titled 1968 debut album) and then listen to the opening of Stairway to Heaven. Randy California never sued over this during his lifetime, but his estate later did after he died. They lost, but I think it's obvious that Jimmy Page "borrowed" the iconic opening from Spirit, especially considering that the two bands had toured together and Jimmy apparently paid close attention as Randy was playing this song. Ah well, that's rock 'n' roll.

I think this is pretty great, its varied enough that it kept my interest the entire time, street worm is a certified banger and I've added to my general playlist. Few duff tracks but enjoyed more than I disliked

I can see why zeppelin wanted to rip them off

Psychedelics without personality. Faceless rock.

What.The.Fuck. I mean, they certainly tried, didn’t they?

Never heard of these and did not sound like I expected it to, judging by the cover and name. The image reminds me of Star Trek for some reason Did sound very 70s though. I do tend to like this era of rock/psychedelic rock, whatever is is. Really enjoyed it, total surprise. Really quite eclectic. Kinda progressive psych rock in parts but then not so much in others. More classic The opening to life has just begun is like the opening to America by razorlight..... Highlights: Nature's way Animal zoo Mr skin Street worm Morning will come Soldier I'll definitely be back to this. Listened a second time and it's even better... Why haven't I heard of this!? I think this is a 5

Sadistic, sinister and sexy. Dr. Sardonicus slays with this swashbuckling serenade. A summer spent in satin suspenders, sipping expensive soups, singing songs from Starlight Express and sucking my sisters' sensual saucepan-shaped swastika tits.

Lmao…is this where that website got its name? (Mr. Skin) Sorry for the detour…I’ve been 12 years old for the last 31 years. What a strange, stilted, intricate and exceptionally well produced record this is. Assuming that the songs are the musical representations of the “Twelve Dreams of Dr. Sardonicus”(fuck that album title, btw. It’s awful), its stilted flow from track to track makes sense: Our dreams are rarely thematically linked and often shift to unexpected tangents without warning. In that regard, the concept works. In truth, the flow of this album reminds of a Guided by Voices record in a way, with sharp, sometimes jarring transitions that don’t necessarily make sense at first, but after repeated listens feel just right. I’m willing to bet Robert Pollard is probably a fan of this record. Not that you care. You, the listeners of this site, have made it abundantly clear, by way of your Alien Lanes reviews, how shit you think Guided By Voices are. You’re wrong and you probably think this record is shit, too. One day, you’ll see the error of your ways, hopefully. [Dude, you gotta stop insulting the users of the site. They’re entitled to their opinions. It’s why god made horse races, we all get to pick a winner.] So…how about that Randy California? What an awesome guitarist. Dude was 19 when they recorded this record. 19 years old and he is on fire on this record. Fucking amazing, but I guess that’s to be expected from a guy that played in Jimi Hendrix’s band at 15. What a legend.

This is really bad. Hippie nonsense. They be getting $0.00000000000000002 royalties on Spotify this year

Mad album. First three tracks are good, next four are less so, When I Touch You is a strong return to form and it runs quite well to the finish. Not what I was expecting but I enjoyed this muchly.

These guys are very obviously talented but they lack something a lot of their more raw psychedelic contemporaries have.

This might be an amazing album, but to tell you the truth, I'm so over exposed to Psychedelic Rock in this album challenge that I think I have become desensitised! Perhaps a bit of rebranding is in order '1001 Psychedelic Rock albums you must here before you die'

Prog rock is not my taste

If I have to listen to one more fucking psychadelic rock album I'm going to explode.

I have often pestered against some of the choices and omissions of the 1001 Albums book, but I have to admit that without the latter, I would never known this *perfect* record. As early *American* progenitors of prog-rock, Spirit is a blind spot for my friends invested in the latter genre, so drawn are they to *British* acts instead. Likewise, the psychedelic, post-Summer-Of-Love sound present in parts of this album got shadowed by more famous and earlier acts such as Jefferson Airplane or Love. I really, really like the latter, but I can only recognize that the Spirit of *Twelve Dreams...* beats LPs such as *Surrealistic Pillow* or *Forever Changes* out of the park so easily that it's maddening for me that this album has been half-forgotten today. Everything is just *stellar* in this LP, the catchy melodies, the insane arrangements, the soulful vocals... This LP is one of the very best records of 1970, if not of the seventies as a whole. And without Dimery's book, I would have known anything about it. It all starts with a crazed-out, rather experimental number, "Prelude - Nothin' To Hide", and then proceeds with two absolute bangers, ballad "Nature's Way" and its gorgeous chorus and imaginative chord sequence, followed by the livelier and infectious melodies of "Animal Zoo". "Love Has Found A Way" is another great ballad also returning to more experimental-yet-lush tones (thanks to its vibes arrangement, reversed guitar loops and forward-thinking synth). A bit later, "Mr. Skin" makes a sudden funky left-turn (using the brass section that had already graced the ending of "Prelude", but also an in-turn bouncy, in-turn *fat* Hammond organ). Instrumental "Space Child" then proceeds to another hairpin curve by dabbling into off-kilter shaggadelic psychedelia, here counterbalanced by dreamy piano chords. "When I Touch You" sounds like a power ballad made before the word for it ever existed - fresh and extravagant and relatively *heavy*. "Street Worm" touches upon ragtime and blues and traditional folk and, yeah, proto-hard-rock, once again. "Life Has Just Begun" is a gem of a pop-folk ballad with whiffs of novelty shenanigans (its vocals a bit messy, but *endearingly so*). And then BAM, "Morning Will Come" sounds like good old rock'n'roll, but it's a song that's so well pulled off that it sounds like an automatic classic (it's actually a power pop victory lap a couple of years before Big Star ever existed). Still wondering why it wasn't used in a *Guardian Of The Galaxy* soundtrack, it would have fitted right in. Finally, closer "Soldier" is one last piano-driven which wouldn't have sounded so out of place in a latter-phase Beatles album (even if the vocals are a little less spectacular than what John and Macca would usually do). It may remind you of the extravagant forays closing *Abbey Road*, or the swan songs within *Let It Be* or even the White Album. American for sure. But still attuned to what was going on in the other side of the pond. As a bonus track, *Rougher Road* is excellent as well, by the way, a nice document of the apex in Spirit's career. If only "dad-rock" could always feel as imaginative and instantly iconic as this. Number of albums left to review: around forty, as I've gone over the 1000 line and this generator is including albums from all editions of the book Number of albums from the list I find relevant enough to be mandatory listens: 460 (including this one) Albums from the list I *might* include in mine later on: 271 Albums from the list I won't include in mine: 332

As a rule, if there's a late 60s/early 70s classic/psych rock band that I've never heard of, it's either because my dad never heard of them or never liked them. So I was immediately suspicious. It turns out I'm going to have to be the one to introduce him to Spirit, as I thoroughly enjoyed this album. I didn't just like the tunes or the songwriting either; it hangs together as a concise project as well, sort of concept-y without leaning too heavily into it. I kept this one on rotation for the whole weekend and am quite likely to buy it very soon.

Spirit is severely underrated. You can usually find their records pretty cheap, even in bargain bins, and I'm honestly sort of baffled by this. I consider this album a lost gem, and am glad to see it on the list. Spirit have a very unique brand of psychedelia that brings many influences together. They definitely get a little weird from time to time, as is customary in psychedelia, but it's not overdone, and they keep it all grounded with tasty hooks underlying everything. One thing I'm absolutely loving while listening to this album on headphones is that muted bass tone! So deep and rich. Definitely a P Bass. My platonic ideal. Brings so much power to the songs. This is their last great album before they fell apart. Absolutely top tier psychedelia. If you like this, definitely check out their first three records.

This album seemed to lack direction in some areas. Some tracks sound good, some are subpar, some feel misplaced, and some have an interesting sound instrumentally but are lacking lyrically. The lyrics on some of the tracks seem off and don't seem to have a good flow, which threw me off when listening. Overall nothing groundbreaking. Notable songs: Nothin' To Hide, Animal Zoo, Love Has Found A Way, Mr. Skin.

Not that good

Only knew Spirit because their estate sued Led Zep for Stairway to Heaven. The band name is crap, the album name is crap, the cover is crap but the music was amazing. Got to the end and had to relisten, this is why we do this list

This album is just beautiful. How does this get often overlooked? Great 60's psych that is fun to pick apart

Nice album, listened to on the way to anime nyc

Wow. This could become my standard as the best psychedelic rock album. It's so weird without being cheesy or unlistenable and the tracks are all over the place in the best possible way. New favorite. These finds are the reason I'm doing this list.

'Animal Zoo' lijkt een beetje op Butthole Surfers - Dracula From Houston. 'Space Child' klinkt alsof het het grondwerk legde voor Jamiroquai - Seven Days in Sunny June. Dat zorgt ervoor dat het toch al vrij gauw enigszins herkenbaar klinkt, ook al ken ik het niet. De zanger klinkt heel af en toe als Kurt Cobain en de band als Led Zeppelin. Heerlijk gitaargeluid, goed gelaagde productie, een verzameling van verschillende (soms verrassende) instrumenten op een manier waardoor het niet geforceerd klinkt. Zelfs de koperen blazers irriteren me niet. Experimenteel zonder te abstract te worden: Dat is voor mij de sweetspot. Zo'n nummer als 'Morning Will Come' is haast pop-achtig, wat er mede voor zorgt dat het behapbaar blijft. Tel alle bovenstaande punten bij elkaar op en je krijgt een album waar ik flink door verrast word. Lekker!

Ended up really liking this album!

Special Album for me! My dad gifted me this vinyl when he was visiting San Francisco! Now my son is all about it and hes only 1! Really love Animal Zoo and Mr Skin!

Started out as a 3, but as the album went on I was like "Huh, these songs kinda slap." and continuously added more and more songs to my library from a band I had not even heard of previously. Underrated band for sure.

This is an example of a relatively unheard of recording, that rocks. I loved it the first time I heard it and have loved it ever since.

3.5

I listened to it yesterday. It was fine. I don't remember it already.

how did Sardonicus ever get his medical degree, that's what I want to know

Nr. 171/1001 Prelude 3/5 Nature's Way 4/5 Animal Zoo 4/5 Love Has Found A Way 3/5 Why Can't I Be Free 4/5 Mr. Skin 3/5 Space Child 2/5 When I Touch You 3/5 Street Worm 3/5 Life Has Just Begun 3/5 Morning Will Come 4/5 Soldier 4/5 Average: 3,33 Better than I expected. This is a good 70s rock album.

Had some stuff, kinda lost track of it half way through. Will I listen to again: 10%

Another album that surprised me a little. I enjoyed this album and many of the songs on it. I could listen to it again if I were in the mood. I’d call this a decent album.

Well it’s not bad but it’s quite forgettable. The recording is good.

Yet another album the curator's here dug up somewhere, but which should have clearly left alone.

Meh

I liked this. Haven’t handed out 5* in a while, so congrats Spirit.

It's Spirit's best album featuring a bunch of great songs performed with zesty confidence by a bunch of great musicians. Musically it's similar to their previous albums with folk, jazz and psychedelic rock influences. The production is notably strong, the crispness really shines through on tracks like 'Nature's Way', 'Animal Zoo' , 'Space Child' and Morning Will Come'. I also like the way the longer songs break off on a tangent with some superb lead guitar. It's one of the more satisfying efforts from the West Coast rock scene.

My initial reaction was this is great, then I started to nitpick some of the tracks... I told myself to chill out and enjoy the ride, so yeah, an optimistic 5 stars!

Descubrimiento total, me ha dejado gratamente sorprendido. Va del folk a la americana a la psicodelia y al jazz con vientos. A veces parece que no se toman en serio pero no pierde en calidad. Mis dieses

Masterpiece! It is one of my favorite albums!

classic

I see why people love them

One of the most played albums in university. Opened up my eyes to a whole world of non-radio music

another surprise i never knew about that i loved. southern rock mixed with psych rock

i love this for some reason

Wow. Prog rock that doesn't get lost up its own fundament. I really enjoyed this album which, embarrassingly, I've never listened to before but which I happily listen to again in the future.

Very fun surprise. Keeps you on your toes throughout and some really great songs on here. It might've lost me a little at the very end but even those songs might end up growing on me. I love when an album I've never listened to demands a 5-star rating. Rating: 4.7

4.5

My best Discovery through this. Wonderfulalbum. 5 stars

One of those albums that I had to listen to a few times to get my head around. I didn't know it at all, or the background to Randy California. It's a really good, interesting album full of tunes and sound. I have been a bit mean on marking with a lot of stuff on this project and I think this is something that really deserves listening to.

Wavey

I keep coming back for albums like this. Funny how the contributors get it so right and wrong at the same time.

Enjoyed it a lot

Sounded modern for a 1970s album. Not one bad song.

This was such an unexpected 5 star! Going in to this I thought oh here we go again another 70s album. But there was something about this that just stood out? I'd never even heard of Spirit! Very good songs, I really enjoyed it! 5 ⭐️

Psychedelic prog is my weak spot. This is really amazing. Love the vocal harmonies and the eclectic mix of styles.

Quite a bit of this album felt familiar. I liked every song in the album.

Where have these guys been hiding? I felt a bit dispirited (no pun intended) to see another psychedelic rock album after a disappointing one yesterday, but this is a genuinely great album and goes very far beyond the simple confines of that genre. Maybe because it was released a bit later, with the scene having had its heyday in the 60s, Spirit sound both a little too late but also way ahead of the game. It's deceptively complex and layered. On my first listen, I didn't really hear much aside from a few standout tracks like "Mr Skin" and "Street Worm", but the variety and complexity of the entire album really starts to come alive the more I hear it. It seems to touch on funk, soul, and what would be later known as classic rock. Another great find in this challenge!

I never knew quite where this was going from song to song which is the highest compliment I can give an album. I love an album with variety and this certainly delivered. These guys should have been way bigger than they were.

My favourite 'age of Aquarius' album, very possibly in my all time top ten. It has such a variety, a truly unique sound (partly, I aver, due to the drummer being a jazz head (and stepfather to guitarist Randy California (a very cool name))) and a trippy line in songwriting. As well as being an absolute gas conceptually, it's chock full of tracks you can sing along to. If you like weird era-specific sound effects, they're here, too. I love this album without reservation.

This is an excellent album. To my ear this is much closer to the psychedelic sound that would define the genre than the psyche stuff by bands like the beatles. The sound has aged really well, it sounds much newer than it is. Most importantly, it looks like an influence on lil Yachty when he made his psychedelic album, the cover is clearly an homage. Anyways this album is great and there's a lot to dig into. In a way it's greatness in it's accessibility. No 9 minute songs, no weird periods of silence or noise. Just a selection of really great songs, and while I like that kind of thing sometimes, the simplicity of this album is one of it's greatest strengths. There's no need to explain anything, you can listen straight through, no skips, and enjoy the heck out of it. I sure did.

Aww yeah, I really dug this! Went for a third play through right after the second. These folks were not on my radar at all, so I'm grateful for the introduction - will definitely check out their other stuff. I very much like their weirdness and experimentation, and they manage to steer clear of the naff tweeness that a lot of psychedelic bands from the time slip into. It's also cool when they slip back into something more conventional-sounding. Fave tracks - "Prelude - Nothin' to Hide", "Animal Zoo", "Love Has Found A Way", "Life Has Just Begun".

You could almost add "ualized" at the end of the band name, and it would be much the same. Not a bad thing at all: this is adventurous, epic, noodley fun. Which is also how I refer to sex.

Beautiful! Another hidden (to me) gem, now discovered thanks to this project. A little proggy, good fun, some seriously gorgeous moments - shocked I hadn't heard them before!

This band must have been a big influence on other bands and artists. I hear parts of other songs and samples cut from these songs. 5/5

After the first half dozen songs I was leaning towards a four, but I was blown away by the run from Space Child to Soldier. Exceptional energy, production, and musicianship. Never heard of them before but I'm a convert

This album holds a special place in my heart ever since my mom gifted a CD to me out of the blue many years ago. Silly hippy shit!

I put this on with absolutely zero idea of what to expect. The opening bars had me won over completely - exactly what I needed to hear on a wet Monday morning at the end of September. This lasted for about 45 seconds before the album took the first of what turns out to be MANY turns, changes in style and diversions. This isn't a bad thing at all, because while sometimes it sounds a bit rock-operaish, it keeps itself fairly consistent within the boundaries it has set for itself. A nice example from a band I had no idea about.

- Another just about perfect record, this one from a criminally overlooked band. -

First time I listened to this it didn't even cross my mind to give it a 5. Now on my third full listen I'm kinda loving it? Idk who the guitarist is, but I love what he does on this record Favorites: "Prelude - Nothin' to Hide", "When I Touch You", "Street Worm"

Never heard of them, but really enjoyed this; nearly ever song.

I’m at a 5. I just deeply enjoyed that; I thought the instrumentals were off the charts and the ingenuity in the production for 1970 was super cool. A lot of blended synth work here, in a way that made everything feel super sonically pleasing – “Love Has Found A Way” impressed me in particular. Lyrically, while there was some repetition, that repetition never fully extended to the vocals, and I think they were pretty damn good on this album too. Seriously, I don’t have a complaint about any track; I enjoyed this from top to bottom, and for 1970, it feels a bit ahead of schedule. Super fun album, really good vibes, great variety, and it nails down the “12 dreams” thing it’s going for. Pretty solid 5.

This band is famous for having all the ingredients of a great late 60s rock group but never taking off for some reason….this album is the same. It’s really good but just never breaks into great. Still a really enjoyable listening experience.

Never heard of this before and started playing it with slight concern that it might be "of an age". How wrong could I have been. Love this. Grabbed my attention and kept on shaking me to get more. On my third listen and I still don't know where the next track is going to take me apart from looking up their other releases. Thank you for unearthing another unknown gem

Wow, I loved this one! It was sorta weird folk rock that felt like it was made especially for me!

Man...this is excellent. One of my favorite totally new discoveries so far. The songwriting here is just top, top class. I definitely hear the parallels between this and Neil Young all the way through. If there's anything I love in an album, it's mood shifts and variations in feel, even within the tracks themselves. This album has that in spades. Favorite track: Morning Will Come

I was prepped for something offbeat from the title and cover of this album. It felt very 60’s, although the music was not as weird as I imagined. I liked this after the first listen. Since I had some time I gave it a second listen and my like warmed up to love. A good variety of tunes with some interesting lyrics that I really enjoyed. Terrific!

I have not listened to this album before or heard of the artist so it really shocked me how good it was. I found myself bopping along to pretty much all of the tracks. But my favorites were: Animal zoo, Mr. Skin, When I touch you, and Street worm. It had really catchy instrumentals and addictive vocals; will definitely listen again!

Really enjoyed this one!! The psychedelic sound was amazing.

Inmersivo, rock psicodélico clásico de los 70. Progresivo y con impronta rock and roll. Con partes acústicas muy bellas. Una banda que seguro investigaré más.

This is fun. It feels like prog that is both willing to be wild and experimental, but also doesn't take itself too seriously. Maybe I'm just in a good mood but I'm leaning 5 for the second consecutive day. Fave Tracks: Nature's Way, Animal Zoo, Morning Will Come, Rougher Road, Red Light Roll On 4.6/5

Really like this album - have a cd copy of it but had not listened to it for years - the psychedelic rock from that time is not my genre - but on this album it is beaten by a strong pop feeling.

Excellent. Would listen often. 5 of 5

F'ing loved that. Proper took me on a journey with layered music, what rock should be 5

Psychadelic! They found so cool ways to make big transcendental sound. Love Has Found a Way is an incredible standout!

Brilliant

In the words of the bard, "This is some seriously good shit!" Everyone knows about Page ripping off the intro of Taurus which was somehow thrown out of court. What most of us don't realise is that they released some brilliant music despite never being big. Maybe they received some airplay on the US because I never heard of them in Australia. They are a band I'm going to dive into. Maybe the rest of their albums weren't as good but I'm expecting to hear something good.

There are a lot of fun songs. I love the smooth transitions between a few of them. Never heard them before but I’m really glad I’ve found them now! Some of the vocals are obnoxious, though.

That’s fucking awesome! I absolutely love this and am sorry it took me so long to find it!!!

This really felt like what a perfect album should be. I thought it was pretty incredible. Like really incredible! I shouldn't give it a 5, but I really want to. So I will!

super pretentious, but in the kinda way I like — 10/10

This is a grand album somewhere between psychdelic rock and early progressive rock. I really enjoyed this one, especially the interplay between drums and piano.

I’m feeling generous today. Maybe it was the sax solo or the horns, but I thought this was solid rock and roll. Worth another listen when I have time to listen to my music choices again once this project is over.

Good at spacey moments, but not as good in more "ordinary" songs. Overall good, but I expected it to be even better :(

I kind of loved it?

Good album.

jam. rockin. catchy. surprise.