Reviews (page 2 of 7)
𝘛𝘸𝘦𝘭𝘷𝘦 𝘋𝘳𝘦𝘢𝘮𝘴 𝘰𝘧 𝘋𝘳. 𝘚𝘢𝘳𝘥𝘰𝘯𝘪𝘤𝘶𝘴 sits right on the border between psychedelic rock and early prog, which makes it interesting from the start. The arrangements are colourful, the ideas are ambitious, and the album clearly wants to be more than just another psychedelic rock record of its era. Still, that curiosity does not quite last for the full runtime. After a while, the songs begin to blur together, and the album feels more repetitive than its variety of sounds would suggest. There is plenty here to admire, but not quite enough to keep me fully engaged from beginning to end.
Well that was fun. A little psychedelic, a little prog, a little weird, and a lot of solid classic rock. I enjoyed my time with this one despite being entirely unfamiliar with this band. 4.2
Buen disco
εχει το τομ σοηερ! :D
That was sick!
Nothing really stood out. Just average for me.
Twelve Dreams of Dr. Sardonicus by Spirit feels like a strange, disjointed psychedelic trip—at least what I imagine a mushroom- or acid-induced trip might sound like. (Please keep in mind that this is purely speculation, since I’ve never actually tripped on either of those substances, so I’m clearly talking completely out of my ass here.) The album cover doesn’t do it any favors, as a couple of the guys look like they just walked off the Paramount lot after shooting an episode of Star Trek, only to be pulled into a photo shoot without having any idea what was going on. As for the album itself, I didn’t hate it, but I also can’t imagine ever seeking this one out again.
While well produced, this is just a haphazard journey through whatever the hell they decided to record. If you told me this was compilation of songs from multiple albums I would totally believe you.
This album is a mess. There is no cohesion. 60’s psychedelic nonsense.
Far out this is a good one maing. The only thing that is missing is the fact that the game is not as good as it used to be and the game is still very much a bit more fun to play with than the other games that are still very much in the box
OKish odd music.
Shockingly good!
No Taurus, No Got A Line On You, no reason to listen to this. Stick to the greatest hits.
It was okay I guess. Didn't really enjoy it much. I think there was one song that was good, but lots of bad ones.
The more I played it, the less I enjoyed it. Still fine though
Copious amounts of drugs do not always make music better.
I had never heard of this and I approached it with apprehension given the name and the cover… however it was better than I expected and feared. It had a decent amount of variety and tracks did not drag on too long, which can be the tendency for psychedelic/prog albums of the time. I will probably never listen to it again but it didn’t offend me.
There’s something endearing I find about this era of psychedelic and prog where a maximalist, throw everything including the kitchen sink approach was used. There’s a lot of crap that came from it but there are odd moments, including on this album where there is a nugget of something good. There’s practically no cohesion on this album and some of it is a bit too hippy for me to really get having not lived through the era, but a song like ‘animal zoo’, whilst still a bit weird, doesn’t hold out too badly today and lives on through other artists like tame impala.
Got a good vibe from this one. Not as good as Boston, Styx, Journey, CCR, or others from this era. but it was enjoyable.
Could not get into it. Maybe influential… but not to me. 1.8
Enjoyed this! Didn’t stick with me in any big way but it held my interest and certainly had its moments. 7/10 Quite Likeable
Shitty attempt at psychedelic rock
Not a bad listen, but pretty forgettable. Stripped back instrumentation, really nice production, smooth vocals. Easygoing psychedelic rock.
J'ai grave aimé, un peu vibe Pink Floyd mais avec des instrus plus dynamiques, bien marquées, c'était grave sympa
Ça va
Sympa mais ça m'a pas transcendé
Man, this ain't bad for something outta the very early '70s. Psychedelic practically at its best. 4/5.
Eh... this is classic rock. and not very good
Nice switch up from folk to rock in the beginning. It's been a while since I was surprised by an album on the first song. I like how Spirit switch up on different psychedelic styles: rock, folk, jazz, and some groove here and there. It's already pretty zany but the mix on Spotify lets me appreciate how varied the production is (3.5).
This was interesting, and not what I was expecting. 3.5 album
Enjoyed this album. Not a big fan of the first couple of songs but it picked up after then.
It was ok, a genre I like but I didn't feel there was real depth to it. Maybe it needs repeat listens. I did listen to it twice to give it a chance
Nothing really stands out for me on this. It’s fine though
The space guitar sounds are a clear warning. And now some engine idling noise...the intro song isn't terrible, but there are warning signs. This is generally not so bad. It's also not really that exciting or different. Morning Will Come is the best song on the album.
Cool name and overall enjoyable album. Don't remember much about it. Dr Sardoctagonapus blarg!
A completely new one for me, and I’m rather glad it came along. I went in expecting psych-prog. Prog is unfair. This is late-period psychedelia: twelve oddball little songs, under 40 minutes, the longest only 5:37. Spirit can plainly play, and play extremely well, but nobody seems interested in making virtuosity the subject. The production is similarly unobtrusive: there’s loads going on, but it generally gets out of the songs’ way. And I do mean twelve songs. The original vinyl ends with “Soldier”. Streaming editions have helpfully supplied four more tracks, thereby turning Twelve Dreams of Dr. Sardonicus into Twelve Dreams of Dr. Sardonicus and Then He Went Back to Sleep for a Bit. I stopped at track twelve. If somebody discovered four extra chapters of Mansfield Park, I wouldn’t automatically assume Jane Austen had forgotten to include them. That compactness matters. This is a band with enough musical ability and studio imagination to disappear into 1970s acreage at any moment, and they mostly refuse to. Find an idea, make it interesting, occasionally make it very strange, get out. The simplicity tends to turn up elsewhere: Randy California’s lyrics. Randy appears almost completely devoid of conventional irony. Nature is trying to tell us something. Love is good. War is bad. Freedom is important. Life has just begun. He’ll sometimes get three or four lines into one of these enormous propositions and apparently decide that’s probably enough philosophy for now. “Nature’s Way” is an eco-ballad reduced almost entirely to an insistence. Nature is telling you something’s wrong. Nature continues telling you something’s wrong. Everyone gets slightly overexcited. Then there are timpani and coughing at the end in case you haven’t understood that pollution is bad. “Why Can’t I Be Free?” lasts 65 seconds and contains roughly one thought. That’s about one-sixtieth of the time it takes a non-stop train to get from Grantham to London, fact fans. Spirit have discovered the opposite of prog. Jay Ferguson is the stronger lyricist, although this doesn’t necessarily mean he should be trusted unsupervised. “Animal Zoo” is a jaunty country-rock hippie singalong about the misery of being a straight. “Street Worm” is essentially CHECK ME OUT, I’M FREE, BABY, unfortunately including “never born to wear no collar”, which as a double negative makes Jay technically pro-collar. Then there’s “Mr. Skin”, in which some white Californian boys have very clearly been listening to Sly Stone. It’s a surprisingly big production: punchy brass, groove, layered vocals and a lovely bit where lead guitar and voice occupy almost exactly the same pitch and position in the mix until they briefly seem to become one sound. The lyrical revelation is that everybody has sex. Yes, yes, Jay. How do you think we got here? That combination of musical sophistication and wide-eyed lyrical simplicity is a huge part of the album’s charm. Spirit keep looking at society as though everything is both mildly ridiculous and tremendously interesting. People have sex! Aren’t conventional people strange! The trees are trying to tell us something! I’M FREE! I remember substances that had me thinking similar things back in the day. <sighs wistfully> It reminded me unexpectedly of Eugene, Oregon: Earth Day, Saturday Market, the Oregon Country Fair, that particular strand of American counterculture that isn’t especially aggressive or suspicious, just ecological, communal, self-referential and perfectly happy to be a bit silly. This album fundamentally doesn’t want to hurt anybody. I can also hear why some of this grammar became so irresistible to the 80s psychedelic revival. It is extraordinarily ripe for affectionate parody because it already sits perilously close to camp while remaining utterly sincere: beautiful close harmonies, space-age titles, psychedelic noises, enormous sentiments delivered without a wink, and an apparently constitutional inability to reach a fade-out without somebody doing something daft. “Space Child” — yes, really — may be my favourite example. It begins portentously, wanders into this lovely patch of space-age lounge jazz, with piano underneath little waspy synthesizers wibbling around the melody, then returns to its portentous beginning. It’s as though they’ve embarked on a great cosmic journey, stopped for a cocktail at the Restaurant at the End of the Universe, then remembered they have to fly home again. “When I Touch You” is the one occasion where they properly hang around, and it earns its 5:37. Full psychedelic echo, guitars moving around the stereo field, an initially restrained conversational vocal which suddenly rises through “more, more, more” into a strangulated wail, then drops back again. Eventually the song stops behaving like a song and becomes a big heavy psychedelic environment. Then it finishes. Nobody requires another eight minutes to prove the point. I don’t think the twelve tracks hang together as a concept in any conventional sense. Apparently Dr. Sardonicus was the band’s nickname for the mixing desk, which actually makes much more sense: twelve dreams passing through the same studio apparatus, rather than twelve chapters advancing some grand narrative. The unity is temperament, not subject matter. And as a historical object it’s fascinating. It feels like a snapshot of American rock in 1970 before everything hardened into departments: psychedelia, pop, country-rock, funk, jazz, ecological concern, horns and studio experimentation all cheerfully coexisting. Britain was moving incredibly quickly in other directions by then; Spirit are still standing at the junction saying, quite happily, we like all of these. Endearing, faintly ridiculous, beautifully played, tightly edited and musically considerably better than the lyrics deserve.
Didn’t love this album at first but it grew on me as I listened
This gets better each time you listen to it. I’d never heard it before, really cool and eclectic album!
I like psychedelic rock but it’s so over represented on this list. This isn’t one of the better ones either.
Surprisingly good for its age and genre. Some interesting choices, but likely not something I’ll return to.
I really like the change of pace with the psychedelic rock shift. While its not something i’d listen to normally it does sound interesting and new. Despite it being old it felt like it withstood the test of time and sounds like something not for radio or a indie rock band would make.
Dr. Sardonicus could've had four fewer dreams and this record would still be too meandering for me. There's just something about this hippie-folk-rock that I don't have the Spirit for. I know they periodically go through a bit of a revival and re-appreciation but that's never happened for me personally. Shame though, given my POP was a fan of this band and I listened to them second-hand for years. I guess Nature just hasn't found a way yet.
At first, I thought this album might develop in a very interesting way. Overall, it wasn't bad. However, I didn't feel the urge to listen to it again. 3/5
норм, но не вау.
2/4
This was not an easy album to rate. It felt very all over the place, but the thing that stood out for me the most was the overall mid-70's feel of every song. One song sounded like Deep Purple and another Steely Dan and some Chicago tossed in there too. The most interesting aspect was that this came out in 1970, so it wasn't derivative at all. Ultimately not a favorite period of this type of music for me, so I'm basing my thoughts on the overall talent presented. The only two songs I didn't really mind were Nature's Way and Mr. Skin. They weren't standouts as much as they were likable. But I did respect the album so it'll likely be a three star rating.
Lätt rockig med psykadeliska inslag.
Familiarity breeds contempt. This list having an over exposure to psychedelic rock and progressive rock really makes it difficult to appreciate these styles. This does feel/sound better than the majority though. It also made me want to relisten since I was passively listening the first time around. That has to be a good sign. The production sounds great. Theres a real clarity in the instruments, the vocals and I liked the use of panning. 4/5.
3/5
extraño no me gustó
Better than I expected. Great album to drive along the PCH to.
Seeing the title: uh oh Seeing the year: uhh ohhh Seeing the cover art: uhhhhh ohhhhhh Listening to the album: awww yeah! Lead singer’s name is Randy California.
Kinda forgot everything about this but there’s a slight sense of enjoyment
Oh. So not looking forward to this. Yeah. This is the third time! on my multiple projects. I keep feeling like I SHOULD like this. But I don’t. I appreciate it. I want it to end. The more experimental elements in the middle HAVE grown on me. But by the end I really do just want it to end. 3, cause it’s rock history I guess Boolean: true
Wow, so very bad.
First two songs are good. Could shake a bad feeling from Mr skin. Still fun. 2-3 rats
By far the most unnecessarily eclectic album I've ever heard. Pick a lane. Some songs were actually pretty good, others sounded like a joke. Mr Skin a standout.
some rick rocking grooves aight
Fresh surprise with some weird 70's music, I like the amalgamation of a lot of different genres. Especially appreciate the progginess. Hail Spirit!
not impressed on this prog approach
LA version of the band Chicago
This was great. It felt like of Pink Floyd grew up in the American South, the he combo of south rock and psychedelic is something I didn’t know I needed but I want so much more.
Classic
I don’t even know what to say other than this album felt like a really bad unenjoyable acid trip.
Listening session: august 2nd/3rd, while getting ready in the morning Listened to before: no Thoughts: decent album with a few nice songs, but not much special in my opinipn Favourite tracks: Nature’s Way & Street Worm
Best vet eigenlijk. Sprak me de eerste keer niet enorm aan, maar wat losse nummers die ik terugluisterde vond ik eigenlijk wel nice. Qua genre's, folk rock met wat psych/prog elementen, is het wel in m'n straatje
You know, there is something different about this album's feel that i just can put my finger on. At first glance, its not quite something I'm totally into, generally the vibe of a 3. But between the interesting-ness and the couple of songs I enjoy, it kinda made me want to bring that up a bit. So a 4 it is, then.
I had fun listening to this! Melodic, cool psychedelic atmospheres.
Quite lovely.
A bakers dozen would have been the move
3,5. some good songs, others not so much
Day 351 I’d never heard of Spirit before, loved some of this. Will definitely check out more Highlights Animal Zoo When I touch you Street Worm
I really liked this. Interesting to hear the original version of Nature's Way, since I had only ever heard the cover by This Mortal Coil. This album is kind of fun and all over the place in the best possible way.
4.5/10 - Just didn’t do much for me.
There were some interesting parts but not something that I'll likely revisit. 5/10
It’s ok but doesn’t measure up to the really good music from that time period.
This was pretty good, an album I haven't heard before in a genre I've explored a lot. It stood out. 3 - deserves to be on this list
3 - decent
Beatle esque yet of its own
I'm 1000 albums in and im jot goig to suddenly change my personality and enjoy freak out psych-rock, so when i got this is assumed it would a chore. A listen showed it was slightly bluesier and poppier so less of a chore and well done, but not one that gets a second spin.
Truly terrible.
Oh, a listen that takes you back to a time where almost any rock album took you on an aural journey. I miss those days.
The hit rate on this album is crazy, it's like every song is equally great. It sounds amazing for an album from 1970 too, especially "Soldier". Pure psychedelic mastery.
Stylistically, Spirit doesn't really push any boundaries here, other than *maybe* anticipating glam rock. But other, better, earlier bands did that. So does this album belong on the list? Probably not. Does it still have some fun tunes, solid groove, and good production and mixing that were somewhat ahead of their time? Absolutely. We start off with Prelude - Nothin' to Hide, a great bluesy number with several contrasting sections compressed into under 4 minutes. The switch-up at around 2:30 is such a fun way to ratchet up the energy while having it loosely qualify as the same song. Then we hit another amazing tune in Nature's Way. In both of these first two songs, the song title gets repeated a lot, and what makes the vocal delivery shine is the variation in how that title is enunciated, improvised over, sung by multiple harmonising vocals at once... These guys are clearly having a ton of fun in the studio. Plenty of sonic nods to the recent psychedelia movement, and this continues into Animal Zoo (with the crazed, delighted singing) and Love Has Found a Way (reversed percussion and other instruments, high guitar doubling the vocal melody, etc.). Mr. Skin sounds like the precursor to half of early-mid-70s glam rock – and it came out in 1970. Call me impressed. Those unhinged brass instruments in the fading outro work wonders. And it's a rare instance where a board fade actually works better than a proper ending. I understand why Space Child has the fewest Spotify streams of the tracks up to that point – how is one to sing along to an unpredictable instrumental? – but this would fit perfectly on a Pink Floyd record, either in its current form or with some whimsical Richard Wright vocals added in. When I Touch You, despite seemingly being a more popular track, just doesn't particularly hit. At least not for me. The melody treads water without really going anywhere, and everything feels a little sluggish and (dare I say) soulless. I guess we needed a lull in the album somewhere. Fortunately, Street Worm brings us back into the realm of peppy, creative vocal arrangements. Life Has Just Begun is alright, but perhaps a bit too cheesy and derivative to stand up against contemporary bands. Morning Will Come is very much like Queen Bitch of Bowie's Hunky Dory, in terms of its placement on the album and the fact that it pays homage to loud, brash, bass-backed electric guitar parts à la Velvet Underground. The pre-choruses drop that guitar's volume quite a lot, and so they're noticeably weaker than any other part of the song. Soldier is a fine way to end the album as a semi-climactic coda to Morning Will Come. 3/5 Key tracks: Prelude - Nothin' to Hide, Nature's Way, Mr. Skin
3.35 out of 5 stars for Spirit. I actually was surprised how NOT annoying this album was. When I read the description from Wikipedia, I was fully expecting WEIRD TRIPPY 12 minute long acid trip songs, instead I got a nice collection of late 60's, early 70's psychedelic folk rock. Yes, the album goes on tangents, but it's tight for the most part, with good riffs and hooks to keep me interested. Will I be adding this album to my library? Probably not, but I wasn't mad at it.
Idk I liked
Space Child: sounds like a Nintendo song at some parts. not in a bad way When I Touch You: Was waiting for the cowbell at the beginning Liked it, and thought it was good, just didn’t feel a connection to it or anything
Most of this sounded like versions of Led Zeppelin, Chicago, Spinal Tap and maybe some glam rock like T Rex. I did not really enjoy it but they were doing a lot of shit for 1970. I think they should have leaned on the horns/glam rock angle instead of Pink Floyd and Zep. 2.5 and rounding up.
They pulled it off? 60s psychedelia with 70s rock. Ahead of its time! Nature’s Way is certainly the standout, but most of the tracks were really entertaining late 60s influenced tunes that spanned a range of sound. Some songs like Mr. Skin channel a 60s pop and funk vibe (I hear Sly or Earth Wind And Fire) while others explore more of a Zombies thing. Space Child was its own cool, jazzy thing. Would love to come back to this one. 4 stars for now
Too goddamn much
It turns out that not all bands can convert massive amounts of LSD and cocaine into good music
8/10 All I really knew about Spirit before this, was that they were the band that accused Led Zeppelin of ripping large parts of Stairway To Heaven off from their song Taurus. With that in mind, I was kind of expecting something quite Zep-like. Heavy blues-rock, but perhaps without the level of hook that their contemporaries were able to conjure, allowing them to last longer in the public consciousness. This record was a delightful surprise. While there are elements of blues rock in there, as well as decent chunks of heft and weight that lean towards that proto-metal sound, there’s actually a whole lot more to find across what is a stylistically quite broad record. I’m inclined to suggest that this actually has as much influence from soul and the emerging funk scene as it does from the rock and roll or blues bands of the time. They’re also not afraid to include some fairly poppy melodic moments, as well as the occasional dip into vocal harmonisations that lean towards some of the Beach Boys’ tendencies. It’s a really enjoyable mix of styles, and one of the other factors that helps this to shine is that it sounds like they’re having so much fun and not taking themselves too seriously. There’s quirky bits of production, moments where they lean into psychedelic and even prog-rock territory, and it’s all done with a little glint in the eye that says “we’re having fun here, why not come along for the ride”. There is plenty of swagger and groove from the rhythm section, and it’s all delivered with that slight looseness that makes everything feel organic and free-flowing, while all the time feeling engaging and deliberate. They also don’t shy away from jumping through ideas at a rapid pace, so you’re never quite sure what’s going to come next, which makes for an intriguing listen. There are moments when things slide a touch into lulls, but that’s perhaps to be expected when a band are attempting to blend so many styles and ideas into a 39 minute record. And while it’s not a perfect record, it’s definitely one that I’ll come back to, and it has the feel of an album that will probably grow on me over time. Prelude - Nothin' To Hide - A nice, clean folk start, before we kick into a bluesy rock section with a cool, funky swagger to the groove. The bass line is cool and there’s some great effects use. Vocally, there’s some great melodic work and fun call and response lines. The guitar solo is a touch sloppy, but it fits pretty well with the general vibe. This shifts through quite a few discrete sections in a relatively short runtime. It’s slightly chaotic, but great fun and certainly not boring. Nature's Way - Back to something more folksy, but it’s still pretty rhythmically compelling and the melodies are again really nice. The vocal harmonisations are solid too. This has got quite a bit of swagger and groove to it, actually, despite being fairly sparsely orchestrated. Really good stuff. Animal Zoo - This leans a little more towards country, but it’s still got a funky groove. The rhythms they build across the instrumentation are excellent and they shift momentum nicely through different sections. Some parts of this are great fun, but it perhaps feels a little inconsistent in places. When it clicks, though, it’s brilliant. Some top melodic work and the vocal rounds are a nice little twist, especially when they get silly towards the end. Love Has Found A Way - And now they’re continuing on withe that slight edge of silliness, but throwing in some fantastic sound design and production elements and then just tossing in some gorgeous vocal work over the top. It’s got range, production depth, interesting interwoven instrumentation and just a little bit of crazy. It’s incredibly sonically interesting too, especially for an album from 1970. Really great stuff. Why Can't I Be Free - And straight into a subtle, almost ambient-leaning folk-rock ballad. The harmonies are beautiful and the bass and guitar just dance around really nicely. Short, but oh, so sweet. Mr. Skin - This is pretty much dirty soul now. The groove is super tasty and the organ work against the bass and guitars is cool too. Love the horns, and that sax solo is really top work. The vocal delivery has just the right amount of dirt to it, and the backing vocals are really well balanced and effective too. This is just an incredibly well delivered and hook stuffed piece of work. Super moreish. Space Child - A fun, meandering, jazzy number now. The synth choices make it have a silly edge, but the musical performances are excellent and it’s got real chops, despite that slightly absurdist, psychedelic edge. It’s another really cool slice of musical experimentation and entertainment. When I Touch You - The pace of this drops a little and it still has a cool swagger, but it’s perhaps a touch less interesting than what’s come before. It’s still a solid track though, with some really cool playing, particularly from the guitars. There are solid riffs here and a slightly dreamy, unfocused lead vocal. The grooves are still solid and there are some really great moments, but it just feels a little dragged out and loose, but not in quite the same cool way as some of the earlier looseness. It’s still pretty decent though. Street Worm - Now we pick the pace back up and we get a bit more into groovy blues rock with soulful vocal chops that shift nicely around the different vocalists. There are more cool riffs and hooks and a tasty guitar solo. This is perhaps a touch less structurally adventurous than some of the other stuff, but it’s still executed really well with more of their characteristic attitude and swagger, and it’s just more brilliantly fun music. Life Has Just Begun - Now we get a bit of a return to more folksy stuff. There’s more production mucking around that adds a bit of depth and a slightly strange edge, but it’s generally very pretty and well executed. The production gives it that little bit of extra weight, but it’s not the most exciting track on the record, despite some nice melodic moments and another top notch execution. Morning Will Come - And now it’s flat out blues rock. Actually, it drifts more over to pop music with its tone and use of melody. It feels a little more throwaway than some of the other more considered tracks, but it’s still really good and has great use of a broad instrumental palate, with the horns adding an extra twist of fun. Enjoyable stuff. Soldier - A slow one to finish us off. It’s got some nice harmonies, and the organ part sounds really nice. It’s a touch plodding in the rhythm, and perhaps slows the pace of the album a little too much, but it’s a pleasant enough closer. Not the best, but the album has set a pretty high bar.
Este álbum es uno de los que más me costó puntuar, teniendo que escucharlo en tres ocasiones distintas. A la primera, me pareció una genialidad musical, pero a la segunda vuelta no pude comprender por qué me había dado esa impresión previamente; entonces, no me quedó otra opción que reproducirlo una vez más para llegar a una conclusión: básicamente, es extraño –aunque cohesivo, y tiene canciones muy buenas entre otras que no tanto. No sé si se me hará memorable, pero lo disfruté lo suficiente para darle un buen puntaje. ↑: Animal Zoo, Mr. Skin, When I Touch You, Street Worm, Morning Will Come, Rid Light Go On ↓: Why Can't I Be Free, Space Child
I honestly don’t get what’s special or noteworthy about this album.
I really enjoyed this and have never heard of it before.. Great success
grew on me the more I listened to it. maybe more of a three than a four but I'm in a good mood
Just decent. But I can hear future bands taking lot of influence from these guys. Maybe even Pink Floyd at one point.
The sheepdogs singer is this bands singer reincarnated. Not bad 70s rock.
4/10
I don't know why this is on the list but I actually did jam out pretty hard to it!
Very dated to my ears. The first 2 songs while at the time might have been good, and message is good, come off as a parody of liberal political songs. Animal Zoo isn’t bad. First time I enjoyed the mono version more than the original.
I think this one is a miss from me. Some of the positives are that it sounds a lot more modern than it actually is, the production is done very well. It has a nice mix of moods, to some straight rockers to more slower atmospheric songs. But I think overall this just sounds a bit bland, but I think this is a well done pysch album, but it isn't for me, but I can see why people might like it. Like I said at the start, I wouldn't recommend this one. Highlight Song/s: "Animal Zoo" and "Why Can't I Be Free"
Good! Surprised me
It was challenging to get through this album. The songs were just so bizarrely structured, but also really boring at the same time. I have no idea what they were trying to do with this or trying to say. Truly not a must listen.
Another really surprising, enjoyable discovery. This sort of early 70s sound is always a fairly easy sell for me anyway. I was surprised that I had never really heard of them, especially as one of the founding members (who formed the band with his step-father!) was Randy California, former playing partner of Jimi Hendrix.
Not a band I know or have knowingly heard and what a lovely surprise this was! There is definitely something about this early 70s psychedelic rock sound that's warm and fuzzy. Plus theres a lovely groove underpinning it all that's undeniable and is very much my thing! Great production too with so much space in the mix and sonic separation between every instrument. But it all comes together and left me wanting more despite its long run time. Perfect music for this hot weather too!
Seemed average at first, but I ended up liking a couple of songs enough to listen to again. Second time wasn't as interested
meee
A little outside the box. Had to listen to it twice. Second time I really go into it and thought it was well done.
Weird and not for me
Grata surpresa
Solid rock record. I feel like I’m writing a lot of the same things for these types of albums. A few good songs but doesn’t really grab me for a full album experience
War gut aber kann mich an nichts erinnern.
Overall Rating - 3.31/5 (6.62/10). Pretty solid, if generic, late 60s/early 70s rock.
It was hard to decide between a 3 or a 4 for this one. I settled on four as, while there wasn’t an outright banger that stood out to me, there was nothing on here that I didn’t enjoy
genau das was man bei dem namen spirit erwartet, wilder westen american musik
Hated this. It may have been cool in 1960's California but today it sounds like dated dad rock with no redeeming features.
Second time for this one. Can’t say I am particularly excited… Yeah. The 60’s weren’t necessarily left behind when the ball dropped to the next decade. This is how I tell you that something is wrong -with the vocals in the mix. God. Really don’t want to hear earnest harmonizations anymore. You’re going to find a better way to make love? Yeah? Better than your monkey ancestors described in the previous song? This is trash. Self indulgent trash. No patience for this today. Why can’t you be free indeed. Why can’t I be free? Because I’m subjecting myself to this, that’s why. When the vocals depart and they just jam, when I am left to appreciate the production, the interesting use of both channels, the horns, it’s not bad. But bring back the vocals, try to make a “song” and you lose me. I am lost. This gets a 2. I don’t feel like this actually does anything new, having spent the last week STEEPED in the 60’s. This should be left for the crate diggers. 2 Boolean: FALSE
I do like this album, think their debut's better. This has a bit more 70s in approach, and I'm a bit bored of 70s classic rock tropes. Maybe its just that this list is so stuffed with early 70s American cheese (Creedence, Fleetwood Mac etc) or English acts churning out disposable pap for the US market (Floyd, Zep, Cream etc) that even the good artists like Spirit seem tame. Still it's not dross like Rumours or Green River and Spirit are a fine band with a great guitarist and they raise themselves above the malaise of the time.
Prelude-Nothin' to Hide 3.2 Nature's Way 3 Animal Zoo 3.4 Love Has Found a Way 3.1 Why Can't I Be Free 3 Mr. Skin 3.5 Space Child (instrumental) 3.3 When I Touch You 3.6 Street Worm 3.4 Life Has Just Begun 3.3 Morning Will Come 3.3 Soldier 3.4 Score: 3.291666667
My taste says a 3, but I was more invested and interested than that. It's an odd thing, so I am a little more generous
Forgot about this album very shortly after I heard it
Album #193 Spirit: Twelve Dreams Of Dr. Sardonicus I’d never heard of this band prior to receiving this album, and after reading the name and seeing the cover, I was expecting a really eccentric, fucked up, cultic deep cut, a la Comus. Instead, I was treated to some pretty good psychedelic rock, which isn’t a bad thing at all, but I was a touch let down by how regular the album was. Still, though, false marketing aside, this is a pretty good collection of songs. There isn’t really a standout track in my opinion, but there also isn’t a track that I would call bad. If you’re into the late 60s, early 70s psychedelic sound, this album would be a good addition to your library, but I don’t think it brings enough to the table to be considered an essential listen. That being said, sometimes we just want more of a good thing, and I’ll never complain about listening to another good psych rock album. Best Songs: Mr. Skin, Morning Will Come, Nature’s Way Worst Song: When I Touch You Score out of 10: 7
60s/70s psych rock album. It was enjoyable but similar to a lot of other albums on this list. Not bad, and Animal Zoo was pretty catchy but I'm not sure if I'll come back to this.
Interesting!
Interesting sounds for an album that old. Definitely were making some innovative music without the cookie cutter sounds
This is a really uneven album. There are some highs here and some rather low lows. Overall I think this is an interesting album, and it probably deserves a place on this list (1001 is a lot), but I didn't enjoy it all that much. Listening to this album was a similar feeling to driving on a poorly-maintained country road. Favorite track: "Mr. Skin"
Pretty Good
Ok! Fucking sick but I fear I won’t return. Hence 3 stars you weird bastards x
Twelve dreams is a bit rich, and there are 16 songs. Not in the mood for it to be honest.
Not bad but not a huge impact
2.5/5 had some interesting switch ups that I enjoyed but overall quality was nothing crazy.
Stuck between 2 and 3 again… Since last album got a 2 for being in between this one gets a 3 is about the only reasoning I have.
3.5
3.5
enjoyable enough
Feels kind of dated for me I'm afraid. Not terrible, but not something I'd choose to listen to again.
Favorite Track: Nature's Way
2,5
This is #day675 of my #1001albumsyoumusthearbeforeyoudie challenge, and… even though this record came out in 1970, it still feels very '60s to me. I think it has to do with the psychedelic backbone, if you will. I don't really mind it as a one-off listen. The sax on "Mr. Skin," though. This is a 3 out of 5. Looking forward to #day676.
fun!
I never heard of 'em. Now I know why. Pointless noodling. Dull. Inoffensive.
I was ready to bounce off this, but ended up grooving instead.
I liked this a lot more than I initially expected!
Good
My god this is peak 1960s prissy psych-folk. Just no.
This album is nature's way of telling you something's wrong... and it's this very album.
I think I see what they were going for, it just fell flat in every way. A dud, truly unremarkable.
Another discovery! Love the variation and creativity, psychedelic rock elements but lost of other things going on too. It's very interesting to listen to, more so than use as background music. Is it a 4 or a 5? Go on then, a 5. Not the biggest fattest five but still a five.
This was a surprisingly fun album. Psychedelic rock with lots of soul and blues flavors sprinkled throughout the album. I wasn't familiar with the band at all. Really gotta recomend it
Slow psychedelic jams, reminding me of a white Parliament or some early Chicago experiments, with moments that start drifting into Jethro Tull's more progressive years. Lyrics are fairly simple and sometimes cryptic, but the music and harmonies are very well put together and often sophisticated. I think I like it, even though sometimes it gets deliberately weird just for the sake of weirdness.
psychedelic rock, cool album cover, reference to mr. sardonicus (1961)
3/5
I don't understand what makes this album stand out. It's decent, but not high on my list of albums I would listen to again.
5/5 Favorite Songs: Prelude- Nothin' to Hide Nature's Way Mr. Skin Space Child When I Touch You Street Worm Morning Will Come
going into this with no previous ideas of what to expect or hear, new band! great vibes right off the bat. these types of albums are my favorite. it has amazing guitar melodies and i love the other musical elements like piano and almost an accordion sound. the fun vocals and arrangements make it exciting to listen to. overall wonderful album! suprised it has such a low amount of listens, they're really reminding me of a tamer CCR or a Steely Dan slightly Beatles adjacent too. could see this being a soundtrack to dazed and confused.
Kinda cool, kinda forgettabble, but I might just be tired of psych rock. Solid 3
What a gem! I really dig this one.
Sweet stuff
Some good progy psych here and there, but this never gets heavy enough for me to really love it. When I Touch You was probably the standout track here. The rest is sort of forgettable. These guys are great players, and the production is fantastic. I’m just not feeling the songs.
Spirit is a band that somehow has found themselves outside of my radar for my entire life. Nearly every other album on this list thus far has come from an artist I either know their songs or at least have some background context. Spirit is a complete blank slate for me. sounds like they found a balance between psychedelic progressive, and theater-kid kitsch. Some of the songs were generally interesting like nature’s Way and I feel like some of their experiments were caught my ear in a good way, but there are some components I just couldn’t get past. Let’s start off with this. The songs are meandering to put a kindly. It sounds like they found a motif and just followed it all the way through and the songs often don’t end as much as they run out of steam. Finally, the vocals weren’t for me. The style of music reminds had elements of the Guess Who and Three Dog Night, but I prefer the vocals of either of those to this one. They seemed expressive, but in the wrong ways where it was more about them, trying, weird accents and pruning, and then it was about actually expressing the feelings of a song.
Although I had heard of Spirit, it turns out that I thought they were a very different band to what I just heard. This was an interesting mix of hard rock and progressive sounds, with just a little hint of glam rock, possibly a product of the time it came out? I enjoyed it a lot, but nothing in particular stood out enough to raise it above three stars, so a strong three.
It was ok
3.5
Perfectly standard 70s psych album and there's so many of these on this list that they all kinda mush into one. It's pleasant background listening but I didn't notice when other music started to autoplay..
The one and only time I'd listened to this album before now was on an unbelievably heavy magic mushrooms trip. At that time it was pretty great and sent me absolutely mental. Revisiting it sober it's also pretty great! I like this psychy folky rocky late-60s/early70s era a lot.
I can understand why I've never heard of this. Just a lesser album of the era. That being said, it is a lot better that most new music.
I don’t know why this is a must listen but it’s here and I listened. It’s not bad, it’s just not a top 1000 album. There’s some jammy appeal to this, slight blues, slight alternative. Nothing terrible. Choice cut: When I touch You
Thought this was decent, but I don't see what makes it a must listen. It had some good parts even though a lot of it didn't stand out much to me. I generally like psych rock, so this probably appealed to me more than it would some others. Still, I didn't think it was much more than fine. Overall: 2.8/5
Some good, some much less so. I find it hard to rate, maybe I don't get it, but I wasn't a fan. 2/5.
Had never of this band, can hear the 60s and 70s in this but nothing connects with me, some interesting songs but overall mediocre, lyrics are particulalry bad, 3 Heard before? No Owned: No 76/306 (24%) Will I get: No
bwah cv. (3)
Not my thing, but good musicianship.
Boring.
This is fine
Ad for et cover, hvor er det grimt. Jeg synes sådan et nummer som "Why can't I be free" lyder ret progressivt for tiden og egentlig albummet generelt. Det er ikke kedeligt, men det er ikke min smag decideret.
Aldrig hørt om det. Synes egentlig, at der er noget rimelig godt her på, men godt nok også noget trash. "When I touch you" er virkelig et lowlight Tjaaaa, jeg er gavmild i dag 2.8
Pleasantly surprised with how much I enjoyed this album, sounded like the who and rolling stones had a baby with a little bit of bowie mixed in, and I mean that as a compliment. Missing something that I can't quite touch on, which is why I gave it a 4 instead of a 5
This brought me a lot more joy than the cover and album title indicated. Quite diverse and some decent fun, particularly in the vocal harmonies.
Sounded like some one recorded a classic rock album in the 90s which actually gives it a nice sound. But nothing special just good.
Glad i could listen to this masterpiece before i die
Pretty swell to listen to. Smooth blues with great solos.
70's rock as I came to expect it. Sadly not all of it is this. Some of the songs on the middle take the momentum out. But animal zoo and street worm are great for driving with the windows down and that's essentially my treshold for this score.
not bad, decent overall
Just straight up worse than its contemporaries. Just give me another Led Zeppelin or King Crimson album instead
It’s not bad, and I do in fact really fuck with Mr Skin as a track, but the issue is that I listen to this and I’m largely like… wow, it must have been so cool to be a 19 year old in California in 1970 and seeing all these other artists and taking them as influence without particularly embracing them deeply and getting a really good producer to make varied and really crisp imitations for you. The band’s not bad, the songs are largely fine-to-good, but a lot of them leave me wanting to go and listen to the blues rock bands or the psychedelic rock bands or the singer-songwriters doing this stuff better. Hell, they even got me thinking “well, I could go listen to Led Zeppelin for this” and I don’t even fuck that much with Led Zeppelin. I get (some of) the “why” of it being an album you should hear, but yeah, it’s skilled water off a ducks back to me, I can’t grab that thing that makes me care really.
Nice cover, a good album...late 60s psych from 1970.
Overall solid album, I skipped a few songs that droned on. But overall I heard cool riffs and good grooves indicative of the early 70's post woodstock jam music. Grateful Dead, Allman Bros, with added texture from psychedelic elements and beatlesque melodies. But ultimately nothing grabbed me. Just decent music. I did enjoy the mono mixes at the end mostly so.
Alveg fínt síðsjöunda-snemmaáttunda rokk, ekkert svakalega eftirminnilegt eftir tvær hlustanir en gæti unnið á. Stoppum áður en það hækkar í fjarka.
Funky and psychedelic. Strange but interesting. Like the grooves a lot but can easily turn into a bad trip. 4/5
meh
Nice variety of sound. Definitely wasn't what I was expecting - cool 70s rock, psychedelic, jazzy, peaceful, all kinds of moods. Gets a little self-indulgent at some points, but overall pretty nice.
Nothing very exceptional here, but: solid effort, interesting, listenable, cool. A worthy foray into psych pop. I think I would have liked it a bit more had they done more longer efforts like Mr. Skin or When I Touch You. They had a good thing. Why not explore more?
I thought I would’ve liked this a lot more, but I found it distinctly mediocre. Maybe, if I’d been exposed to it at a younger age. But I remember almost nothing from it.
I really enjoyed all the elements of this record. Folky, blusey, psychedelic, rock... good tunes. What's not to like? Somehow, this band never made it onto my radar. Glad I found it.
Oh man, this is one of my all-time favorite albums, so seeing it show up totally made my day. I love this thing to death. It's written, arranged, performed, and engineered so well; every time I listen to it, I hear new things. There are so many beautiful touches. The finger snaps on "When I Touch You," the harmonies on "Love Has Found a Way," the gorgeous bass playing throughout, and that pipe organ on "Soldier." An immaculate achievement and an album that deserves to be better known.
I think a younger me would have liked this. I found ... OK
There areseveral very good songs on this.
No private session used for Spotify. Based on the cover of the album, the name of the band and the title of the album I expected some pretty mystical rock opera, but instead I got some bland rock that I didn't need in my life and could have died without hearing(I hope that was sardonic enough).
Solid album, 3.75/5 but rounded down. Saved a few, and the associated songs that came on after were fantastic (such as from Quicksilver Messenger Service)
# **Spirit — *Twelve Dreams of Dr. Sardonicus* (1970)** ## In-Depth Album Review --- ### Overview *Twelve Dreams of Dr. Sardonicus* is the fourth studio album by Los Angeles-based rock band **Spirit**, released in November 1970 on Epic Records. Produced by **David Briggs** (best known for his work with Neil Young), the album was conceived as a loose science-fiction concept record where each of the twelve tracks represents a different dream. Despite being the band's lowest-charting album at the time (peaking at No. 63 on the Billboard 200), it became their only RIAA gold-certified record, achieving that status in 1976 — years after its initial release. It has since been recognized as a cult masterpiece of American psychedelic rock. --- ### The Concept & Themes The album's framing device — twelve dreams experienced by the fictional Dr. Sardonicus — is intentionally loose and nebulous. As noted by critics, the concept was "so loosely developed that most listeners were unaware of this attribute at all." This dream-like structure actually works in the album's favor, allowing for sharp, sometimes jarring transitions between tracks that mirror the illogical flow of actual dreams. Thematically, the album is remarkably prescient and multi-layered: - **Environmentalism**: "Nature's Way" is the album's most overt ecological statement, written in response to the 1969 Santa Barbara oil spill. Lines like *"It's nature's way of telling you, soon we'll freeze / It's nature's way of telling you, dying trees"* feel startlingly contemporary. - **Personal Liberation & Consciousness**: "Why Can't I Be Free" is a whispered, 63-second acoustic meditation on spiritual yearning, while "Prelude — Nothin' to Hide" opens with the mantra-like *"You have the world at your fingertips / No one can make it better than you"* — a message of personal responsibility that bookends the album. - **Social Critique**: "Animal Zoo" satirizes human behavior through a zoo metaphor, while "Nothin' to Hide" lampoons the "black magick crowd of Topanga weirdos" with lines like *"Swastika plug in your ear… jealous stars in your pants."* - **War & Violence**: "Love Has Found a Way" contrasts "the gun and the sun," offering determined optimism amid conflict. "Soldier" closes the album with an orchestral, almost elegiac tone. --- ### The Music Spirit's sound on this album defies easy categorization. They blend **psychedelic rock, jazz fusion, folk, funk, and proto-prog** into something wholly their own — a major reason they never broke through commercially despite their obvious talent. **Key musical elements:** | Aspect | Description | |--------|-------------| | **Randy California's Guitar** | At just 19 years old, California delivers extraordinary work — from the fingerpicked acoustic beauty of "Prelude" to the psychedelic slide-guitar freakout on "Nothin' to Hide" and the lyrical soloing on "Street Worm." His style is simultaneously precise and exploratory. | | **Vocal Dynamics** | The interplay between California's plain, unaffected delivery and Jay Ferguson's more soulful, dramatic vocals creates rich textural variety. Tracks like "Animal Zoo" showcase their vocal interplay brilliantly. | | **Rhythm Section** | Ed Cassidy (drums) and Mark Andes (bass) provide a jazz-informed foundation. Cassidy's drumming is particularly notable — fluid, nuanced, and capable of both explosive power and delicate brushwork. | | **Keyboards & Synths** | John Locke's contributions are essential, from the jazzy piano of "Space Child" to the synthesizer swirls on "Love Has Found a Way." "Space Child" (an instrumental) even anticipates the acid jazz sound of bands like Galliano decades later. | | **Brass & Horns** | Used sparingly but effectively — the brass on "Mr. Skin" and the Sgt. Pepper-esque burst at the end of "Nothin' to Hide" add color without overwhelming the arrangements. | **Notable tracks:** - **"Nature's Way"** — The album's signature song and one of the greatest environmental anthems in rock history. Its arrangement is a masterclass in subtlety: acoustic guitar gradually building from sparse picking to full strumming, tympani accents that disappear to protect the vocal, and a bluesy lead guitar counterpoint. - **"Mr. Skin"** — A funky, horn-driven groove with falsetto vocals and a Motown feel. The line *"I can bring you pain, I can bring you sudden pleasure"* captures the band's playful menace. It later became a minor chart hit when released as a single in 1973. - **"Morning Will Come"** — One of the most energetic tracks, featuring a classic rock riff and falsetto vocals that some critics argue nearly foreshadowed glam rock. - **"When I Touch You"** — A darker, heavier piece with crunchy guitars and mystical overtones. Some listeners have noted its similarity to later Tool material. --- ### Production David Briggs' production is one of the album's greatest strengths. Working at **Studio B, Sound City**, he achieved a remarkably crisp, balanced, and atmospheric sound that has aged exceptionally well. **Production highlights:** - **Spatial Mixing**: The stereo panning is adventurous — guitars spin between speakers, voices emerge from unexpected positions, and the soundstage feels genuinely three-dimensional. - **Clarity**: Every instrument is audible and distinct. As one reviewer noted, "you can follow each track in the mix and receive a Master's level education in musical arrangement." - **Atmospheric Depth**: Despite the trippy album artwork, the music maintains "the atmosphere of this planet" — grounded yet otherworldly. - **Vocal Treatment**: Briggs allowed both California and Ferguson space to shine without stepping on each other, creating an "equality for all involved" that streamlined the band's sometimes sprawling tendencies. The album's sonic quality was recognized by Mobile Fidelity Sound Lab (MFSL), which issued an audiophile CD version in 1988. --- ### Influence & Legacy Despite its initial commercial failure, *Twelve Dreams* has proven extraordinarily influential: - **Led Zeppelin Connection**: Spirit had toured with Led Zeppelin, and Randy California's earlier composition "Taurus" (from their 1968 debut) features an acoustic guitar passage strikingly similar to the opening of "Stairway to Heaven." California never sued during his lifetime, but his estate did so posthumously (unsuccessfully). - **College Radio Staple**: The album found its audience through FM college radio airplay, becoming a cult classic that "sold well as a catalog item." - **Critical Reassessment**: Voted No. 332 in Colin Larkin's *All Time Top 1000 Albums* (3rd Edition, 2000). Nick Tosches in *Rolling Stone* called it "a blockbuster of a record." - **Forward-Looking Sound**: The album's blend of synthesizers, jazz harmonies, and environmental themes placed it years ahead of its time. As one critic noted, "for 1970, it feels a bit ahead of schedule." - **Cultural Footprint**: The "Mr. Skin" title inspired the name of a well-known entertainment website. Jay Ferguson himself acknowledged the album's peculiar trajectory: *"Nobody else thought it that special. It got no airplay, terrible sales and shocking reviews, apart from in England where you thought it was the highlight of our career. That's where it gained the reputation that eventually saw it go gold many years later. It was our pinnacle."* --- ### Pros | Strength | Details | |----------|---------| | **Musical Versatility** | Seamlessly moves between folk, jazz, funk, psychedelia, and hard rock without sounding disjointed. Each band member's influences are given room to breathe. | | **Exceptional Musicianship** | Randy California's guitar work at age 19 is nothing short of prodigious. The entire band operates at a virtuosic level while serving the songs. | | **Timeless Production** | David Briggs created a clean, crisp, atmospheric sound that remains remarkably fresh over 50 years later. The stereo mix is an adventure in itself. | | **Lyrical Depth** | Environmental concerns, personal liberation, social satire, and mysticism are handled with intelligence and poetic economy. "Nature's Way" is a genuinely great American song. | | **Cohesion Despite Diversity** | The "dream" concept, however loose, provides enough connective tissue to make the album feel like a unified journey rather than a collection of songs. | | **Ahead of Its Time** | The synthesis of genres, use of synthesizers, and thematic concerns anticipated developments in rock music that wouldn't fully emerge until years later. | | **No Weak Tracks** | While some songs are stronger than others, there is genuine consensus among fans that the album maintains quality throughout — rare for a 12-track record. | --- ### Cons | Weakness | Details | |----------|---------| | **Loose Concept Execution** | The "twelve dreams" framework is so underdeveloped that most listeners don't perceive it. The album can feel more like a song cycle than the conceptual opus the band intended. | | **Jarring Transitions** | The sharp shifts between styles and moods — while dream-like — can be disorienting on first listen. Some tracks feel "misplaced" or interrupt the flow. | | **Vocals Can Polarize** | Jay Ferguson's theatrical delivery and Randy California's plain, unaffected singing don't appeal to everyone. Some listeners find the vocals "horribly off key" or weak compared to contemporaries like Roger Daltrey. | | **Some Tracks Feel Underdeveloped** | "Why Can't I Be Free" is barely a minute long — beautiful but fragmentary. "Space Child" has been criticized for being too "spacey" when a more authentic jazz arrangement might have served it better. | | **Occasional Over-Arrangement** | "Life Has Just Begun" buries its essential prettiness in an overly busy arrangement. The band sometimes struggles to leave space in their more ambitious moments. | | **Lack of Immediate Accessibility** | The album's originality and complexity meant it "didn't click immediately" for many listeners — a major factor in its initial commercial failure. | | **Internal Band Tensions** | The differing visions of California (experimental) and Ferguson (commercial) created a push-pull dynamic that, while yielding interesting results, may have prevented the album from achieving a more focused identity. | --- ### Final Verdict *Twelve Dreams of Dr. Sardonicus* is a **flawed masterpiece** — an album whose ambitions sometimes exceed its execution, but whose successes are so extraordinary that the flaws become part of its charm. It captures a band at the absolute peak of their creative powers, operating without precedent and without a safety net. The production is immaculate, the musicianship is world-class, and the songwriting ranges from beautiful to genuinely profound. Its initial failure says more about the conservatism of the 1970 American music market than about the album's quality. In an era when Iron Butterfly and Three Dog Night were Top 20 staples, Spirit's refusal to fit neatly into any category was commercial suicide — but it was also what makes the album so vital and enduring today. If you're willing to meet it on its own terms — to accept the dream-logic transitions, the stylistic whiplash, and the occasionally inscrutable lyrics — *Twelve Dreams* rewards repeated listening like few albums of its era. It soothes, it rocks, it troubles, and it makes you think. As one devoted listener put it: *"This is the quintessential psychedelic masterpiece."* **Essential for fans of:** Psychedelic rock, jazz-rock fusion, progressive rock, Neil Young, Love, Arthur Lee, early Pink Floyd, and anyone interested in the creative peak of late-1960s/early-1970s American rock.
Listened previously. Expectations: Mid - Verdict: Very Good - Nothin' To Hide is an awesome opener, really cool track. Nature's Way is alright and Animal Zoo is fairly standard late 60s psych rock. The transition from Love Will Find A Way into Why Can't I Be Free is great. Mr. Skin is very good, I love the horns. Street Worm is cool. Overall this is a really good album, it has so many of the best elements of 60s rock.
Don't hate it. some of the lyrics are eyerolling but music is compelling
Highly listenable, tight production. Horrible title.
This is a pretty solid album. At times, it still draws from psychedelic music and folk rock, but there are moments the record points to the future of hard rock in the 1970's. There are moments it even gestures towards glam. I like the moments when it expands its sound and the use of horns is enjoyable. I will probably listen again at some point.
happy to have listened - it's a great example of why i'm doing this project. but unlikely to revisit.
The back story on this is wild. Playing with Hendrix when you're 15, two Randy's in the band so Jimi names one California and the other Texas. This is the 4th Spirit LP in 3 years and dude is still only 19 years old. What the fuck, talk about surreal. For the purposes of this review I'm Joel Kansas. About 30 years ago, Bob Nevada laid this album on me and said it was one of the greatest albums of all time. I listened to it a bunch and really dug it back then, I never put it in GOAT status but I always appreciated his enthusiasm for it. Bob Nevada was a huge Packers fan so we would put Dallas Cowboys bumper stickers on his car just to see him get fired up. If he knew it was us he never let on. But anyway, this album kicks ass. Another huge thanks to Alex for creating this site, it's been a consistent high point for the last 3+ years. Now I gotta clean the house, Sarah Virginia is coming home from DC after 3 days. Me and the dogs have been living like bachelors and they're slobs.
No está mal, aunque probablemente sobrevalorado.
Ummmmmm- so, I really WANTED to like this. It was well put together. I could tell SOMEONE somewhere had an idea. But… it was hard to listen to. Really. An odd experience. Dissonant, but… subtly so? Hard to say. I’d have to listen to it again. And I find I don’t want to. Really REALLY don’t want to. So it gets 3. And a Boolean: yes, good to have heard before I died. Maybe again to figure it out? Maybe not.
I liked the weirder bits more than the straight ahead blues tracks.
Damn, I am falling for a dad rock lp again.
The cover art seemed really cool, and generally the album rocks
Not much to say on first listen but will revisit. It's a fun listen, though, and a fine one too.
I don’t have any strong feelings about this album. It’s not bad by any means, but it’s also not an album I would revisit. I like the melodic elements, and there were a few songs that held my interest. But overall, I found this pretty mid.
Utterly forgettable but not bad. Space Child is like proto-penis music. Even though the album's basically 56 years old I can't help but think that all these ideas have been done better, either before or after Spirit took a crack at them, and I'd rather be listening to those takes.
This album is a totally underrated masterpiece, a perfect mix of 60s psychedelia and 70s prog rock. It's like a sonic trip, from the weird "Prelude - Nothin To Hide" to the catchy "Morning Will Come". The production is awesome, really showcasing Randy California's (if that's even his real name, he could be the fucking Lizard King for all we know) guitar and that mix of jazz, folk, and rock. It can be a bit all over the place, like a dream, but that's what makes it so good. Sure, Spirit is known for that Led Zeppelin plagiarism lawsuit, and honestly, if fuckin Led Zeppelin are ripping you off, you must be doing something good... But this album shows they were way more than that. It's got this cool vibe, spooky but catchy, like "Nature's Way". It's the kind of find that makes this whole "1001 Albums" thing worth it, a hidden gem that still sounds fresh.
It's not bad but I don't have any strong feelings towards it. It's decent enough psychedelic rock, the instrumentation and vocals are well done. But after the album finished I couldn't remember a song.
Very much of it’s time.
Como me dijo un amigo cuando le hablé de Spirit: fundamentales. Más allá de la polémica de randy por Stairway to heaven, Spirit son uno de los grandes. Yo prefiero a Love, y los tengo mucho más esuchados, pero Spirit están a ese nivel. Prelude/Nothng to hide y Natrure´s way empiezan magistrales. Uno nos abe si está escuchando a los Mama´s, a los Byrds, Love o cualquiera, es una joya. Animal Zoo eleva pulsaciones, sonido más de finales de los 60. Cierra la primera cara Mr. Skin (el apodo del batería del grupo), que fue cara B del sencillo Nature´s way. Más setentera y dura, pero no peor. Abre el lado B Space child, con efectos y buena instrumentación. Es un disco con buen sonido, pero le falta alguna gema como a otros mejores
This was an interesting listen. At first it seemed boring and a bit scattered. As I progressed it got better. I love songs with a live jam feeling to them - really from any genre. This album has plenty such songs especially the second half. I am going to score a 4 to encourage relisten. 4/5
I can not stand the music and sound of the '70s. Typical album from that era.
The first half is alright, the second half is phenomenal. See guys it’s easy to make psych rock without being annoying.
Twelve Songs All Sound The Same-icus
Quite pleasant, good variety.
they didn't have to go so hard on mr. skin.... and yet. also rly enjoyed street worm & morning will come quite a bit. anyway i think i have a soft spot for psychedelia, it's often playful and imo tends to feel like a very coherent journey. fav: space child
Astroniomically far out and catchy and badassery. The band felt like a collaboration gone perfectly mad.
Nice classic rock vibe reminiscent of Paul McCartney at moments
🤔
Wasn't bad.
i thought some songs were cool but didn't love or like any of them
This album is a vibe. I've actually never heard of this band, but really like their sound. Starting typing out songs that stood out and was almost all of them. Didn't realize it was Jay Ferguson on vocals until I read more about them. 5/5
Not bad. I'm surprised I've never heard of this band. It sounds similar to a lot of its contemporaries but is enough of its own thing to stand out.
It’s funky it’s fresh. Overall a catchy listen but nothing that really blows my hair back
I sorted of day dreamed away this album. It didn't really capture my attention but wasn't bad enough to distract me
This is a good prog rock album, completely forgot about it. Definitely worthy of a spot on the list.
Never heard of them but i like some songs of the album
A psychedelic infused folk rock album. I would consider this a more accessible dose of psychedelia. The folk influences make the music sound almost mystical at times. There's also a classic rock n' roll sound in here, too. "Space Child" was indeed quite spacey, and the weirdest song on the album, but I enjoyed it. Overall, definitely an interesting listen, but I do think the band has more of an affinity for folk music (the portions of the music I enjoyed more than anything here).
7/10
A highly underrated band and a highly underrated album. One of the psychedelic masterpieces of the early 70s.
This is very hard to judge. I don’t know if it’s great art or just weird. But somehow I really enjoyed it.
Might have to add this to my list of records to collect I love the early 70s psych. I actually really love this My favs are Animal Zoo,
Nice find, never heard if this before, enjoyable.
Certainly some quality playing, especially the guitar. Weren't many songs that stuck with me, although there were a few riffs that sounded really familiar and I checked to see if they'd been sampled and that's how I remembered these guy wrote Taurus and I laughed and laughed.
Excelente
nothing to fault, but nothing to note either. i guess the synthy parts in the middle of the album were kinda cool
Крепкая протопроговая пластинка.
Like this a lot. Might have to check out more from the band. Best: Prelude - Nothin' To Hide, Nature's Way, When I Touch You, Life Has Just Began, Morning Will Come Worst: Street Worm
Kind of weird and gunky and inconsistent, but I kinda really liked it
Needed to revisit this a few times to try and come up with a rating, and still having a hard time. But I think that’s why I like it more, it makes more of an impact than other albums with surface-level listens.. overall 3.75/5
Had a hard time deciding between 3/5 and 4/5.
Had never heard of these guys, really enjoyed this album!
Let’s all go out for some sodas
Decent psychedelic
These guys aren't bad but they are kind of lame
Good
Absolutely class album. All over the place in terms of genres, influences and rhythm. But it works. Can see why someone would borrow from Spirit :)
Some distinct Pink Floyd and Grateful Dead-like songs, though not on that level
They are your favorite bands favorite band or influenced them. I don't know why else it would be on the list. It's kinda disjointed. It's not a song flows to the other and is a cohesive album. Musically not bad, I've heard worse. I wonder if they are weird for weird sake or trying something new. Since this is my first listen to Spirt I'm not sure. It's alright, I will never listen to it again, I'm not mad I listened to it, it's just just there.
Never Heard of it before. Sometimes cliché, sometimes innovative. Fun to listen. 3.5 / 5
There are a few standout songs on this album. Nature's Way is really good, and a couple of others grabbed me on my first and only listen. There were a lot of tracks that were in and out. They sound good, and I like this more than most 'psychedelic' anything so that is cool.
I had never heard of this album and I did not need to.
man maybe I'm just too cynical for this kinda stuff, but the psychadelic rock just hits a weird nerve that repulses me. Some of the arrangements are funky here and there but the song directions are just straight up goofy at times. Maybe if I was driving cross country in the 70's in a decked out van this would resonate more, but alas, I am nowhere close. Also wow this whole thing feels way longer than it is making for a thoroughly energy draining experience.
Forgettable hippie drivel. Some of the rhythms and music was pretty enjoyable though but the lyrics and singing were about as uninspired as this genre can get
No está mal, empieza bien y el segundo y tercer tema me los he guardado. No los conocía de nada y se ve que su éxito fue limitado, al menos en Europa. No sé hasta que punto han influenciado a otras bandas o que hace necesaria su escucha. Así que le doy 3 estrellas, pero al mismo tiempo lo veo prescindible.
Solid
Not completely dissimilar to stuff like Rare Earth, which I do quite enjoy in small-ish doses.
This was pretty damn good. No wonder Led Zeppelin stole from them
gobbledy-gook
was not a bad album, but like many others, I did not hear anything that profound. I just always look for something to get my toe tapping.
Unremarkable, not bad
Interesting
I definitely liked some songs here: Prelude, Nature's Way, When I Touch You (horrible song title though), Street Worm, Life Has Just Begun, Morning Will Come, Soldier. The Stinkers: Animal Zoo, Love Has Found A Way, Why Can't I Be Free, Space Child, Despite the 70s love vibes/banality/Peace, Love, and Understanding crapola, I liked the album more than I hated it because the good stuff was redeemable. So I landed on 4 solid stars. I will listen to this again....
Thoughts before listening: 70s psychedelic rock of some sort or the other. I don't really know all that much about these guys. Review: This was okay. Kind of a bridge between the psychedelic folky rock of the 60s and the more proggy hard rock of the 70s. Its interesting that these guys have been largely forgotten by modern rock fans and critics, but still made the 1,001 book. My thought was they must be British, but no, they're American. I feel like the band's legacy may have suffered a bit because they are borrowing from so many more popular bands....I hear the melodies of CSNY, the hard rock of the Who, and the prog elements of Pink Floyd all in these songs. Did critics largely ignore them much the way that many of the 90s 2nd and 3rd wave grunge bands like Collective Soul and 7 Mary 3 were dismissed? Or even looking at Spirit's own era I'm thinking bands like the Guess Who and Three Dog Night. Bands that produced quality songs that sound like critically loved albums, but ultimately were derided as derivative instead of innovative. Anyway, this is perfectly fine although not really blowing me away either. 3-stars
Mi diagnóstico es: Psicodelia progresiva.
This album’s title and cover art doesn’t lead the listener very well to understand the music. I liked the songs but not the strange name and weird photo. “Don’t judge a book by its cover.”
It was okay, but I will have forgotten having listened to this album this time tomorrow.
Besides for a few outliers, 70s rock is extremely boring and mediocre. This album is not one of those outliers. If you've heard any 70s rock or watched a Vietnam war movie, you've basically heard this.
Plus belle découverte jusqu'ici. L'ouverture de l'album est tres cool. Mr Skin est un booster de bonheur. Il y a des changements de styles, de textures, de jeux de voix tout le long donc on reste accroché, par les harmos ou pas les cris par les claves ou les solos déchirants de guitare. C'est quand meme un peu inégal donc 4 Why can't I be free, Life has just Begun, Mr Skin
Almost an achievement to be that annoying and that forgetful at the same time.
A period-piece. The sound was rich but a little over-produced for my taste.
Another new group/album for me. I was surprised to see this was from 1970. It didn't give that feeling - more like late 70's. Mostly good to listen to with some good guitar work, e.g. Street Worm. Something I'd listen to again.
"Standard" psych rock. Probably would have hit different back in my younger days when I would crank on the black light and load a bowl and enjoy some music.
3/31 Pretty good psychedelic/prog rock album
Possibly in contrast to Aerosmith i enjoyed this a lot! It was fun and sorta interesting while still being pretty easy listening. Good stuff!
Felt like I was getting my bearings a bit in the first half, going in Spirit blind. Then Space Child (Alvin and the chipmunks if you squint your ears) was the album turning point for me. Loooved the sequence of Life Has Just Begun into Morning Will Come into Soldier, and the found the back end of the album a really strong finish!
I think I liked this!
This was a bit of a wild one and shapeshifter that I couldn’t quite pin down what it was going to sound like and then it kept changing. Not bad but I remember almost nothing about it except the title was cool
Early hair band sound
Early 70’s psychedelic rock
prima
This was awesome. I want to relisten, shocking how modern and listenable it soundedL it could have been made in the last 20 years but it's from the 60s.
Album No. 0195 on my list. This whole thing was completely, 100 % new to me. I had never ever heard of either the band Spirit or their album “ Twelve Dreams Of Dr. Sardonicus”. The album title and cover seemed pretty weird to me, so I didn’t expect much to be honest. But I was actually pleasantly surprised. “ Twelve Dreams Of Dr. Sardonicus” is a pretty cool record! Yes, it has some weaknesses, in particular a low cohesiveness over the whole thing and some songs requiring a little bit more structure and a longer songwriting process. But it also has a lot of cool features: packed with interesting ideas, good-sounding, catchy. Occasionally reminded me of their contemporaries Pink Floyd. This thing is progressive and psychedelic, but nevertheless pretty easy to listen to. Well produced, jazzy, complex but still enjoyable. Good stuff, glad I discovered this through this page. I’ll add “Prelude - Nothin’ To Hide”, “Nature’s Way”, “Animal Zoo”, and “Morning Will Come” to my playlist. 4/5 stars!
Honestly went into this expecting it to be terrible, but it's actually great! Such incredible production, and the playing is fantastic. Lots of varied styles. The only things that let it down a bit are the lyrics, and the fact that it fizzles out a bit toward the end. Could see this becoming a 5 over time.
Never heard of Spirit before. Seems like another band floating in the ocean of prog rock. Musicianship is pretty impressive, like most good prog rock bands. Glad I listened to it, but not excited to go back.
I feel like I didnt have to listen to this one before I die
It felt like it didn't really go anywhere. There were a couple songs I liked but it didn't feel like a complete album. I think some of the songs were lacking a stronger male vocalist
I dig this. Tight and loose at the same time. Great voices, basslines, grooves and harmonies
Very nice!
It was alright
Borrrrrrrrrrrrrring