Twelve Dreams Of Dr. Sardonicus

Meh. Mildly enjoyable, but I don't need more noodly 70's shit in my life.

Yet another album that makes me think I should read this book. I see no good reason to listen to this album, and I definitely didn't have to listen to it before I died. It wasn't terrible, it wasn't great. It felt like middling 70s rock. Also, I want to personally hunt down every existing copy of the album and spray paint the cover art in reflective silver, so no one ever has to see that stupid fucking picture ever again.

Better than I expected, but after listening to it twice, I'm still not sure what to make of it and I need to move on with my life. There's definitely a lot of different styles. Some songs sound like the Grateful Dead, some of it is ass-kicking guitar rock. There's psychedelic, art rock, prog rock, and even jazz present. Definitely pretty interesting.

Decent. But, I knew two Spirit songs going into this: Nature's Way, which is vomitous treacle, and I Got a Line on You, which kicks ass. Guess which one is on this?

4/5 - When I see an album title like "Twelve Dreams of Dr. Sardonicus," my finger is already moving towards the "2" on my keyboard. This was surprisingly good for the genre and era. Clear production and solid guitar. I'm not sure I'm gonna return a lot to this, but I think the classic rock station of my youth missed out on this one.

Heard a few songs from this album but never the whole thing. nice album.

When I read that the producer of this album was best known for his work with Neil Young, I braced myself for the worst. Then I was pleasantly surprised. It has a similar folky psychedelic feel as Neil Young, except with more interesting instrumentals and less grating vocals. Very solid especially for 1970.

Overall, this album was very nice. Very trippy and psychedelic. I liked the way "When I Touch You" sounded. I give it a 3/5 just off of personal taste because I don't really listen to psychedelic rock that much. I added about 4 songs.

Just wack. Please give me good albums.

Surprisingly good

I had never heard of Spirit before today, and man, was my mind blown. I got vibes of Steppenwolf, Traffic, Cream and maybe some Led Zeppelin in there. To have made all of this music in 1970, these guys must have really been something. Every track sounded unique in its own way, but very obviously cut from the same cloth, and with the same overall feel of psychedelic, but strangely melodious and pleasing sound. The vocal harmonies were awesome, the inventiveness in the writing and arrangement were sublime, and I just really enjoyed this album a lot. I listened to it three times. Five stars, easily.

I only remember Spirit as the band who gave inspiration to stairway to heaven(Taurus... not from this album). the 70s really are an interesting chill and more stable middle period between the whacky 60s and flashy 80s. The recording quality hits the sweet spot and seems just between the 60s poorer quality and the 80s overprocessed. The constant panning sweeps are kinda annoying though. Not bad but nothing amazing

A fun album. On the fence between 3/4

Funky, and weird. Smooth jams and weridness

Definitely spacy, though that shouldn't be a surprise based on the name of this band. Not sure this is acid rock at its best--doesn't really come near the likes of Jefferson Airplane for me. They seem to just add a lot of trippy noises but don't really have the song writing skills to make it excel. That said, it's not bad, just not sure it's very memorable. There's a reason I've never heard of this guys despite loving 60s acid rock. 2/5

I want to rate this a 4 just because I love the experimentation but some of the songs really fall short in my opinion and by the end of the album I was tired of it. I did enjoy it though so I’ll give it a solid 3.5/5

A cool 60s gem (I know it’s says 1970 but this is still more 60s than 70s). It lacks a some character of other bands from that time but it has some cool elements.

Had to listen to it again the following day because I couldn't remember a single thing about it. Ah yes, pleasant but entirely unremarkable psych-rock. Some good howling on "When I Touch You" which is, presumably, exactly the kind of thing going on back in those days.

eh

I had never listened to Spirit before. This was fine. Not as bad as I thought it could be, but not good enough to keep me interested.

Liked this more than I thought but less than I'd want.

Standouts Nothin' to Hide Mr. Skin

Definitely groovy.

Sort of perplexing. Almost gave this a five, because I feel like there's something just going over my head and maybe this is a truly brilliant record...but after yet another listen, I wonder if it is just a little disjointed and simple. Who knows. It's really cool, and it seems like it should be a concept album but I can't quite tell if it is. Either way, solid, solid rock goin on over here.

Coming out around the time psychedelic rock was beginning to go in a more progressive direction, Spirit's 'Twelve Dreams of Dr. Sardonicus' is a well-crafted rock record that marries both psychedelic and progressive sounds into a fantastic menagerie of music. Produced by David Briggs (best known for his work with Neil Young), 'Twelve Dreams of Dr. Sardonicus' combines guitars, keyboards, bass, drums and relaxing vocals to create a dense, layered sound reminiscent of Led Zeppelin and early Pink Floyd. With songs like 'Nature's Way', 'Animal Zoo' and 'Prelude - Nothin' to Hide', Spirit craft out a straightforward rock sound that doesn't really break any new ground, but still manages to be fun and interesting. It's one of those fine sounding records that other bands have done better, but Spirit are pretty talented musicians, that's for sure Best songs: Prelude - Nothin' To Hide, Nature's Way, Animal Zoo

There’s some interesting highs here and there, but ultimately it feels like a mostly-ok psych act from a bygone era that was better left in the era.

sigh.

Space Child was cool!

Not a fan of the classic rock sounds.

Bien

This album really bounces all over the place. I kinda dig it when it's not too irritating.

2/5

It wasn’t bad - it just was seemingly indistinguishable psychedelic rock that could have been anyone…

beetje wisselvallig

No song really stands out but it works well as an album. 4 stars or B-.

Back in the day, when some new musical technology debuted, like a new synthesizer or something, the company would make a demo record showing all the sounds you could get from their new toy. That's what this sounds like. Very talented musicians finding some really interesting new sounds in the most boring songs. It reminds of the issues I had with Beta Band - this sounds like music I should like but it's so boring and soulless. There are like 3 songs in Rougher Road, and I really like 2 of them. There's moments I like, things that remind me of Soft Machine or even Orange Juice, which is weird. Reading about their friendship with Neil Young, I find myself wondering what they'd sound like as his backing band.

i discovered this album years back and fell in love with it, so i am a little biased. spirit was a pretty unique band in the realm of late 60s psych, in the sense that they did not strictly stick to the more acid-rock stylings of psych. this album exhibits that pretty well. some soft acoustic numbers, some harder rockers, a lot of jazz influence. the highlights for me are 'nature's way,' 'animal zoo,' 'mr. skin,' and 'morning will come,' but i truly don't think there's a bad moment on here. definitely not everyone's cup of tea and definitely a bit scattered, but ultimately, i think it is a pretty cool, underrated album of the era.

tiene algunos buenos temas, es bastante psicodélico

2 - Didn't really care for any of the songs other than the instrumental one, Space Child. Can absolutely respect the theatrics of their sound though

Noodly and a bit muddy at parts of the mix but pretty good overall. It rollicks.

A little long but otherwise impressive production and mixing. Psychedelic and rockin.

Cut your hair.

Quite interesting, just on the wrong side of very good.

smells like early pink floyd

Favorite Song: None

Listening to prog rock is odd because it has all the elements of a song that I’d like to hear, but when it’s put together it’s so off-putting. I enjoyed a lot of moments throughout the album, but not the album as a whole.

Zeppelin’s trying so hard to be them Apparently Led Zeppelin opened for them before they got famous and were heavily inspired by Spirit (to the point where a huge lawsuit unraveled over Page’s heavy borrowing of a Spirit song for the opening to Stairway to Heaven). I actually don’t think they’re too bad, there’s some really good music in there. Street Worm in particular was great, just a good ole 60s rock sound. I did like the overall psychedelic sound in some songs, didn’t try to do anything crazy but it sounds nice. I can definitely see the accusations of it being on the generic side, but I can’t hate it too much. Just like every prog rock record not every song hits hard on its own but it’s an album where it’s better than the sum of its parts. It was honestly a bit hard to research this album with the lack of info on it, so honestly not sure how influential it was, but it was fun regardless

it's just really kind of generic

Good, not great. Strange, too, because I love this era but their music didn't GRAB ME. It was just kind of OK. Nothing that really stood out. And if you have nothing that stands out in the era of Led Zeppelin, and The Who, and The Beatles, and The Doors, and Grateful Dead, and all the others... Well, it says why I didn't know their stuff.

This album has tons of variety in it and I honestly can't think of a reason to give it anything less than a 5. Mr. Skin, despite the weird name, was probably the best song on the album and I loved Space Child, the best part is that none of the songs sound the same and it was just a vibe to listen. Also, it was less than an hour, very nice.

I kept thinking that the name Spirit sounded really familiar, and then it hit me. These are the guys that sued Led Zeppelin for allegedly ripping them off with Stairway to Heaven. Anyway, that was all I really knew about these guys going in. Even with a Wikipedia browsing, the only worthwhile information I picked up on the group is that their singer apparently would go on to write the theme song for the American version of The Office. Iconic theme song, but as for this album…it’s fine. It’s a pretty standard piece of the era without anything to dislike about it in particular, but there also wasn’t anything I found all that great either. The songs also felt disconnected from each other, so the album really lacked a sense of flow as a whole. Nothin’ to Hide, Animal Zoo, Mr. Skin, and Morning Will Come were probably my favorites of the bunch, but to say that I’m likely to seek them out again feels like a lie. So yeah, just kind of decent. I feel like I can get what I want out of this album from other artists, so I'm not sure I see a reason to revisit this one. Did I need to hear thus befoe I die? Probably not Edit: Ignore everything in this review, I just listened to it again and it is goated.

Meh 3 stars

Pretty groovy!!!

1. prelude - 1.5 2. nature - 1 3. animal - 1.5 4. uuay -0 5. free - 1 6. zkin - 0 7. zpace - 0 8. touch - 1 9. uuorm - 0 10. Life - 0 11. Morning - 0 12. Soldier - 1 13. Road - 1

***A good, easy listening album

fair to middling, nothing remarkable

NAHHHHHHHHHHH

Best album yet

Pretty cool

I don’t know what to think. I wasn’t really expecting this, but the album grew on me. There are definitely some bangers on here. It was kind of all over the place, but it had variety. 4 for me.

Some great rock tracks on here. First time I’ve listened to this a for a long time, I’d forgotten how good it was

Finally!! Something I enjoyed listening to!! I liked some of the album, it had a much better sound overall (compared to the last few) and I liked the song Space Child quite a lot. I like the different textures and some of the journeys the songs take you on.

well, it's certainly *interesting*, but i don't think that's a good thing, at least for me. there's bits and pieces that are compelling, but it really kinda feels like someone tried to make a mosaic out of elements from other contemporary bands and it just doesn't look like a picture when you step back.

Usually when there's a band from the 60s or 70s on this list that I've never heard of it's going to be a bad day but this was quite cromulent, above replacement level psych rock with a good amount of variety.

Psychedelic rock without the edge that makes psychedelic rock interesting. Just comes off as a really standard rock album. Nothing horribly offensive, just a little boring.

Meeeaaahhhh…

This is so bland. I've never heard any music that sounded exciting but was so boring before. The psychedelic portion of the sound isn't even weird enough to satisfy the expectation for that genre. Most of the time, even if I don't like some albums, I still respect for making me feel something but this... this is just empty. Best (and this is really stretching it) songs are Mr Skin and Street Worm. 2/10, almost put me to sleep.

Not bad, didn't feel like much but I enjoyed it

Really grew on me. Feels more blues-rock than psychedelic. Consistent crop of well produced entertaining songs. RYM: N Saved a song: N

This was much better than I expected - I expected edgeless, soft hippy-dippy mush, and it really wasn't. Not something I'll likely seek out again, but was definitely worth a listen.

Very good album

395/1089 - This was cool and it might grow on me. Every track is different and the production is well executed.

Oh boy, another 70's rock album. Not bad, not great, just kinda there.

Competent prog rock with an occasional gesture toward psychedelia. I’m not sure anything here is all that memorable, though.

A nice album, I would like to give it more listens.

Very cool 70s vibe.

A bit too psychedelic for me.

Aged.

Only Mr. Skin was interesting.

Hier en daar leuke slide gitaartjes

I had been waiting 408 albums and I finally got a TRUE psychedelic rock album. So far every album that I’ve been given that has been labeled as psychedelic rock has been only a precursor for true psych rock or just horrible mislabeled to begin with. Here’s my hot take: not EVERY rock album written between the late 60s and mid 70s are psychedelic. Like it’s infuriating cause my overall score for psychedelic rock is way way too low. Thankfully I get to finally course correct that with this masterpiece of an album! This album walked so that my absolute favorite bands could RUN (Ween, King Gizzard, Osees, etc.). It’s got such a refreshing amount of variety, and it never over stays its welcome. It has a few tracks that are slower that don’t do a lot for me, but they are so brief and few and far between that there’s really nothing I could hate this album for. Please, PLEASE, give me more albums like this!!

I did not get any enjoyment from listening to this. What it told me is that this kind of psychedelic rock is no more enjoyable in small portions than in large portions.

I had never heard of Spirit before, and it wouldn't have been a disaster if it had stayed that way. “Twelve Dreams Of Dr. Sardonicus” starts promisingly with “Nothin' To Hide” and “Nature's Way", but then loses its way in more experimental passages and falls apart over time. It's not really bad, but ultimately Spirit is just another psychedelic rock band from the 70s. Don't get me wrong, there's nothing wrong with that. It's just that I can easily think of 25 better albums in this ballpark that didn't make the list.

I've never heard of them before. Pretty solid album but with nothing to really stay in mind. Weak three stars. favorite: "Mr. Skin" 2,5

Surprise surprise. No idea what or who this is but I thought it was good, cohesive. Not as psychedelic or as dark as the album cover made me think it would be. Pretty jazzy and there are some signs of big loud stadium rock here.

I liked the vibe here and just listening. I didn't really register the lyrics on the first listen, but the sound was good.

Groupe à creuser un peu

This was included as a joke right?

Over the course of this project I’ve become more skeptical towards “classic rock” albums that I hadn’t heard of before. I’ve found many of them to be wanting, boring, or derivative - evidence that I wasn’t missing anything but not hearing these during my rockist formative years. This album is one of the exceptions. It didn’t knock me on my ass or anything, but I really enjoyed it and thought the band was tight and explorative. And it’s not too serious, thankfully.

Psychedelic Prog Rock from 1970. I wasn't overally impressed by the two singles, "Nature's Way" and "Mr. Skin"; my favourite track on the album was "When I Touch You". Possibly a bit dated now.

Surprisingly enjoyable

Interesting early 70's psychedelia.

I had never heard of this band. I like this album and want to listen again. Sounds like (early) Chicago meets Yes. Interesting, but not quite as indulgent as either of those bands. A provisional 4.

Half of this completely sucks, but there are moments of batshit chaos that totally rule.

70's american rock - delivers but without any stand-out in my view

They really tried hard, but it doesn’t do much for me. Respect for the efforts, but not my thing. Weirdly it has many stuffs I do care about, such as diversity, good arrangement, nice production, interesting instruments/sounds, vocals ok too. Melodies are on the weaker side but also not the worst. It’s like they’re cooking a good dish, and they put all my favourite spices in, but they forgot to put any salt. The album is missing a core element to stitch all tracks together. A strong centrepiece will make it a four or five. But without that centrepiece, I can tell it’s not bad, but on the other hand I can’t easily “summarise” the album.

not one of the worst albums ive heard, but ultimately its going to be a no from me dawg

Loved the 70s blues/rock sound mixed in with some psychedelic influences. Nothing incredible but still solid.

I remember enjoying it when I listened to it, but two days later I can't remember it at all.

I really enjoyed this album. Nature’s Way, Animal Zoo and Mr. Skin were song that really stood out to me.

#841. It's a decent album overall, I suppose, but there's nothing that really stands out. 3/5: acceptable

Great album.

Trippy hippy space rock kinda No bad

They've got it! Everything on this album feels just right somehow, and has a bit of a timeless quality to it 4.1

Terrible

I respect that they tried a lot of different and unique things on this record, but it just didn't land for me.

Fine. Not the best from this time period. Bonus for being mildly experimental. Easy 3 - This is fine. Was always gonna be 3 stars - I appreciate the experimental sound. Kinda understand why this is on the list. Feels pretty heavy / hard rock for 1970

I’m coming to the conclusion that this period of rock music is the opposite of what I’m looking for. There’s something so corny and naff and generally “musical theatre" about the lyrics and vocal performances that I can’t get past, and it’s a shame as there are some great musical moments in there. The band are clearly incredibly talented and versatile, but I think that’s the problem for me; I think I prefer to hear musicians stretching themselves to incorporate other styles, getting it wrong and making something interesting on the way. In the case of this album, they veer between different styles and influences but lacking real passion. E.g. “Mr Skin” is a competent attempt at a rock/soul fusion but feels like it’s the work of a group of session musicians who can seamlessly shift to produce a facsimile to fit the brief of the day.

Didn’t do it for me but some foot bouncing was happening. Morning Will Come stood out.

A nice psychedelic album this. Interestingly, no two tracks sound the same: horn section here, swirling keyboards there, guitar chops on full over there. Not too bad actually; give it a whirl.

This album just sounds like some dudes high on LSD just jamming some guitars. And I’m kind of into it? 5.5/10

вроде хороший, похож на немерзкие и нескучные классические альбомы, но надо привыкать

Noch eine 70er Band. Nicht übel, kann man sich merken.

I can see why Zeppelin wanted to rip them off… 3⭐️

I don’t often like to prog out, but this has some charm. I’ll probably never think of it again but for the moment I enjoyed it, it gets a nod of approval.

This slaps, this is what I look for from psychedelic rock. Not so strung out the music is just a incoherent mess. These guys are not afraid to experiment, but everything is played so well

You know...its just very nice dad rock. With a name like Twelve Dreams of Dr Sardonicus...Im expecting weird...I didnt get weird...I dont know how I feel about that...

#15/1001 🇺🇸 Sorry, its just not for me. The experimental psychadelic stuff just grates on me. I've comitted to no skipping and listening to every note of these albums but under normal circumstances i would have ditched it by track 3. In fact i wouldn't even play it due to its silly title. Best track: Life Has Just Begun.

Not my favorite, kind of meh

8.5/10

A product of the time.

I wanted to like this more than I did. I even think it starts strong. The first few tracks are intriguing. But by the end, I was almost embarrassed for them. I dunno, maybe I’ll revisit it in a few months and see how I feel then.

This is great classic rock! It has all the elements that make it sound like a classic. Great songs and arrangements, all performed and recorded well. What a fun listen this was and it has a feel of lifting one’s “spirit” up!

Después de dos escuchas puedo decir que este álbum de rock psicodélico/progresivo tiene dos o tres temas acertados pero para mí no sostiene el nivel durante todo su recorrido. Bien arreglado, con madurez compositiva, pero carente de un gancho que no me viene al encuentro. Un disco decente.

Nice

Very fun groovy album. Nothing special about it though.

Had to revisit this one, and I'm glad I did. On first listen it was just another zaney psychedelic rock album from the early 70s. On second listen, I recognized some really incredible musical moments from this work. Mr Skin and Morning Will Come are incredibly fun tracks, the guitar solo in Street Worm is NAILS, and the slower paced songs like Space Child and Soldier are nice additions in the relatively high energy tracklist. The artistic direction of the album gives each track an identity while staying cemented as a psychedelic project, while the eclectic songwriting let me experience some very cool moments. The songwriting does work against some songs by being too weird or eclectic and made me lose interest at times, but when it builds up to a great musical moment, it hits.

60’s Rock ⭐️Nature’s Way

Pretty eclectic, even on the same album. Not disagreeable tho

A self proclaimed prog gater, but…. I actually liked this😱 3 stars though let’s not get carried away

They brought the vibe!! Super funky classic rock

Another unknown (to me) early 70s album. Follows the standard 70s recipe...key changes, mixed time signatures and tempo everywhere. Throw in a bit of Hammond organ, great guitar and bass and mix for at least 6 months. I enjoyed this greatly.

I can hear how Zeppelin were influenced by this but the production is a letdown and it’s too psychedelic for me. Not terrible but not enough to earn a passing grade.

A boo de-ba, ba de-ba ba bar! Something like that... A lot less annoying that some of the other psyc rock I've listened to, but just as forgettable. A fun listen, just don't expect any earworms

I think I liked this?

4.5 stars. This album was so much fun. Never heard of the band or the music before, though I am clearly a fan of this genre. Definitely a re-listenable album

Pleasantly surprised!

It was interesting but didn’t really grab me.

Pleasant surprise, enjoyed it more than expected.

wow this picks up a LOT in the second half!

What is this?

I guess you could say they’ve got Spirit! (Sorry I couldn’t help myself)

I liked it. But I'm not sure it is an essential album. What makes it different from all the other acid-soaked hippie music from the late 60s this list is full of.

At this point, the list has already spit out so many late 60s/early 70s psych rock albums that I can not only ask but also answer myself what makes this album so special. Nothing. Just another fairly decent album.

I guess if you need a thousand albums to fill out a list, you might throw this one in there, but there's nothing special or particularly memorable about it.

Brilliant classic rock

Never heard of this band and the music was decent, but I found myself disinterested. I didn't find this album psychedelic, it felt just mild. Not sure why I felt that way. The music felt very upbeat and positive, but usually the lyrics were pessimistic, so that was interesting I think this is an album that you have to listen to more than once to start enjoying. On the second listen through, I found the songs more catchy and fun. Some of the songs feel like they're missing something, like Street Worm, the song feels slightly hollow....like it's missing the rhythm element. It's a decent album, but nothing revolutionary. Seems like a band that was there but flew under the mainstream.

I just don’t seem to enjoy Americana rock.. like a song or two sure then I just kinda get bored and they all sound the same.. can someone change my mind if you love this? Like even if there were 12 tracks for the 12 dreams I could give it more credit but that didn’t even seem to lineup

Perfectly average background music for sitting in a dive bar at like 2 pm on a Wednesday

This is fine, but unremarkable.

It's somewhat a product of it's era, but it has some real gems to it. I find myself digging a lot of the songs and they blend Jazz and Psychedelic really well with their own bland of rock. This is probably the best album they made even though their other albums are great too. This one feels most complete and refined.

It was okay.

Had all the elements there Never really took off

Just ok

Perfectly average. I’m sure it was an inspiration for better things

6/10 The ideas are there but too often it doesnt really go anywhere. That said, I needed a couple listens, but it did grow on me Highlights: Nature's way Mr Skin Soldier Morning Will Come

Sencillo para mi gusto, pero ha estado bien. Tiene el aprobado, aunque podría estar mejor

Yo this was actually really good. Not what I was expecting at all but fits well with classic rock vibes.

This was enjoyable but I’m not sure I’d come back to it.

Erg saai, niet afgemaakt

This exceeded my expectations. Really cool, experimental psychedelic rock for the time. Great variety too - from acoustic folk songs to instrumental synth soundscapes. And a satisfactory amount of cowbell too. Faves: Nature's Way, Animal Zoo, Why Can't I Be Free, Mr. Skin, Space Child

Nierówna płyta. Kilka kawałków naprawdę dobrych. Gdyby je wyizolować byłoby łatwe i przyjemne 8/10. Niestety reszta, szczególnie te instrumentalne ciągną całość w dół, rozwadniają jakość. Końcowo jestem zmuszona dać 6.5/10 równane w dół.

I’ve never heard of Spirit and now I have.

led zeppelin 2: os instrumentos agora são outros

ROCK PARA PAPAIS EX-USUÁRIOS DE MACONHA eh bem parecido com led zeppelin mesmo, hein. achei bem mais psicodélico, usa uns instrumentos que o led (somos íntimos) não usava não. eu achei até de boa, na real. é agradável e dá pra ouvir tranquilim.

Never heard of this group before but found this interesting to listen to. A bit mystical, bit Jimi, bit 13th Floor Elevators. Will re-listen in the future definitely.

I really enjoyed this but can't quite put my finger on why. Probably as i'd never heard of the band and had no expectations. I don't really know how i'd describe their music, maybe psychedelic folk?!?!

Fun album to listen to while you work

Had no context to these guys, enjoyed it! Quite a varied bit of classic rock

I had absolutely no clue what I was walking into with this one. The one thing that surprised me was the incredible recording quality. The album sounds so crisp. I have no freaking idea what it's about, but it sounds great. Where have these guys been hiding since the 70s? They've got a great sounding guitar (wait hold up, this dude played with Hendrix as a teenager!? Good god) and a lot of wonky 60s/70s sound effects going on that I think take away from how good they sound without all that. There's a lot going on though: psychadelic rock, jazzy horns, space themes, dreamy lyrics, it's a lot to take in. It's a bit overambitious, like they never really found their lane. Standouts were "Animal Zoo" "When I Touch You" and "Life Has Just Begun" I can't quite pin down my feelings on this after one listen. I think it requires more to digest. I like it. Maybe I really like it? But, alas, I have many albums to listen to before I die, so a revisit will have to happen later. These guys have a lot of talent, but this album is a 3.5/5 for me and I need to dig deeper into Spirit!

70s psych rock, sigh. Simpler and gentler than weird cover suggests.

Shoutout to the guy in the reviews who mentioned that Led Zeppelin absolutely ripped these guys off with the opening riff of “Stairway to Heaven”. That’s hilarious honestly. Go listen to “Taurus” if you don’t believe me. You’ll pick up on it pretty quickly. This has been a week of many surprises for me already, and this album is another one of those surprises. I thoroughly enjoyed listening to this one from top to bottom. It’s weird. Very weird. Some of these songs are just all over the place genre wise. Anyone that knows me knows that I love variety, and this album has that in spades. I’m hearing everything from Psychedelic Rock to Funk to even a bit of Pop here. I can see why Led Zeppelin toured with these guys. They’re surprisingly comparable. My favorites this time around include “Animal Zoo”, “Mr. Skin”, and my personal favorite, “Street Worm”. That little riff is absolutely killer. Also worth mentioning are the catchy vocals and smooth brass in “Mr. Skin”. It was a close second for favorite. This is the type of album I really enjoy checking out. A band I’ve never heard of, a genre I already know I like, and a new collection of songs that I can easily enjoy. Hell yeah. Another unexpected great one here. I’ve been handing out a lot of 4’s lately. Let’s keep that 4 and 5 train rolling. They tend to come in waves. This band may very well mostly be known for suing the estate of Led Zeppelin, but their music is honestly pretty good. I was impressed with this one. It’s another 4 for me.

nice album

Like it 3/5

I really enjoyed it!

It reminds me of listening to my dad's records as a kid. Not listening to it on vinyl feels almost criminal.

It feels like a caricature of actual good rock

first listen good stuff

6/10

a 70s concept album with some decent jams in there not my favorite, was just ok for me

Never heard of them before. Definitely a mixed bag but has some cool elements.

A decent listen. Not particularly compelling.

I was bracing myself for more awful prog, but this is a perfectly acceptable classic rock album that shouldn't be on this list.

I'm starting to wonder if the 60s were a bit overrated.

I thought I would either like or hate this more than I did. It's honestly just more boring than anything. I imagine this is more influential than it appears as nothing else was really sounding like this at the time but better things came out 40 years after this that's left off.

Pretty mid

I liked it! I was vibing with Life Has Just Begun, Soldier and Animal Zoo. I wish I would’ve payed more attention to the lyrics and storytelling, because naming a 12-song album “Twelve Dreams of Dr. Sardonicus” is pretty cool. Bonus points for every time they used trumpets.

Have never heard of this band before, but was pleasantly surprised. First listen - ok interesting, but it's another 60s/70s rock band, whatever....then did more listens and grew to really enjoy this. I like the mix of folksy rock/prog rock in the ominous Natures Way, and the brass and vocals in Mr. Skin. I'm grateful for this list when it introduces albums I would not have otherwise listened to!!

I found myself zoning out to most of this, so it wasn't bad enough to spark alertness or good enough to tune back in. 2.5 rounded up.

What a strange little random album out of nowhere. Listening notes: -Opening riff seems at least well crafted, if mildly generic. -Nature's Way is pleasant -Animal Zoo: catchiest song but a little annoying -Why Can't I be Free is pretty solid Review: Overall, a fine album with nothing too innovative, but some fun times and a chill laid-back affect.

The production here was good, but I can't for the life of me understand to what point. I know I enjoyed it, but I can't remember what about it stands out about 12 hours after listening to it. Maybe it is the ephemeral nature of music that this album embodies, but at the same time - I'm not sure it's good enough to justify giving this a good rating.

Psychedelic, not as proggy as I expected. Some muscular guitar and real tasty song writing, maybe a little let down by the lyrics. One of those ones I liked a lot, but won't revisit.

3.5, pretty good.

nochem manson gest hoffi die dudes sind okay. we got nothing to hiiiiide recht cool haha. sind das nöd die wo behauptet hend stairway seg gstohle? uuuuuh funky blöser part?? huuuuere geil?? das tönt mega au wie whole lotta love. animal zoo isch au sehr cute, animal zoo?? ok de übergang zu why cant i be free isch geeil. mr skin slaaaappt immer wenns blöser hend findis hard. waas ich ha gern 70er rock?? tönt halt au afoch nice. sogar de afang vo space child wo meh afoch gedudel isch hani no gern. uuh nocher synthesizer. scho au gedudel. aber mit cute klavierul. Street worm isch jo heeeeert geil mann. es erinneret mich chli a 10cc. life has just begun und morning will come au. ISCH DAS ES FÜFI????

fänd nothing to hide glaub um einiges cooler wenn de hindergrundgsang nöd so...goofy wär? de schluss isch aber sehr cool! SO jz wird ufem heiweg nomal en ahlauf gstartet! hmm schlecht ischs nöd, aber chan au wenig sege, wommer speziell gfalle het.

pretty fun rock!

This was an alright album, pretty meh, but it was manageable having it in the background.

A little bit folky, a little bit psychedelic, a whole lot of good music.

A perfectly serviceable, late-60s sounding, psychedelic pop/rock album with some standout moments. I listen to this occasionally and enjoy it but I feel I need to damn it with faint praise. It has an aura aspiring to greatness, but to my ears it doesn’t quite achieve its goal. Certainly decent but I can easily think of 5 contemporaneous albums that do the same thing better.

This was great and unexpected. Psychedelic Neil Young.

Really good never listens to these guys before

This was fine - nothing special but not unbearable to listen to.

Pretty standard early 70’s rock.

There are some musically interesting things happening here, but I just can't get past the cheese.

Never heard this before. Not bad.

I had to start and stop more than I usually do, so unfortunately I didn't get a good judgement of how cohesive it was. I liked them more than the Beatles 🤷‍♂️

Two albums in a row from people who collaborated with Neil Young but aren't as good as him. So.e decent tracks here but overall not very special.

this shit sucks. It's ass. It's old music without style. It's like jethro tull without the fun, or like a wannabe cheerful insanity of giles giles and fripp. Even the organ is ass and that's surprising coming from 70s music. Already 7 songs in and I don't want to listen to any more of this. Okay Space Child was kind of good because the singer finally shut the fuck up but not enough so as to add it to my list.

More hot hippy garbage.

3.5. Pretty good. I was surprised. Wine and weed recommended

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.

Great Songs: Nature's Way, Street Worm, Good Songs: Prelude - Nothin' to Hide, Animal Zoo, Mr. Skin, Space Child, When I Touch You, Life Has Just Begun, Morning Will Come, Rougher Road, Red Light Roll On Mid Songs: Love Has Found a Way, Why Can't I Be Free, Soldier Bad Songs:

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

no me dice mucho, rock progresivo de finales de los 90 genérico

Good classic rock sound from a group that isn't well known today.

I kind of loved it?

This just didn't quite draw me in like many other psychedelic rock albums that I've listened to in the past. It wasn't bad--just apparently not my cup of tea.

2 1/2. An average rock album.

3/5 - pretty cool stuff, not something I'd listen to regularly but I like the sound throughout

Funky 70’s rock. I dig it

Rv

Good album.

jam. rockin. catchy. surprise.

I enjoyed this psychedelic/prog rock album! I’d never heard of Spirit before so it was fun to listen to a new band and album. There were parts of the album that were very out there and eccentric which I enjoyed. Overall, I felt like this album was a groovy good time and I would definitely give it another listen in the future!

Ain't nobody got time for this!

A firm 2.5. Some excellent moments and some very turgid bits. Interesting sounds though

There's one that I don't need to listen to again.

Music for stoners, and potentially exclusively for stoners. I hate to say it but I got a 'try hard' vibe from some of the songs, wanting so hard to be so trippy and experimental. Not my cup of tea

Different

This was really good, I liked it a lot.

Meh, don't get the inclusion of this one.

A lot less psychedelic than I was expecting, which works out in its favour. Mr Skin was the strongest track on first listen, although I also enjoyed Morning Will Come. Think I need to revisit, but for now I'll give it a 3.

Guess I never listened to a lot of Spirit. Sounds like a cheap version of three dog night or Emerson lake Palmer or something like that.

Hadn't heard this one before its alright!

Spirit was a highly regarded rock band that achieved modest commercial success, charting 11 albums in the U.S. between 1968 and 1977. Founded in Los Angeles in 1967 by musicians who had a mixture of rock, pop, folk, blues, classical, and jazz backgrounds, and who ranged in age from 16 to 44, the group had an eclectic musical style in keeping with the early days of progressive rock; they were as likely to play a folk ballad featuring fingerpicked acoustic guitar, a jazz instrumental full of imaginative improvisation, or a driving rhythm tune dominated by acid rock electric guitar playing. "Animal Zoo" is probably my favorite. Overall, a good album. "Rougher Road" and "Red Light Roll On" were also good tracks.

Bem interessante

Really good 70s rock vibes from this. Every song is a pleasure to listen to and the guitar is great.

Great album, really enjoyed listening. Didn’t love every song, but overall a great flow to the album.

70s prog/psychedelic rock. It’s fine, but nothing more. Would I listen to it again. Probably not, but then I wouldn’t listen to any of this genre again.

Pretty cool.

It was fine

Yet another 70s album on this list, just very bland. Maybe you had to be there

This is about the time that rock music was getting really mainstream (and generic), but there are still some solid songs on here.

Odd but charming, had a pretty great time on my listen

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

I like this. It has a good blend of folky country guitars and heavy rock, a common combination in 60s psychedelic rock. Similar vibes to early Led Zeppelin and apparently Stairway to Heaven is a rip off of one of their songs.

I did not enjoy it.

I could actually here some Bowie-isms in here, this is literally a few weeks after ‘the man who sold the world’ though so I doubt it’s intentional. Also as reviews have said, definitely led zep inspired. Natures way is a brilliant song, sounds like it could’ve been a hit! The next track animal zoo is great but I don’t get why it was lead single over natures way. Mr skin feels like the ‘fuck it lets have fun’ track that many old British albums have. The guitar in street worms verses make me think of inspector gadget lol. Rest kinda passed through me

It really hit at times

This is one of those psychedelic albums with a much better title than music. I expect more than a congenial choogle from the nightmare realm of Dr. Sardonicus.

There are some good songs here but overall it feels a little too all over the place to really captivate. It's interesting as a document of the time when psychedelia was morphing into prog rock. "Nature's Way" has an eerily prescient, perennial message.

Hmm. Dated but has some interesting ideas.

Odd. I couldn't decide if they were trying to sound like Sid Barrett era Pink Floyd, or The Moody Blues: or both. But then I realized that if you changed the lyrics a bit, then you end up with a "Best of Spinal Tap" album. Weird listen.

3.7 Pretty decent 60s outing. They're a dime a dozen on this list, so it's refreshing hearing one I both know nothing about and am pleasantly surprised by. Can hear a bit of the heavier, groovier side in this - bands like stooges and qotsa for sure would have had this in mind for a couple of riffs. Happy to have heard it.

It had some high moments, but it's a little too homogenous for me to really love it. It kind of falls into the same vein as a lot of other classic rock for me, where it's good but really nothing exception. Rock has certainly gotten much better since this time. Favorites: Love Has Found a Way, Morning Will Come

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.

Yeah man a bit funky a bit old school rock ans rnb. Did enjoy

Mostly great. I enjoyed this even if there were a couple of duff tracks

Some fairly standard psychedelic rock.

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!

long and fun

A nice vibe-y album. Was a great listen while on the road, would definitely add a track or two to any road trip playlist!

point6.

I've never heard of Spirit nor this album before, so I have no idea what I'm in for here. The cover to this album is pretty wild though, and it's giving me some Captain Beefheart vibes, which makes me a bit leery. Hopefully my time with Dr. Sardonicus doesn't make me want to visit Dr. Kevorkian. I’m really shocked that I’ve never heard of Spirit before, because this album was really good. The sound was really consistent across the album, but there was enough variation to keep me interested and entertained. For a psychedelic rock album, I thought Twelve Dreams was really accessible. There were some weird and experimental elements to this album, but the musicianship was really good, and the vocals were excellent as well. Lyrically, this album’s social and political commentary felt more akin to a folk album, but it still worked well with the band’s psychedelic sound. The opening track, “Prelude” really threw me for a loop when its soft opening quickly shifted into a more traditional rock sound. I love it when an album can throw me off balance in the opening track, and Spirit did that in a very satisfying way. Some notes on the individual songs: “Nature's Way” was awesome. I loved that guitar and those vocal harmonies. I liked how it had a folky vibe to it, but the sound was firmly rooted in psychedelic rock. “Animal Zoo” was terrific. I loved how it started off with some great rhythms, and then the sound just opened up, with lots of fun riffs and melodies. “Love Has Found a Way” was so weird and busy, but underneath all of that business, the individual elements sounded great. The vocals at the end are incredible, and the segue into “Why Can't I Be Free” was superb. It shouldn't work to go from that wild of a song to something more traditional, but that shift was perfect. "When I Touch You" was really great. I loved the main guitar melody, and the song just sounded awesome overall. The percussion on "Street Worm" was excellent, and I liked the piano and the call-and-response rhythm of the guitar and vocals on the verses. The percussion on the bridge was particularly awesome. “Morning Will Come” sounded great. I loved those horns, the keyboards were great, and I loved the mini-crescendos that built across the song. Twelve Dreams was a really good album, and for a crowded field of psychedelic rock in the seventies, Spirit crafted something really unique and pleasant on this album. This was another pleasant surprise on this list.

eh

This was pretty cool not gonna lie

Rocky, jazzy, psychedelic good time

This album is like a Time Machine as soon as I put it on had like a 70s 80s filter put over my kitchen. Good vibes are around the house. Probably need to listen this one again to to get the intricacies. First time listening to this band I’ll be back.

Shades of the mothers. Weird shit. These guys are pretty horny too. Gotta respect it

Never heard of spirit, but this album has a cool name... Slightly unsettling album cover... Sure - I'm intrigued, let's see what we're in for: Oh, what? Some of the best psychedelic dad rock I've ever had the pleasure of listening to? Seriously though, this album is unironically groovy - a word that is so far from my usual lexicon, yet somehow just fits. The writing is catchy, the production is amazing and every instrument pulls you in with its own detailed little hooks. The whole thing is brilliant. I'm not particularly au fait with classic 70s rock or psychedelic rock beyond some of the bigger bands and hits, but this is a real diamond in the rough.

I actually quite like this album. It is complex, interesting, and it has some nice melodies. It is experimental in all the right ways without hindering catchiness. It balances that experimentation nicely with accessibility. Highlights include Prelude - Nothin to Hide, Mr. Skin, When I Touch You, Street Worm. This is my first 4 star album, so that's nice too!

Like a conglomeration of classic rock. But somehow all bad.

Fun, easy listen! Lots of ear-wormy melodies.

It has hints of the Ozark mountain daredevil. But not as good

Bonkers but interesting.

¯\_(ツ)_/¯ Sounds like what it is, nothing more, nothing less

classic rock

Really good accually, I like a lot. The vibe is nice

Others have said it, but this album might have been pretty good if this list had not already overexposed me to psychedelic rock like it. I respect they wanted it to feel scattered and disorienting, so… bravo?!?

Funny that I have only ever heard one of these songs since they are of my era. Pretty good

Pretty interesting collection of songs that are all pretty decent, but it doesn’t feel like an album. It’s 12 disparate tracks. Still, pretty good stuff here.

# Album Name: Twelve Dreams Of Dr. Sardonicus # Artist: Spirit # Rating: 4/5 # Comments: Interesting album. A wide variance of musical influence and styles. Some songs are very enjoyable, like natures way, when i touch you, mr skin and street worm. Sometimes it goes off on a tangent. Good effort though i reckon. The production, vocal and music ability is solid. I'll come back to this one and give it another listen. # Top Tunes: NW / Touch you / Mr Skin / Street worm / prelude / Animal zoo # Would I listen to it again? Yes

I tell ya - I was ready to roll my eyes at this. I assumed it was a boomer fave, one that someone in their 60's would tell you was the best album from a band that never made it as big as they should've but that, in reality, was a just ok venture from a band that hit their peak early. And you know what, a lot of that may be true. But it's great. They move through genres, adding and subtracting instruments and layers with confidence and skill. They went for a dynamic album - one that is bold and brash at times with loud arrangements and layer after layer, but that could also be soft and tender with just as much thought and precision put into simpler arrangements. They really show off a lot of skill here in that way. I'm surprised this album, in this psychedelic genre, came about when it did. It felt like, by 1970, psychedelic rock was kind of on its way out. But even if its late for its genre and era, it's a hell of a listen. Fun, bold, and bombastic at its best. Four stars. Standout Tracks: Prelude - Nothin' to Hide, Nature's Way, Animal Zoo, Mr. Skin, Space Child, When I Touch You, Street Worm, Morning Will Come, Rougher Road

It was alright, definitely listenable

Interesting album. Enjoyed some parts of it Standout songs: Mr Skin Street worm

Mehh, alright, not my thing. Found myself tuning it out a lot. It's not bad, I just didn't vibe with it.

thought i was going to like this a lot more! :/ nothing really stuck out to me, which is unfortunate because i thought i liked Spirit more.

Listened Before? N Never even heard of these guys. It just feels like more drug-fueled early 70s stuff. Not sure why it's here. Maybe just not really my thing today. Added to Library? N Songs added to playlist: Nature's Way

Not my bag

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

First band I hadn’t heard of on this list. Sounded like a 70s rock record.

1. Fever 2. Nightmare 3. Lucid 4. Sardonic 5. Doctor's office 6. Realistic 7. Wet 8. Forgetful 9. Field of 10. Sports 11. Afterlife 12. Bizarre

Fan andra gången ett album överraskar. Trodde det skulle bli samma dussinskiva från 70-talet som vi hört så många av. Men det är tajt och lattjo musik. Najs!

Jaha, det här verkar ju vara en bortglömd liten pärla, åtminstone om man tittar på spelningarna på Spotify. Inte ett band jag hört talas om tidigare, men tyckte det var genomgående bra från start till mål. Det är lite experimentellt och okonventionellt, men endast på ett positivt sätt. Kul!

Very average album - no songs I liked listening to enough to add to my liked playlist, but none that I disliked enough to skip the song

Mixed bag. Some songs were amazing but then the next would be a totally different vibe. Whiplash

From the title and cover, I was expecting this to be crusty-hippy-tastic but it was not at all. Actually really good

barely listened :( liked what I heard, very fun and upbeat

Rock. Nothing noteworthy here.

2.33