Twelve Dreams Of Dr. Sardonicus

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.

It was fine

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

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

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.

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

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

long and fun

Rocky, jazzy, psychedelic good time

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

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

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

It was alright, definitely listenable

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

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.

Not my bag

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

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

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

Decent psychedelic prog rock, but not particularly memorable.

It's alright, but not essential at all. Favorite song: nothin' to hide.

Fun psychedelic pop.

When folks on here complain about too much 70s rock, this is the kind of stuff I and they probably think about. There's not really that much of this sort, and seventies rock includes everything from blondie and television to pink floyd and zep so its a dumb argument. Anyway this felt pretty dispensable.

3.5

Definitely dated but I'll judge this through a 70's lens. This wasn't particularly memorable but I enjoyed it's vibe.

Weird, but fun

6/10 Favourite: Street Worm Least Favourite: Why Can't I Be Free

Yes

It was good. Solid. No complaints.

Some bits great, other bits rough. Really couldn't decide on this one!

Never heard any of this music before! Great album, sounds very edgy for 1970. Would like to listen to it again and pay closer attention to the lyrics.

Cool in theory, and I get why people rate it highly, but it didn’t leave a huge impact on me. Some psychedelic moments were fun and weird, but a lot of it just blurred together. Not boring, just not that memorable either. Solid but nothing I’ll revisit.

A nifty album that I likely won't listen to again.

Interesting

I enjoyed it. I thought it would a little more wild by the name but it was pretty normal

Groupe inconnu. Par contre je connaissais "Nature's Way" par sa reprise dans l'album 'Blood' de 'This Mortal Coil' (pas dans la liste ... dommage). Cet album est original et varié, avec des morceaux intéressants comme 'Nothin' to Hide' ou 'Space Child'. Les structures sont peu standard, ce qui pousse à écouter la suite. Et on y trouve aussi quelques chorus de sax et guitare réussis. Une bonne découverte donc, que je prendrais plaisir à ré-écouter mais qui ne rejoindra probablement pas ma collection (il contient un peu de remplissage aussi). =>3.5/5

The variety on here was good, I liked when they rocked out a bit more than the proggy stuff on the a side but lots to like here

6/10

For a psych rock album, this one is okay but it's not really that special, nothing really stands out about it. It's fine, just not much more than mid.

The songs in this album are so varied that it’s still fun to listen to but I didn’t really feel anything stood out in particular.

The "Twelve Dreams of Dr. Sardonicus" is a competent album. The performances and arrangements are solid, and the vocals are strong. Produced by David Briggs, known for his work with Neil Young, the album’s sound quality remains impressive for a nearly 55-year-old recording. However, the album struggles to live up to its ambitious title. The "Twelve Dreams of Dr. Sardonicus" promises a journey into the strange or psychedelic, yet the music is surprisingly conventional and polished for its time. It lacks the harder edge that could have made it truly memorable. For me, the highlights are the tracks "When I Touch You" and "Morning Will Come." The standout song, however, is "Red Light Roll On" from the extended album, which hints at the creativity the rest of the album lacks. Overall, while there’s little to fault, there’s also nothing that truly captivates. The album is good, but it doesn't do enough to earn more than a three-star rating. Would I buy or listen to this album again? No! I wouldn't buy or listen to this album again. Side one 1 "Prelude – Nothin' to Hide"- (3/5) 2 "Nature's Way"- (3/5) 3 "Animal Zoo"- (3/5) 4 "Love Has Found a Way"- (3/5) 5 "Why Can't I Be Free"- (3/5) 6 "Mr. Skin"- (3/5) Side two 7 "Space Child" (instrumental)- (3/5) 8 "When I Touch You"- (4/5) 9 "Street Worm"- (3/5) 10 "Life Has Just Begun"- (3/5) 11 "Morning Will Come"- (4/5) 12 "Soldier"- (3/5) Total - 38 Average - 3.17 97/1001

Banger of the Album: Prelude - Nothin' to Hide Some really good tracks but not really enough for a second listen. Both love and hate when the first song of an album is my favourite.

3,5

i like it a bit better than average 3.5/5

Never in a million, billion years have I heard of this band, and never in a similar timeframe would I listen to this album were it not for this site. That's a thing of beauty - may as well just crack this one open. Ah, more psychedelic music from the time. I'm coming around this genre - there's been some solid vocal performances and unique instrumentals thus far. This album continues that trend, featuring some unique songwriting and instrumentals. It isn't revolutionary or as out-there as the heavy hitter psychedelic albums, but for what it is it's pretty damn good. If I'm to quibble, I must admit that the album somewhat loses me at around the halfway point. It largely feels like it's pottering in place after the previous tracks. "Nature's Way" has a good vocal performance, and I enjoy the heavy acoustic guitar strumming. "Animal Zoo" is a similarly fun jig. Great chorus, and the almost rockabilly sound was fun to nod along to. "Space Child" has a phenomenal piano number, and the cosmic sound which the track adopts from the minute mark onward is excellent. Great track through and through, may very well be my favourite from the album. "Life Has Just Begun" features another great acoustic guitar performance and some solid vocals. I quite liked this, though I'm gonna check the book regardless. A whole lotta nothing in there outside of the album being a product of adversity. Wikipedia reveals that this album flopped at the time, but was more warmly received in the years following. I'm willing to stick my neck out for this album. I thought it was pretty alright, and I think some of the quirks in the instrumentation make it a worthwhile listen.

The kind of goofy, irreverent goodness that makes 60's psychedelia not only tolerable, but thoroughly enjoyable.

A bit rocky a bit unusual

I liked it

This was a decent, interesting listen. Animal zoo a highlight

Nothing particularly wrong with the album, but nothing particularly good about it either. 6/10

synes egentlig det er meget godt, det er sådan noget psykedelisk rock blandet med jazz osv. Det er ikke et album som solgte særlig meget, men det er blevet en cult klassiker med tiden. handler om menneskelig natur, miljø og eksistentielle refleksioner. Ny genre er proto-prog men også forbundet med art rock hvor der er jazzet elementer og mange instrumentelle og lange passager.

These guys completely fell through the cracks of late 90s VH1 boomer nostalgia shows, which is the only way I know of most of their peers. I'm sort of indifferent to the folkier stuff, but the more sonically experimental tracks are fun to listen to.

This one annoyed the hell out of me at first, and the edge didn't really come off after repeated spins. There's obviously some musical talent, but the message is a bit ham handed in retrospect. The Me. Skin-Space Child back-to-back was just about more than I could endure.

This strikes me as the equivalent of a “made for TV” rock opera: adequate but not terribly compelling.

It's not bad. A little Who, a little Tull, a little CSN. Nothing grabbed me, though.

Aren’t these the guys that wrote Stairway to Heaven? Ha ha, no they are not. This is actually better than I thought it would be, but I can seen why it’s sort of in the musical history dustbin. I gave it an extra star for surprising me.

dálítið proggkennt rokk. saxófón þvælist um. gæti vaxið. fær aðra. 3,5.

I was ready to write this record off before it even began, but it was a genuinely fun listen. There are some awesome guitar parts, and its just a handful of the more strange songs that keep it from being a big winner for me. Best Track: Morning Will Come

A lot of “not bad but not anything spectacular” albums at the moment - I did like the sax parts in this album, so that made it a lil more listenable.

I would say that the lyrics are beyond ponderous, but considering the lead singer was 19, still way less ponderous than what I would have written (and did in fact write) at that age. Randy California is also an incontrovertibly fun name and I'm sad that there is not a guy named Randy California still around. His name alone gives this an extra star.

6/10, kind of bland - very similar to led zeppelin / jimi hendrix

Started out pretty well but tapered off by the end. Not something I’d revisit but definitely an interesting listen.

Is that Quark on the cover? Never would have thought that he had the lobes for this type of music. Anyway, it's kind of impossible to guess what the next song is going to be like, but I'm not sure they're really excelling at any of these styles? Points for trying, of course, but I'm not going to listen to these guys again

Re-listen

Pretty fun.

1-7/10 2-7/10 3-4.6/10 4-2/10 5-int 6-4/10 7-1/10 zapomnialem ze zyje taka nudna 8-5/10 intro zjebane 9-5/10 każda piosenka brzmi prawie identycznie 10-4/10 11-4/10 12-6/10 5.5/10 średni album, nie przedlużął się ale był nudny i za mało dobrych kawałków raczej nie powrócę.

Interesting sound but it didn't wow me

2.7 2x catch up 8/19

It’s alright. Fun even. A little all over the place I think. Not gonna be jumping back to it any time soon

A wide range of sounds without ever really falling in love with any of it. Can still see why it makes the list

There’s a chaotic amount of ingredients in this pot. Spirit never sit still. I don’t know if there’s one flavour I like enough to get me into the rest, but it’s interesting that it can fluctuate from (aptly) spiritual sounding music which is at one with nature and something a lot sillier and funkier.

It almost gets bluesy but then it doesn't really? I felt like I was forgetting every song by the time I got done with the next one. 2.5

This was a weird one. I got to the end, decided I had no idea what I thought about it, and listened to it again the next morning. I enjoyed Animal Zoo although was a bit puzzled by the lyric "Oh no, something went wrong Well, you’re much too fat and a little too long" so I had a look at Genius to see if anyone had an explanation: "Expresses Spirit’s belief that humans had become an aberration of nature, and built up civilization to the point where they were out of touch from the natural world." Yep, I wouldn't have got that in a million years. I liked Mr Skin too - organ, brass and the funky bass is a combo that I generally find hard to resist. As a whole, I think I've settled on liking it. I would like a 2.5, but.... 3/5

It's psychy, it's folky, a lil proggy: I dig it (closer to 3.5 than a 3). As is often the case with albums like this one I lean toward the more visceral sounding tracks (When I Touch You, Street Worm, even Space Child to a degree) and there's not quite as many of those as I'd like. I'm not blown away by at it but it's a thoroughly pleasant listen. Impressively clean recording for its time too.

it's just alright. the tracks feel a little bit scattered and all over the place, though.

This one’s a time capsule for sure. Psychedelic rock with a bit of folk and funk. Has that “stoned but trying” energy. Spins: 2 Playlist Additions: - Nature's Way - Street Worm - Morning Will Come

Fine, but also kind of unexceptionable late 60s early 70s rock.

No idea who this band is. I swear I’ve heard “nature’s way”. All of this sounds familiar but I can’t place it. “Love has found a way” also sounds familiar. I can’t get a grip on this album. It sounds familiar, but not. Like a faded memory. I do like it though. So made it to the end. This album is strange because I swear I know it but can’t place it. Buts it’s good song writing.

Not bad

Definitely better than I thought it was going to be. But I don't think I'd never pick it back up. Solid 3 stars.

Holy shit, the lead singer composed the theme to The Office!

1970.. fine

Enjoyed but doesn't feel like it coheres much as an album, or that it's as enduring as some psychedelic rock from the era. 3.5

Nothing special.

01) Prelude – Nothin' to Hide - 7,0 02) Nature's Way - 7,5 03) Animal Zoo - 7,5 04) Love Has Found a Way - 6,5 05) Why Can't I Be Free - 6,5 06) Mr. Skin - 7,0 07) Space Child - 7,0 08) When I Touch You - 7,0 09) Street Worm - 6,0 10) Life Has Just Begun - 6,5 11) Morning Will Come - 7,0 12) Soldier - 7,0 TOTAL: 6,88 (69/100)

Pretty decent album. There are some songs like Animal Zoo and Love Has Found a Way that are a little too cheesy for me, but over all it is a good album. High 3.

Not nearly as trippy as the cover or title would have you believe. This is pretty straight-forward late-60s American rock with some nice Prog touches. The songs are good, and quick, and the lyrics are occasionally socially conscious. You never have to look at the track listing because the song names are always the part they sing over and over. If you have a friend who loves classic rock and you want to get them into Prog for some reason, this is a great place to start. THREE STARS

Strong 3. Glad to have experienced

I didn't think I was going to enjoy this at all, but I kind of did. It's not perfect, but it's got a lot of charm and I don't think it ever became too full of itself. somewhere between a three and a four, for me.

Sounds like a Dead wannabe.

Pretty decent psychedelic rock. Would rate 3.5.

Artsy, psychodelic, a little tiring after a while

I don’t know the band, but found this album perfectly adequate to listen to. Do the songs alone justify its inclusion on this list? Possibly not. Were they pioneering or influential enough to warrant selection that way? I’ve no idea, but Alt-J’s Left Hand Free appears to almost borrow a short vocal hook from Animal Zoo, so that’s something…

Decent 70s rock album. Has a little psychedelica mixed in.

‘Morning Will Come’ is excellent

I don't know if I really get Prog or Psychedelic Rock too heavily from this, but it was fine. Solid as an album but nothing really sticks out. Went back for a second listen and enjoyed it but did not find anything that made me want to chase after more. If it comes on I am sure I would listen but I will not be rushing out to purchase or chase the rest of their discography.

That’s an album title that screams prog rock. It was fine.

This was cool. A lot of psych, rock and blues going on here. The songs are fun and interesting. It doesn't quite draw me in like many other artists of the time, but I did enjoy it.

Never heard this one before, but I liked it.

I enjoy getting a band like this that I've never heard of before - even if I am unlikely to go back to it

During the first track, I began to think this album would be a surprise hit with me, as I'd never heard of Spirit before, and the guitar work sounded great. Unfortunately, apart from the great guitar work present on most of the tracks, the overall experience didn't hold up. The weirdness just didn't resonate, so three stars is the most I can manage for this one.

3.5/5

Fun, funky, groovy. This record definitely fooled me as I thought it was much older than it is. Helmed by Neil Young, it makes more sense, but still, the music sounds like it's from the late 60's. Really cool vibe throughout with great instrumentation and vocals. Very jazzy and rocking feel, easy to listen to. I'd definitely listen again.

Gaat alle kanten op, soms wel nice.

se siente un poco all over the place la verdad, además de bastante largo. lo volvería a escuchar porque tiene algunos momentazos pero en general no me apasionó.

This was cool. Great 70s rock. I was reminded a lot of the who. I’d listen again.

I was hoping for a little more out of this one. I liked “Animal Zoo” and “Street Worm”. “Natures Way” is one of those that has been spun to death on classic rock stations but it is a decent song. Outside of those I found this more or less average.

Another hopeful album that IMO falls a bit short. It was enjoyable to listen to and there are some cool moments here and there that clearly exhibit the musicianship. But, I found myself during each song hoping for a next-level that just never came. Its inclusion here is a bit of a head scratcher as there are other bands in the style and genre that are better and more memorable.

I guess I found this to be a bit of an odd listen at times. Kept waiting for that song or moment that would explain its inclusion, but never really came. Just felt like a band a level beneath its contemporaries. Just ok for me man

Cool album and interesting listen with some excellent parts. However, didn’t really grab me to go much higher than a solid 3. Might be a taste thing. Randy California is a pretty cool name. Damn…dude died at 45 while rescuing his son from a rip current.

Thought this was a pretty good album from a band that doesn't really get talked about that often. I probably enjoyed the first half a little more than the second half, but it's pretty solid. "Nature's Way" and "Animal Zoo" were the standouts for me. 3.5 stars.

Pretty average 70s psychedelic rock I suppose. Not really my thing but it was pretty cool nonetheless

Favorites: Nature’s Way, Animal Zoo, Mr. Skin Not my thing. I felt like this wasn’t 100% put-together and it didn’t leave a memorable impression on me. You can’t win them all, I suppose.

Interesting listen for sure. Enjoy some of the creativity shown here. The musicianship is great and it feels like if psychedelic rock was a little less pretentious. Not saying psychedelic rock is pretentious, just that this album is a little less than that. I would definitely give this another listen.

The Who + Jethro Tull + T Rex...maybe?

Favorite Track: Nature’s Way

After a spectacular run of albums, I dreaded seeing this record pop up, another '70s psych rock (?) record from dustbin of history. Turns out it's not bad! Really breaking barriers by being a white band that Zeppelin ripped off.

This was just okay. There was nothing on the album that particularly grabbed me, but it certainly wasn’t the worst album I’ve listened to. As a concept album there wasn’t a lot of cohesion. The vocals were meh. It just all felt like an impersonation of a psych rock band and it didn’t really work for me.

it was fine

Listened to the original release 12 songs. Kinda standard hippie rock -- didn't seem all that noteworthy, but still OK. Best track: Street Worm

I always dread 70's blues rock coming up on this list not because I dislike them, but because I feel like theres nothing interesting to say about the records? Like this album is fine. 3/5 for me, but I just don't really got much to say. It's a little more interesting a listen than most psychedelic/blues rock, got some more interesting stuff going on, but still can't really point anything out. Really only thing I can say is this band sounds at their best when they're more in a folk rock mode as opposed to blues or psychedelic rock. Also, is this just the band that everyone and their mom rips off? I know of the Taurus/Stairway allegations, but Jesus, so much of this album sounds like later music I've heard. Like Animal Zoo I feel sounds like Steal My Sunshine by Len. They're definitely not the same, but they're similarish, lol.

It is listenable and alright, but I feel like I'm hearing the same thing over and over again. This was a little before my time.

Alarm bells ringing with another 70's rock band that I've never heard of. It was a bit of a false alarm though, there are actually some decent songs in here towards the end of the album in 'When I Touch You', 'Life Has Just Begun', and 'Morning Will Come'. Overall, it sounds surprisingly clean and decent for when it was made. It feels like it reminds me of some other band, but I can't quite put my finger on it. I like that there is quite a mix of songs on here as well with some rockier ones, some more experimental and lounge:y ones in 'Love Has Found a Way', and so on. Wasn't exactly stunned by this, but after finishing it I feel like it was not that bad.

En god gang psykedelisk rock, lidt blandede genre, helt ok

This is prog? This was fine, like a milder Led Zeppelin or something. 3*

An album that sounds very much of its time, but better than most of the early 1970s albums. Great guitar tone, good mix, fantastic drummer. An eclectic collection of rock, jazz, and folk that was pretty forward thinking for 1970. My favorites were "Mr. Skin" and "Space Child". Strangely I did not enjoy "Nature's Way". The album name was probably inspired by the 1961 horror/thriller film MR. SARDONICUS.

Album starts off on a good note, with both Nothin’ To Hide and Nature’s Way well written songs with fun instrumentation and some nice vocal harmonies. Love Has Found A Way has some fun synths under a pleasant vocal track with fairly uninspired lyrics. Nice ton of interesting sounds and experimentation in the middle (Mr. Skin to Street Worm) makes the album keep my attention.

Nothing really remarkable. Standard classic rock I guess.

A very distinctive style and calm songs for the afternoon. Not too remarkable in my opinion, but good to listen to every once in a while.

I feared the worst when I saw the association with Neil Young on the wiki page, but this was alright. I enjoyed recognising the sample Aim used on Cold Water Music.

Toca hoy jueves otra banda que desconozco de éste reto. Suena muy a los 70s, tranca y fogonero, con voces que de a momentos me recuerdan a Deep Purple y a otras bandas de esa época. Linda recomendación. Hasta mañana, que cerramos la primera semana completa de mayo.

I for sure like some tracks more than others on this one, but I guess that's the nature of experimentation. For some reason the intro riff of 'Morning Will Come' reminds me quite a bit of "Sex On Fire" by "Kings of Leon" Standouts Prelude - Nothin' To Hide Nature's Way Morning Will Come 3/5

Not a bad listen.

Funky and cool. For 1970 I'm sure it was groundbreaking

Having zero knowledge of Spirit, even after listening to their top streams on Spotify, I have to say I was pleasantly surprised. This album wasn't anything amazing but it fits the title of the list. There is so much great music from this era and I could write a list 10 pages long of the great band, albums, and songs from the years surrounding this album (1970) and would have never mentioned Spirit nor this album. I was born in the 80s, so it wasn't something I would have been around in my personal environment, even though this was my dad's era of music and in line with his tastes (but my dad isnt much of a musicophile). This album was strong and captivating. It had a good mix of what the late 60s psychedelic rock was becoming and also stepping into it's own lane and being slightly unique. It had a darker vibe than a lot of it's contemporaries (even in a genre that got pretty heavy/dark at times), but they found a way to make it feel like you were drowning in their drug fueled existence. I will be giving this another go for sure and will dive into the rest of Spirits catalog as well. 6.8/10 #35/1001

Oh, wait... these are the guys that did "I Got a Line on You"? Why didn't we listen to that one? Never mind. Looks like it was only released as a single or on compilation albums. Still, that nugget of information sent me down a rabbit hole and I now feel qualified to say that "Spirit of '76" is the more worthy album by Spirit. Let's tack on an extra half-star because the lead singer changed his name from the perfectly cool Randy Wolfe to the even cooler "Randy California".

A little harder to get through, good music though it was hard to stay focused

Entertaining enough album, wouldn't see it's anything remarkable though 3*

Album is really neat. Every song has a different sound. I love the variety of different instruments being played in different songs Mr Skin is a tune. Street Worm and Space Child are great too.

Rock from 1970.

“mr. skin” was the first one i really vibed with (not to say the starting tracks weren’t good). props to “space child” (a whole instrumental song!) everything else was okay. for some reason the album cover got my hopes up. 3/5.

Većinom je kao neka prog folk uspavanka, s izuzetkom par zanimljivijih pjesama koje opet nisu ništa spektakularno.

Definitely a few good tunes that were a product of the times. Or maybe Spirit was what influenced the sound of the times.

Had a big 70s feel to it. Wasn't bad.

Fun to listen to

Great guitar and bass tone and really well produced but, just didn’t grab me

relatively easy to listen to compared to some of the other albums from this era and genre on this list. to me, it still sounds mostly goofy and dated in a way that makes me not especially want to return, despite all the reviews that seem to indicate it's worth a relisten.

Interesting album. It is categorized as psychedelic rock, but it sounds more like T. Rex than Jefferson Airplane.

A tad slow for me. Meh.

Ok but not very remarkable

3/12, 25%

This was fun. Weird but not too out there. It still was a bit to 70s for me but I liked it alright.

Listened to it, definitely not minding it. But later I could not recall what it sounded like. At all. I guess a fine but non memorable experience

It’s okay, but pretty forgettable. Nice guitar solos & keys, plunky bass, and inoffensive vocals. Standout track is: Mr. Skin.

Can say I've ever listened to Spirit - definitely nothing on this album. Standouts were "Mr. Skin" and "When I Touch You" and "Nature's Way". It was a fine album but a little dated that took me back to my preteen years (although probably never heard it back then). Don't hate, don't love though.

i do not have very much to say about this

In the spirit of the times that were unfolding and unraveling, Spirit tells us of the twelve dreams of Dr. Sardonicus with a spirited and imaginative vigor. While not all of the chapters of the story are all that memorable, the songs that stand out captures the spirit of who the band are. Favorites: Prelude - Nothing to Hide, Nature's Way, Animal Zoo, Mr. Skin, Space Child, When I Touch You, Life Has Just Begun, Morning Will Come.

has its moments

12 songs, 12 dreams. If you take the dreams and you divide them by the four seasons, you get three dreams per season, which is oddly related to the amount of stars I'll give to this album. ⭐⭐⭐

Good fun, but doubt I'd listen to it again. Producer loved the panning control on the guitars haha

7/10 Favorite Tracks: When I Touch You, Street Worm, Nature's Way Least Favorite Tracks: Nothin' To Hide, Animal Zoo, Why Can't I Be Free

2.5

Odd. Quite tuneful, but I couldn't bear to listen to it all. The silly voices and general frippery annoyed me. Shame- this could have been a really good album.

This was nice. I think there's a lot to discover here so I should listen again one time

My good will meter was running really low right after the second song. It's a nice little album full of talented musicians, but I don't feel like listening to this ever again. More of a history then actual greatness.

Strange album but with interesting parts. The guitar tone at the end of "Why Can't I Be Free" is wonderful.

For 1970 this feels surprisingly modern.

A few really good tunes. But def had some weak links went they tried to go low key psychedelic.

This had some moments that made me stop working and listen, which I appreciate—seeds of great progressive/psychedelic rock, but it never quite flowered all the way.

Интересное

I did not hate this, but nothing really stuck out to me.

This isn’t genre I’m especially fond of, and I didn’t really enjoy the album. It did feel at least a little creative/experimental compared to its peers, though, so I give it a bit of credit for that. 2-3

I didn't mind this. It wasn't too bad.

Didnt finish this but it was kinda interesting. Better than some, I fear the first albums arent accurately rated.

Interesting tidbit if information about Spirit.... Listen to their song Taurus, then listen to the opening of Stairway to Heaven by Zeppelin. There are definately some similarities there. Randy California, the guitarist of Spirit, never sued during his lifetime, but his estate later did after he died. They lost the case, but Jimmy Page definately drew inspiration from that song for his riff in Stairway I'd say. Also, Spirit toured quite a bit with Zeppelin I guess, but never really broke through to the mainstream. Favourite songs: Morning Will Come, Street Worm, Nature's Way, When I Touch You, Rougher Road, Mr. Skin, Prelude-Nothing to Hide, Red Light Roll On Least favourite songs: Love Has Found a Way 3/5

Never heard of it, will never listen to it again but quite good

Не особо зацепило

Definitely some cool and fun stuff here, but there were several songs I didn't enjoy at all -- to the point that I skipped out of them. The good stuff is 4/5 but the overall average is only 3.

Glam!

Pretty enjoyable. I appreciate the variety, but it makes for an album without coherence. It left me not really knowing what sort of band Spirit are, or whether I wanted to check out their other albums.

It was okay, nothing I would return too.

Track 1 is quite Bowie-esque at the outset. The rest of the album is... It's a 1960s album. By the numbers, I think. "Animal Zoo" is somehow extremely remisicent of Humble Pie's "Shaky Jake". Maybe it's just the chorus, now that I listen to Shaky Jake again. 3 stars cos it's definitely worth listening to, for all that it brings nothing unique. I really don't know if I've heard all these songs before, or if they're just... 1960s America!

A bit under the radar, as far early 70's psych/rock/prog bands, but is considered by some as a near "classic" album. I was familiar with "Nature's Way" and a couple of other tracks, otherwise I hadn't heard this. A respectable album that has a handful of really good tracks, but it also unfortunately suffers from some sub-par material that makes this a bit of an uneven listen. Overall, I liked it, maybe more because I like the era, but Spirit, at least with this record can keep pace with other more well known acts in the early 70's.

Overall enjoyable aber echt nicht mehr als das Intro ist am besten

The only thing I know about Spirit is that they had a song called Taurus which was Stairway To Heaven before Stairway was. That song isn’t on here, so I didn’t really know what to expect. What I heard was somewhat trippy and quite proggy. It gets a little weird sometimes but never too weird. I think this is about as dad-rock as music can get. I enjoyed it, and maybe I’d have loved it if I was alive when it was released. But with today’s ears, I think this is fine. Not mindblowing, but I did enjoy it.

Unremarkable.

Psychadelic vibes but not bad

I don't know anything about Spirit, which made the leap from the gentle folky intro to rocking slide guitar and big rhythm all the more surprising. Enjoyed this raucous opener. I wonder if Len stole the riff and bongos from Animal Zoo for their smash hit ‘Steal My Sunshine’. In any case, they're both upbeat tunes. I loved the backwards elements of Love Has Found a Way, it didn't disturb the melodic vocals or chord sequences either. Why Can't I Be Free lovingly weaves guitar picking, dreamy harmonies and swishy noises and then ends abruptly. Fantastic. Mr. Skin is all most Mowtown-y with the brass accompaniments and earthy lead vocals, while still maintaining rock sensibility. Street Worm would have been a great PlayStation 1 game. I'm thinking combining Street Fighter with Worms, humanoid Worm people who have survived nuclear warfare, and now have to engage in individual or team combat to retain dominance over other humanoid lifeforms. This song could have been the menu music (instrumental of course). Life Has Just Begun reminded me of The Who at their best. Really enjoyed this one, bit of an epic. Morning Will Come had all sorts of big band noises happening and was a bit Glam Rock in parts, a precursor to some of the stuff Bowie and T-Rex knocked out later. Soldier is a great, full-bodied ballad. I especially liked the long held synth chord that took up most of the song. A little longer than I'd have wanted and I drifted in and out of a few songs. But overall, this had a bit of everything from Rock, Psych, Soul, Prog and the output was thoroughly enjoyable. I also want to point out how well the tracklist works, a skill in itself. The last 3 songs are a bit confusing, did these songs appear on the original release…why have alternative versions of earlier songs…feels like a re-release thing.

Not bad, but not very interesting

Early rock that kind surprised me. Still not something I would actively seek out though.

Quite fun, some in music parts, but on the whole it doesn't fully sick with me.

Just okay. Low 3.

Ho hum

Good then not so good then ok. This album was all over the place. It was middle of the road listenable for me.

Interesting.

A cool record that didn't really inspire me but it's got that 70's rock feel and tons of groove. Def a good listen.

Enjoyed this a little bit. Was weird

Started off enjoying it but felt a bit same-samey towards the end.

They had a good classic rock sound, but also threw in some extra sections and weird sounds that mostly didn't work

Another new one for me. 70s rock stuff. Pleasant enough to listen to but wouldn't be rushing back

Bog standard 70's rock with flashes of prog in there. Big moustaches and double necked guitars abound. To be honest, there's probably a million albums like this that just never made it. Best Tracks: Animal Zoo; Mr. Skin; Street Worm

Never heard. Exactly the type of music I thought with the name of the band and the album cover. A little psychedelic.

I generally dislike blues rock. Nothing to Hide has got something though, not quite sure what it is. To be fair yes these songs are unusual in structure and varied enough to stay interesting. Why does Space Child start twice? I wonder if I didn't feel like utter shit with the lurgee whether I would have enjoyed it more. Sidenote: I discovered today they wrote Fresh Garbage which the Pink classic Feel Good Time is entirely built around.

Vill dom vara psykedeliska eller vill dom vara rock? känns som om dom får ta och bestämma sig.

"Twelve Dreams of Dr. Sardonicus" is the fourth album by American rock band Spirit. Pyschedelic rock and progressive rock are the Wiki-listed genres. I thought of a few more. The album was produced by David Briggs who had worked with Neil Young. The bandmembers on this album were Jay Ferguson (of "Thunder Island" fame on vocals, percussion, keyboards), Randy California (guitars, vocals, bass), John Locke (keyboards), Mark Andes (bass, vocals) and Ed Cassidy (drums, percussion). Commercially, the album hit #63 in the US and #29 in the UK but sold well after its initial release due the success of "Nature's Way." It also had significant airplay on college radio. "Prelude - Nothin' to Hide" opens the album. Acoustic guitar and nice harmonization. The band kicks in with a rollicking piano. There's a dobro. A bluesy guitar and jam. Lasers and horns...kind of pyschedelic. Their big hit "Nature's Way" brings the cowbell. Maybe a top five cowbell song. Acoustic and electric guitars. The overall vocals (lead, backing, harmonies) are the highlight here. It's nature way they wrote the song. Amen, Brother. A Doors-like synth opens "Mr. Skin." Why do I picture immediately Mr. Clean when I read that title. A bluesy jam and more cowbell. "When I Touch You" begins with a laugh, a pyschedelic synth and a searing guitar. A plodding bass. This covers a lot of ground. It's hard rock, pyschedelic and prog. It builds. Hey, this might be one of the first stoner rock songs. One of the best songs on the album. Another good one is "Life Has Just Begun." A great guitar melody and vocals. It's a romance song. There a lot to like about this album. They successfully hit the rock, pyschedelic, prog rock and stoner/spacey rock genres without really staying in them for too long. There's great lead and backing vocals and harmonies. The musicians are solid. There are three, maybe four, great songs. The rest are decent. This album was supposedly known for its use of the moog synthesizer but I really only heard it in the instrumental song. Overall, it's worth a listen given those three or four strong songs.

this was perfectly pleasant. i don’t think it’s any better or worse than a lot of the same music in this genre around this time. it was certainly less cheesy than a lot of the same stuff. the less densely-orchestrated songs kinda remind me of big star but idk if i know enough about music to identify 1. what exactly about it reminds me of big star and 2. why big star is so much better. overall i’m not mad at it but i doubt that i’d return to this in my own time.

I don't really have a lot of thoughts about this. I did like some of it and I felt neutrally about the rest. It somewhat reminded me of Led Zeppelin I think, but I'd probably just listen to them over this. But I don't think this was bad at all.

Some great passages on here, but not something I see myself coming back to. Great album cover though.

The album title gave me flashbacks to the terrible Dr. Octagonecologyst. Thank GOD this is much better. Nice 70's vibe, with strong political messages. I dont hate it!

Twelve Dreams Of Dr. Sardonicus was definitely a really unique album on this list. The first three songs of the album may sound like your typical late 60s, early 70s rock album but when track 4 kicks in, that's when things really start to get crazy. Most of the songs at this point seem to be more like drug trips as they all have parts that i never expected to come next and always subvert my expectations. And this is what i like about this album. I enjoyed the erratic nature of these songs and there is the fact that the majority of them did manage to sound good regardless of how weird they were. This is a pretty solid addition to the list. Best Song: When I Touch You Worst Song: Why Can't I Be Free

This is really solid classic rock. I'd never really listened to Spirit before, I just know them as the guys that probably wrote "Stairway to Heaven". This is pretty different from what I anticipated - more power, more psychedelica, less folky finger-picking. "Morning Will Come" is the standout on here, and it's just a bruiser - big brass, big backing vocals, fat boogie-woogie. I like it better than at least three of the four sides of "Exile", it just does the same thing better. They have a couple that are just like that, mostly on the back half. "Mr. Skin" is another great example, thumping white-boy funk with a whiff of psychedelic weirdness, sort of like proto-Phish. And "Street Worm" and "Animal Zoo" have touches of the same flair, although they stay a little more within the lines for standard 70s rock. It's kind of funny, the first half of the CD does kind of have some of the self-serious folk-rock that I sort of picture when I think of Spirit. That includes by far the most-listened to song on here, which is "Nature's Way" (not a good or noteworthy song). But it's almost like that was some kind of act for the label and they dropped it halfway. Should've just done Mussel Shoals-esque R&B on the whole thing.

This record has a lack of direction. Mix of tracks that range from “pretty good” to “meh”. The instrumentals are what mainly caught my attention, while the lyrics on most tracks were just ok. That could explain why I liked “Space Child” so much. Solid production quality overall. Favorite Track: Morning Will Come

🤦‍♂️

So weird. Not bad. Just weird.

good vibed

I have heard of Spirit but never explored their music. I desperately need to know how many drugs they took prior to making the album cover/the entire album. I experienced an acid trip just listening to this music. This album is exactly what I expected from the band's name and from what little I knew about this band. I would not turn this music off and could very well choose to listen to it on a sunny day.

Never heard of this group or album so I did a little reading. I don't hate this album but I don't see how there is soooo much love for this album. It isn't bad, but it isn't anything amazing. I also don't really get the connection to the 12 dreams. Some songs on their own were okay, but overall it was slightly disjointed to me, and not in a good way. I liked Animal Zoo, Street Worm. I sort of liked Nature's Way and Mr. Skin, but they were also a little repetitive. I didn't dislike it but it I didn't love it and probably won't make me investigate them move. Just another psychedelic album.

Interesting. I liked Nature's Way, Mr Skin, Street Worm, and Morning Will Come (love the horns in that one). The rest was pretty okay.

Never heard of these guys. This was a cool enough album, it feels very of its time. Street Worm and Morning Will Come were particularly rockin' tunes. I dug it.

Wonderfully eclectic

Nothing I’ve heard before but ok

I feel like I should have enjoyed this more than I did. My favorite was “Animal Zoo”. 3.5/5

Pretty decent.

Never heard of this band, album was okay but a bit disjointed

I can tell that the music itself is objectively very good, but it just doesn't do anything for me. 2.5/5 ⭐️

3.8 if I could

decent folk album for the era.

The origin story of Mr. Skin

They walked so Zepp could run.

Doesn't do much for me.

Another one that didn’t do a lot for me. A bit Led Zeppelin but without the swagger or charisma or Robert Plant’s voice. Want to give it a 2.5

Sounded like a good album in a genre I'm not that interested in. The album was touted as their most radio-friendly songs but this still felt pretty experimental, I wouldn't be surprised if this album was influential in the development of psychedelic rock.

When one expects something to suck, decent feels like a pleasant surprise or outright win. Still, it isn't great, though more interesting (if not actually innovative) than a lot of the overbloated pomp (to which this veers awfully near) that was produced this era and type of act. "Nature's Way" and "Space Child" and "When I Touch You" are best cuts.

Average music (first time)

Wow this surprised me a bit didn't really know what to expect as I had heard of them but never heard them. This is a great album packed with solid to excellent tunes or maybe I'm just a sucker for late 60's early 70's rock.

Un peu dramatique, il y avait un côté attendrissant pour moi, peut-être un aspect nostalgique qui me rappelait des artistes québécois expérimentaux/prog de ces années-là

Great example of what 70s rock had to offer, especially those utterly locked in vocal harmonies. Wikipedia says this album didn't land big but had huge staying power. It made its money over a long stretch rather than the first six weeks and I love that about it. You've got a group of songs that are all solid and memorable so it's a little surprising none of it really hit radio in a big way, but that's ok! It's a reminder that sometimes it takes time to find your audience and for your audience to find you.

3/4

The 'people who also listened to' on Spotify for this is a roll-call of men with beards who I find absolutely no compulsion to discover. Quicksilver Messenger Service, Vanilla Fudge, Moby Grape, Savoy Brown, Humble Pie....having said that this is an easy early seventies listen with lots of variety and usually a decent tune. On the early seventies note I've just rewatatched Almost Famous for the third time and absolutely this band sound like they could be Stillwater.

Another fun ride. 3 stars

I liked the energy and creativity.

Kinda enjoyable but will not return. Album tries to be a bunch of things at once.

Feel like this needed to be either more psychedelic or less psychedelic - felt a bit too psychedelic middle of the road. But then I really don’t get on with anything too psychedelic. So maybe it just doesn’t need to exist? Last 3-4 tracks were the best part of the album. 2.8

I tried to like this but it a bit bland. Not sure if it's a 21st Century sensibility but surely there were more dynamic albums out there in the 70s?

cool

Only very mildly interesting to me. Liked the instrumental track! May relisten.

Pretty interesting and kinda all over the place, I enjoyed it enough altho I agree with the group that it was just fine for the most part

Wow! Never heard of this group and what a trip.

This was kind of a fun, quirky album. The music is good overall. I don't know that I would consider it significant enough to put on this list, but it's a pleasant listen 3/5

This really didn't do too much for me to stand out from the other bands of this era. There's been so much from these couple years that it's hard to get excited about something from this decade if it doesn't immediately grab me. The production is above average, and some songs are a good time, like Live Has Found a Way and Street Worm. Others, like Animal Zoo, were kind of irritating to me.

ok it was..you know

I'm familiar with this album though it's been decades since I've played it through. Thanks for the memories.

Huh?

This was pretty good to begin with, but dragged a little by the end.

It was alright, solid 3.

This is what I imagine an acid trip is like, some parts were good and I was vibing, then other parts were bad and I wanted it to stop. I didn't hate the overall experience. However, I didn't love it enough to come back and listen again

Just kind of middle of the road. Not bad but forgettable

As someone who grew up on classic rock, which included a ton of psychedelia and prog, these guys were never on the radio. i knew the name, but not the music. And after this, yeah, I get it. Both why they are influential, and why they weren't played. There's not a great single here, or even a solid deep cut that stood out, but they are definitely experimenting in the scene, and other, more popular groups took what they had and expanded on it. All in all, good, but I'd rather listen to the works that it inspired than this.

There's some good stuff happening here n' there but overall not amazing. Dated. Soldier is nice. Deserving enough of a 3.

Yet another unknown band and album thrown up. Can only conclude that there was so much good stuff about and so little spending money in 1970 that this minor gem passed me by. But no worries today was a lovely sunny day so off for a day long hike equipped with AirPods and this album streamed in hi res as I walked. Walking and listening always enhances whatever album I decide to listen and today was no exception. A good example of psychedelic rock with touches of prog made my walk all the happier. The Roon algorithm decided to play Tull’s Aqualung after the album finished. Not sure if the algorithm got it quite right but think I know where it’s coming from as the album is quite difficult to pigeon hole. One to look out for a possible buy. 3/5 17/7/24

Nice composition. Immediately forgettable.

fun rock n roll with a dated feel that’s pretty mellow and was making me kind of sad but I didn’t mind it

That was a different kinda album for the era and style.

This sounded like it had come from the future.

One of these albums I probably don't remember I listened to in a couple of days. It's not bad, it's just crazy average throughout the entire album.

This album genuinely surprised me as not only being good, but also being pretty unique. It definitely fits the bill of "progressive rock" well; it manages to take a lot of the psychedelic and soft/folk rock sounds of the time and give it a little bit of a twist...enough so that as I'm listening to this, I'm thinking "huh! that's interesting!" There's rock, jazz, psychedelic, all intermingling and arranged in unexpected fashions. The guitar work is superb, the additional instrumentation that makes the album sound so progressive shines through clearly, and the vocal harmonies are tight. This album was not super popular when it came out, but looking back on it all these years later, it seems like it straddles the 60s and 70s super well as far as music style goes. I love a good surprise! This is definitely somewhere in the 3+ range for me!

Some good songs, especially liked Animal Zoo, but goes a little awry with some of its songs.

Dieses Album ist wie ein gut gemachter Burger: solide, aber ohne die extra Portion Käse, die es unvergesslich machen würde. Die Songs sind ordentlich und rocken, aber sie haben ungefähr so viel Tiefe wie eine Pfütze nach einem leichten Sommerregen. Kein Track sticht wirklich heraus, um als Highlight zu glänzen – es ist eher wie ein Konzert, bei dem alle Bandmitglieder gleichzeitig ein Solo spielen wollen, aber keiner so richtig den Ton trifft. Für Fans von klassischem Rock der 70er ist es definitiv hörenswert, aber man sollte keine musikalischen Offenbarungen erwarten. Es ist wie ein Besuch bei einem alten Freund: vertraut und angenehm, aber ohne die Überraschungen, die das Herz höher schlagen lassen. Insgesamt ein solides Album dem aber ein einzigartiger „Spirit“ fehlt.

Never heard of the group but knew some wonted ("Nature's Way") and a good listen of those that like CSN&Y since they play some parts in the album.

Very experimental in terms of song structure, I dig it

It was fine. I think I'm starting to understand what "prog" means and kind of like it

Space Child is exactly the kind of music that I love hearing from Frank Zappa. ...wait, this isn't by Zappa? Who the hell are Spirit? Anyways, Space Child is a 6/5 but the rest was pretty okay at best

# Playlist track - Morning will come # Notes - I kind of enjoy some parts of the album, and there is interesting experimentation here and there. But overall, it feels disjointed, and kind of a lackluster experience.

Just another not very good early 70s rock album. Nothing jumped out at me to be honest. 5/10.

B- Prelude - Nothin' To Hide 3 Nature's Way 4 Animal Zoo 3 Love Has Found A Way 3 Why Can't I Be Free 3 Mr. Skin 3 Space Child 3 When I Touch You 3 Street Worm 3 Life Has Just Begun 3 Morning Will Come 3 Soldier 3 It took about 25 listens over a year and a half to finish, but I did it.

Pretty good pretty cool

I'd probably like this more over time.

I kind of like Animal Zoo, Mr Skin, Space Child; I almost like Nature’s Way, Life Has Just Begun, Morning Will Come

Way better than I was expecting

A listenable prog rock album which was experimental enough to push the envelope but not unhinged enough to disturb the listener.

Meh. Sounded ok but got really boring. Low 3.

Nice find.

Look, there's only so many times you can listen to a 60s/70s psychedelic rock album and have it still interest you. This album's good, but I'm probably going to forget about it. Don't get me wrong, I like the album. The sound is nice. The singing is good. There's good variety in the songs, so at least the album isn't repetitive. The pacing works. The writing is decent. This is a pretty good album that just kind of has the unfortunate circumstances of being the 35th psychedelic rock album I've listened to for this project. It's a solid album, but there's certainly better ones I've listened to. High 3/5.

The most notable album from the band most people my age only know for trying to sue Led Zeppelin (and losing). There’s nothing here quite as interesting as those legendary rockers, but it’s still tuneful blues rock.

Estuvo ok

First time hearing these guys. Pretty good, semi progressive, great production

Favourite song - Prelude nothin to hide

Honestly it's nowhere near as strange as I expected from the album cover. Nothing real special and a bit discombobulated but a decent listen for sure.

A good, not quite great, psychedelic prog journey with a heartening undercurrent of environmental consciousness and naturalistic wonder.

Solid early 70's rock. Great background music with some interesting sounds. Very par for the course for the time. Would listen to it again but no songs were especially remarkable.

- Entspanntes Album, das bei mir jetzt sehr im Hintergrund lief, dafür war es wirklich gut (vielleicht werde ich dem Album hier nicht gerecht, aber was solls)

I found this album strange. It was difficult to decipher my true feelings about it which was very interesting. It was definitely weird and different but that was what was intriguing about it. I feel like if I had to listen to it many more times I could learn to really like it but for now i’ll stay invested.

3.7 - I waiver between thinking this album is an overlooked gem and thinking it’s pretentious crap. Probably both? To me it sounds like they set out to create an “In the Court of King Crimson” but for whatever reason they came up short. Maybe they lack the mojo? Maybe management advised them to keep their songs at a tight 2.5-3 minutes? There’s lots of strong arrangements on here and their sound is well-honed, especially on songs like “Nature’s Way” and “Life Has Just Begun.” But somehow I’m left feeling like something is lacking — maybe a bit of atmospheric plodding, or a psychedelic a cappella freakout?

A lot of ideas here but not really any memorable tracks.

I’m going to have to listen to this one again at some point I think. I just don’t know what I think about it!

First two songs are okay, but something about them rub me wrong and I can't put a finger directly on it. Animal Zoo is catchy, but it sort of feels like a balls-less CCR song. I actually really like Love Has Found a Way in all of its quirkiness. The vocals are goofy, but the production is really interesting and it all sort of just works together. Some spaciness in the back half between Space Child and When I Touch You. In general, I found this album to be fine, but not something I would go out of my way for. Low 3 for me.

Classic rock vibe album. Never listened to Spirit before. There were a few song that stuck out but overall not an album I would probably seek out again. 3 stars