Reviews (page 5 of 7)
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
Happy Bicycle Day! This is a great album for it, super trippy. Space Child put me in another universe and the transition into When I Touch You was great. I couldn’t really get into the rest of it but I was also working during it. My deserve a relisten
I really dug this groovy album.
rounding up from 2.5 cause I'm nice today
Vibes of The Who, ELP, lots of others of the era. Good listen.
It's pretty cool for an American rock album. Enough variation to keep it interesting, but lacking in power.
A bunch of fully developed ideas and a bunch of half baked ones. It’s never bad but it rarely soars high for long.
Never heard of Spirit, but with the album title and cover, I expected it to be tedious psychedelic nonsense. I actually enjoyed this quite a bit. Definitely prog but still pretty loose. I like it! 3.9
A little bit weird but altogether rather pleasant to listen to.
Interesting album. A smattering of everything. The review I read about Spirit's song Taurus was completely ripped off by Jimmy Page for Stairway to Heaven. How the barrister lost that case I'll never understand. Anywho, overall good groove. Favorite Track: Morning Will Come
Natures way is the only song I recognized. It was okay otherwise. Wouldn’t put it on again
Didn't realize this had a few familiar songs until the listening. Was certainly pleasant enough for a get away Friday
It's bit worn, but the standards are there.
Fine 70 rock
I liked a few songs but overall was just meh.
Good not great
I enjoyed it but nothing stood out
This was fine, very much of its period. Not super memorable.
I didn’t get much out of this one. Never heard any of the album before, but nothing sounded particularly unique, I guess. Just kind of there, not all that challenging or striking.
As psychedelic albums go, this one wasn't as bad as the album sleeve suggested.
This was a pleasant surprise. Mr Skin was my favourite, the presence of horns made it feel soulful.
Good time. Lot of good classic rock hooks with knods to prog that don't feel too weighted in pretentiousness.
I listened to all of this but I didn't particularly have a single opinion on it
Don’t really have feelings one way or another about this one. It was fine.
This was cool, kind of generic 70s rock but still pretty good. Far too much panning on the guitar solos on some tracks. You don't need to pan completely from one side to the other multiple times, it's doesn't make it cool. Making my head spin, but not enjoyably.
Good, I just don't have an emotional connection with it.
This was fine, not something that I'll remember.
carino
Pretty good
This didn't do much for me, but it wasn't bad. Kind of proggy.
Pleasant enough but not sufficient for me to listen again. Low 3*
Quite liked this.
Rather jolly although a little dated.
Dated but cordial. It's a ditch weed album. The lead singer of this band had a huge hit years later called, "Thunder Island". Thunder Island is an all-timer, and miles better than anything on this album. The weed must have been better.
Interested mashed up styles for the 70's. More enjoyable than I expected but never broke through
Cool album. Had never heard any of it.
Interesting and weird psychedelic hippie rock. Not really my thing but worth a listen.
Not bad. A few gems like Animal Zoo. Interesting history with Led Zep. Super soft 3.
Combine Bowie, The Grateful Dead and any generic 90s/2000s 'Indie' group and you get what Spirit is. Only they mastered this in 1970! 3/5
Man this list really loves classic rock. I will say I loved the start of the album. The first track gives you that classic Led Zeppelin folky blues inspired at times chromatic acoustic guitar riff part with Led Zeppelin soft harmonized vocals, and then hits you with a huge Led Zeppelin stabby hard rock part. I'm sure both bands inspired eachother, as both Led Zeppelin and Spirit had 3 albums released in this 68-70 time period. Man does that start sound like a Zeppelin song though. The second half of the first track slaps though. Those horns and sliding guitar and drums smacking down are GREAT. One pet peeve that I have that doesn't come up often is when singers/bands highlight the lyric of a song that doesn't feel like the one that should be highlighted. It's totally subjective and I am aware of that, but "It's nature's way of telling you something's wrong" with the harmonized vocal riff runs for the length of a whole track was kind of bleh for me. It's a shame because the song is actually quite beautiful! But that lyric? It's clunky and doesn't feel very poetic or impressive to me. It feels cumbersome and a little awkward. I am left feeling entertained though, so I don't dislike the album. I think moreso It's just a collection of songs that are easy for me to find things that I don't like, but as a whole the record was actually a nice listen. It's a high 3 for me, but not quite enough for a 4/5.
Prescient hippies. 3/5
One thing I love about this project is that it forces me to give things a fuller listen than I ordinarily would, like this. I went through a HUGE Hendrix phase when I worked at the record store and Spirit's guitar player is sort of Jimi's preeminent disciple so my boss Pete Liberante and I tried to get into this album a couple of times and never could. Now I get the chance to hear side two and realize I was missing more than I knew. Do yourself a favor and read all of Randy California's Wikipedia entry. It is very entertaining and after you give a listen to Taurus I want to know if you agree that this was SCOTUS's worst decision (to not take the case) since Bush v Gore - even more egregious than Dobbs, in my view.
Well, based on the album cover alone, I can safely say this is nothing like Slade or MIA or Amy Winehouse (or the Temptations, for that matter). A bit more like Yes, I guess, but not really my kind of thing overall. I like the album title, but I'm not sure exactly how the songs relate to the title, and I certainly can't say I have any impression of who Dr. Sardonicus might be...except he must be some crazy nature-loving, zoo-hating, skin-fetishistic space child who sometimes touches the worm!
Decent Psychedelic blues and funk. ‘They’re selling hippie wigs in Woolworths, man. The greatest decade in the history of mankind is over.’
Du rock psychédélique qui nous fait passer un bon moment sans plus. 6/10
Entertainingly off kilter, slightly psych, slightly trad rock. I'd never heard of this, but I like yesterday's effort, this had promise - I wish they hadn't split, as this feels like the promising album that comes before the true classic.
It's a 70s album. Better than most.
I have never heard of this band. But it was pretty good, and it fit the groove for the era.
Average 70's rock.
Kinda decent, I might revisit it in the future.
I didn't finish it, just wasn't the vibe for my day. I like psych rock and prog rock though, so I'll eventually come back to it.
I feared the worst after the horrible granddadrock intro. To my pleasant surprise the second track had a great chorus with pleasant harmonies. Then it all went downhill again. Anyway, to not be Mr Grouchy, I have to say that the last half of When I Touch You is really good, and Morning Will Come is overall a good song. Soldier isn’t half bad either.
Pretty good mix of psychedelic rock with pop rock.
Spirit was a little too out there for most people. They were a little bit rock, a little bit jazz, a bit psychedelic, and several doses of just plain weird.
Solid. Notable tracks include morning will come (dope), red light roll on, and why can’t I be free.
Seemed like a standard 70s rock album.
Weird but also not that weird. Couple of catchy tunes. A few hilarious tracks the one about zoo creatures. Not sure I’ll ever listen to it again.
I didn’t love my first listen. It wasn’t at all what I expected but I also didn’t care for the songwriting. The lyrics reminded me of phish. It was an interesting listen and maybe additional listens are needed to appreciate it, I just don’t want to give it more listens.
Thought this album was all over the place with their sound. Some, rock, jazz, psychedelic and even Mr. Skin had some funk sound to it. Overall, not a bad listen and having a little trouble rating. Nothing blew me away, but nothing outright annoying either. Street Worm and Mr. Skin stood out as a couple favorites off the album. Thought Animal Zoo riff sounded a lot like Steal My Sunshine riff from LEN and Morning Will Come reminds me of an Aerosmith song I can't put my finger on. Anyway, thought it was a good album and decent listen for the day. No complaints here. 3
3 I kept thinking that the name Spirit sounded really familiar (besides just being the low budget airline I always insist on flying), and then it hit me - these are the guys that sued Led Zeppelin for allegedly ripping them off with Stairway to Heaven. Well, considering how low their Spotify play count is, I feel like they should be thankful for Led Zeppelin bringing them some attention if anything. Anyway, that was all I really knew about these guys going in, and that song (Taurus) isn’t even on this album. Even with a Wikipedia browsing, the only worthwhile information I picked up on the group is that their keyboardist’s name is John Locke (shoutout to Lost) and 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 slice 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 incredibly disconnected from one another, so the album really seemed disjointed and 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 (certain songs gave me The Who vibes in particular), so I'm not sure I see a reason to revisit this one.
3.5 Weird and funky in the exact ways I like it. Quite a few bizarre choices and the whole album didn’t flow together as much as I would have hoped but I feel like this one will grow on me over time.
Alright, pretty decent but nothing jumping out.
I had not ever heard of this band, but they sound instantly familiar as a product of their time. Definitely decent early psych rock. Totally fine record.
Ok
Spirit is an early progenitor of rock and roll. Overall, not a bad listen, but not special or groundbreaking. This album has no songs which have stayed relevant in popular culture and even the critical reception was less than that of Spirit's other albums.
Interesting Rock tones. Some decent songs.
This was OK but nothing jumped out at me
Morning will come is pretty decent. Some other songs are just a little long in the tooth. Struggling between a two and a three. It's under 45 mins... so it's got that going for it.
As much as I can appreciate the craft of this project, I just don't vibe with spirit as much as the other 70s and 80s rock n roll projects I've heard on here. I may change my mind on a later listen... but who knows
I don't know if I enjoyed this or not? I guess in a "this is alright to listen to" way, I enjoyed it. But I was constantly feeling some sort of musical whiplash. I think I need to listen to this one again.
This was pretty good for being early 70's rock. It was more proggy than psychedelic, so kind of the opposite of what I was expecting. Wouldn't be opposed to listening to this again.
I thought this was fine, but I can't really differentiate it much from its peers. Nothing really stood out. That being said, it was good enough. 2.5/5
Solid psych-ish, prog-ish album. I don’t think this is game-changing, but it’s a good time. C
Don’t remember this?But I did listen to it.I think?
A good early art album and an enjoyable listen, but it failed to reach the emotional peaks and variations that other of its' contemporaries (Dark Side or Tommy) hit that make those albums so impactful. It places the themes behind the music as opposed to integrating them. Worth another listen to hear what they have to say
Very much like a ton of music from this Era.
6/10. Glad they clarified it was the animal zoo, not just any old zoo.
I kinda liked this so I listened to it twice and liked it way less on the second listen. 6/10
Neutral imo
All these 70s bands sound the same. It was okay without any memorable songs. 6/10
Solid. Nothing crazy tho
The point of this record is not entirely clear to me, but ok there are some appealing melodies.
I dunno man
There's definitely something to this - it gets close to being something really interesting, but just falls short. It's not aged as well as some of the better prog/psychedelic stuff coming out around that time, so it's a low 3.
Nice transitions. Definitely the sum is better than the parts. 3.5/5
Good
Solid rock album form the 70's. But in no rush for a second listen.
Just generic listenable rock from the past. Not unpleasant but not standout either
Certainly not bad. But, I didn't find it that exciting either
Bit experimental
Quite a fun album with some filler songs
3.5
Yeah this is the band Zeppelin allegedly ripped off. I prefer Zeppelin. It was fine last 60s early 70s prog rock.
Ok
3.5
I liked this. Psychedelic rock is kinda my jam, but more in a Pink Floyd way than this.
Osa oli jees, osa ei
Mieluummin kuuntelen ko otan turpaani
Yeah, I'm really questioning my need to hear all of these albums. It's fine, but I just don't know why I "need" to hear it.
Not a bad album but not very memorable. I’m guessing it’s here because of it influencing other bands but I just heard it and I don’t remember anything about it.
-never listened to this album or spirit in general -oh yeah its rock WE ARE SO BACK -grooving and moving to these songs so far -THE COW BELL? obsessed -these songs are cool, i’m not super into any of them in particular yet -but they’re catchy and nice -life has just begun is a bit repetitive -rougher road is a fun song actually -the secone half of this album is a little boring -overall its a 3. very average to me, only one or two songs stand out
I definitely recognized Nature's Way. I never minded that song, though I wouldn't say I loved it either. I definitely did not recognize why this album needed to be on the 1,001 list. Put this in the category of plain vanilla albums that neither offend nor excite. It's a 3 for me, though some of the better songs for me were Animal Zoo, Mr. Skin, Street Worm, and Morning Will Come.
Couple good songs but the rest was mostly forgettable
Groovy please
Bog standard 70s rock. Enjoyable! Good, even. Not sure it belongs here? The music itself is pretty basic, and a peek at wikipedia tells me that the album was not a huge hit, and still remains not a huge hit. The band members are not big names (it's not like this was Bruce Springsteen's first band or something). The most remarkable thing I can figure about this album is that the producer eventually also was a producer for Neil Young? Is that enough to place it on the "albums you must hear" list?
Much better than I remember, but still not great. There are some excellent tracks, but too many above average but still run-of-the-mill songs. If the album clocked in at a little of 30 minutes instead of 45 it would be excellent.
Eh, it was ok
I think I like it
Some good but forgettable hippie folk. If you’re into the genre I think these seem to be a less appreciated one but still hold their own alongside the Byrds and Jefferson Airplane and the likes.
Den var cool nok, ryger nok ikke lige til toppen af mine yndlings-70er psychrock plader, det var det lige lovlig rodet til.
This was an interesting album for sure. I've never heard of these guys before. Definitely a talent group. They sound like a bunch of different bands throughout the album. Sometimes Big Star, sometimes Traffic, sometimes like a Kansas or Chicago type thing. Because they change up so much, it was a little hard to grasp. Overall the drumming was tight. Vocal harmonies were good. The pieces of a good album were there, but it didn't really come together.
Some fun tunes
it's perfectly fine. Can't find anything bad to say about it but I also can't find a lot to praise about it either? The whole listening experience did not move me in any meaningful way. Feels bad.
interesting
Intróið lét mig halda að þetta væri eitthvað spectacular, en svo var víst ekki. Þetta er allt í lagi samt.
Very 1970s rock n roll. Even if you havnt heard this band or any songs on this album. They'll sound very familiar as early rock n roll bands hardly had any differentiating features. Decent album. But not for me.
3.5
I was initially turned off by some of the lyrics sounding rally lazy and cliche, but things improved as the album wore on. The composition got more interesting, the lyrics less cringy, and by the end I was more or less won over.
It's fine psych-rock, but doesn't do much that separates it from the others.
Désolé Robert mais étant en plein déménagement, j'ai écouté cet album sur une enceinte à très faible volume alors que je multipliais les va-et-vient dans mon futur ancien appartement. Autant te dire que je n'en ai eu que foutre.
J'ai écouté cet album il y a moins d'une heure, et bien malin sera celui capable de me dire de quoi il en retournait.
This is album is really inconsistent. Throw away half of it and it will be 4,5
Never heard of the band, but this was ok. It didnt reach out and grab me, but these guys could obviously play, and theres some decent tracks on here.
A fun, out of the ordinary LP that offered a welcome deviation from the norm. Wish that as a whole the album could’ve been a bit more grounded in the often stellar guitar and rhythm section rather than the synthy interludes, but for what I expected this was still a great listen.
Good 70’s rock. Nothing special, though.
I am still amazed that Sometimes even after 50 years spinning round this planet I can come across some music this well recorded and produced. And have never even heard a whisper about it. Not saying I loved it. But it’s certainly got its moments. And as mentioned. Is produced really well. The balances and sound levels are really well done.
Probably warrants a second play through. Has the feel of an album that grows on you over time. Animal Zoo & Morning Will Come were the standout tracks IMO.
Enjoyed
Has a heavy blues vibe in the vein of Deep Purple or Led Zepplin. Also has some nods to the prog-ishness of likes of Yes. It's cool at certain points, but I find the lyrics to be pretty repetitive and mostly chorus. Favorite tracks: "Nothin' To Hide", "Mr. Skin"
I'm interested by the title but very much put off by the album art. In the end I kind of liked it, more than I thought I would anyway.
weird and wild and wooly. 3 stars.
Pretty solid psychedelic rock
I only went to the Sunbury Rock Festival once - in January 1973. It kicked off on the Friday night, leading into the Australia Day long weekend. I drove from Sydney with Dave Kelly. We met up with his brother John at the festival & when it was all over, you could say I drove the Kelly Gang home. Unfortunately Dave & I did not leave Sydney early enough to catch the Friday night performers. By the time we arrived in the middle of the night, the music was over. And that’s how I missed seeing Spirit, who were the first international band to ever appear at Sunbury, & had headlined on Friday night. What a bummer. I have never heard this album before. I really enjoyed it. There’s a diversity about the music It’s poppy, then folky, then psychedelic. David Briggs’s production is terrific. I’m still not sure how Randy California’s estate didn’t win their case against Led Zeppelin stealing one of his riffs to use in Stairway To Heaven. And listen here to the keyboard opening to Space Child & tell me it’s not the same keyboard intro to Steely Dan’s FM.
Oh goody, yet another late 60s/early 70s cult-favourite. Sigh. Psychedelic influences? Tick! Band broke up on initial release? Pretentious lyrics? Tick and tick! Multiple re-releases on hip reissue labels? Slathered in studio trickery? Progressive leanings? Critical darling with underwhelming commercial appeal? Tick, tick, tick, tick and tick! We just won White-boy Rock Critic Bingo! (I've listened to the album twice through now, and there are some mildly catchy tunes. It's not bad, but I'm not in love with it.)
I enjoy listening to this album but can’t really retain any of it afterwards. Strong 3
Ok
A few tracks I enjoyed, decent album but that's about it. Too many like this, middle of the roaders. I've never heard of this group, though the name Sardonicus sounds familiar, apparently there's a horror movie with that name but I haven't seen that either. This isn't horror-themed at all, it's just loosely psych-y rock. A drop in the bucket at this point. I would sincerely trim down the psych rock field on this list, including with this one, even though it's decent. Decent doesn't cut the mustard. Favorite tracks: Mr. Skin, Life Has Just Begun, Rougher Road. Album art: Some freaky deaky stuff going on here, or really just a funhouse mirror shot of the band? Better than most band photos, but nothing too special. I do like the font. 3/5
I listened to the album twice. I liked "Nature's Way" and "Animal Zoo", generally. But I couldn't find a song that stands out, or has a memorable hook.
I had a re-listen to the album when I read the effulgent praise from the group. I don't quite understand where it is coming from. Was going to give it a 2, but I'm easily led, and I did like Nature's Way. I've not been this conflicted for a while - middle ground time.
weird
Surprise, new band to me. 3 stars which is an awful lot for me for music of this kind. Nice guitar rhythms, nice voice, not overly psychedelic (hate that) but still that early seventies atmosphere with some Beatle influences like in Street Worm, think When I Touch You is my favorite song.
I don't hate it, but i'm not the biggest fan. Spirit are not the only band to drop acid, then record a concept album, but this one often feels lost in a turn of the decade classic rock haze; it doesn't feel very experimental. However, Mr Skin is a banger, and im a fan of street worm too.
I never connected with this album, which is a bit of a surprise. 60's/70's rock and alt rock is my groove. I recognize the style and the beats, but it does nothing for me.
Very nice
Czy sardynki marzą o 12 elektrycznych owcach?
I prefer Zeppelin.