Customer Reviews

Best of

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4 star:		(6)
3 star:		(3)
2 star:		(1)
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I'm pretty sure it was not Martha Stewart who once said, "Remastering is a GOOD thing."

But regardless of who said it, I agree, especially when it comes to the CDs of Spirit, one of the more talented and eclectic American bands to emerge from the late 1960s. Devoted fans already have Spirit's entire CD catalogue (remastered or not), but if you're unfamiliar with this great band that sported one of rock's truly unique guitarists in Randy California and his superbly gifted bandmates (Jay Ferguson, Mark Andes, John Locke and Ed Cassidy) and need an introduction, here's your chance.

This remastered version of the old "Best Of" CD sounds so much better than its forebear, plus it features five bonus tracks, some solid liner notes, and a track listing. But just to make sure my ears weren't deceiving me after first listening to this newly remastered version, I A-B'd a few passages of the two CDs through my headphones (and then immediately stacked the old 11-song version in the pile of "stuff I'm selling to the used CD shop").

For those of you who've never heard Spirit (or even heard OF the band), the original quintet meshed elements of rock, jazz, late British Invasion pop and other musical styles across four albums that FM rock radio programmers quickly embraced and the band's growing legion of fans championed. And for my fellow aging baby boomers who don't have ANY Spirit CDs in their collection, put away that "easy listening" junk you THINK you're supposed to be listening to these days and get back with the program.

Thank you, Epic/Legacy, for remastering this "Best Of" collection of a fine, fine band. (I could add, "It's about time!" but that would be ungracious of me.)

Listening to this disc from beginning to end, there is nothing about this band's music that would ever suggest to you that they hailed from California--or even the US, for that matter! These guys were obviously not listening to fellow L.A. bands like the Buffalo Springfield or The Doors (the closest they ever come to sounding anything like Jim Morrison and Co., is "Fresh Garbage"--which does sound somewhat like a Doors outtake upon first listen!) No, this west coast band had their ears plastered to the speakers listening to all the Beatles albums--post 1965, to gain their musical insight. Of course, the liner notes keep putting forth the argument that this band was "America's Pink Floyd". I don't know that I would ever go that far. To me, Spirit is more like America's version of Traffic. The smart-and-witty, sing-along lyrics, the sweet melodies with occasional soul-and-jazz leanings, and a hot, horn section all lean more toward Traffic as Spirit's prime influence, rather than Pink Floyd. Pink Floyd had none of that, and always came off as more "up in the clouds", musically and lyirically, while Traffic was more down-to-earth, and easier to understand. So was Spirit. And while guitarist Randy California could make his guitar wail-on forever like David Gilmour on a number like "Aren't You Glad", it is the funky chops of Steve Winwood he more closely resembles on a song like "I'm Truckin'". Certainly, some British musicians could relate more to the sophistication of the band's musical stylings--not the least of whom was Jimmy Page--who, because of the influence of Randy California, a man much younger than himself, decided to take on the idea of having acoustic solo performances in Led Zeppelin's shows--even going so far as to claim a portion of Mr. California's Opus, "Taurus", for himself--in the form of (you guessed it!) "Stairway to Heaven". Yes, the newly-expanded "Best of Sprit" does include that song, "Taurus", as a bonus track at the end. Take one listen to the opening licks on the acoustic guitar, and you're tempted to start singing: "There's a lady who's sure..."
One more thing that makes Spirit unique among their comtemporaries is, while most American bands were trying to get the most out of their organ as the primary keyboard instrument, Spirit's music is mostly piano-based.
But I defintely hear a band on this album striving for more musical sophistication than the average American group in the sixties. And although Spirit's music throughout this collection conjures up more images of the dark-and-dreary, rain-dampened sidewalks of Carnaby Street, and tall buildings of downtown London, rather than the palm trees, surf boards, sunny skies, and convertibles cruising down the Sunset Strip of this band's native L.A., you can still hear a band seeking to be original, with a good dose of humor. A band with more musical ambition than the average west coast band. And to that, I salute them!

Having been an usher for most concerts in Dallas in the sixties, i saw many bands and have to say that Spirit put on the most professional show of the time. This Best of Spirit CD displays the bands tight and bouncy style that makes it a must have for everyones collection.

Best of albums are always something of a crapshoot. Spirit crammed so much sheer talent & unbelievable songwriting into their first 4 albums that that distilling it into a single disk would have to be a thankless task. I bought it because it was remastered but when I listen to any of the songs I immediatly want to hear the songs before or after it on the original album and even remastered, I prefer the original vinyl albums. I use this cd mostly for listening to in the car rather than when I'm home & in the mood for some serious listening. If you're unfamiliar with their music then it's a fairly decent place to get your feet wet but if you're ready to jump in head first go for the whole albums, even Feedback & all the later Randy California/Ed Cassidy stuff. Your ears will thak you the rest of your life. This is classic music that stands the test of time with the best of them (which they are).

Fantastic album from the get-go. Love this band, and you hardly hear any of their stuff on the radio, what a shame. From 1984 all the way to Taurus (a song that resembles Led by far just a few years back when Jimmy was with Yardbirds and probally heard it once and got hooked) I can understand why. Dark Eye Woman is definitely my favorite on this album, a lot like Santana there. Great Jazz and Rock combinations. This album is definitely a keeper if you get it, it's worth it.

Not crazy about every track but lots of fun old hippie music, like Natures Way and I got a line on you. Nostalgic.

Spirit rocks the house when it wants, but it also explores musical tones, textures, and time signatures into outer space for awhile, then inner space for an eternal moment. Spirit gets loud; Spirit gets quiet -- its intervals as loud as Randy California's guitar. I have the "inferior" casette I play in my car as I drive around town. I hear the new version has four more tracks on the CD, remastered, and remarkable.

If you were around in the sixties and seventies you might already know this band. Every hippie had their first album in his or her collection. You know, that stack of vinyl under the bookcase. For these listeners, you'll be surprised at the band's progression over the years which is reflected in this collection.

For new listeners, open your ears to something old, something new, an eclectic mix, from the archetype jazz/rock band of all time.

I agree with most of the reviewers that this band was very underated.great singing electric and acoustic guitar playing and great songs.why were songs like Natures Way and I Got A Line not huge hits?I Got A Line made the top 40 I think.Natures Way was a great acoustic ballad.also Nothing To Hide has a nice acoustic/electric section.also Mister Skin could of been a hit catchy.this band was better than a lot of the crap that came out in the late 1960's all the bad hippie bands of that era.as for the whole album I think it would get five stars if it had some live tracks as bonus cuts,like a live I Got A line or Natures Way live hearing that live would of been fun. I heard samples on a live Spirit cd.a great unknown band that everyone should give a listen to and to remember what real musicians and songs were about in the old days.

I'm listening to this CD as I write this review, and while I love the band, I have to say the quality of the recordings is spotty at best. I don't know if the master tapes were badly deteriorated, or what, but the sound on many cuts is awful: muffled bass, shrill mids and highs, indistinct vocals. It's worth buying if you're a big Spirit fan seeking to recapture the feel of a long-gone era, but it could have been so much better. (BTW: The lyrics to "1984" seem more appropriate today than they were in 1969!)

After many years of taking delicate care of my album version of Best of Spirit, I finally broke down and bought the CD. If you are any type of Rock & Roll fan, you should check this out. And I will be the first to admit that greatest hits albums don't always do the band justice. Much of this music was recorded in 1967 & 1968 and it really holds up. "I Gotta Line On You" is worth the cd by itself, but there are plenty of other great songs like "Fresh Garbage," "Mr. Skin", and "1984." Two other interesting facts that speak to how great this band was is Led Zeppelin backed them up on an early tour, and Randy California the lead singer once played with Jimi Hendrix. Makes you want to go back to 1968 to see them live. Cool stuff.