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Spirit | Format: Audio CD

Product Details

• Audio CD (March 9, 2004)
• Number of Discs: 1
• Label: Collector's Choice
• ASIN: B0000EWO5K
• Also Available in: Audio CD  |  Vinyl  |  MP3 Download
• Average Customer Review: 4.1 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (12 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #77,385 in Music (See Top 100 in Music)

Track Listings

1. Chelsea Girls

2. Cadillac Cowboys

3. Puesta Del Scam

4. Ripe And Ready

5. Darkness

6. Earth Shaker

7. Mellow Morning

8. Right On Time

9. Trancas Fog-Out

10. Witch

11. New York City

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

15 of 17 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Renew an old friendship or make a new one., August 18, 2004

By 

Dennis Hawley (Asheville, NC) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Feedback (Audio CD)

I bought this album on vinyl in 1972, and am glad it's finally out on CD. And does it sound good! Ranging from the sophomoric and silly (the hormonally-charged Ripe and Ready) to the near-great (Cadillac Cowboys), with everything else falling in the `good to very good' category. Chelsea Girls, Darkness and Right on Time are top-notch songs, which demand repeated listenings. Particularly nice are the two instrumentals, Puesta Del Scam and Trancas Fog-Out. The latter has some nice bass and piano interplay.
The loss of Randy California, Mark Andes and Jay Ferguson, and the addition of the Staehely brothers made for a unique `Spirit' album, that (as other reviewers note) stands on its own. Al Staehely doesn't sound like Jay Ferguson, but he does not suffer in comparison, and his bass playing is impressive. Younger brother Christian lays down some tasty guitar playing throughout. As one reviewer correctly noted, his guitar solo in Cadillac Cowboys is especially memorable. It's great to hear John Locke stretch out and shine, and the jazz-trained Ed Cassidy is excellent. There is an added, bonus track titled New York City. It sounds a bit like Cadillac Cowboys, with an interesting instrumental coda. However, the song is flawed with juvenile, sex-oriented lyrics ("I can't wait to get in your bed, can't wait for some good head"). Ripe and Ready offers similar lyrical gems.
Of course, these were young guys (well, at least the Staehely bros. were, as Christian was still in his teens), and many could identify at the time.
This is a really good album, perhaps even better today than it seemed in 1972. Maybe that's in part because of the lack of good rock albums over the years, or perhaps it just evokes a more pleasant time. One thing is certain; the sound quality of this recording is stunning. The instruments are clear, distinct and well defined in the soundstage. It sounds better, in fact, than my Mobile Fidelity Master copy of The Twelve Dreams of Dr. Sardonicus. Sony did a great job in this `Collector's Choice' line.
If you remember this album, and liked a few cuts on it, chances are you'll like it even more than you did back then. If you've never heard it, now's your chance. It's worth it.

9 of 10 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars The short lived second edition of Spirit, April 12, 2007

By 

WTDK "If at first the idea is not absurd, the... (My Little Blue Window, USA) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Feedback (Audio CD)

When two-thirds of your band leaves it's bound to have an impact on your sound. After recording a number of terrific albums Spirit guitarist Randy California, guitarist/keyboardist/vocalist Jay Ferguson and bassist Mark Andes (they formed Jo Jo Gunne)left Spirit. Drummer Ed Cassidy and keyboardist John Locke remained and with the help of Ferguson recruited Al Staehely as vocalist/bassist later Christian Al's brother joined as guitarist.

The album the quartet recorded although not up to the standards of the band's first four albums, had promise. With the shift in personnel and the decidedly Texas flavored rock 'n' roll. The quartet's only album features some terrific tunes and Al ably steps into Jay and Mark's shoes while Christian although not the same type of guitarist as Randy, does a very good job. Many of the tunes have a Southern rock flavor to them very gritty and quite different from what Spirit had tried before. The boogie rock that this edition of Spirit did ironically wasn't that far different from what Ferguson and Andes did in Jo Jo Gunne.

Collector's Choice has done a service to Spirit fans by reissuing this overlooked minor gem. The mastering by Ken Robertson is quite good and the liner notes include comments from Cassidy and Locke about this line up and their experience recording the album with the late producer David Briggs ("Twelve Dreams of Dr. Sardonicus" and a frequent co-producer with Neil Young).

The album has a few weak tracks (most notably "Mellow Morning" written by Al Staehely with Jo Jo Gunne guitarist Matt Andes)but overall, it's a worthwhile addition to the Spirit tradition with some truly outstanding tracks. This new edition has a b-side that added as a bonus track. "New York City" is a solid closer that would have sounded terrific on the album. Given time this line up could have produced music equal to but different from the previous incarnation. Jo Jo GunneTwelve Dreams of Dr. SardonicusThe Best of Spirit

8 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Brand new band: new sound & emphasis, excellent music:, June 21, 2004

By 

Tim Van Sickle (Florida, USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Feedback (Audio CD)

This isn't anything like the first 4 classic Spirit albums, and yet it has it's own magic. This is more good-timesy rock, funk, and honky tonk and it's within those genres that the greatness of the musical work exists. Great upbeat music for cruising on a sunny day or partying at night. J.C. Staehely just kicks out the sweet country rock and bluesy guitar licks at every turn, and brother Al Staehely plays a very tight and funky bass. In terms of the 2 original Spirit members, this album seems to have given keyboardist John Locke the freedom to really cut loose and he provides lots of great honky tonk and jazz fills. You can really hear this on the samples. Drummer Ed Cassidy pretty much plays it straight here, which is exactly what the music needs. The 2 short jazz rock instrumental fusion pieces (Puesta del Scam & Trancas Fog-Out) written by Locke are absolutely amazing in terms of potency and execution. They will blow you away! Unfortunately the sample of Puesta doesn't really represent the song that well (but the other samples really represent the feel of the album well, and the sample of Locke's "Darkness" demonstrates just how creative this edition of the band was). This album is more straight ahead good time rock music, and within that genre, this is a great album. It's not at all like the eclectic conceptual stuff you'll find on the first 4 albums. Rock On!