Customer Reviews

Kapt. Kopter & The (Fabulous) Twirly Birds

5 star:		(9)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

If you're here, then you know. Just pull out your credit card while you read this. First, the Jimi thing. Randy California may have influenced him, rather than vice versa. In "Jimi Hendrix Electric Gypsy", we read about how a young California runaway played in a band with Hendrix for a little while. His name was Randy Wolfe. Since there were two Randy's in the band, Jimi called them Randy Texas and Randy California. The latter went on to form Spirit with Ed Cassidy. Shortly after Jimi's death, Randy C. turned solo, letting his guitar playing burn more than it had in the jazzier Spirit. His first solo album, "Kaptain Kopter and the Fabulous Twirly Birds", is as devout a testament to Hendrix's music as has ever been waxed. Mind you, it isn't a _great_ album. Randy never did get very good at being a front-man. And the crew obviously toked up and decided to fiddle with every dial on the mixing board, not always to enjoyable effect. In fact, much of the album sounds like it's being played through blown tweeters--the joke being that they'll save us the trouble, I suppose. But check out his cover of "Day Tripper." It is very much in the same vein as the Jimi version on the Radio One cd. "Devil" is an affecting acid ballad, I guess you'd call it. "Downer" is a cacophany of guitar noise--heavy, man! "Things Yet To Come" is a long, simple tone poem for bass line and wah-wah, very early 70's, very groovy, very hard to get out of your head. And he hits an opposite field upper deck home run with another Beatles cover, "Rain". It starts off with a silly country-rock riff which gets progressively more manic. This collapses into a hideous laugh, and the song gets in gear, in earnest. California overdubs himself VERY druggy lead, and letting fly with some jimi-ish glissandi, screeching and swooping over the song. This is the song that the Rolling Stone reviewer was probably thinking of when he called the album a "mega-watt garage bomb." To make the Hendrix tribute more obvious, Randy brought in Noel Redding to play bass, under the name "Clit McTorius." One listen to this and you'll immediately catch velvet pants, fringed leathers, American flag headband, the whole trippy works. The cd has kind of a half-baked feel to it, but the well-done parts are well done indeed. Any chance to buy this out of print cd is to be seized immediately.

This album was released during Randy Caliornia's Spirit years. It also features one of the greatest overlooked drummers of all time, Ed Cassidy. This is an experimental jam project that turned out beautifully. Not only does it have the uniqueness that charactrizes Spirit, but it throws in a new energy an artful creativeness that wasn't missing in Spirit but is rearranged to create a new beautifull masterpiece. You can hear Randy's early Jimi James influences in some songs along with his and Cassidy's incredible stylistic creativity. There are also some great cover songs on this album. You must own or hear this album if you like Spirit, Jimi Hendrix, or simply enjoy great classic rock.

You probably know this but as a teenager Randy Wolfe aka California played in a band with Jimi Hendrix. The story goes that Chandler 'discovered' the band & was very keen on Hendrix. Jimi wanted to take Randy with him to England but that did not happen because of Randy's underage status. Jimi goes on to fame, fortune, tortured artist syndrome & accidental early death. Instant Rock Legend. Randy goes on to some success with Spirit but he was never promoted for the fine guitarist and songwriter that he was. The 'Rock Press' has always picked which artist will get the 'Star' treatment and Randy never got that break. But check out Spirit's catalogue,they were ahead of their time. On this recording, Randy performs a Hendrix tribute that has yet to be equaled. Lots of Energy so this baby doesn't drag. Robin Trower has his thing,which is good, but Randy really goes more for the 'out' side of Hendrix's virtuosity. 'Downer' 'Things Yet To Come' 'Rain' & 'I Don't Want Nobody' are so in the Hendrix way that it is just damn eerie. All the songs are in the Axis/Ladyland vein in my opinon. We have 2 Beatle covers, 1 James Brown, 1 Paul Simon & several 5 star originals. The guitars are multi-tracked just like Jimi so you can spend a lot of time just enjoying the different overdubs.The original album ended with the beautiful 'Rainbow' but some cds have bonus trax added. Granted, if you are not a Hendrix fan, stay away. But this is truly one of the very few 'Great Lost Rock Albums'

Kaptain Kopter and the Twirlybirds is a tribute to Hendrix; on KK&T Randy California not only manages to layer the Hendrix style over covers, "Day Tripper" and "The Mother and Child Reunion" and originals "Downer" and "Devil", he does it effortlessly. Instead of simply imitating Jimi's sound, he plays it as if he knows exactly what he's doing, instead of guessing at producing riffs here and there. The music is at times rough, other times fluid, and sometmes blistering; it can be listened to repeatedly for nuance, power and melody. The cover of "The Rain", a Beatles tune, slips into fusion, not long after, or during the advent of the hybrid of rock and jazz made its advent. Legend has it that Hendrix took California into the studio once and taught Randy things about treble, volume and wah-wah that Jimi showed no other. Makes sense if you listen to it. The album is more than an oddity, it is a required delicacy in the collection of any serious rock music fan, now and forever.

This is nothing like Spirit's great classic Dr. Sardonicus. This is California paying homage to Hendrix (esp. on "Downer") they had a band together before Jimi hit it big. This is like "Spirit of '76"; only more hard rock; disorganized. Songs fade out & return. Really odd guitar overdubs (backwards playback?)loop & droop all over the place. Check out the guitar scream at the end of intro to "Rain". Original, it will take some time to let this one grow on you. Then you'll agree it's a (hard rock) classic, although some might say it's strictly a period piece. Best cut: "Things yet to come". Like nothing you've heard. Very original Not for the faint-hearted or seeker of pretty songs.

former leader of spirit along with mitch mitchell and noel rdding some of the heaviest ever recorded covers of the beatles Rain and severely Hendrix style guitar A MUST

I really enjoyed this album when I owned it years ago. I was always a Spirit fan and this album was one of Randy's finest. Randy's guitar playing definitely showed off his Jimi Hendrix influence on this albim. I really miss hearing the song "Mother and Child Reunion" and I hope the CD becomes available again.

This is one of the great great LPs of the period (1968-73). This is simply a well done rock album with some great treatment of Simon & Garfunkle and The Beatles... if you like rock, this is a great one.

You thought Paul Simon could introduce amazing harmony? Nothing compares. Randy California was way ahead of his time, as was his former band Spirit. The album surely began as some of the finest musicians of the era getting together for what was probably a studio jam. What transpired was nothing short of incredible. This CD needs to be reissued immediately...

I turned onto this album back in 74 in a very rainy west end Vancouver. The guy selling me a bag of 3rd Mexican Pot had this playing on his stereo in the ramshackled boarding house. It took almost a year to find a copy of the album (used ... a real rarity) after returning to Winnipeg. Its so nice to hear a clean, unscratched recording and know this soundbrush of a grey day on the coast will be around for another generation to experience.

Definitely not top 40 or even commercially viable.