Spirit of '76
Studio album by Spirit
Released 1975
Recorded 1975
Genre Rock
Length 77:14
Label Mercury
Producer Randy California
Spirit of '76, released in May 1975, was the first of four albums that Spirit would (initially) release for Mercury Records. Though all four albums were greatly influenced by the time that Randy California spent living in Hawaii, this album bears that influence more than any of the others (aside from maybe Future Games). Though it was largely ignored upon its first release, many fans consider it to be one of Spirit's best albums.
Professional Ratings:
allmusic 3.5/5 stars
Review by Joe Viglione of allmusic:
This 1975 release on Mercury has Randy California and Ed Cassidy's names imprinted boldly on the cover as Spirit, and the 26 songs -- starting with "America the Beautiful/The Times They Are a Changin'" and concluding with "The Star Spangled Banner" -- are more than just a sly tribute to the bicentennial. They are the most fluid and satisfying statement by the California/Cassidy version of the band, who would be together for another 20 years before California's untimely passing. As ethereal and icy as Feedback, the album Cassidy recorded with the Stahely brothers, there are all sorts of hidden meanings projected throughout this double-vinyl LP. Randy California gives more than a few nods to his work with Jimi Hendrix -- covers of "Like a Rolling Stone" and "Hey Joe" are two of Hendrix's more notable and triumphant revisions -- while "The Star Spangled Banner" has a smart vocal, separating it from California's more famous ex-bandmate's Woodstock instrumental rendition.
This double-record set was the first of four albums by Spirit for the Mercury label in the mid-'70s, all released between 1975-1977. This is the second album Ed Cassidy and Randy California put together after Cassidy recorded the Feedback disc in 1972 for Epic. The 1973 album came out in 1981 as Potatoland on Line Records in Germany and is not usually put in proper chronological order. What is musically interesting about this is that Randy California on Spirit of '76 sounds like the 1972 Stahely brothers version of Spirit. No, the jazz is not here, but his use of acoustic guitar and effects on his electric guitar makes for less bite and more soothing, spacy sounds. It is arguably the best full album the Randy California/Ed Cassidy Spirit recorded without the other original members. A terrific anthem, "One by One," was recorded in 1993-1994 and might be the duo's best song, but this album remains a major achievement for Randy California, a long and elaborate vision put over four sides of vinyl. The tragedy is that no hit single obtained airplay that could have given this project wider exposure. There are more covers than usual too, and unique arrangements -- the pair's understanding of "Happy," for example. It is interesting that producer Jimmy Miller played the drums and recorded the Rolling Stones' version of "Happy" with Keith Richards, with their Exile on Main St. demo track becoming a hit. Drummer Ed Cassidy takes Miller's role, with Randy California being Richards, and they do a nice, mutated version still faithful to the spirit of the original Keith Richards jam with his producer. The depth and intrigue built into the grooves and packaging of Spirit of '76 was a fine direction for this Spirit, and it is too bad Randy California felt so bitter about the industry to lose focus. As Jimi Hendrix kept the recorders rolling, California should have done the same thing over the years, capturing his live magic, seeking out that audience the Grateful Dead tuned into. Spirit of '76 is the best example of California veering off into different directions and coming up with satisfying sounds. Two albums later, Mark Andes would bring his brother, Matt Andes, from Jo Jo Gunne into the fold and re-form with Cassidy, California, and John Locke for 1976's Farther Along. But that would be a short-lived fusion of multiple songwriting talents. On Spirit of '76, Randy California has all systems go to paint spacy pictures like "Urantia," or the very interesting take on Rufus Thomas' "Walking the Dog." The covers of three of the songs Hendrix covered would remain in the Spirit set for the rest of their days, and they are here in elegant studio versions. Spirit of '76 remains the key to understanding the group who toured as Spirit for the better part of the three decades that the group existed, the stepdad and the guitar prodigy on their own. It's an offbeat work of art that works just beautifully.
Review on The Rising Storm:
With the exception of their first four albums, Spirit released some of their best music in the mid 70s. Spirit of Õ76 (released in 1975 by MCA) is a brilliant double album that saw Ed Cassidy and Randy California ÒofficiallyÓ reunite for the first time since the legendary 12 Dreams of Dr. Sardonicus. This disc was also the first band release to feature Randy California in complete creative control of the groupÕs sound. Prior to the album, California had suffered a nervous breakdown, an event that led him to relocate to Hawaii. In Hawaii, California lived on the beaches, miserable and destitute until he was taken in by a Christian family. The guitarist wrote most of the material for Spirit of Õ76 while being employed as a gardener in Hawaii. When California recovered, he phoned Ed Cassidy (the drummer) and when the two met up, the Spirit name was once again resurrected.
Gone are the jazzy, intricate textures of the groupÕs early albums. This version of Spirit favored a classic rock sound with plenty of distortion and phased guitars, vocal effects and a dreamy, stoned production Ð a strong Hendrix influence abounds. As with many double albums, thereÕs some indulgent moments sprinkled throughout the two discs. The brief ÒTampa Jam/Jack BondÓ theme appears 5 times throughout the album. Also, some listeners may be surprised by the 5 or 6 covers that appear on the LP. The original Spirit albums solely relied on original material. To me, the covers sound excellent. ÒHappyÓ (The Rolling Stones) is reckless and hard rocking, ÒHey JoeÓ is suitably spacey and faithful to HendrixÕs version, ÒAmerica The Beautiful/The Times They Are A ChangingÓ is inspiring while ÒWalking The DogÓ is a powerful rendition that features lots of great guitar work.
The California originals are truly exceptional. ÒSunrise,Ó ÒVeruska,Ó and ÒVictim Of SocietyÓ rock hard and fierce, featuring plenty of fuzz guitar, distortion and pounding drums. Some of the albumÕs tracks such as the trippy ÒUrantiaÓ are influenced by CaliforniaÕs interest in the religious teachings of the Urantia Book/Urantia Foundation (a religious organization). Other great moments include acoustic, reflective numbers ÒWhat Do I Have?Ó and ÒMy RoadÓ and a few lighthearted cuts such as ÒLady Of The LakesÓ and the country-psych gem, ÒJoker On The Run.Ó
Not many great classic rock albums were being issued in 1975/1976. At this point, all the heavy hitters (example Ð at this juncture The Rolling Stones, The Who, The Kinks and solo Beatles were releasing weak, uninteresting LPs) were peddling slick, corporate dreck to the public. Taken in this context, Spirit of Õ76 is one of the better classic rock releases from 1975 that actually does possess real artistic integrity; a hidden gem from 1975.
Review by Peter Marsh on BBC Music:
Spirit are probably best known for 1969's The Twelve Dreams of Doctor Sardonicus, a sort-of-concept album consisting of equal parts psychedelia, West Coast rock and jazz. Having recorded what many still see as their artistic peak, the band fell apart, appeared with an almost entirely new line-up, broke up again and finally resurfaced as a duo of guitarist Randy California (on the mend after a breakdown) and his stepdad, drummer Ed Cassidy. Though Spirit would exist in various forms till California's untimely death in 1997, mid 70s output like Future Games and this album remain probably their most exploratory and underappreciated work.
Spirit of 76 is some kind of vaguely political comment on America's Bicentennial Independence celebrations; we open with "America The Beautiful" which slides into "The Times They Are 'A Changing", while a foggy "Hey Joe" gives way to a surf-pop rendition of "The Star Spangled Banner" as the album closes. In between there's a kaleidoscopic mix of sun-kissed pop, jangly acoustics, psychedelic blissouts, Beach Boys harmonies and hazy, fuzzed out jams, all filtered through California's increasingly eccentric yet inspired approach to the studio.
Keen readers may have spotted a Hendrix influence in the choice of material. Randy and Jimi played together in the Blue Flames, and there's some of Hendrix in California's cool, nasal vocal. His (much underrated) guitar playing carries some influence too; not the wild pyrotechnics imitated by thousands, but the lush textural explorations of "All Along the Watchtower" or "1983, A Merman I Should Be". From the yearning, jazzy atmospherics of "When?" to the swooning, cosmic skyscrapings of "Urantia" and "Once Again" to the cavernous, primal heavy metal of "Veruska", California soaks his guitars in swathes of warm tape delay, phasing and various flavours of distortion, threatening to overload the tape with his cosmic musings.
This may have something to do with fact that the music 'comes from another dimension somewhere along the Time Coast'. Throughout proceedings a character called Jack Bond pops up to mutter unintelligibly about this in a slowed down, echo drenched voice, and the album is stuffed full of whispers, false endings, a nice stereo ping pong match, and all sorts of smoker's delights. After 20 or so years of listening to this album, I'm still hearing new things. Or at least I think I am, which is a pretty good trick to pull off when you think about it. Eccentric, inexplicable and utterly beautiful. California dreaming, indeed.
Review on The Charleston Gazette:
This West Coast group which, in 1968, showed itself as one of the few American bands to create a truly original sound, is back with, its best album yet. "Spirit of 76" is a Bicentennial concept album. It is patriotic - in a weird way - and optimistic in a way not expected in a rock album.
But Spirit is more than a rock band. Its music is an amalgam of jazz, rock and the avant garde. Spirit has always been best at this brand of music. Ed "Cass" Cassidy, 52-year-old Spirit founder, is as steady with the drumbeat as he was initially, and his stepson Randy California's guitar work is as fascinating.
They are the creative core of the band, and they are fine. On this two record set, there are some excellent surprises. First off is the opening tune, "America/The Times They Are A-Changing," which is excellent. "America" gets a fine acoustic, folk treatment and melts beautifully into Dylan's "Times." It is fine.
"The Star Spangled Banner" closes the album, and it has never been given a better contemporary treatment. It is an excellent jazz piece, with a fine vocal. Outstanding tunes abound on the set. "Victim of Society" and "Lady of the Lakes" are fine rock numbers, and there is a thrilling version of "Like a Rolling Stone." There is nothing contrived anywhere on the album. All the music is fine, polished stuff.
"Spirit of 76" is the first Spirit album in three years. It is their best since the classic "Clear Spirit." It is a refreshing treat to hear from musicians like Cassidy and California. The band's new album should re-establish Spirit as one of the rock world's most respected acts. One thing's for certain - you can't beat "Spirit of 76."
LP track listing
Side One
1. "America the Beautiful/The Times They Are A-Changing" (Katherine Lee Bates, Samuel A. Ward/Bob Dylan) : 5:27
2. "Victim of Society" (Randy California, Ed Cassidy) - 3:00
3. "Lady of the Lakes" (Randy California, Ed Cassidy) - 2:52
4. "Tampa Jam Pt. 1" (Randy California, Ed Cassidy) - 0:54
5. "Mauna Loa" (Randy California) - 2:02
6. "What Do I Have?" (Randy California) - 2:04
7. "Sunrise" (Randy California, Ed Cassidy) - 3:00
Side Two
8. "Walking the Dog" (Rufus Thomas) - 3:13
9. "Tampa Jam Pt. 2" (Randy California, Ed Cassidy) - 1:03
10. "Joker on the Run" (Randy California, Ed Cassidy, Barry Keene) - 3:53
11. "When?" (Randy California) - 4:27
12. "Like a Rolling Stone" (Bob Dylan) - 8:54
Side Three
13. "Once Again" (Randy California, Ed Cassidy) - 3:19
14. "Feeling in Time" (Randy California, Ed Cassidy) - 3:27
15. "Happy" (Mick Jagger, Keith Richards) - 3:19
16. "Jack Bond" (Burt Shonberg) - 1:39
17. "My Road" (Randy California) - 4:13
18. "Tampa Jam Pt. 3" (Randy California, Ed Cassidy) - 0:54
19. "Thank You Lord" (Randy California) - 1:45
Side Four
20. "Urantia" (Randy California, Ed Cassidy) - 4:04
21. "Guide Me" (Randy California, Ed Cassidy) - 3:47
22. "Veruska" (Randy California, Ed Cassidy, Mark Andes) - 3:57
23. "Hey Joe" (Billy Roberts) - 6:30
24. "Jack Bond Pt. 2" (Burt Shonberg) - 0:51
25. "The Star Spangled Banner" (Francis Scott Key, John Stafford Smith) - 3:40
Personnel:
* Randy California - bass, guitar, vocals, multi instruments
* Ed Cassidy - percussion, drums
* Barry Keane - bass
* Benji - harpsichord, Moog synthesizer