Spirit: "It Shall Be: Ode & Epic Recordings 1968-1972"
Out March 23.
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Details:
NEW REMASTERED 5 CD CLAMSHELL BOXED SET FEATURING EVERY RECORDING
RELEASED BY THE LEGENDARY SPIRIT FOR ODE & EPIC RECORDS BETWEEN 1968
– 1972.
INCLUDES THE ENTIRE MONO MIX OF THE 1968 ALBUM SPIRIT ON CD FOR THE
FIRST TIME, ALONG WITH THE SOUNDTRACK TO THE FILM THE MODEL SHOP, THE
ORIGINAL 1968 STEREO MIX OF THE FAMILY THAT PLAYS TOGETHER, ASSOCIATED
OUT-TAKES, SINGLES AND ALTERNATE MIXES UNDERTAKEN IN 1991 FOR THE TIME
CIRCLE COMPILATION.
INCLUDES AN ILLUSTRATED BOOK WITH AN ESSAY BY MALCOLM DOME AND FEATURING ARCHIVE INTERVIEWS WITH BAND MEMBERS.
Esoteric Recordings are pleased to announce the release of a new 5CD
remastered clamshell box set by the legendary American band SPIRIT.
Formed in Los Angeles in 1967 from the remnants of The Red Roosters,
SPIRIT was one of the great bands to emerge on the US West Coast in the
Psychedelic era.
Featuring the talents of 16 year old guitarist Randy
California (who had played guitar with Jimi Hendrix in New York the
previous year), his step-father drummer Ed Cassidy along with Jay
Ferguson (vocals, percussion), John Locke (keyboards) and Mark Andes
(bass), Spirit signed to producer Lou Adler’s newly established Ode
Records label in late 1967.
Their self-titled debut album appeared some
months later and demonstrated the breadth and diversity of the band
covering psychedelic, rock and jazz influences and featuring such
legendary cuts as Fresh Garbage, Uncle Jack, Topanga Windows, Mechanical
World , Elijah and Taurus (the subject of a court case decades later
when it was alleged Led Zeppelin had taken the musical structure of the
piece as a basis for Stairway to Heaven).
The band’s follow-up album,
The Family That Plays Together, spawned the hit single I’ve Got a Line
on You and was one of their finest works thanks to material such as It
Shall Be, Aren’t You Glad, Silky Sam and Darlin’ If. Leading up to the
recording of 1969’s Clear album Spirit recorded the soundtrack to Jaques
Demy’s film The Model Shop. In 1970 Spirit recorded the classic The
Twelve Dreams of Doctor Sardonicus for Epic Records, from which the
single Animal Zoo was taken and included excellent material such as
Nature’s Way, Mr Skin, Space Child, Morning Will Come and Soldier.
Sadly
the original line- up of Spirit fell apart some months later leaving
just Ed Cassidy and John Locke to assemble a new incarnation of Spirit
for 1972’s Feedback, which saw brothers Al and John Staehely join the
band on bass and drums respectively. Spirit went on hiatus soon after,
although California and Cassidy would continue to tour and record as
Spirit on and off until California’s untimely death in 1997.
Newly re-mastered, this anthology features all of Spirit’s recordings
for the Ode and Epic labels between 1968 and 1972 and notably includes
the entire mono mix of the band’s self-titled debut album (appearing on
CD for the first time), the complete soundtrack to the film The Model
Shop, along with original 1968 stereo mix of The Family That Plays
Together, associated out-takes, singles and alternate mixes undertaken
in 1991 for the Time Circle compilation. It Shall Be also includes an
illustrated booklet with essay by Malcolm Dome featuring archive
interviews with Randy California and Ed Cassidy.
Track listing:
DISC ONE
1. FRESH GARBAGE
2. UNCLE JACK
3. MECHANICAL WORLD
4. TAURUS
5. GIRL IN YOUR EYE
6. STRAIGHT ARROW
7. TOPANGA WINDOWS
8. GRAMOPHONE MAN
9. WATER WOMAN
10. THE GREAT CANYON FIRE IN GENERAL
11. ELIJAH
TAKEN FROM THE STEREO ALBUM “SPIRIT” RELEASED IN 1968
12. I GOT A LINE ON YOU (ORIGINAL 1968 STEREO MIX)
13. IT SHALL BE (ORIGINAL 1968 STEREO MIX)
14. POOR RICHARD (ORIGINAL 1968 STEREO MIX)
15. SILKY SAM (ORIGINAL 1968 STEREO MIX)
16. THE DRUNKARD (ORIGINAL 1968 STEREO MIX)
17. DARLIN’ IF (ORIGINAL 1968 STEREO MIX)
18. ALL THE SAME (ORIGINAL 1968 STEREO MIX)
19. JEWISH (ORIGINAL 1968 STEREO MIX)
20. DREAM WITHIN A DREAM (ORIGINAL 1968 STEREO MIX)
21. SHE SMILED (ORIGINAL 1968 STEREO MIX)
22. AREN’T YOU GLAD (ORIGINAL 1968 STEREO MIX)
TAKEN FROM THE ALBUM “THE FAMILY THAT PLAYS TOGETHER” – RELEASED IN 1968
DISC TWO
1. THE MOVING VAN
2. MELLOW FELLOW
3. NOW OR ANYWHERE
4. FOG
5. GREEN GORILLA
6. MODEL SHOP I
7. MODEL SHOP II (CLEAR)
8. THE REHEARSAL THEME
9. SONG FOR LOLA
10. EVENTIDE
11. CORAL
12. AREN’T YOU GLAD (DEMO)
TAKEN FROM THE FILM SOUNDTRACK “THE MODEL SHOP” – RECORDED IN 1968
13. DARK EYED WOMAN
14. APPLE ORCHARD
15. SO LITTLE TIME TO FLY
16. GROUND HOG
17. COLD WIND
18. POLICEMAN’S BALL
19. ICE
20. GIVE A LIFE, TAKE A LIFE
21. I’M TRUCKIN’
22. CLEAR
23. CAUGHT
24. NEW DOPE IN TOWN
TAKEN FROM THE ALBUM “CLEAR” RELEASED IN 1969
DISC THREE
1. PRELUDE – NOTHING TO HIDE
2. NATURE’S WAY
3. ANIMAL ZOO
4. LOVE HAS FOUND A WAY
5. WHY CAN’T I BE FREE?
6. MR SKIN
7. SP ACE CHILD
8. WHEN I TOUCH YOU
9. STREET WORM
10. LIFE HAS JUST BEGUN
11. MORNING WILL COME
12. SOLDIER
TAKEN FROM THE ALBUM “THE TWELVE DREAMS OF DOCTOR SARDONICUS” – RELEASED IN 1970
13. ROUGHER ROAD
RECORDED IN 1970 DURING SESSIONS FOR “THE TWELVE DREAMS OF DOCTOR SARDONICUS”
14. CHELSEA GIRLS
15. CADILLAC COWBOYS
16. PUESTA DEL SCAM
17. RIPE AND READY
18. DARKNESS
19. EARTH SHAKER
20. MELLOW MORNING
21. RIGHT ON TIME
22. TRANCAS FOG-OUT
23. WITCH
TAKEN FROM THE ALBUM “FEEDBACK” RELEASED IN 1972
DISC FOUR
1. FRESH GARBAGE (MONO MIX)
2. UNCLE JACK (MONO MIX)
3. MECHANICAL WORLD (MONO MIX)
4. TAURUS (MONO MIX)
5. GIRL IN YOUR EYE (MONO MIX)
6. STRAIGHT ARROW (MONO MIX)
7. TOPANGA WINDOWS (MONO MIX)
8. GRAMOPHONE MAN (MONO MIX)
9. WATER WOMAN (MONO MIX)
10. THE GREAT CANYON FIRE IN GENERAL (MONO MIX)
11. ELIJAH (MONO MIX)
TAKEN FROM THE MONO ALBUM “SPIRIT” RELEASED IN 1968 PREVIOUSLY UNRELEASED ON CD
12. VERUSKA
13. FREE SPIRIT
14. IF I HAD A WOMAN
15. ELIJAH (ALTERNATE TAKE 2)
RECORDED IN 1968 DURING SESSIONS FOR “SPIRIT”
16. I GOT A LINE ON YOU (“TIME CIRCLE” MIX)
17. IT SHALL BE (“TIME CIRCLE” MIX)
18. POOR RICHARD (“TIME CIRCLE” MIX)
19. SILKY SAM (“TIME CIRCLE” MIX)
TAKEN FROM THE 1991 COMPILATION “TIME CIRCLE”
DISC FIVE
1. SCHEROZODE (“TIME CIRCLE” MIX)
2. ALL THE SAME (“TIME CIRCLE” MIX)
3. A DREAM WITHIN A DREAM (“TIME CIRCLE” MIX)
4. AREN’T YOU GLAD (“TIME CIRCLE” MIX)
5. EVENTIDE (“TIME CIRCLE” MIX)
6. MODEL SHOP THEME (“TIME CIRCLE” MIX)
7. GREEN GORILLA (“TIME CIRCLE” MIX)
8. REHEARSAL THEME (“TIME CIRCLE” MIX)
TAKEN FROM THE 1991 COMPILATION “TIME CIRCLE”
9. FOG
10. SO LITTLE TO SAY
11. MELLOW FELLOW
12. NOW OR ANYWHERE
13. SPACE CHILE
RECORDED IN 1968 DURING SESSIONS FOR “THE FAMILY THAT PLAYS TOGETHER”
14. FULLER BRUSH MAN
15. CORAL
RECORDED IN 1969 DURING SESSIONS FOR “CLEAR”
16. 1984
17. SWEET STELLA BABY
A & B-SIDES OF SINGLE – RELEASED IN 1970
18. ANIMAL ZOO (MONO SINGLE VERSION)
19. RED LIGHT ROLL ON
A & B-SIDES OF SINGLE – RELEASED IN 1970
20. MORNING WILL COME (MONO MIX)
RECORDED AND MIXED IN 1970