Jimi Hendrix:                           guitar, vocal

Eric Burdon:                            vocal

Bonnie Bramlett?:                       vocal




 Buddy Miles:                            drums

Cornelius Flowers & Terry Clements:         saxophones




 Brad Campbell:                          bass

Lee Oskar:                              harmonica  

During its brief career, the band Spirit represented a perplexing 
amalgam of musical tastes. Part jazz, part rock, part god knows what, 
Spirit was hailed by some as America's version of Pink Floyd. 
Unfortunately for the group, nothing close to Dark Side of the Moon 
can be found on its resume. In actuality, Spirit's sound defies 
definitive classification. At times Spirit's work is reminiscent of 
the expertly crafted explorations of King Crimson and the Moody Blues. 
At others, a pop rock sensibility dominates, much in the vein of 
Three Dog Night. Depending on the listener's tastes, Spirit can be 
considered brilliant, or merely inconsequential. 
Led by stepfather and son Ed Cassidy and Randy California, Spirit 
harnessed the musical pedigrees of its members and branched out into 
numerous directions. The re-release of 1973's Best of album highlights 
the diversity of the band's music by coupling the 11 original tracks 
with five bonus entries. Three decades after its initial pressing, 
the album demonstrates the complexity of Spirit's sound while providing 
no further clarity as to the band's position in rock music's pantheon 
of greatness. 


At the very least, the sixteen songs illustrate Spirit's ability to 
incorporate a wide spectrum of influence into its art. From the jazz 
infused "Fresh Garbage" and "Dark Eyed Woman" to the Cream-like 
"I'm Truckin'", virtually every track is identifiable with more 
prevalent band's offerings from the late '60s, early '70s period. 
Evidence of Spirit's skill to genre bounce? Or simply its inability 
to establish a signature sound? Both queries are open to debate. 
The most striking element of Best of is the frustrating broadness of 
the songs. Compare the trippy Creation-esque psychedelia of "Uncle Jack" 
to the funkiness of "Mr. Skin". Then listen to the James Taylor flavored 
intro for "Nothin' to Hide" and gauge it against the stirring somberness 
of "Taurus". 


Not confounded enough? Focus on "Mechanical World" and attempt to 
decipher which it is closer to, Blood Sweat and Tears' "Spinning Wheel" 
or Jim Morrison searching for a whiskey bar. Then concentrate on the 
soaring grandiosity of "1984" and try not to evoke images of Procol Harem. 
Although Spirit is extraordinarily difficult to label, that fact should 
not take away from the group's finest efforts. "Nature's Way" is a 
beautiful mix of acoustic and electric guitars, while "I've Got a Line 
on You" is a genuine FM radio staple. The latter was Spirit's biggest 
commercial hit, and again hints at Spirit's contemporaries; think Argent 
and BTO. 


Ironically, the varied nature of Spirit's music will garner equally 
varied opinions as to the band's legacy. Fans will appreciate the 
chance to revisit Best of and assuredly fawn over the additional 
tracks, reveling in California's underrated talents as a guitarist. 
Skeptics will greet the re-release with a shrug, believing Spirit 
to be nothing more than a group of directionless, albeit creative, 
doodlers. 

 





 

The Animals, a group that included Eric Burdon and Alan Price, 
were the first major pop stars to emerge from Newcastle, a city 
located about 300 miles north of London, therefore far removed from 
where most talent scouts were searching. It is fortunate for us all 
that the Animals were discovered because they recorded some of the 
best R+B music to come of the UK in the sixties. 


Their biggest hit was House of the rising sun, a re-working of a 
folk song (apparently inspired by Josh White's version of the song) 
that gave them a transatlantic number one hit. They had five other 
top ten UK hits with Mickie Most, these being I'm crying, Don't let 
me be misunderstood (a cover of a Nina Simone song), Bring it on home 
to me (a Sam Cooke cover), We gotta get out of this place and 
It's my life. 


Alan Price departed for a solo career even before the rest of the 
group split with their producer. After the split, they switched to 
another record label, where they had some success using the name 
Eric Burdon and the Animals, including two more UK top ten hits 
(Don't bring me down, San Franciscan nights) and several lesser hits. 

 

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