Spirit

Originally named after Khalil Gibran's book Spirits Rebellious, Spirit came together in Los Angeles in 1967. Randy California (guitar/vocals), Jay Ferguson (vocals/percussion) and Mark Andes (bass) had played together in a band named The Red Roosters and prior to that, California was a member of Jimmy James and the Blue Fames in 1966, led by future guitar deity Jimi Hendrix. After adding John Locke (keyboards) and California's stepfather, jazz veteran Ed Cassidy (drums), the band began writing...

SPIRIT -- THE GROUNDBREAKING L.A. COMBO EQUALLY swayed by moody jazz and Hendrix-style rock 'n' roll--was born to record movie soundtracks. Unfortunately, they cut only one, for the seldom-seen 1969 Jacques Demy film Model Shop, but what a triumph it is: a magical blend of John Locke's eerie keyboards, the soaring guitar of Randy California and Jay Ferguson's impassioned vocals and percussion, backed by the rock-steady bass and drums of Mark Andes and Ed Cassidy. It's mindboggling that...

Building on the momentum of their audacious debut, Spirit's The Family That Plays Together proved that they would not be victims of the sophomore slump. Stretching beyond the psychedelic environs of that first LP, the second disc found them flexing their musical muscles and expanding their palette. Led by the #25 hit, "I Got a Line on You," the album explores a wide range of styles, all within the framework of a tight-knit quintet. Guitarist Randy California dazzles throughout, often double...