Spirit-Twelve Dreams of Dr. Sardonicus (1970)

Spirit was a legendary band from Los Angeles, formed in 1967 by Randy California (guitar), Ed Cassidy (drums), John Locke (keyboards), Mark Andes (bass and vocals), and Jay Ferguson (vocals and percussion). Initially called Spirits Rebellious, they later became known simply as Spirit. Their style was influenced by blues rock, with touches of psychedelia and jazz. Randy California had previously played with Jimi Hendrix (then known as Jimmy James) in a group called Jimmy James and the Blue Flames in 1966, and Hendrix's music influenced his later career. In 1968, they released their debut album, "Spirit", a great combination of psychedelic rock, progressive rock, baroque pop, folk, raga, and jazz, which was very well received by critics and the public. Later that year, their second album, "The Family That Plays Together", was released, followed by a tour with Led Zeppelin as their opening act. Interestingly, around that time, Led Zeppelin covered Spirit's song "Fresh Garbage", which was included in one of their extensive live medleys, and they were possibly inspired by Spirit's own song "Taurus" to compose the beginning of "Stairway to Heaven". This second album is much more elaborate and varied, and is also one of the band's best. In 1969, they released "Clear", which was another excellent work. Then, in 1970, they were signed by Epic Records. With this new record label, they released their most acclaimed album, 'Twelve Dreams of Dr. Sardonicus', featuring songs much more accessible than their previous work, such as 'Nature's Way', 'Animal Zoo', and 'Mr. Skin'. This album competed on the charts that year against the best albums of 1970 and was soon considered one of the best albums released that year. After the tour following the album's release, Jay Ferguson and Mark Andes left the group to form Jo Jo Gunne. Shortly afterward, Randy California also decided to leave the group to pursue a solo career. In the following years, Randy would return to the group to record the occasional album or tour, alternating his solo career with the band, but with little of the same impact as before.