Spirit
Twelve Dreams of Dr. Sardonicus
(Epic, 1970)

When people think of real classic rock albums, the Beatles’ Sgt. Pepper’s and Pink Floyd’s The Dark Side of the Moon are two that immediately spring to mind. For me, LA-based Spirit’s wonderful eclectic psychedelic masterpiece Twelve Dreams of Dr. Sardonicus fits neatly between the two. It’s kind of a distant cousin to those drastically different albums, in that it has the production and arrangement qualities of the aforementioned Beatles album and the daring instrumentals and precision of the Floyd set. Also, it was released right in the middle (three years after the former and three years before the latter). It was the fourth and last album by the original five-piece band (not counting a mediocre ’80s reunion effort). Amazingly, it has never been out of print since its original November 1970 release. It stayed available in its vinyl edition until the advent of CDs in the early ’80s, then was subsequently released as a CD, an expanded CD edition, a Mobile Fidelity Sound Lab audiophile CD edition, and it has been released again as a 180-gram vinyl disc from those bastions of quality at Sundazed, which made for a good excuse for me to revisit one of my favorite albums of all time. It’s even been the subject of a complete and quite exhilarating tribute/reinterpretation album by Seattle-based band 13 Dreams in 2006.

Sardonicus is an enigma, a prime example of quality winning out in the long run. The sales of the album (which went gold in 1976) are simply based on its quality and propelled by word-of-mouth over time, as opposed to any publicity blitz or hype. Most of its accolades seem to come from fellow musicians. On its release, it achieved the poorest chart position of any of their albums, peaking at 63, but has gone on to be the band’s biggest selling album by far and has remained a major cult album.

This disparate, minor concept album of 12 dream-like song capsules that are vaguely thematically linked (yet stand on their own) is as an excellent example of the kaleidoscopic collision of rock, blues, jazz, and folk. The five-piece line-up of Randy California, Jay Ferguson, Mark Andes, John Locke, and Ed Cassidy all had different musical ideas, but no matter how much they might conflict, the end result is magnificent. Despite having a number of cuts that became staple FM favorites, it’s not an easy album to listen to right off the bat, but it’s a rewarding one. Being their most produced album, it has a lot of nuances, such as rhythmic and vocal intricacies that embrace both spontaneity and precision. By far their most structured work, with each of the 12 cuts finely crafted and honed into their specific format, Spirit avoided the pitfalls of many overproduced mid-’70s LA albums. Simply put, there’s nothing superfluous or insignificant on the entire album, and it doesn’t sound like anybody but Spirit.

The opening lines to the first song, “Prelude—Nothin’ to Hide”, kind of say it all: “You have the world at your fingertips / No one can make it better than you.” If only the band realized what they had at the time, things could have been different for them. Released when inner conflicts were running rampant in the band—and unlike the three preceding albums, which had been produced under the auspices of Lou Adler—Sardonicus featured the late David Briggs (best known for his work with Neil Young) at the helm, and it had all band members contributing more to the overall sound. Needless to say, the album did take much longer to record than any of the others, but it was the record that was closest to presenting what Spirit was really about. This was the first album Spirit recorded on a 16-track recorder and they took full advantage of it with layers and layers of sound, especially with the intricate vocal overdubs and clever production techniques. Surprisingly, when they played live, the band’s weakest aspect was its vocals. On the record, it’s a strong point.

At the time of its release, Sardonicus received a mixed reception from the media and fans. The Rolling Stone review was so ambivalent that it wasn’t really clear as to whether they liked it or not. So, with their masterwork not exactly setting the world on fire, the band splintered within a few months of its release. Ferguson and Andes jumped ship and formed the more basic Jo Jo Gunne, and guitarist California, drummer Cassidy, and keyboardist Locke recruited a bass player and played out the band’s current commitments before things fragmented even more.

Why Sardonicus wasn’t immediately more successful is hard to say. However, time shows the record’s diversity is its main strength with ecology-based anthems such as “Nature’s Way” and “Animal Zoo” set against more esoteric folk and hard rock sounds, as in the California/Locke composition “Love Has Found a Way”—a delicious slice of psychedelic-tinged jazz with complex counterpoint harmonies, a backwards rhythm track, and synthesizer that weave in and out of the vocal. That song then majestically segues into California’s poignant “Why Can’t I Be Free” with some exquisitely delicate guitar and a haunting, folky melody. Locke’s funky organ riffs lead into the powerhouse, horn-propelled “Mr. Skin”, a tongue-in-cheek ode to their baldheaded drummer (but often interpreted as a metaphor for a certain body part). The song boasts an infectious hook, a great groove, a blistering sax solo, and a tight but outrageous guitar solo from California. It has become one of the bands’ most covered songs. Just when you think it can’t get any better, Locke’s aptly titled “Space Child” takes you on a prog-rock jazz excursion and highlights the innovative abilities of the band with its abrupt time changes, complex bass, and spacey ambience.

California and Ferguson may have had power struggles over the years, but when they came together creatively, as on the Ferguson rockers “When I Touch You” and “Street Worm”, they were terrific. Ferguson sings with gusto and passion while California unleashes some fiery guitar work that highlights just how good and influential he was with shades of Eddie Van Halen technicality. California hearkens back to his early folk roots with the haunting “Life Has Just Begun”, which again sees them using the 16-track to good effect with multi-layered vocals. “Morning Will Come” is a pure slice of unassuming, horn-driven rock ‘n’ roll and boasts an infectious, Beatles-like hook with a simplicity that makes it all the more appealing. Closing out the album is the eerie ballad “Soldier”, where Locke’s delicate piano and pipe organ builds in intensity before fading with the lyrical refrain, “You have the world at your fingertips,” making the album cycle complete.

In my recent interview with him, Ferguson recalled, “With the initial public and critical indifference to Sardonicus, it was difficult to see the reason for sticking it out. It felt like our time may have passed… My feeling is that we would have weathered the storms with the incentive of a successful record.” Ironically, they created the quintessential Spirit album!

Listen: “Nature’s Way” [at youtube.com]

Tags: Spirit, Twelve Dreams of Dr. Sardonicus

Read past installments of Crate Digger:

Percy Thrills Thrillington 

Shine On Silver Apples 

Lee Michaels’ 5th