Spirit
The Family That Plays Together

THE REVIEW

It seems strange to me that I haven't found any reviews of this album on DeBaser yet. After all, history has been rather unjust with this masterpiece: even today knowing Spirit is quite rare, and it's almost impossible to be aware of their most mature work (even if for some it’s not the most beautiful).

Spirit were one of the most important and acclaimed bands of American psychedelia. Californian by origin (but certainly not in terms of musicality), they were born from the meeting of guitarist Randy California and drummer Ed Cassidy (already alongside Thelonius Monk), who in turn recruited bassist Mark Andes, keyboardist John Locke, and the highly skilled composer Jay Ferguson. From the first album, the critical reception was excellent, commercially less so (music too mature!). But with "The Family That Plays Together," they reached an even higher quality.

"I Got A Line On You" is clearly the most accessible track on the album; it will be the band’s only big hit (it will reach number 25 on the charts in the USA, some record, huh!). The driving piano, the sober and fluid guitar solo, the enveloping choruses are a great start, but already "It Shall Be" shows the difficulty of the genre. With "Poor Richard," the surreal atmosphere darkens through a hypnotic, unsettling riff (at least for me). "Silky Sam" is a masterpiece: one of the most beautiful melodies of the entire Californian scene, endowed with great delicacy in the voice and complexity in the arrangement. Lou Adler (as in the rest of the album) offers a clear and personal orchestral accompaniment, never too invasive: the sudden pauses that alternate with off-screen sounds are the most concrete proof of this. It’s also worth mentioning the very delicate "Darling If" and the other great gem of the album: the dark orchestration of "Jewish." The arpeggio of "She Smiles," the noises of "It's All The Same," the epicness of "Aren't You Glad" are perfect for the organic nature of the album, and explaining its charm in words seems pointless to me.

The dreamlike settings show a brilliant and mature art, unfortunately destined for listening by only a few people. It's not an immediate album (thanks to... we got that!) but it's not particularly difficult either. This mix of blues in spirit, psychedelia in form, jazz in intentions, requires just a bit of patience and willingness to listen to something different. That's all.