On any post, if the link is no longer good, leave a comment if you want the music re-uploaded. As long as I still have the file, or the record, cd, or cassette to re-rip, I will gladly accommodate in a timely manner all such requests.

Slinging tuneage like some fried or otherwise soused short-order cook

17 August 2023

That’s the Spirit...

      "If I had one wish, I'd bring my dear friend Jimi back. We'd reminisce about days gone by. Tears of joy we would not cry & one good thing about it is...
we'd start all over again."
                                                                                     from 'Jimi's Back" by Randy Wolfe 

 



Did you ever wonder what would have happened if after Jimmy James & the Blue Flames, Randy (from California) had gone along with Jimi to England? Well, I have. The Hendrix - California Experience (Jimi Hendrix, Randy California, Noel Redding, & Mitch Mitchell).

So Randy didn't write tunes as great as Jimi (well, we all know the "Taurus" / “Stairway” thing, right?), but "boy, could he play guitar". The thirteen plus minute "All Along the Watchtower" brings tears to my eyes every time. Or the seven-plus "Red House". Come on. But most of all, he would have always been there for Jimi. We know he would have given his own life to save Jimi from the rip-tide of notoriety & drugs that pulled him down just as he did in the rip-tide of the Pacific to save his son. 

 



Enough of that, though. Spirit was an equally legendary band. When I first saw them at the Fox Theater in San Jose I was hooked. Then Sardonicus came out. ..hell, yeah...

Here are a couple live sets & one post-Randy double discs of greatness... 

 

Spirit - Live at the Fillmore West, May 16,1970, Esoteric Recordings, 2022.
all decryption codes in comments


Sweet Stella Baby
1984
Country Echo
Jealous
All the Same
Fresh Garbage
It Shall Be
Nothing to Hide (no Prelude)
Ice
Mr. Skin
Animal Zoo
I'm Truckin'
So Little Time to Fly
Fog
Dark Eyed Woman
Uncle Jack
Nature's Way

bonus cuts -    
Mechanical World (live, Boston Tea Party, October 11, 1969)
Walking on My Feet
When I Touch You
Street Worm (live backing track)
Love Has Found a Way (backing track) 

 

 

 

 

Spirit - Live from the Time Coast 2xCD, Acadia ACAD 8073, 2004.

Disc One -
Soldier
Mike & Bob's Party    
Rapture in the Chambers    
Love Tonight    
Tent of Miracles    
All Along the Watchtower    
Ship of Fools    
Golden Jam    
Dark Eyed Woman    
I Got a Line on You    
Jam Free
Downer

Disc Two - 
In a Young Man's Eyes, 
Life has Just Begun    
Future in My Hands    
Victim of Society    
Holy Man    
Love from Here
Fresh Garbage
Taurus    
Darlin' If    
Burning Love    
Logical Answers    
Blues for a Nation    
Old Black Magic    
Animal Zoo    
Deep in this Land    
Zandu    
Turn to the Right    
Working in New York
 
 
 
 
Spirit - Blues from the Soul 2xCD, Acadia ACAD 8047, 2003.

Disc One -
Gonna Need Somebody on Your Bond    
Wagon of Wood    
Tell Me (Didn't Mean No Harm to You)    
Key to the Highway    
When You're Smilin'    
Pawnshop Blues    
Ever Since You Left Me    
Kansas City    
Fixing to Die (Shake My Ego Down)    
Pick a Bale of Cotton    
Run Sinner Run    
Cosmic Smile (aka the Other Song)    
Charlie James / Miss this Train    
Jimi's Back    
Red House    
Kokomo    
Devine Love    
When the Saints Go Marchin' In    
Like a Dog    
Lord I'll Be with You Always    
I had a Dream

Disc Two -
The Letter    
Ain't Superstitious
Ever Since You Left Me (Maui Wowie)    
Poor Boy
Cold Rainy Night    
California Blues    
Sugar Mama    
Charlie James    
Shattered Dreams    
Kokocass Jam    
Dreamy Eyes    
Miss this Train
Down & Dirty Blues
Last Night I had the Strangest Dream

Enjoy,
NØ
Posted by at
Labels:

18 comments:

  1. Anonymous8/18/23, 3:02 AM

    Sorry for troubles, but the link to 'Spirit - Blues from the Soul 2xCD' / >> CD 01 only brings up first track (01 Introduction)
    (and i thought as a Spirit nerd i had been complete on all official releases... default lesson of life learned, 'there's always more to come, than you thought there was')

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. NØ8/18/23, 12:27 PM

      No trouble whatsoever. Glad you let me know. I had posted the wrong link & code. I have fixed it & the new list should be accurate.

      Glad I could share something that you might need.

      Delete
    2. Anonymous8/18/23, 5:47 PM

      Thank you so much.
      Also, i shared the photo in a Facebook Randy California group (without naming any source), checkout the results, lol, a majority of everybody was pleased though

      Nelson Duffle
      I don’t think that’s Randy in this photo, is it? 🤔
      Steven Roberts
      Nelson Duffle I don’t think so either.
      Author(me)
      third hit Google comes up with
      Elad Lending
      Nelson Duffle I actually think that the person in the middle smoking a cigarette could very well be a 15-year-old Randy!
      Bill Haines
      Elad Lending nope. That is definitely not Randy.
      Gerry Karr
      Dare I say the kids on the photo look totally waspy and Randy was a Jew, and bore no resemblance to these fine kids, whoever they are.
      Mark A TaylorTop contributor
      On a hunch I looked for photos of Jimi hanging out with Moving Sidewalks a group that included young Billy Gibbons. There are other photos of Moving Sidewalks with Jimi and this photo is associated with the others when you google “Jimi Hendrix & Moving Sidewalks”
      I’m guessing that’s Billy and another Sidewalk member in the photo. Moving Sidewalks opened at least once for Jimi on his first headliner tour of North America.
      Billy Gibbons has made a point of letting the world know he opened for Jimi who gifted him a pink Stratocaster.
      That is a pic of Hendrix late 66/early 67..probably in England..neither of the other two guys is Randy California.
      Paul Diamond
      Not Randy, of course.
      Lorne Rall
      Not Randy in that pic.
      Pat Hale
      Definitely NOT Randy.

      Sorta funny, not?

      Delete
    3. NØ8/18/23, 7:27 PM

      I was going to just delete this as I could really give a fuck about a bunch of experts from Facebook Randy California page. I'm no expert & just relied on a picture I found in Google images (which I realized lends no veracity to the actuality). However, I went on the Facebook page & looked through photos. There is a picture of "Jimmie James & the Blue Flames" with a shirtless leather vested Randy looking just like this same "waspy" kid.

      I'll remove the photo if you really have an issue with it. anonymous.

      Delete
    4. Joey DeVivre8/18/23, 7:44 PM

      I just ran facial recognition on the Randy (left) & the Spirit fotos. They are definitely the same person. Neither one is Randy Wolfe. (now that's funny.)

      Delete
    5. Anonymous8/19/23, 2:17 AM

      no need to delete anything, at least not for my inner peace, lol, that very group has become weird, new co- admins, being picky as it gets, but allowing spammers selling fake t- shirts, all without me noticing, been absent for a year or longer, only this sweet Jimi quote made me consider sharing it over there, ungrateful naggers, haha, let them post 'Nature's Way for a 1000th time.....
      Mark Andes is member, too, but not seen in a while and Rick Roberts, too.

      Delete
  2. Viacomclosedmedown on youtube8/18/23, 8:07 AM

    Astounding!

    ReplyDelete
  3. NØ8/18/23, 12:24 PM

    Live at the Fillmore West
    r4oVdRIzZU8AgUSXOhjlEmza4BL3X_wi3bSqRZ0ilR8
    Live from the Time Coast CD1
    JKHtJrdBCatfem9zRrSOclvpLZ6v42grbJhNhZBwrnk
    Live from the Time Coast CD2
    A1v3EgaygG3SOxYiosEdRGkHSPg6ZmSqZGZEp7BG5YM
    Blues from the Soul CD1
    7EvX9j8nwxXHNuUfaHtrGYcRmAD_gepUm13kXX9dMS8
    Blues from the Soul CD2
    YCaawf5rxkU6_EdHqn5_JZgb8JMLoHvPl8KNsx7d_9A

    ReplyDelete
  4. Anonymous8/22/23, 8:06 PM

    Hey Nathan
    I was introduced to Spirit by This Mortal Coil's cover of Nature's Way.
    Not the only wonder I discovered through TMC.
    It may look pretentious to some but those records were gateways to older groups that otherwise postpunkie youths like meself might never dive into at the time.
    Thanks to Ivo Watts Russell many of my generation started appreciating bands like this or Big Star or Rain Parade.
    Just a footnote.
    I'll check the live stuf, thanks very much dear Man.
    Diego

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. NØ8/23/23, 12:02 PM

      Cosmic entanglement everywhere today. I was just working on The Hope Blister's ...smile's OK for a future post. A late addition to Ivo W-R's catalogue of greats. I was just the opposite of you. Being an old fart, I was well aware of the "older groups" but 4AD led me to much great at the time "new" music.

      Hope you enjoy some of the live Spirit. May be kinda completist stuff, I never know.

      Delete
    2. Anonymous8/25/23, 7:03 PM

      As a piece of trivia the TMC name came from Spirit's "Dream within a dream", not a direct Shakespearian reference.
      The book "Facing the other way" (a 4AD bio of sorts) contains a lot of
      interesting data for all those interested.
      Cheers
      Diego

      Delete
    3. NØ8/26/23, 4:54 PM

      Didn't know Mortal's name came from Spirit. Very Kool. I'm going searching for Facing the Other Way right now. Thanks for the info, brother.

      Delete
    4. NØ8/26/23, 5:04 PM

      Man, while I was looking for a cheap copy of the book I saw on discogs that there is a 2xCD 44 track release musical companion. Now I on a search for that as well. See what you've started.

      Delete
  5. Anonymous8/30/23, 8:51 PM

    Currently listening to the "Song of the siren/ Sixteen days" 7 " first pressing I kept after selling my vinyls in dire times.
    May be the only one that made it to my country, who knows...
    Tonight it's being played in a 20 people settlement in Patagonian cordillera
    Maybe it was meant for this occasion.
    One of those things money can't buy even with some scratches here and there.
    A surprise to know there was a compilation attached to the actual book,
    Anyway the label provided so many different sounding groups that everyone of us may have a different "best of" selection.
    That was the best concept after all.
    Cheers
    Diego

    .

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. NØ8/30/23, 10:33 PM

      Thanks for keeping the Spirit alive.

      Delete
  6. MrDave9/11/23, 8:21 AM

    Thanks N0!

    ReplyDelete

Subscribe to: Post Comments (Atom)