Positively Astounding
Brian P. Nestor | Raleigh, NC USA | 04/10/2007
(5 out of 5 stars)
"If only all dead rock stars received such excellent treatment post mortum! Granted, Randy California and Spirit are about as cult as a musical act can get, but this rather obscure period in Randy's musical output is given the definitive treatment. This material stems from Randy's European solo career in the early 1980's and most - if not all - was never released in the US, which is a shame as some of it is pretty good if you like his Hendrix-lite style.
Amazon's track listing is rather abbreviated as there are about 60 tracks on all four CDs. The first CD covers the "Euro American" album plus around 12 bonus tracks. This is excellent hard rock and Randy's guitar playing was never more to the forefront. The second CD covers most of "Shattered Dreams" but since that album was really patched together by the record company the producer does an excellent job of rounding up all variant tracks as well as around 10 additional tracks. The sound quality on the first two CDs is great and they are worth the price alone.
However, it is CD 3 and 4 that make this package truly astonding. Producer Mick Skidmore has gone above and beyond the call of duty and should win an award for his dedication to the "spirit" of Randy California by unearthing some great live and obscure demo recordings. Some of the audio quality is a little challenged but I have heard much worse bootlegs.
CD 3 is an all live collection and shows Randy again at the top of his considerable game as a guitar player. He tended to underplay but this is one period when he let it all hang out. There are one or two rambling cuts, but they are overshadowed by such remarkable performances such as "Shattered Dream" and "Magic Wand", which rank with the best live material I have ever heard by any artist.
CD 4 is a bonus disc, which means the producer doesn't want to get your hopes up as far as sound quality. However, nothing sounds horrible, the demos are fabulous, and the short but manic concert from 1979 is a revelation. No wonder the Europeans regarded Randy California so highly!
Mick Skidmore has produced a series of excellent releases in the last five years or so, each one giving us more and more info on Randy California and Spirit. With this release, he has created a sonic encyclopedia on a criminally overlooked period in the career of one of America's most under-rated performers. Keep up the great work, Mick!"
I'M SO GLAD
Neil Ferry | California, USA | 06/29/2007
(5 out of 5 stars)
"This set of CD's reinforces just how prolific and amazing Randy California really was. The quality and sonic mastering are superb as the music equals or exceeds that of his SPIRIT catalog. If you love the many reincarnations of SPIRIT then you will surely want to add this to your collection; it is really exciting to listen to . . . (NO - it's not arena rock)."
Track Listings (20) - Disc #1