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12 Dreams of Dr Sardonicus
Spirit
12 Dreams of Dr Sardonicus
Genres: Pop, R&B, Rock, Classic Rock
 
  •  Track Listings (16) - Disc #1

Spirit was formed with the intention to combine jazz, rock, classical, and folk with a mystical orientation. Led by the family duo of Hendrix-inspired guitarist Randy California and his uncle, jazz drummer Ed Cassidy (whos...  more »

     
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CD Details

All Artists: Spirit
Title: 12 Dreams of Dr Sardonicus
Members Wishing: 2
Total Copies: 0
Label: Sony
Release Date: 10/22/1996
Album Type: Original recording remastered
Genres: Pop, R&B, Rock, Classic Rock
Styles: Funk, Progressive, Progressive Rock, Psychedelic Rock
Number of Discs: 1
SwapaCD Credits: 1
UPC: 074646500323

Synopsis

Amazon.com
Spirit was formed with the intention to combine jazz, rock, classical, and folk with a mystical orientation. Led by the family duo of Hendrix-inspired guitarist Randy California and his uncle, jazz drummer Ed Cassidy (whose shaved head--some 20 years ahead of its time--was the band's visual focus), Spirit had a few idiosyncratic hits such as "I Got A Line On You." The band didn't reach its prime until Twelve Dreams, after which they promptly broke up. A loosely constructed sci-fi concept album, it contains the band's biggest hit, the ecological "Nature's Way" (complete with booming kettle drums), the surreal rock of "Animal Zoo," and the orchestral psychedelia of "Life Has Just Begun." Bristling with ideas, energy, and California's meaty guitar, Twelve Dreams exemplifies the best of the late '60s experimentalism. --Steven Mirkin

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CD Reviews

An Absolute Must Have Album!
Billy-Bob | So Cal, USA | 04/05/2010
(5 out of 5 stars)

"How anyone could give this album less than five stars baffles me. This is one of the best albums from any period in music (period!). Of course, when it first came out it was largely ignored by the critics and record buying public and the group broke up. What else could they possibly do if this didn't break them through into the top echelon? It was only later that the underground buzz demanded that this album be listened to and it achieved the notoriety Twelve Dreams still deserves.



Spirit was a second tier group back in the day and never received the recognition they rightfully deserved, even before this album. Had Spirit come along at a different time, without having to compete against Cream, the Stones, CCR, the Airplane, the Beatles, Hendrix, etc. for airplay, critical acclaim and new listeners they would have been monstrous. When you think back, they are certainly not the only group that got lost in the shuffle--Moby Grape, Chocolate Watchband, the Elevators, Terry Reid, Spooky Tooth and many other superlative talents just never quite made it to the top tier for whatever reason. As much as I like all of these groups who just missed, none ever put together such a single great album as did Spirit.



Buy this album, right now, and listen to it repeatedly once it arrives. This album is still relevant, inventive, and musically adventurous even after all the time that has passed since it was recorded. I wish a group equal to the talent in Spirit would come along today--I have not heard one. If there is such a band, they are suffering the same fate as Spirit did.



Billy-Bob"
Good stuff that you must listen to
B. E Jackson | Pennsylvania | 04/29/2010
(5 out of 5 stars)

"WOW! I'm surprised over 90 people have actually HEARD of this album here on amazon! I could have sworn Spirit was some kind of extremely rare folk/rock band that only the most enthusiastic of music fans would be familiar with.



Anyway, it's definitely good to know Twelve Dreams of Dr. Sardonicus is getting some serious attention these days. When you have an album that's as extremely melodic and creative as this one, it just *has* to develop a strong, dedicated following... and that's exactly what happened.



I mean, radio stations flat out ignore this wonderful band, so it's up to music listeners to spread the word so everyone gets the opportunity to hear this stuff.



Every single moment of Twelve Dreams of Dr. Sardonicus is brilliant. The album sounds more like a mid 60's pop/rock album instead of a 70's one, and that's because the music maintains that love, peace, and happiness flavor that made the 60's so legendary.



Some of these songs seriously should have been major smash hits, such as "Animal Zoo", "Mr. Skin", "Space Child", and "When I Touch You".



"Space Child" in particular reminds me of Emerson, Lake and Palmer battling ghosts in some kind of freaky tournament, haha. This is because of that weird synthesizer that's playing during this track. Oddly enough, the intro (and outro) reminds me of a level in the old NES video game, Metroid.



"Nature's Way" almost makes me cry with its mellow and haunting folk influences, and "Life Has Just Begun" is a brilliant pop song layered in such a way that displays at *least* three great vocal melodies.



To sum up this great album- it feels like a melodic pop album with a bit of soul and diversity thrown in to add some flavor to the whole thing. I highly recommend this album to just about anyone who likes incredibly melodic pop hooks. Talk about a really fantastic album from start to finish- Twelve Dreams of Dr. Sardonicus is THAT very album!"
Rolling Stone was right
Sunnyvale Jed | 08/10/2010
(5 out of 5 stars)

"Rolling Stone a number of years back had the audacity to declare ' Twelve Dreams ' as one of the top ten albums of all time. I agree still. I was a San-Fran area guy at the time and held a wary eye and ear towards anyone from L.A. Well, The Doors were pretty damned good, but Spirit was better and 'Sardonicus' ranks up there with them ALL! If you want honesty and music to grow with, and if you want to dance and feel good about it - the Twelve Dreams of Dr Sardonicus is for you."