Furry, freaky, lysergic, and oddly tuneful
Peter Baklava | Charles City, Iowa | 06/03/2006
(4 out of 5 stars)
"This cd absolutely typifies what is meant by a "period piece". It's a musical stoner's fantasy in tune with the spirit of Frank Zappa's late 60's albums, the Firesign Theater, and of course Jimi Hendrix.
At the time this music was made, "Spirit" was a group composed of Randy California (guitarist) and Ed Cassidy (drums). California and Cassidy were touring England, where California was rightly or wrongly considered the heir apparent to Jimi Hendrix. California was doing his best to exploit that idea, going to a power trio format and jamming-out live in a fashion that resembled Hendrix ( mostly it sounded, on the evidence of the bonus tracks here, like a decidedly second-rate Hendrix...)
The " Potatoland" concept extends over 18 studio tracks, with California and Cassidy doing spacey voiceovers, speeding up and slowing down their voices (think "EXP" from Hendrix's "Axis: Bold as Love"). There is a loosely woven dystopian theme running throughout. The music is really quite good, and this album probably would have done well if it had been released in the early 70's.
There are two problems. The production is hardly first rate--even with the tapes cleaned up, it still sounds as if you are listening to a bootleg.
The other annoying thing is that California tried to exploit his earlier songs, "1984" and "Nature's Way" by grafting them on to this project with virtually no changes to the originals , except that he added some hokey sound effects.
Beyond those quibbles, the album is really pretty enjoyable. At times the music recalls the Byrds, the Beach Boys, and Steve Miller. There is some good R&B, vibrant jangle pop, and other stuff that's as quirky as anything Brian Wilson did in his fried-out days.
This material was a lost opportunity for Randy California, who was trying to build on the success of "12 Dreams of Dr. Sardonicus". This album would probably have made a similar dent, if it had been cleaned up and properly released. As it is, it's an interesting curio from another South- Californian genius or flake, depending on your outlook."
Disappointing
J. Scarpelli | Ohio, USA | 10/24/2007
(2 out of 5 stars)
"As a huge Spirit fan, I had high hopes for this disc. Potato Land was the only Spirit album I did not have on vinyl. When I saw this release on CD with bonus tracks, I had to finally fill the void. Unfortunately, I was greatly disappointed. For starters, the original album has many no-value add "filler" tracks which are supposed to tell some sort of "story", but if there's a point to it all, I guess I missed it. Secondly, the sound quality is pathetic. I have heard much better sounding bootleg recordings. And thirdly, the versions of tunes here which appear elsewhere (e.g., on Time Circle) are inferior with annoying and unnecessary overdubs. I thought perhaps the "bonus" tracks could compensate for the shortcomings of the original album, but with little exception, the fidelity of the bonus tracks are even worse! The live tracks sound like they were recorded on a hand-held cassette player in someone's garage. Unless you're a Spirit fanatic or completist, I'd pass on this poor offering. 2 stars is being generous."
Track Listings (26) - Disc #1