Spirit of '76, released in May 1975, was the first of four albums that Spirit would (initially) release for Mercury Records, and their sixth album overall. Though all four albums were greatly influenced by the time that Randy California spent living in Hawaii, this album bears that influence more than any of the others (aside from maybe Future Games). Though it was largely ignored upon its first release, many fans[which?] consider it to be one of Spirit's best albums.[citation needed]
| Spirit of '76 | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | ||||
| Studio album by | ||||
| Released | May 1975 | |||
| Genre | Psychedelic rock, Progressive rock, Jam band | |||
| Length | 82:14 | |||
| Label | Mercury | |||
| Producer | Randy California | |||
| Spirit chronology | ||||
| ||||
| Review scores | |
|---|---|
| Source | Rating |
| Allmusic |    [1] |
Most of this double album was compiled as part of the Mercury Years compilation in 1997. It was properly reissued on CD by Beat Goes On in 2003.
Track listing
editAll songs written by Randy California and Ed Cassidy except noted.
Disc One
edit| No. | Title | Writer(s) | Length |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | "America, The Beautiful/The Times They Are A-Changing" | Bates, Ward/Dylan | 5:27 |
| 2. | "Victim Of Society" | 3:00 | |
| 3. | "Lady Of The Lakes" | 2:52 | |
| 4. | "Tampa Jam Pt. 1" | 0:54 | |
| 5. | "Mauna Loa" | California | 2:02 |
| 6. | "What Do I Have?" | California | 2:04 |
| 7. | "Sunrise" | 3:00 | |
| 8. | "Walking the Dog" | R. Thomas | 3:13 |
| 9. | "Tampa Jam Pt. 2" | 1:03 | |
| 10. | "Joker On The Run" | California, Cassidy, Keene | 3:53 |
| 11. | "When?" | California | 4:27 |
| 12. | "Like a Rolling Stone" | Dylan | 8:54 |
Disc Two
edit| No. | Title | Writer(s) | Length |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Once Again" | 3:19 | |
| 2. | "Feeling In Time" | 3:27 | |
| 3. | "Happy" | Mick Jagger, Keith Richards | 3:19 |
| 4. | "Jack Bond" | Burt Shonberg | 1:39 |
| 5. | "My Road" | California | 4:13 |
| 6. | "Tampa Jam Pt. 3" | 0:54 | |
| 7. | "Thank You Lord" | California | 1:45 |
| 8. | "Urantia" | 4:04 | |
| 9. | "Guide Me" | 3:47 | |
| 10. | "Veruska" | California, Cassidy, Andes | 3:57 |
| 11. | "Hey Joe" | Billy Roberts | 6:30 |
| 12. | "Jack Bond Pt. 2" | Shonberg | 0:51 |
| 13. | "The Star-Spangled Banner" | Francis Scott Key, John Stafford Smith | 3:40 |
Personnel
editPersonnel
edit- Spirit
- Randy California – vocals, all instruments except otherwise noted
- Ed Cassidy – drums
- Additional musicians
- Barry Keane – bass
- Benji – harpsichord, Moog synthesizer
Production
edit- Blair Mooney – engineer
- Craig Renton – assistant engineer
Charts
editAlbum
| Year | Chart | Position |
|---|---|---|
| 1975 | Billboard 200 | 147 |