Gli Spirit sono forse la band più paradigmatica della scena californiana di fine anni'60, ancor di più di nomi maggiormente noti come Grateful Dead o Jefferson Airplane.
Vuoi per stile di vita (tutti i componenti vivevano come una ideale famiglia allargata sulle colline di Topanga), vuoi per la musica da loro prodotta, che rispecchiava tanto le urgenze psichedeliche tipiche del periodo quanto il lato melodico derivante da un approccio folk pop floreale.
Dalla loro ebbero un leader bravo quanto carismatico, quel Randy California la cui fama fu sempre offuscata dal suo amico e vate Jimi Hendrix. Amicizia ingombrante per chiunque, e che avrebbe potuto renderlo niente più che un emulo; Randy sviluppò al contrario un modo di suonare molto sobrio e privo di solipsismi, piegando la sua tecnica per metterla a servizio di un gruppo che non gli era da meno.
Caratteristica fondamentale dei quattro dischi incisi dai nostri sta proprio nella sobrietà degli arrangiamenti e delle atmosfere, pregne di una visione estatica della vita, nutrita tanto da sussidi chimici quanto da una sincera devozione al sogno hippie di poter cambiare il mondo. Randy potrebbe essere considerato un Arthur Lee positivo.
E forse "12 Dreams Of Dr. Sardonicus" potrebbe essere il loro "Forever Changes". Primo disco in cui la band decise di affidarsi ad un produttore esterno, Dave Briggs, "12 Dreams… " porta a compimento un percorso artistico e umano iniziato nel '67, contrassegnato da uno staccarsi sempre più netto dalla psichedelia un po' melensa degli esordi, attraverso un disco acclamato da molti come "The Family That Plays Together" corale nel titolo e nella musica, fino ad arrivare alla perfezione stilistica di questo.
A molti "12 Dreams… " può rimanere indigesto, strizza eccessivamente l'occhio alla melodia in più di un caso, ma nel complesso scorre sul sottile confine fra illuminata ispirazione artistica e manierismo pop un po' paraculo, senza cadere totalmente nell'uno o nell'altro. Un miracolo musicale degno di un equilibrista. Attraversato da uno spirito ambientalista ante litteram, il disco procede come un tutt'uno, le tracce spesso confluenti una nell'altra.
L’ iniziale "Prelude–Nothin' To Hide" centrifuga al suo interno i vari elementi che compongono l'alchimia sonora della band: intro folk, piano che cadenza il ritmo, taglienti svisate chitarristiche, coretti tipicamente 60's e accelerazione finale con tanto di archi e ottoni. Ineccepibile anche il prosieguo del disco, fra odi all'amore psichedelico ("Love Has Found A Way"), sax impertinenti puntellati da organi saltellanti ("Mr. Skin"), visioni eteree a base di moog ("Space Child") e gite allo zoo con lo zio fricchettone ("Animal Zoo"). Decisamente da un altro piano di esistenza proviene quella piccola cosa fragile che è "Nature's Way", ingenuo inno ambientalista dal potere mesmerizzante, semplice e limpido come l'acqua di un ruscello di montagna.
Non ci è dato conoscere il segreto di questa ispirazione cristallina, andato perso insieme a Randy fra i flutti dell’amico Oceano Pacifico. So long Randy, we miss you.
Elenco tracce testi e samples
02 Nature's Way (02:31)
It's nature's way of telling you something's wrong
It's nature's way of telling you in a song
It's nature's way of receiving you
It's nature's way of retrieving you
It's nature's way of telling you
Something's wrong
It's nature's way of telling you, soon we'll freeze
It's nature's way of telling you, dying trees
It's nature's way of receiving you
It's nature's way of retrieving you
It's nature's way of telling you
Something's wrong
It's nature's way, it's nature's way
It's nature's way, it's nature's way
It's nature's way of telling you something's wrong
It's nature's way of telling you in a song
It's nature's way of receiving you
It's nature's way
It's nature's way of retrieving you
It's nature's way
It's nature's way of telling you
Something's wrong, something's wrong, something's wrong
03 Animal Zoo (03:22)
Living in the city, I've been abused
The jobs I keep, the people I meet
Don't do more than make me amused
Everywhere I turn now, just more bad news
So don't look now and don't ask how
We're gonna find our way back to the Animal Zoo
Oh no, something went wrong
Well you're much too fat and a little too long
Hey hey, you got too much to lose
Gotta find your way back to the Animal Zoo
Looking at my body, I'm slipping down
The air I breathe, the water I drink
Is se lling me short and turning me round
Everyone I see now on their way too
So don't look now and don't ask how
We're gonna find our way back to the Animal Zoo
Oh no, something went wrong
Well you're much too fat and a little too long
Hey hey, you got too much to lose
Gotta find your way back to the Animal Zoo
04 Love Has Found a Way (02:42)
Waves are crashing on the sea
Lennons flashing on how would she be
Some are reaching for the gun
Some are searching for all the sun
Love has found another way
I knew it would make it some how (Oh Yeah)
We will find a better way for making love
And love and love has found a way
And love....
Children reaching for a hand
Soldiers killing at every command
Though I've seen this with silent tears
Some will give this with violent fears
Love has found another way
I knew it would make it some how (Oh Yeah)
We will find a better way for making love
And love, love has found a way
And love, love, love has found a way
06 Mr. Skin (03:53)
I raise my head in a touchy situation
(Mr. Skin you know where you've been)
Yes, I make my bed in the heart of the nation
(Mr. Skin you know where you've been)
I know its a trait of human love to make all the people holler
Na, na, na, na, na, na, na, na, na, na
Send them looking out for their woman send them reaching out for their dollar
Na, na, na, na, na, na, na, na, na, na
A, Hey, hey
Oh, I'm rolling flowing through the whole population
(Mr. Skin you know where you've been)
Oh, The high and the low born are my friends and relations
(Mr. Skin you know where you've been)
I can bring you pain I can bring you sudden pleasure
Na, na, na, na, na, na, na, na, na, na
Your life will only gain if your loves final measure
Na, na, na, na, na, na, na, na, na, na
Na, na, na, na, na, na, na, na, na, na
Ah Mr. Mr. Skin, you know where you've been
Ah Mr. Mr. Skin, you know where you've been
Ah Mr. Mr. Skin, you know where you've been (Repeat To Fade
08 When I Touch You (05:19)
Often in my dreams
I see the strangest things
I see the mountains rise
I see them touch the sky's
When I'm near to you
I feel the same way too
I feel the mountains rise
I feel them touch the sky's
I, I won't see you any more
I, I won't see you any
I will not see you any
more....More....MORE
And when I touch you
I feel the same way too
I feel the mountains rise
I feel them touch the sky's
Your love holds all these keys
Why can't I be free
From thoughts of bitter rage
White lions in their cage
I, I won't see you any more
I, I won't see you any
I will not see you any
more....More....MORE
When I touch you
When I touch you
Ahaa....Ahaa....
Mmmmm....Mmmmm....
Mmmmm....Mmmmm....
09 Street Worm (03:41)
I'll be happy flying on the rooftops
I'll be happy burning in the streets
I'll be happy moving when I wish to
I'll be happy saying how I please
But I know I was never going to hear
I know I was never going to cut my brother
I know I'll never going to make no deals
I'll be happy staying with you baby
I'll be happy swimming for free
You got ya cars at your curb, you got your horses in the country
But I'm a cities own son I'm a man of means, yes indeed
And I know I would never going to hear
I know I was never going to wear no collar
I know I'll never going to make no deal
I'm flying on the rooftops
I'm burning in the streets now
I'm a staying with you baby
I'm a swimming for free
Talk to me baby
I'm swimming for free
10 Life Has Just Begun (03:31)
Oh hey Kiowa, I know your name
Catch me a glancing with one of your eye
So much we are chancing if we said goodbye, Ohh
Softly say you'll be my bride and
our hopes all sun and feel
Say you'll always be here by my side
With the hopes all constantly ohh
We walked in the dream and we knew it was
Married in the dreams
Strange as it seemed that we knew because
Because life has just begun
Life has just begun, life has just begun
Because life has just begun
Hey Kiowa, I know your name
Hey Kiowa, I know your name
Walking in that sunny hour
I even know your names Atowa
No war on the rocky hour
I meet some people of desire
Walked in the dream and we knew it was
Strange as it seemed that we knew because
Because life has just begun
Life has just begun, life has just begun
life has just begun, life has just begun
Because life has just begun
Because life has just begun(Repeat To Fade)
11 Morning Will Come (02:52)
Come, come, come to me...
A yes you got a smile, makes me wow for you baby
Yes you got a style that turns me on man Ohh
Please don't be late
No don't hesitate
Cuz in a while
The morning will come
Yes the morning will come
Our morning will come
Yes the morning will
Come, come, come to me...
Well you got love that makes me cry for you baby
Such a special love it turns me on man
Come in the morning
In the morning
Yes the morning will come
Yes the morning will
Come, come, come to me
To me only, to me only ohh
Please don't be late now
Don't hesitate
Because in a while
The morning will come
Yes the morning (got to)
Morning will come, yes the morning
Don't you know that the morning will come
Yes the morning will come, yes the morning will come
Yes the morning will
Come, come, come to me
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