Project 1001: Twelve Dreams Of Dr. Sardonicus by Spirit
I'll be happy stayin' with you baby / I'll be happy swimmin' for free
Spirit authored one of my favorite old-school jams, “I Got A Line on You”, but I didn’t really know much else about them. So, I was pleased to see this album as today’s selection because it’s really, really good! I think this album should be better remembered than it has and we should collectively rescue it from obscurity.
The album features some stellar guitar work by Randy California (a former bandmate of Jimi Hendrix), especially on “Street Worm” and “Morning Will Come”, which also features a great horn section. I very much like Jay Ferguson’s voice. He probably hasn’t received enough recognition as a terrific singer.
My Rating:
In a review for Rolling Stone, Nick Tosches wrote, “A blockbuster of a record…”1
A review appearing in Head Heritage said this: “Certain parts of 'Sardonicus' are way ahead of their time. So original was this band's particular vision that there was simply no precedent for much of what they did.”2
Sputnikmusic had this to say:“The music is always interesting because of how much ground Spirit could cover in any one song. Between their variations in genres and the interesting studio effects, there is rarely a dull moment on this album.”3
In 1001 Albums You Must Hear Before You Die, Jaimie Gonzalo wrote:
“The album was enriched by meaty horn arrangements, imaginative vocal harmonies and a structured approach to psychedelic studio trickery such as stereo panning and tapes run backward.”4
Charts
• Peak on Billboard 200 album chart: #635
• Singles on Billboard Hot 100 chart: Animal Zoo #97; Mr. Skin #926
• RIAA certification: Gold | June 18, 19767
Released on November 27, 1970. Here’s what else was happening:
Pop Culture
• Number one song: I Think I Love You by The Partridge Family Starring Shirley Jones Featuring David Cassidy.8
• Number one album: Led Zeppelin III by Led Zeppelin9
• Number one movie: Lovers and Other Strangers by Cy Howard10
• Most watched TV programs: All in the Family, The Flip Wilson Show, Marcus Welby, MD11
• NYT bestseller, fiction: Love Story by Erich Segal12
• NYT bestseller, non-fiction: The Sensuous Woman by “J”13
Other albums released that month
• Everything Is Everything by Diana Ross
• The Man Who Sold The World by David Bowie
• No Dice by Badfinger
• Layla and Other Assorted Love Songs by Derek and the Dominos
• That's the Way It Is by Elvis Presley
• The J. Geils Band by The J. Geils Band
• Naturally by Three Dog Night
• Emerson Lake & Palmer by Emerson, Lake & Palmer
• I Walk the Line by Johnny Cash
• Stephen Stills by Stephen Stills
• Tea for the Tillerman by Cat Stevens
• All Things Must Pass by George Harrison
• Lola Versus Powerman and the Moneygoround, Part One by The Kinks
• Loaded by The Velvet Underground
• American Beauty by Grateful Dead
• His Band and the Street Choir by Van Morrison
• 2 Years On by Bee Gees
• Almost in Love by Elvis Presley
• Blows Against the Empire by Paul Kantner & Jefferson Starship
• Confessions of the Mind by The Hollies
• Play It Loud by Slade
• Osmonds by The Osmonds
• Come to My Garden by Minnie Riperton
• Kraftwerk by Kraftwerk
• Singer of Sad Songs by Waylon Jennings
• Steppenwolf 7 by Steppenwolf
• ...To Be Continued by Isaac Hayes
• Workin' Together by Ike & Tina Turner14
Sport
• Nov 15 Paul Brown, as head coach of the expansion Cincinnati Bengals, defeats his former team the Cleveland Browns, a moment he calls his "greatest victory".
• Nov 18 Joe Frazier KOs defending champion Bob Foster in 2nd round at Cobo Arena, Detroit, Michigan for the WBA, WBC and The Ring heavyweight titles.
• Nov 18 Johnny Bench wins NL MVP.
• Nov 22 20th NASCAR Sprint Cup: Bobby Isaac wins.
• Nov 24 36th Heisman Trophy Award: Jim Plunkett, Stanford.
• Nov 25 New York Yankees catcher Thurman Munson wins AL Rookie of Year.
• Nov 28 CFL Grey Cup, CNE Stadium, Toronto: Montreal Alouettes defeat Calgary Stampeders, 23-10.15
Notable Births
• Nov 12 Tonya Harding, American figure skater (Olympic 8th-1994/US Champ 1994), born in Portland, Oregon.
• Nov 14 Brendan Benson, American rock singer-songwriter, and musician (The Raconteurs), born in Royal Oak, Michigan.
• Nov 15 Jack Ingram, American country music singer-songwriter ("Wherever You Are"; "Barefoot and Crazy"), born in Houston, Texas.
• Nov 16 Martha Plimpton, American actress (Goonies, Mosquito Coast), born in New York City.
• Nov 18 Megyn Kelly, American television news anchor and journalist, born in Champaign, Illinois.
• Nov 18 Mike Epps, American actor.
• Nov 20 Phife Dawg [Malik Taylor], American rapper (A Tribe Called Quest - "Check the Rhime"; "I Legft My Wallet In El Segundo"), born in Queens, New York (d. 2016).
• Nov 24 Chad Taylor, American rock guitarist (Live - "Lightning Crashes"), born in York, Pennsylvania.16
Historical Events
• Nov 17 Douglas Engelbart receives the patent for the first computer mouse.
• Nov 17 Russia lands Lunokhod 1 unmanned remote-controlled vehicle on Moon.
• Nov 18 American scientist Linus Pauling declares large doses of Vitamin C could ward off colds (never proven definitively).
• Nov 20 Jennifer Hosten from Grenada is the first Black woman crowned Miss World. The event at the Royal Albert Hall in London is interrupted by women's liberation activists.
• Nov 20 UN General Assembly accepts membership of People's Republic of China.
• Nov 21 General Hafez al-Assad becomes Prime Minister of Syria following a military coup.
• Nov 26 In Basse-Terre, Guadeloupe, 1.5 inches (38.1mm) of rain falls in a single minute, the heaviest recorded rainfall in history.
• Nov 27 Pope Paul VI wounded in chest during a visit to Philippines by a dagger-wielding Bolivian painter disguised as a priest.17
Notable Deaths
• Nov 21 C.V. Raman, Indian physicist (Nobel Prize 1930 for light scattering), dies at 82.
• Nov 23 Yusuf Bin Ishak, president of Singapore 1965-70, dies at about 60.
• Nov 26 B O Davis Sr, 1st African American general, dies at 93 in Chicago.
• Nov 28 Nina Ricci, French fashion couturiere (Nina Ricci), dies at 87.18
Enjoy and listen without prejudice. Cheers!
If you want to listen on Prme: 123. Twelve Dreams Of Dr. Sardonicus by Spirit
All the videos are here: You're Welcome 123; Twelve Dreams Of Dr. Sardonicus by Spirit
SPIRIT TWELVE DREAMS OF DR. SARDONICUS review for Head Heritage
Jaimie Gonzalo; 10001 Albums You Must Hear Before You Die; ed by Robert Dimmery, p. 197.
Ibid.
Ibid.