Original Album Classics

....1,121 of them to be precise. Reviewer "Dangerous Dave" has already submitted a detailed breakdown of pioneering exponents of jazz/rock fusion "Spirit's" eclectic, un-pigeonhole-able brand of music which whisks together a heady melange of styles - and the resultant compact compositions are an addictive listen that don't seem to sound like any other band. Sometimes experimental & innovative, a dash of psychedelia, proficient musicians, including a top quality drummer (Ed aka "Mr Skin" Cassidy) and a versatile stellar guitarist in Randy California. Impressive melodic content & harmonies....Yet aside from a dedicated band of discerning & appreciative followers, "Spirit" generally remain one of rock music's uncelebrated heroes who deserve far more credit than they currently receive. As for this collection, "Feedback" isn't a bad album at all. Maybe being placed alongside the other 4 heavyweights here doesn't do it any favours in comparison, but it turned out to be much better than I anticipated.So it all boils down to personal preference. I love the 'big 4' but my favourites happen to be the debut album & "Dr. Sardonicus"... Often cited as the band's 'magnum opus' it's very easy to understand why, with it's intriguing lyrical subject matter and excellent production values... A great 'concept' album from '70 that the world is still catching up with today. The music & vocals still sound fresh and timeless.... I was listening to it the other day, and eventually reached what happens to be my fave track on the album (Life Has Just Begun) and I'm kinda thinking to myself: "good grief - this could've been recorded yesterday!..."The self-titled debut album is an experimental & colourful patchwork quilt of ideas and flavours which may lack the cohesive flow of "Dr. S" but for me this only adds to the album's latent quirky charm, and why it holds a special place in my heart.Highly influential, often sampled but never bettered, it's about time the musical legacy "Spirit" left us received the long overdue credit & widespread acknowledgement it so deserves.... Please show your appreciation by ordering your copy asap!

Spirit were never much in the US and the UK barely registered at all. They don't sound like any other rock band before or since although their earliest stuff when Jay Ferguson wrote a lot of the material is quite poppy in a 60s way, almost Beatley. that might sound a bit dated for younger ears.The best here is The family that plays and Dr Sardonicus both topnotch classics. And the rock stuff doesn't really date as it doesn't sound like anyone else although its easy to see the jazz, Hendrix type infuences. What sets Spirit apart, no matter who is writing the material, is outstanding melodies. They just wrote great tunes pretty much for every song. When you hear great melodies it sounds easy but its something few can do. the ability to write melodies enables them to succeed with song structures which are often complex and experimental. The production and arrangement is always good too.The five star is not because everything here is of the highest quality and what you like best is a matter of taste. But few bands from any era can match Spirit at their best

Brilliant songwriting. Excellent musicians. Almost every album is perfect. I can't get into the Feedback album, but who cares. My personal favourite at the moment is the Clear album, but any of the first four have absolute bangers. Why they're not better known is a mystery to me.

I missed this when it first came out this year, but thank heavens I have a copy. The first 4 Spirit albums were all classic West Coast combining the heavy (at times) guitar of Randy California with laid back jazzy rhythms as well, and in my opinion is one of the greatest series of four consecutive albums released.The real plus here is that you have the versions with the bonus tracks, 17 in total on the first four albums. Also included is "Feedback", a far less worthy album, but if you treat that one as a bonus as well, it can't be bad.This review awards the 5 stars for the quadrilogy of albums without the fifth - they are in 100% cardboard replica sleeves with a cardboard slipcase, so for storage it's not much thicker than a single CD with none of that horrible plastic.Buy your copy now before they go up or disappear - a must have bargain!

Fabulous diverse band. Dr Sardonicus is a real classic. Anything they did is worth trying. From when original meant just that

The first four albums in this set are excellent, in particular, the first and second, but the final album is unnecessary. But, for the price, this is a great buy!

I've had vinyl copies of The Best Of Spirit, 12 Dreams, Kapt Kopter, Rapture In The Chambers and Spirit Of 76 in my collection for years. So why oh why has it taken me until now to get these early Spirit albums? This is a great value box set, with solid cover unlike the Original Album Series Box Sets. You can't go wrong here. These sets are a fantastic way to replace your battered vinyl or in my case purchase classic albums I missed first time round at a bargain price.

As a long time Spirit fan I had to get this set because although not stated on the sleeve some of the discs include the bonus tracks that featured on previous releases. It also includes the rare Feedback album which isn't as bad as some Spirit purists would have you believe. Quite why Spirit weren't a great commercial success will always be a mystery to me, some of the music in this set is truly wonderful. And although they didn't sell particularly well these early albums were clearly influential. Just listen to Taurus on Clear and you'll understand what I mean.