Oh man, I've been looking for this sucker online for a long time. This is one that, while not earth shattering, is interesting as a great example of seventies guitar rock. I remember buying it on the recommendation of a record store counter guy when I was in my early teens. He said it was like Hendrix. I had my doubts. Once I listened to it I was intrigued. It did sound Hendrix influenced, but then again a lot of bands sounded Hendrix influenced. No matter, it was a solid recommendation and the record ended up on heavy rotation with my brothers and I.
Randy California was the guitarist in Spirit, that much I knew. What I didn't know until recently was that he was only fifteen when Spirit was formed and his stepdad was Ed Cassidy, the drummer. I did know that, prior to Spirit, he was the second guitarist in Jimmy James and the Blue Flames, Hendrix's band before the Experience, but I didn't know that he was only fifteen at the time! It was actually Hendrix that gave him the name Randy California, because there were two Randys in the band. (California's real name is Randy Wolfe. The bassist in the band, Randy Palmer, was dubbed "Randy Texas"). When Chas Chandler (ex-Animals) became Hendrix's manager, he took him to England where he became a star and an international guitar hero. Randy California couldn't get a permission slip. He stayed home and started Spirit with his old man. He was sixteen when Spirit's first LP came out. The same year, he wrote "Got A Line On You" and all-time classic. He was a young whizkid like Alex Chilton, Stevie Wonder or Steve Windwood. The mind boggles at that shit.
Here's some from the 1972 LP pictured above Kapt. Kopter and the (Fabulous) Twirly Birds, the one the counter guy recommended. I still listen to it decades later so I guess the four bucks was well spent.
Listen:
Randy California - Downer mp3 at Internet Archive
Randy California - Day Tripper mp3 at Internet Archive
Randy California - Mother And Child Reunion mp3 at Internet Archive
Randy California - Rain mp3 at Internet Archive Long intro
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