Spirit - Feedback (1971) (2003)

After the lack of success garnered by 1970's The Twelve Dreams of Dr. Sardonicus, Randy California (guitar/vocals) -- who had recently suffered a nearly fatal horse-riding accident -- split from the combo, leaving only Ed Cassidy (drums) and John Locke (keyboards) to carry on from the original lineup. They were joined by brothers Al Staehely (bass/lead vocals) and Christian Staehely (guitar/vocals), with the former supplying a majority of the album's solid material. His consistently strong songs were perfect for this seemingly hastily collected aggregate. Unlike Jay Ferguson (vocals) and Mark Andes' (guitar/vocals) boogie outfit Jo Jo Gunne, Spirit remained steeped in equal measures of pop, rock, and jazz. That said, "Cadillac Cowboys" could have just as easily passed off for Gunne, with the propulsive backbeat centered down the spine of the slightly syncopated rhythm, perfect for Cassidy's percussive inflections and innate sense of timing. Locke's instrumentals "Trancas Fog-Out" and "Puesta del Scam" also put the drummer in the driver's seat, as his compact interjections propel Christian Staehely's guitar and Locke's aggressive piano leads. Producer David Briggs captures these in an almost v?rit? manner, as each musician spontaneously reflects his counterparts ? la the band's 1968 debut -- and perhaps more pointedly Locke's ten-minute epic "Elijah." "Darkness" is another Locke side that is worth mentioning with regard to the interaction among the quartet members, as the noir waltz perfectly captures the strengths of this lineup. [When Collectors' Choice Music issued Feedback on CD in 2004, they included as a bonus track a previously unavailable midtempo bluesy rocker titled "New York City."].