Spirit Stories

Spirit has always been near & dear to my heart.  I am 45 years old.  In my
senior year of highschool, my girlfriend's song and mine was "Darlin ".  I met
Randy and Ed approx. 1978 when they played the Anchor Inn, in Michigan.  Both
of them were extremely friendlly , and Randy let me 'Disturb' him by flashing
photos of him playing live. It was one of my most memorable nights of my life.
I sat at the bar and BS'd with "Fuzzy' Knight and Randy. About 3-4 years ago,
I did a written interview with Ed, by mail, for my music 'zine - OUTER SHELL.
------ Spirit not only represents a generation as far as their music, BUT
has always continued to give their fans a continuing progression of music over
the years that is always unique, original, and keeping with the times. The
loss of Randy is a loss that I don't think most music listeners REALLY
realize. Only in a generation are but a few musicians that provide a
uniqueness such as Randy had.  Heaven must be rejoicing with the
addition of his talents !!! The music will live forever... SPIRIT...
(which by no coincidence has been my truckdriver CB 'handle' since 1972) WILL
BE FOREVER FOR THOSE OF US THAT KNOW- Spirit Had a line--- a line on the
spirit and the true gusto and "Spirit" of ROCK and ROLL !!!!

Mr. Oyster 

I wish Spirit a great happy 1998 ! I met Spirit during the Spirit Tours in 1990 and 1991 in Frankfurt, Mannheim and Stuttgart, Germany.  I spent a long time in their wardrobe and we talked about the Spirit songs   from Tent of Miracles.  Great Songs.  It was very nice to meet Randy , Ed and Mike.  I have been a great Spirit fan for more than 20 Years.  I took great photos during these tours.  When I heard on the Internet that that you founded the new group I was happy, because the Spirit lives on, and the songs of Randy are kept alive.   I hope you will come on tour to Germany in the future.All the best to Spirit Revisited for 1998.

Bernd Kunze 


           

I just wanted to say, Spirit was one of the most innovative bands of all
time. They were incredibly versatile, integrating folk, country and jazz
elements into rock way before Steely Dan. The songs were intelligent and
well-composed; the lyrics always thoughtful, sometimes funny, sometimes
profound; the instrumental expressiveness was beyond anything I'd ever
heard--lots of guitarists can make you cry...Randy California could make
you laugh out loud somehow with a few well-chosen licks (like telling a
joke with a guitar); the vocals were solid; it was all there! And they
were incredibly consistant. Almost every song on their first 4 albums was
really good. They never put out "filler" tunes just to fill up an album.
They were kind of like the Beatles, in that the whole was greater than
the sum of the individual parts. This magical thing just happened when
they got together, that was much bigger than any of them. As a band, especially
on the 4 albums they recorded as the original Spirit, they had this incredible
sense of ensemble. Ed Cassidy was particularly amazing on the drums. He
would choose sounds that just perfectly underscored the story and lyrics
for each song. And Mark Andes would come up with the perfect bass line.
And so it went. Their problem, I think, was just that they were too good,
a bit too ahead of their time, to be really recognized by the record-buying
public of their era. Too bad. They really deserved more recognition. They
should stand alongside the likes of the Rolling Stones, Led Zeppelin (who
often included the Spirit song, "Fresh Garbage" in their early shows),
the Doors, and The Who. I don't know why, but I felt I had to write this.
Spirit is one of the untold stories of the 60's. If you've never heard
Spirit, do yourself a favor and check 'em out. Ed Cassidy, if you read
this, I just wanted to say, thanks for the Music. In my mind, you're in
the Hall of Fame. Truck on...

Garret Swayne

Two days of great music in Bozeman, Montana, in 1972.  Spirit, Jackie
DeShannon, Malo, El Chicano, Wishbone Ash, Albert King, Foghat, and
more.  Girl next to me opens her shirt to the band and Ed bonks her on
the head with a gourd.  He probably doesn't know it, but he nearly got his
ass kicked over that one.  Security kept her boyfriend and some other guy
from making it onstage.  Maybe she just wanted to hear "Nature's Way".

Casey ONeil

I first heard Spirit in 1968. I was 17. The song was "Mechanical
World" on an "Underground" station WZAK in Cleveland, Ohio. The jock was
a guy named "Doc Nemo". I remember it like it was yesterday. I went to a
place called "The Music Grotto", across from Cleveland State University,
and bought the album. I bought the record as much for the great cover
art as the song that I had heard. Still one of the best covers ever! But
one play of the LP and I was sold on Spirit .... I introduced them to my
then girlfriend (now wife) ...and she was hooked too.... and we still
are .... 30 years later.

One of our most major disappointments was having first row tickets
(1971 or '72?) and having the show canceled because I believe Randy
broke his leg in a skiing accident. I wanted to see them live so badly.
Never did get to see the band live. One of the few "Greats" that I
missed seeing..

My wife and I were shocked to hear of Randy's passing. But his music
will NEVER die. We still listen to Spirit a lot (Thank God for CD's! -
Listening to "Time Circle" Disk 1 as I type) ..... Best wishes to the
remaining members no matter what their future endeavors may be.
Especially to "Cass" .... you are truly one of the greats! Rock on
forever man!

Keith & Mary (Spirit Fans Forever)

I became a SPIRIT fan in 1973 after a friend turned me on to 12 Dreams. I then
started to buy other Spirit albums and have been a fan ever since ! The only
time I saw the band live was 2-26-79 at the Walnut Street theatre in
Philadelphia. This was a most unusual place to see a rock concert but it was
great seeing Spirit in such a small place ! Randy ran up and down the isles
while playing, which was the first time I had ever seen that ! This particular
line-up consisted of Randy, Ed, and Larry "Fuzzy" Knight.  Ed "Cass Strange
Drums" Cassidy performed the STRANGEST and quite possibly the BEST drum solo I
ever saw ! I now own 14 Spirit cd's including the re-mastered first four
albums which are PHENOMENAL ! Sony Legacy did a great job on the sound and the
bonus tracks.

The passing of Randy California was a great loss for me and all
SPIRIT fans. I hope that "SPIRIT" will live on for many years to come. I would
like to see Ed's "Spirit Revisited" if they come to my area. I think it would
be great for this new line-up to create NEW music in the tradition of SPIRIT.
In closing I would like to thank Mike Nile for this web site and send my best
regards to Ed Cassidy as he approaches his 75th [WOW] birthday on May 4th !
The GREAT music of SPIRIT will be with me always !

Mah Yes Man

It was the late 60's at the Electric Factory in Philadelphia. Also on
the bill - Chicago. Not sure if either band had released an album yet.
I was totally blown away by Jay and Randy. Mark held down the bottom
rock steady. Cass's solo was the best ever. John was sooooooooo
jazzy... soooooooo cool. I immediately made up my mind that they were
my favorite band of all time, and would remain so forever. I joined
several bands over the next few years, and I made sure that each one of
them covered at least one Spirit song in their repetoire. Hey, I was 17
and very impressionable.
When I auditioned for one of these, a girl that came to rehearsals took
to me and I took to her, so I invited her to a Spirit concert to be held
at the Civic Center in Philadelphia on December 5th, 1969. Also on the
bill was the Chambers Brothers (Time!). Spirit was even better than I
remembered at that concert. My girlfriend and I decided it was one of
the most memorable nights of our lives, and when we decided to get
married a couple of years later, we did it on December 5th in honor of
our first date. We have had the SPIRIT living on in our lives for 26
years now... and it will FOREVER. I only wish I could see them ONE MORE
TIME.... Randy, we really miss you. Jay, where are you????

R & R LuBell

A few years ago I was driving to Page, Arizona (Lake Powell). If you are
familiar with the area, you get no radio stations on the drive up and there is
not much to do. When I got into local radio station range, the first thing I
heard was "Spirit Live at the Windy Mesa". I crapped - I could not believe it
! I hurried up with work and watched them play. Afterwords, Randy was kind
enough to autograph my ticket - He was a very good human ! A couple nights
later, they played in Flagstaff, AZ (Where I lived) and I attended with my
wife in a state of late pregenancy. It was Ed's birthday - What a show !
Spirit is the first recorded music I ever owned, and the band will always have
a special place in my life.
I really would like to see the band play again and "have info, will travel".
Thanks !

Steve Baumann

I was at a friend's house back in...gee it must've been 1968 or 1969....we had been watching the first space walk and when we broke from that, my college roomate put on the LP "The Family that Plays Together".  The cut was "I Gotta Line On You".  That was it...I've been a fan ever since.

Bob Baumann

The first concert I ever attended was at the Inglewood Forum in LA back in
1968. My friend had an uncle who worked for the Forum and as a result we
were able to get two seats in the seventh row directly in front of the
stage.

The main act (the one we were there to see) was Cream. An unknown up and
coming band named SPIRIT opened the show. I was absolutely blown away with
Randy's magnificent guitar work and the jazz/rock style they presented that
nite.

I went out and bought the record the next day and heard all the songs they
had performed the previous nite. I will never forget hearing Mechanical
World the first time in concert. Truly amazing!

Another vivid memory is driving no-where for hours with my friends
listening to "The Family That Plays " on my four-track tape player. We
were too young to have a place to hang out by ourselves so we would drive
and listen to music. Spirit's "Aren't You Glad" and its climactic guitar
solo at the end will always give me a rush!

So sad to read of Randy's death. At least he died saving his sons life!
Truly a sad day for all Spirit fans.

P.S. Cream weren't to shabby either! ! !

T. Bush

I first saw Spirit in 1978 at the Golden Bear in southern California.
Steve Forbert opened the show (Larry Knight was playing bass back then),
and my friend and I were so impressed we stayed for the second show, and
returned the following night. Ed and Randy were accessible and gracious
(as they always were over the years).

My favorite show though, was in August, 1984, when the orginal band played
the Stone in San Francisco. They were given a hero's welcome, and it was
the only time I ever saw an audience give a band a two-minute standing
ovation BEFORE they played a note!!

I know I am far from alone when I say that Spirit is my all-time favorite
band, and 12 Dreams my all-time favorite album. Spirit's music has meant
more to me than I can adequately express in mere words. Thanks Randy!
Thanks Ed!

Maria

I first heard Spirit at home on a record, I think it was called 'Nice Enough
To Eat'. There was only one song of Spirit on that album, Mechanical World.
This was 1970. It is still my #2 song ever (All Along The Watchtower by Jimi
Hendrix being #1 and the Iron Butterfly Theme being #3).

Bert Rietveld

Just wanted to pass you a note of thank you for putting together a great
website!  Anyway, just want to
tell you about one night in (I think it was) 1979. My friend at the time who
had gotten me into Spirit about a year before, had gotten tickets for us to
see Spirit at "My Father's Place" which is located in Roslyn, Long Island, NY.
It was the best experience I had at a concert at that time... in fact to this
day it is still etched in my mind that one very cold night in Long Island.
Anyway, in between sets, the group had taken a break and me and my friend saw
Randy standing there at the bar. My friend decided to go over to him and
talk to him. We both decided that we would not act like little kids and say..
" Hi Randy, we have all of your records and we're your biggest fans!!!" We
wanted to talk to him about certain lyrics within a certain song or something
philisophical. We ended up sounding like the former!!! We were so nervous as
we got closer to him, we shook his hand and said( very nervously, like 2
little idiots, and said, "Gee Randy it's great to meet you....." and, well,
you know the rest. I look back at that one night wishing I could have told
him much more. Years later, I still have all those Spirit records and Randy
California imports, but I have not kept in touch with the goings on in music,
since I have so many other things going on in my life now, being happilly
married, a mortgage, a job, etc. When my wife and I finally bought a computer
3 weeks ago, I told her I would look up any sights pertaining to Spirit!!
Anything!!! I found Johan's sight and read about the news of Randy's passing.
All of a sudden, I thought of that one night I met Randy, and began to cry.
After all these years, Spirit has been part of my life. Many of Randy's
thoughts and feelings about the environment have been a part of me and have
influenced my way of thinking. I wish you luck with Spirit Revisited. I hope
you will be able to visit the New York area in the near future. I am so glad
that Spirit will live on. Though Randy is gone he will never be forgotten.
Thanks again and hope to hear from you soon.

Ira Elting - Staten Island, NY

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