Post by erik on Feb 18, 2023 21:49:50 GMT -5
An FM rock classic by the L.A.-based band Spirit is in this week's Pop Music Hits Spotlight.
I GOT A LINE ON YOU (Spirit; Ode; 1968)—One of the more unsung bands of the late 1960’s Los Angeles rock scene was the band known as Spirit. Formed in 1967 in Los Angeles as, initially, The Red Roosters, Spirit was headed by guitarist/vocalist Randy California (born Randy Craig Wolfe), bass player Mark Andes, and percussionist/vocalist Jay Ferguson. The general sound of Spirit could more or less be deemed psychedelic in nature, though less mind-altering than some of their counterparts in either the Los Angeles or San Francisco music scenes of the era; and they sometimes incorporated folk, jazz, and country-rock influences. For most of their existence, the band was, like so many others, primarily definied by their albums. Only once did the group release a single that cracked the Top 40 on the Billboard singles charts, but it did garner a significant amount of airplay on both Top 40 AM and FM rock radio playlists. That single was “I Got A Line On You”, written by California for their 1968 album The Family That Plays Together, which was produced by legendary producer Lou Adler. Although not an overly huge hit per se, “I Got A Line On You” managed to reach #25 in March 1969, leading to a number of highly successful rock festival appearances throughout 1969 and 1970. Their other major singles release, the Orwell-inspired “1984” reached #69 on the Hot 100 in March 1970, and became a sizeable FM rock classic. Over the next several decades, the group split and reformed numerous times. California died in Hawaii on January 2, 1997when swept under by a riptide trying to save his son’s life.
I GOT A LINE ON YOU (Spirit; Ode; 1968)—One of the more unsung bands of the late 1960’s Los Angeles rock scene was the band known as Spirit. Formed in 1967 in Los Angeles as, initially, The Red Roosters, Spirit was headed by guitarist/vocalist Randy California (born Randy Craig Wolfe), bass player Mark Andes, and percussionist/vocalist Jay Ferguson. The general sound of Spirit could more or less be deemed psychedelic in nature, though less mind-altering than some of their counterparts in either the Los Angeles or San Francisco music scenes of the era; and they sometimes incorporated folk, jazz, and country-rock influences. For most of their existence, the band was, like so many others, primarily definied by their albums. Only once did the group release a single that cracked the Top 40 on the Billboard singles charts, but it did garner a significant amount of airplay on both Top 40 AM and FM rock radio playlists. That single was “I Got A Line On You”, written by California for their 1968 album The Family That Plays Together, which was produced by legendary producer Lou Adler. Although not an overly huge hit per se, “I Got A Line On You” managed to reach #25 in March 1969, leading to a number of highly successful rock festival appearances throughout 1969 and 1970. Their other major singles release, the Orwell-inspired “1984” reached #69 on the Hot 100 in March 1970, and became a sizeable FM rock classic. Over the next several decades, the group split and reformed numerous times. California died in Hawaii on January 2, 1997when swept under by a riptide trying to save his son’s life.