Book Review: On Track… Spirit
Spirit is one of those bands that rarely gets its due. Co-led by supremely gifted drummer Ed Cassidy and his stepson Randy California (so named by Jimi Hendrix), the group scored a number of hits singles, most notably the ahead-of-its-time 1968 classic “I Got a Line On You.” The band’s body of work is well-regarded for adventurousness and inventiveness. Yet they’re too often overlooked or forgotten entirely by many.
Happily, the prolific Rev. Keith A Gordon sold the publishers at Sonic Bond on the idea of a Spirit compendium for their popular and extensive On Track series. With the tagline “Every Album, Every Song,” the series delivers just that: books that explore artists’ complete bodies of work from a sociological, musical and critical perspective.
Gordon’s writing style lends itself well to the format. The conversational tone of his prose coupled with his expertise and general feel for the music means that On Track… Spirit can serve equally as well as an enjoyable start-to-finish read and as a resource when a given song is heard or otherwise brought to mind.
The group’s catalog is extensive, including more than a dozen studio albums and an even longer list of live releases. Because the series’ format focuses on individual songs – albeit all of ‘em – those live releases are given a somewhat cursory treatment, but that’s by design. That said, Gordon devotes a dozen pages to providing reader/listeners with his critical take on which albums are worthwhile. He does the same for outside projects like California’s solo albums. And the whole thing is deftly placed into historical perspective through the author’s backgrounder on The Rising Sons and California’s work with Hendrix.
A 14-page glossy section in the softcover book’s middle serves up some wonderfully vivid photos; many are in full color. That’s something of a rarity in today’s budget publishing world. But Gordon has sourced some excellent images, both from his own collection and from those of colleagues. The 130pp book wraps up with useful and well-annotated appendix, buying guide and links to further resources. A very well put together volume, On Track… Spirit makes it clear (ha) that the good Reverend’s approach to this kind of project is ideally suited for the series.
About the Author
Bill Kopp
With a background in marketing and advertising, Bill Kopp got his professional start writing for Trouser Press. After a stint as Editor-in-chief for a national music magazine, Bill launched Musoscribe in 2009, and has published new content every business day since then (and every single day since 2018). The 4000-plus interviews, essays, and reviews on Musoscribe reflect Bill's keen interest in American musical forms, most notably rock, jazz, and soul. His work features a special emphasis on reissues and vinyl. Bill's work also appears in many other outlets both online and in print. He regularly hosts lecture/discussions on artists and albums of historical importance (including monthly events Music to Your Ears and Music Movie Mondays), and is a frequent guest on music-focused radio programs and podcasts. In Spring 2023 he is co-teaching a history of Rock 'n' Roll at UNC Asheville's College for Seniors. He also researches and authors liner notes for album reissues -- more than 30 to date -- and co-produced a reissue of jazz legend Julian "Cannonball" Adderley's final album. His first book, Reinventing Pink Floyd: From Syd Barrett to The Dark Side of the Moon was published by Rowman & Littlefield in 2018, and in paperback in 2019. His second book, Disturbing the Peace: 415 Records and the Rise of New Wave, was published in 2021 by HoZac Books. His third book, What's the Big Idea: 40 Great Concept Albums will be published in 2024. Read even more about him here.