Spirit - Farther Along


Maybe you forgot, but Spirit is my personal favorite Psych Rock band (if we don't include Iron Butterfly). What's their first "reunion" album like?

Oh no, critics favorably compare it to Clear. That's the absolute worst of their original 4 albums. On the plus side, it's the least influenced by Randy Hawaii-fornia, so maybe it's actually better than the 2 stars Allmusic gives it. I definitely can't fault the concept, they had a great run with some terrible jet lag 3/4 of the way through, and after a ridiculously messy breakup they are by definition "Farther Along." 

No, wait, this actually sounds good. Granted, good in the context of 1976, but Spirit never understood the concept of genre to begin with; they played all of them whenever convenient. I do have one criticism, some of the songs and instrumentals have an "unfinished" vibe, rather than what I'm sure was the intended "... and so forth..." fade out. Regardless, they never lose the concept of growing older, and that's certainly one way to aurally capture the feeling of time moving on whether you want it to or not. 

But perhaps most important, Farther Along does not sound rushed or desperate or forced in any way. That was the problem with Clear, it sounded like hastily recorded crap songs because they only had a week to make the next album before going back to the 900 other things they had to do. Here we get space for those killer bass doodles to shine, luscious strings, and the occasional snippet of the ongoing Ministry of Silly Walks Pageant (you know the kind of angular Prog guitar riffs I'm talking about). 

I guess the point is, if you're trying to review Farther Along as a Spirit album, you're gonna have a hard time. It's Spirit 2.0 and it lives on the Gino's Vannelli sings Yes songs, rather than Dr. Sardonicus flies Jefferson Aitlines, side of the train tracks. As a mid 70s album with no past or future, it's completely lovely, but it's not even remotely close to anything you'd suggest to someone who has never heard Spirit. Maybe if your best friend is really into John Denver, and you could say "yeah, this album is kinda like John Denver on Mescaline." 

You know me, I don't really rank or grade albums outside their own intended basis for comparison, but Farther Along is better the Clear. Reunion Spirit is a different band than 60s Spirit, but there's more than just Soft Studio Rock with Srings happening here, and as albums go it's quite enjoyable.

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