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Twelve Dreams of Dr. Sardonicus

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AllMusic[2]
Robert ChristgauB link

Twelve Dreams of Dr. Sardonicus is the fourth album by the American psychedelic rock group Spirit. It was produced by David Briggs, who is best known for his work with Neil Young. The original LP was released in 1970 by Epic. The band's lowest charting album to that point, it peaked at #63 on the Billboard 200 in February 1971, spending only fourteen weeks on the chart. However, it sold well as a catalog item and became the band's only album to ultimately attain a RIAA gold certification in the U.S., achieving that status in 1976.[3]

"Nature's Way" became one of Spirit's signature songs, but was not a big hit at the time, peaking at #111 on the Billboard pop charts in 1971. To capitalize on the album's enduring appeal, "Mr. Skin" (the B-side of "Nature's Way") was released as an A-side in 1973 and also charted, peaking at #92.

The album was re-issued on CD in 1996 by Sony in remastered form, with bonus tracks.

Reception

Writing in Rolling Stone, Nick Tosches opined that the album was a "blockbuster" despite some shortcomings.[4]

Track listing

All songs written by Randy California except noted:

Side one
No.TitleWriter(s)Length
1."Prelude – Nothin' to Hide" 3:41
2."Nature's Way" 2:30
3."Animal Zoo"Ferguson3:20
4."Love Has Found a Way"California, Locke2:42
5."Why Can't I Be Free?" 1:03
6."Mr. Skin"Ferguson3:50
Side two
No.TitleWriter(s)Length
7."Space Child"Locke3:26
8."When I Touch You"Ferguson5:35
9."Street Worm"Ferguson3:40
10."Life Has Just Begun" 3:22
11."Morning Will Come" 2:58
12."Soldier" 2:43
Total length:38:58
Bonus tracks on the 1996 reissue
Bonus tracks
No.TitleWriter(s)Length
13."Rougher Road" †¹"  
14."Animal Zoo (Mono Single Version) †"Ferguson 
15."Morning Will Come (Alternate Mono Mix) †¹"  
16."Red Light Roll On (Additional Single Mix) †"  
  • † - Tracks specific to the 1996 reissue
  • ¹ - Previously unreleased material

Personnel

Spirit

Additional personnel

  • Matt Andes - Dobro (on "Nothin' to Hide")

Production

  • David Briggs - Producer
  • Vic Anesini - Mastering
  • Adam Block - Project Director
  • David Blumberg - Horn Arrangements ("Mr. Skin", "Morning Will Come")
  • Ira Cohen - Photography
  • Jeff Smith - Package Design
  • Bob Irwin - Compilation Producer

Charts

Album

Year Chart Position
1971 Billboard 200 63

See also

References

  1. ^ "Sir Robbo's Double Dipped Dozen: a psychedelic summer selection" (PDF). Cyclic Defrost. November 1998. Retrieved September 26, 2016.
  2. ^ Unterberger, Richie. "Spirit - Twelve Dreams of Dr. Sardonicus". AllMusic. Retrieved 2013-02-20.
  3. ^ RIAA Database
  4. ^ Tosches, Nick (4 March 1971). "Spirit: Twelve Dreams Of Dr. Sardonicus : Music Reviews : Rolling Stone". Rolling Stone. Archived from the original on 10 April 2009. Retrieved 4 December 2011.