SPIRIT-RANDY CALIFORNIA: 1970 "Fresh Garbage" TV appearance
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- Опубліковано 3 вер 2014
- A great gem from French television: 1970 performance of "Fresh Garbage" with the original line up of the great group Spirit. Ed Cassidy, Mark Andes, Jay Ferguson, John Locke, & Randy California!
If you were a teen in LA in the late 60's and were hip to what was happening on the music scene, hometown boys Spirit and also Arthur Lee and Love, held a special place in your heart (and still do)
Right on! Saw both bands every chance I got.
My older brother lived in Topanga Canyon with John Locke the keyboard player. I just to go to their jams and rehearsals I was 16 yrs old. I started playing guitar at 12 and even got to
jam a few times with the band into wee hours!
I remember John as an amazing musician and really funny dude.
2/3/24 Couldn't have said it any better! I've recently watched a lot of YT docs on the LAUREL CANYON scene & both groups are prominently featured. #KMET played both groups all the time. Nothing like the Hippie, Underground, Counterculture scene from 65 to 75. Once in a life time.
Spirit was jazz, rock, classical, folk & funk. The songs take to places you did not expect them to take you!
Saw them many times in the 60s at the golden bear in Huntington Beach. Fantastic band. Lotta good memories
Me too. Loved the Bear
Definitely one of the most underrated bands in America. They were part of the California sound that was coming out then. I have all the CDs and they are a very interesting band. You should listen to some of their other stuff. You'll enjoy it.
one of the best bands ever. Their range spanned every genre. Truly one of my strongest influences as a young teen. Never another band like Spirit...
I COMPLETE AGREE. Definitely in my top ten bands of all time. Why they did not become more hugely popular will always be a mystery to me. (12) Dreams will never die
Spirit is 50 times more creative that that led zeppelin bullshit that stole taurus from spirit for stairway to heaven, and a dozen songs from willie dixon that they settled out of court for. Spirit was truly a unique band music sounds as alive now as 50 years ago.
Great band yes. But Randy was not a real nice guy pushing away great talent and great fans like me. He was rude. Ed was more than a gentleman
@@jsc1227 yes i like em better then led zepplin
Such is true! Always.
I liked Spirit a lot. What a time to experience all the bands !
At least I'v found someone that listend ricently😂😊
Man!! What a World-Class band *SPIRIT* was!! Many of their themes as current today as ever!!
Loved it when they broke into the jazz waltz refrain with great John Locke piano solo. That was drummer Ed Cassidy's doing, I'm sure. Many don't know that he was a prolific jazz drummer in New York City while Randy (Ed's step-son) was growing up. Ed played with a lot of famous jazz musicians of the time, Cannonball Adderly, Thelonius Monk and others.
So, Spirit was also one of the very first fusion, jazz-rock bands!
Jimi Hendrix wanted Randy California to play with him with the Experience but Randy was too young. One of the few Jazz rock fusion groups I like.
@@oppothumbs1 Yep. His parents wouldn't let young Randy go to Europe with Jimi. Jimi thought very highly of Randy's guitar playing when they played and hung out in NYC together.
They had lots of jazzy interludes on that first album, they could swing!!
That's some impressive drum outfit! I've always loved the keyboard solo here. Beautiful. I adore jazz - rock fusion.
They were fifferent way ahead of their time.
What a great band! Used to see them a lot in the 60s. Always put on a great show. Saw them a few times at the Golden Bear in Huntington Beach.
That's amaising
Ed Cassidy born in my hometown, Harvey Illinois. Much respect.
Talked to him on the phone once….
superb - most real group of it's era, honest and honorable, and focused on stuff that mattered, as we have since realized.
I love their first album.
Great! Great! Greaaaattttt!!!
Such a great clip and great song. Not many videos of the original lineup.
This is the way I prefer my rock music....live, raw and a little rough around the edges!
Amen.
Live and kicking - thanks spirit
For excellent tracks that are eternal.!!!!
One of the very best at Atlanta Pop 1970, were I saw them for the first time. They were gone so quick.
I was fortunate enough to see them perform at the Seattle Pop's Festival in 1969 and also on New Year's Eve 1970 @ Eagle's auditorium. One of the best ever!
Unfortunately, I did not get to see the original line up. I did see the Cassidy, Locke, Stahley Brothers metamorphosis at the Aragon Ballroom in 1973. Ed opened up the set with a pounding rhythm intro for "Earthshaker". An excellent concert for sure.
Saw them back in the 80's in my hometown of Cincinnati, and they had a meet and greet after the show, awesome.
Back in '68 this track leaped off the turntable from 'The Rock Machine Turns You On' LP sampler that took us all to school with it's varied collection of expressive styles. No images back then, just the trippy music evoking the question - who are these guys? Well, it's taken 48 years and a digital revolution for me to finally see and hear Spirit play live. I am not disappointed. They're waving their freak-flag high just as I'd imagined. Thanks JR Ellison.
Shoulda been a tad more pro active! I made sure I got tickets to see them when the first came to London. The Lyceum show on the '70 tour was one of the best live gigs I ever attended!
I saw them at The Lyceum in London on this tour. They were absolutely stunning!
incredible. the jazz break in the middle of this song shows the creative direction this rock band could take.
Eds drums are the bomb.
Ed was originally a jazz musician
Very much influenced by Favorite Things by John Coltrane, and McCoy Tyner's piano solo's
Once I had the pleasure to shake Ed's hand. Spirt were playing The Borderline, Charring Cross, London 1985. I jumped on stage at the end of the gig and shook his hand. His hand was massive.
I said "You're a top class drummer, and I love the music of Spirit."
He said "Gee thanks. I just love coming over here and playing to you guys." And that was it before I was whisked off the stage by security.
I was tripping on some really good acid and I remember dancing all the way through the gig. I couldn't believe that there was only thirty or so people in the audience. I saw the gig advertised in the centre pages of the NME, and among lots of bands names in small print was 'SPIRIT.'
I took the chance and me and three friends went along and we were all blown away. They were a three piece but their sound was so full. The music was amazing and I felt like I'd been beamed up to a celestial planet where the sonic vibrations of their music held me in a rapture of ecstasy.
I remember after the gig sitting in my mates old V8 rover, and he was driving and couldn't find his way out of central London due to the acid. We drove around for hours but eventually made it back home to suburbia.
Many years later I played The Borderline with a band that I was drumming for and as I walked down the stairs of the venue there was a list of all of the bands that had played there.
Low and behold there it was..
SPIRT. 1985
R.I.P. Randy and Ed and thank you for your music. _/|\_
That's so great! Thanks.
I finally caught them at Friars Aylesbury in the summer of 1981. Another band was playing in the main space, and Spirit had a really small crowd downstairs
. But it made for a fantastic, intimate gig. At one point, not sure if Randy actually mentioned requests
(oh god the embarrassment; I was rather over-stimulated just being in their presence!) but I yelled out 'Bionic Unit'! and he went 'Yeah, good idea!!' and they soared right into it.
It was a glorious night; they were terrific. Nothing has ever dimmed the music; it's immortal stuff.
Wow! Lucky you! I'm so glad you got to meet Ed and compliment him; he was, indeed, first rate!
Wonderful post, thank you. When I was 16 or 17 almost 50 years ago, my friend and neighbor used to jam in his rec room and I'd hang out but didn't know how to play anything so I was in charge of playing the joint rolling machine. He played bass and guitar and he tried teaching me the bass line from the beginning of this song, but my fingers kept tripping over each other. Later on when my daughter began learning guitar, I tried the riff again and with a LOT of practise I finally got it, but not the jazzy bass lines from the middle of Fresh Garbage, of course LOL.
I meet Ed on Long Island at My Fathers Place. Super nice sweet guy.
Do think other part of the crowd was tripping ?
Amazing! There is so little on the band Spirit that this morsel of video is rare as rocking horse shit! I have been into Spirit since I was about 17 (I am 43 now) And it's rare to bump into somebody who has heard of the band. I try often to turn friends on to Spirit as their music was WAY AHEAD OF ITS TIME!!! And Randy California was without a doubt America's unsung guitar hero! Amazing tone and vibrato but also his use of layering guitar and composition! One of those players thats just makes your ears to notice!
Does anybody remember The Night Of The Guitar" tour and video? A collection of guitarists such as Leslie West, Pete Haycock, Steve Hunter and yes...RANDY CALIFORNIA! The video that was released from that tour was my bible when it came to guitar! I would come home from school, put the video (Reorded off TV at 3am) into my VCR and sit and work out as many licks as I could! And it was Randy California that stood out among others! A great loss man, I just want to kinda shout from the roof tops or try to get more people to notice the genius that is Randy California and Spirit!
You know what I mean???
Thank you so much for the upload!
Would be GREAT...if you could post that viddy!
My son grew up listening to Spirit from an infant. He returned from Iraq in 2006 really screwed up.. He bought a home and the first thing he heard was his next door neighbor playing Spirit.. His new neighbor Bernie R.I.P. was a huge Spirit fan.. It was a great welcome home.. And by the way with the help of the V.A. he is doing well.
Own a bunch of Spirit albums, but no Led Zeppelin. Out of step, I guess. They should be in the ridiculous RRHOF!
My fav LA band along with Canned Heat since I was 14 in 67. Seen Spirit about 10 times.
@@KingRalf, that video is around...includes Skunk Baxter doing his best rock-star grooning (archaic English...making faces).
Oh wow - The Band That Plays Together was an obsession of mine in my teens. I’ve never even seen them live. This is great.
Not only a great song, but a great early message song about the environment. The original quintet was an unusual but amazing group, in that they came from jazz, blues and rock backgrounds. You'll never see a group like this again, so it is great to see. Thank you for posting!
That’s one way to interpret the song, I’ve always thought it was about going to your mind and think about the things you don’t understand. You can interpret it in so many ways it’s genius!
Sublime! Ed Cassidy’s drumming stands out … but everyone is sheer perfection!
Spirit was miles ahead of the competition in 1970. A song about waste and ecology.
2/3/24 Thanks SO much for sharing this rare gem. Made my day!
Oh my! That was amazing!
Still one of my favourite bands after all these years, saw them twice on their UK tour in the early 70's
Such a great song!
What a treasure, so little footage of the band in their prime. And God they were tight.
They were astonishing 'live'! I made sure that I got tickets for their first ever London show. It was at The Lyceum and they were unbelievably tight and organised! They brought over all their own gear so there was a huge wall of Fender Amps behind them and a PA that was nothing short of spectacular for the time! Clear was out but I think Sardonicus was imminent!
WOW!! NEVER thought I see something like this!
JR Ellison,-
I have a fresh appreciation of the talent of these lads. The truth of what they sang about becomes more apparent all the time.
a band i’d not paid enough attention to, for decades, glad to be catching up, incredible band, amazing story, and heartbreaking to hear of how mr c perished trying to save his child. , r i p eternally
Thanks for posting this amazing performance of a Jay Ferguson song. I wore an 8 track cassette that included Dark Eyed Woman, I got a Line and the rest of the songs which were awesome.
Jay Ferguson wrote the music to CSI Los Angeles almost 40 years later. Nothing but talent in Spirit
I still have this on vinyl. Been listening to since summer 1968, Lake Tahoe. Dang...that record is fifty years old now.
I have Jay Ferguson's tambourine. Yes that one there... took it from him at a Jo Jo Gunne show...
The first four albums by the original band (Ferguson, California, Locke, Cassidy and Andes) are all superbly crafed works of eclectic rock that both represent their time and transcend it . Not many bands of the period have done that.
Oh man... I've been waiting for a live track from the original Spirit here for years, thanks so much! I saw most of the major bands of the 60s, except The Beatles or Doors, & Spirit was one of the greatest lives acts of that time. I remember at Woodstock a group of strangers sharing a "moment" & one of the guys said "Spirit should be here" & I thought Amen.
+Jeff Finn
Amen indeed. Saw them at the Fillmore East in the 60s. Wow!!
Is your profile pic from the cover of Blodwyn Pig's _Ahead Rings Out_ ?
You forgot JA and Moby Grape!!
Saw Spirit live about that time in Phoenix with Randy playing his see through guitar as shown here! Thanks for posting!!
Quite possibly the most underrated of the great bands of their time. Thank you so much for posting this.
I had forgotten about this track! Thank you for killer memories of this song!
This is truly a gem. It's great because it presents a historical snap shot of the band at that point in time. Thanks for posting this!
Fabulous song!!! I loved this song when it came out! Not sure if I realized it had jazz in it!!!!
RIP Randy....still miss his gentle sermons...
RIP Ed also..now….
And John Locke.
WHY DO PEOPLE SAY UNDERRATED WHEN 💘⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐JUST DAMN GREAT THE 60-79s WERE FAR OUT
Too much man!😊🎉
Finally got to see of video of it!
Are you kidding me!!?? Man this is great... all of them... Wow....Killer.....thank you!
I bought my first spirit 8 track after reading a hendrix interview were he mentioned Randy California. Had to buy it. Great band. Didn't know till later that jimi gave him that nickname.
I was lucky and young enough to see SPIRIT at MOTHERS CLUB , BIRMINGHAM U.K. in 1970, and this is exactly how I remember them. Amazing..More please..
Ya jammy sod! I would've loved to have seen this incarnation of Spirit, but I was only 11 then!
Spirit was one of the greatest bands EVER, and how I adored John Lockes always-tasteful playing (and writing). Never too much, always just right, and with the perfect choice of notes. Thanks for posting this.
love this jam and mechanical world
I first encountered Spirit in the late 60s when I received a copy of their album through a Columbia records subscription. They were totally unknown to me, a teenager living in Massachusettss. When I listened to them for the first time it was indescribable, especially the song 'Fresh Garbage', the strange chords they were using, the combination of jazz and acid rock together in one piece of music. After all these years this is one of my favorite songs of all time and the lyrics are even more meaningful now than ever.
What was the album they sent you?
@@michaelleroi9077 Spirit album 1968
@@bethredmondwalsh2008 12 Dreams drove the nail home. Nothing topped that one. It still comes up on the rare psych albums of all times. Jay Ferguson was a heavy talent then and after. He clashed with Randy as most comparable musicians did. Jay did himself good with his solo work and JoJo Gunne, but seemed to fizzle out after that.
A great mostly forgotten band that we grew up on.
astounding post ! Never seen this line-up playing live - what a revelation !! tremendous work
I will support your channel for just posting this video. I still remember first hearing their album. Just like The Byrds these were new sounds never heard before by young dedicated musicians. Never will happen again. Thank you. Can't believe I'm seeing this.
Thank you.
An awesome post. When I first heard this, I was a mere stripling with an open mind about the possibilities of the world. This song blew my mind. Imagine the concoction of jazz and rock and environmentalism. That was Spirit on this tune. Never thought that a representation of their music live from this period would ever be available. Don't know how you got this but thank you brother. R.I.P. Randy, Ed and John.
Joe Mystery Randy grew up in his parents jazz club, and learned from the greats.
Didn't know this but it makes absolute sense.
+Jon Doeringer Randy played with Hendrix as a teen in Greenwich Village & turned down Jimi's offer to be his rythym guitar when the London offer came along.
+Jeff Finn - I read it was his mother who said 15yo Randy couldn't go! But Mommmmm....
+Jon Doeringer Oh well, two years later, Randy got to be the star in a band he helped form.
Not seen this previously. What a shame the walls came tumbling down, soon after this. :(
Thanks for the upload JR, a rare treat.
One of my favorites. Randy and Ferguson were the Lennon-McCartney of that great band. Still sound great.
Soo very cool!
WOW! Just like i remembered them live.Good post
still have the lp. one of my top 10, nice to see this post.
I finally got to see them in DC in 1984 at an outside festival , i was 20ft from them. Most kids there didnt know who they were as they did their own setup, , all were blown away. I "grew up" freshman yr in college alone in my room with dr. sardonicus and orange sunshine. The album cover didnt help. Also, loved later , Kapt Kopter album with mitch mitchell. Mother and Child reunion and Day Tripper kill.
Those first 4 albums...so great
Thank you; had not seen this.
When Randy was interviewed on the syndicated Blues Deluxe radio program, he mentioned that when he was working with Jimi Hendrix, there were TWO guys named, "Randy." So, Jimi decided to call one Randy "Texas" and the other Randy "California."
I saw Spirit in Dallas.What a great show.
love
Randy California was very underrated. Classic
Randy California has a really cool distorted tone here.
true music for my nerves .So long Randy, cos i leanrt guitar with your riffs .the spirit is still alive for me.
Saw them in 69 or 70 at the Celebrity Theater in Phoenix Arizona with my then girlfriend Vicki. I have loved them ever since.
Ed Cassidy is so cool to watch
Ah, the days of FM underground radio!
Didn't know much about this band. Ed Cassidy was a real oddball. Born in 1923 which means he was 47 here, shaving his hair when long hair and beard was the thing and the enormous drums on each side of his drum kit. 47 at the time he should have been a serious oldie jazz drummer playing in a tuxedo (and with hair!), but instead turned 180 the other way round joining the young psychedelic movement. Some people have a young mind despite the old age, I respect that!
That's awseome. He probably shaped a lot of the sound of this band.
He was Randy California's father (or uncle),,,not sure. I spent a lot of time in Topanga Canyon trying to find out what happened to Randy, all to no avail. Couple weeks later I get a book of famous Jewish musicians and he was featured, Unfortunatey, he had died in a boating accident.
@@4551blue Yes in Hawaii he tried to rescue his son who was drowning
@@zu0832 Wow, I know someone who died the exact same way, about 5 years ago. 40ish guy tried to save his 17yo stepson off the Oregon coast. Both drowned. :(
This guy I worked with Photographed these guys in his front yard in the 80s or 90s. His name was Bob and he loved spirit. I'll never forget being behind the bar counter and he'd come up to me and say "see the things you didn't quite consume the world's a can for your fresh garbage." But he was originally from Michigan so he would say it like gyyarbage. Good times.
Wow how cool thanks.
What a Treat! Thank You so much for sharing!!!
Saw them in Toronto in 1974
Fantastic!
Thanks for posting this!
Together with little feat, my favorite american band!
Me too with those thoughts! Spirit was my 1st concert, Santa Monica Civic. Then a couple years later Lowell George stepped up to the plate. Little Feat is my Beatles ❤️
After the early passing of Lowell Little Feat was able to continue their unforgettable sound, all so incredibly talented. Robert Palmer had the same mix of rhythms, we should all just put on our Sailing Shoes & relish the moments of perfection while boogieing down the road.
really a great song. I had the LP
Wow!!!
John Locke looks a bit like The Mother's Don Preston in this clip. What a great upload btw!
One of the best rock bands, period. More innovative than any band before and after. Can't believe they are so ignored.
When I was taking my SAT examines for college "Fresh Garbage," "Water Woman" all the music from their first album played over and over in my head. This was back in the 60s when their music was first released.
these guys were the real deal and that stuff never happens again somehow
Spirit are my favourite American band of all time.
The LP version is so damn heavy. Mechanical World too.
For awhile the drum track on the LP upset me as it seemed to sandbag the song. Then I came to think “that was the 60’s”.
Shiny! Spirit ruled the world at the Atlanta International Pop Festival in '69 and '70. Fresh Garbage has always been a favorite for me.
OMG! Mark Andes was little more than a child back then! And I remember how we used to comment on the "old man" they had playing drums! (Ed Cassidy, who was Randy's stepfather). Great clip. Great group.
So historic a song.
Rock heros of Spirit. America the beautiful. Die in liberal tears. The RC loss did not kill the Spirit.
This has to be the most underrated rock group ever. The band put out quality singles and albums and wrote their own material. Not heard of much today.randy California aka Randy Johnson died in a drowning accident don't know about the rest of them.
Jay Ferguson movie sound tracks & TV show's I think I have seen his name on a few.
Mark Andes went from this swinging rhythm section to Firefall and later Heart. Had to pay the bills…
Was'nt his name Randy Wolfe?
@@zu0832 yes
@@zu0832 Maybe but I don't remember that name.
Glad you enjoyed! Yes--"1984" & "I Got A Line On You" from the same session will be forthcoming. Stay tuned :)
JR Ellison Still waiting!
JR Ellison Yes, please post those other two songs from this session. This footage is superb, early live footage is extremely hard to come by for this group. Spirit is a very underrated group, more needs to be said about them, they were fantastic!
+JR Ellison Please post the others. Is it possible to get a copy of the source video?
+JR Ellison Please post the others. Is it possible to get a copy of the source video?
thank you
what a gem
I was concieved in San fransisco,my mom had me HIP ,LOL😉😊🙃😀😅🤣😂😁