Posthumous releases can be a mixed bag. Some are essential for true fans, and some seem rather more like barrel scraping. The newly expanded Sea Dream by legends Spirit is closer to the former, (though it couldn’t be described as essential), but it is of interest to fans of Randy California and Ed Cassidy.
Sea Dream was initially released in 2002, as a collection of studio recordings, mostly by Randy, but some with Ed on percussion, and a few with a band. They were recorded in the 1980s and 90s, and stylistically were quite a departure from the traditional band sound. Recording quality was variable, but technical developments in audio tools in the last twenty years, plus the discovery of more of the original masters, have made it possible to improve on the original release. Archivist Mick Skidmore has taken great care to present this expanded edition in the best possible light. It’s still far from perfect, but for fans, it is definitely a worthwhile release, throwing light on a period when they were probably considered past their prime. The accompanying booklet largely comprises an essay by Mick, explaining how this set came together, and is a fascinating read.
So what is Sea Dream? It’s basically a set of recordings made by Randy California, built around a series of songs forming the Sea Dream Suite, which was largely instrumental, and sounds nothing like Seventies Spirit. Randy had got his hands on a Fairlight synthesiser, and he was going to use it! The results are not what you would expect from Spirit, being more ambient in feel, and definitely a far cry from Sardonicus! It’s interesting, but not essential. However, around the suite, Skidmore has included many songs recorded around the same period which are more in keeping with what one might expect. Some of them are little gems, such as Cages, Jailhouse, Shock or Confusion, Fallen Hero, and Girl to name a few. Some are studio jams, like Mind Frock or Suntronics. One or two are cloyingly sentimental, wallowing missteps, like It Feels Like Love. All however contain moments of Randy’s unmistakable lead guitar lighting even unpromising songs with bursts of colour and beauty. His trademark double tracked guitar pops up everywhere, and it’s a joy to hear. A track like Cool B is a pretty basic tune, but Randy’s guitar just takes it up a level or two. Similarly, his take on The Beatles song Hello Goodbye is rescued from pointlessness by his fretwork.
So, the studio material is a mixed bag, but this edition improves on the 2002 version considerably, and what makes this really interesting is the addition of a raft of live recordings from the period. At the end of Disc 1 are a couple of live gems. 12000 Miles is a great song with some nice Doors-like keyboards from Scott Monahan, and stratospheric guitar from Randy, followed by a version of Farther Along with a nice extended guitar intro. Discs 3 and 4 feature further live recordings from 1984-86. The quality is generally good, being soundboard recordings, but dips here and there, so a little patience is required. The beginning of the Philadelphia show is full of distortion, but the atmosphere and performance make up for it. The San Juan Capistrano selections suffer as well, but the Detroit and later Philly tracks are fine, with some wonderful moments. It’s a mixture of what was then ‘new’ material, plus tracks from the early albums and a few covers, like All Along The Watchtower and Like A Rolling Stone. The Eighties selections stand up remarkably well, but it’s the earlier songs like Mr Skin, Fresh Garbage, Nature’s Way and 1984 which go down best, and the closing cuts from Detroit ’85, I Got A Line On You and Uncle Jack will put a smile on any fan’s face.
To sum up, if you’re new to Spirit and want to know what all the fuss is about, you don’t want to start here. Go directly to the first four albums, Spirit, The Family That Plays Together, Clear and Twelve Dreams of Dr Sardonicus, (Cherry Red have them all boxed up for you)! However, for the committed fan, this is certainly worthwhile, even if you have the original Sea Dream. Mick Skidmore has done a good job, (and no doubt has more up his archival sleeve), and Cherry Red should be applauded for making this available again, as I doubt anyone else would! Respect!
TRACK LISTING
Disc 1:
01. Cages (4:53)
02. Just For You (3:26)
03. Jack Rabbit (3:10)
04. He’s No Good (3:40)
05. Jailhouse (4:09)
06. Father And Son (3:09)
07. Mind Frock (3:49)
08. Each Other (4:23)
09. Ego Spray (2:57)
10. Suntronics (2:35)
11. Centre For Truth (3:21)
12. Shock Or Confusion (9:16)
13. Dirty (3:55)
14. Fallen Hero (3:07)
15. Girl (3:08)
16. It Feels Like Love (4:02)
17. Cool B (4:07)
18. 12,000 Miles (5:52)
19. Farther Along (7:04)
Disc 2:
01. Hare Sai (4:48)
02. Hello, Goodbye (2:41)
03. His Love (5:16)
– The Sea Dream Suite
04. Whale (4:24)
05. Heaven (1:13)
06. Take My Sign (4:13)
07. Sai Baba aka T4 (3:15)
08. Daylight (4:37)
09. Dolphin (5:35)
10. Deep Blue Sea (12:40)
11. Garden of Eden (3:52)
12. Heaven Reprise (2:11)
13. Nature’s Way (6:38)
14. Lovin’ You Is Singing Your Song (2:19)
15. Purr Of The Black Cat (6:23)
16. Question One (9:51)
Disc 3: – Live (1984-86)
01. Veruska (6:49) *
02. Mr Skin (4:16) *
03. Body For Sale (5:04) *
04. 1984 (4:30) *
05. Nature’s Way (3:32) **
06. Black Satin Nights (3:46) **
07. Dark Eyed Woman (5:42) ***
08. Don’t Call It Love (4:46) ***
09. Miss This Train (6:39) **
10. Animal Zoo (3:53) **
11. Like A Rolling Stone (5:57) *
12. Fresh Garbage (7:16) *
13. All The Same (12:49) *
14. I Got A Line On You (4:40) *
Disc 4: – Live (1984-86)
01. Nothing To Hide (4:18) *
02. Run To Your Lover (4:20) ***
03. Sweet Child (4:09) +
04. Island Of Roses (4:55) #
05. Is There Anybody Out There (4:32) #
06. Sister Tell Me (3:58) ***
07. All Along The Watchtower (10:21) ***
08. Romance In Time (4:53) +
09. Working in Kitchener (7:15) +
10. Mr Skin (3:59) @
11. Fresh Garbage (3:52) @
12. 1984 (4:31) @
13. Nature’s Way (3:35) @
14. Like A Rolling Stone (5:55) @
15. I Got A Line On You (5:17) @
16. Uncle Jack (3:21) @
LOCATIONS: (Discs 3 & 4)
Philadelphia ‘84 *
San Juan Capistrano, California ‘86 **
Detroit ‘84 ***
Bloomington, Indiana ‘86 #
Kitchener, Ontario ‘86 +
Detroit ‘85 @
MUSICIANS
Discs 1 & 2
Randy California – Guitar, Bass, Keyboards, Percussion, Vocals
Ed Cassidy – Drums, Percussion
Scott Monahan – Keyboards, Backing Vocals, Lead Vocals (Disc 1: 1,3,4,9 & 18 | Disc 2: 3)
Bruce Gary – Drums (7 & 10)
Mark Andes – Bass (7 & 10)
Discs 3 & 4
Randy California – Guitar, Vocals
Ed Cassidy – Drums, Percussion
Scott Monahan – Keyboards, Vocals (** | *** | # | +)
Dave Waterbury – Bass, Backing Vocals (* | ** | ***| # | +)
Jay Ferguson – Occasional Guitar, Vocals, Percussion (@)
Mike Lewis – Keyboards (@)
Freeman James – Bass (@)
ADDITIONAL INFO
Record Label: Cherry Red Records
Country of Origin: USA
Date of Release: 4th March 2025
LINKS
Randy California – (Info) Website | Info at Cherry Red Records
