This is much harder-rocking and less jazzy than most Spirit songs. There's a story behind that, I think.
Randy California started his music career at age 15 as the second guitarist in Jimmy James and the Blue Flames. The first guitarist, "Jimmy Hames," was Jimi Hendrix. It was Hendrix who named Randy Wolfe "California" to distinguish him from the Randy in the group who was from Texas. Hendrix asked Randy to come with him to England and be the second guitarist in the Experience, but Randy's Mom would not let him drop out of high school.
Listen to this song again and imagine Hendrix on the second vocal and on a second guitar. It makes you wonder whether this song was inspired musically by some "what if" speculation of Randy's.
There's an alternate reality where Spirit accepted the invite to play Woodstock, and the film features their version of this, with Hendrix sitting In (he and Randy remained friends, and the plan was for them to go on before him). Of course, in that reality, this is the 30th comment on this song -- and none of the others need to explain how phenomenally great Spirit was!
This is much harder-rocking and less jazzy than most Spirit songs. There's a story behind that, I think.
Randy California started his music career at age 15 as the second guitarist in Jimmy James and the Blue Flames. The first guitarist, "Jimmy Hames," was Jimi Hendrix. It was Hendrix who named Randy Wolfe "California" to distinguish him from the Randy in the group who was from Texas. Hendrix asked Randy to come with him to England and be the second guitarist in the Experience, but Randy's Mom would not let him drop out of high school.
Listen to this song again and imagine Hendrix on the second vocal and on a second guitar. It makes you wonder whether this song was inspired musically by some "what if" speculation of Randy's.
There's an alternate reality where Spirit accepted the invite to play Woodstock, and the film features their version of this, with Hendrix sitting In (he and Randy remained friends, and the plan was for them to go on before him). Of course, in that reality, this is the 30th comment on this song -- and none of the others need to explain how phenomenally great Spirit was!