Spirit Soul

This is the third in a series of posthumous albums of previously unreleased recordings by Randy California and Spirit, drawn from California's archives and assembled by Mick Skidmore. As Skidmore explains in his detailed liner notes, California put together an album called Blues From the Soul around 1995, and even copyrighted its contents; but later opted to use some of the material on the final album he released with Spirit, California Blues, prior to his accidental death by drowning in January 1997. Other tracks from the proposed album were culled for the first posthumous release, Cosmic Smile. Skidmore has included all 13 of the songs California had intended to use on his version of Blues From the Soul, though he has substituted alternate takes or live recordings of tracks already issued. Of course, the album also has been vastly expanded to include 35 selections for a running time of two-and-a-half hours. But the basic concept remains the same, and that is to present a collection of folk and blues recordings.

Aretha Franklin - Spirit In The Dark (1970) {Atlantic Japan AMCY-66 rel 1990}
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© 1969-70, 1990 Atlantic / Warner-Pioneer Japan | AMCY-66
R&B / Soul / Deep Soul / Southern Soul

Spirit in the Dark was one of Aretha Franklin's more overlooked albums from her Atlantic prime, despite the inclusion of a couple hit singles (the title track and "Don't Play That Song"). The disc includes five of her own compositions (the most she ever recorded for a single album) and her usual eclectic choice of cover material. On this record, the covers ranged from B.B. King and Dr. John to Jimmy Reed and Goffin/King's "Oh Not My Baby." The album also benefits from great backup players: Both the Muscle Shoals rhythm section and the Dixie Flyers contributed to the sessions, and Duane Allman lends his guitar to a couple of tracks. Though it doesn't rank with her very best Atlantic LPs, it's an exuberant and remarkably consistent effort.

2010 remastered first time on CD reissue of the 1981 album, released by soul supergroup Madagascar on the Arista label. In the early 80's was not the most favorable time to be a soul band. Or young and talented without a care of the evils of the world… but this one album remains as a very collectable addition in the history of soul music. The album sounded like no one else out there, at the time. The notable track on the album was the song 'Rainbow', with Marva King and John Barnes taking the leads, became a song highly popular in the U. K. "Baby Not Tonight" and " Rainbow" were the only singles of the album to chart on the US R&B Chart in 1981 and 1982 respectively.